Learning disabilities: Dimensions urges more support in transition

Young people with learning disabilities who move out of their parents’ home are often being left unsupported in their new accommodation, according to research out today.

A report by Dimensions, a registered social landlord that supports more than 1,350 people with a broad range of learning disabilities, found the housing requirements of young people with aged 18 to 30 were often being missed off care assessments altogether.

The organisation called on housing providers and local authorities to ensure that their staff were trained to help young people with learning disabilities live independently in their own home. The report also recommended that families push for the inclusion of their children’s future housing needs in community care assessments when they undergo a transition planning review at the age of 13.

Dimensions’ transitions development manager, Kate Jackson, said: “Getting a house is not the starting point in achieving independent living. Gettin the right kind of support established first is the most important thing. Mistakenly, getting a house often becomes the final measure of success.”

Further information

The report A Home of My Own is available from Dimensions

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