Inspection report shows young people in transition miss out on services

In its third annual report to Parliament on the state of social care, the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) explores the experiences of people not deemed eligible for social care services.

Although focused on disabled adults and older people, it shows that young people making the transition between children's and adult services are particularly disadvantaged by eligibility criteria. Eligibility criteria is the system used by councils to determine who is entitled to social care services.

The report also says there is a gap in opportunities and outcomes between the majority of young people and those who use social care services. The inspectorate says: 'High eligibility criteria in response to resource pressures are limiting the range of services to assist families of children in need, restricting support for young people transferring to adult services and sometimes failing to recognise that the need to protect children should trigger service provision to parents with complex problems.'

At the same time, the government has announced a fundamental review of the eligibility criteria that governs all older and disabled people's right to receive care services. Ivan Lewis, Care Services Minister at the Department of Health, has asked CSCI to undertake the review and report back to him with recommendations in the Autumn.

Louise Franklin, Campaign and Policy Officer for EDCM, comments: 'The findings of this CSCI report reinforce what we hear time and again from disabled young people and their parents. That their transition to adult services is a time when young people have few options, become more isolated and families experience a drop in levels of support. This has to change, and the commitment from government to develop a Transition Support Programme in Aiming High for Disabled Children should start to address these issues.'