Our work on children and young people

Working with children and young people is very important to the Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities.

We have a lot of experience in how to work with children and young people with learning disabilties.

Current projects

Access for All : a project running three Action Learning Sets in England to improve access to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) for children and young people with learning disabilities and mental health problems.

Steps Project : a project based in mainstream schools, looking at how schools can be more inclusive for pupils with learning disabilities.

What about Us? : a 2 year research project in partnership with the University of Cambridge. It will work with pupils, students and teachers to develop more positive approaches to the inclusion of young people with learning disabilities in mainstream schools and colleges.

What kind of future? : a 2 year project will focus on innovative approaches which enhance social inclusion for young people with Down’s syndrome after school and college

Past projects

Children and Mental Health Services (CAMHS) : scoping and consultancy work to improve access to services and support for children and young people with learning disabilities and mental health problems.

Count Us In : an inquiry that looked at the mental health of young people with learning disabilities. It confirmed that mental health services for these young people are fragmented and that it can be extremely difficult for some young people to access help before their problems deteriorate.

Developing Connexions : a project that evaluated the effectiveness of the Connexions service from the perspective of disabled young people.

First Impressions : a small research study which looked at the emotional and support needs of families during their child's early years, from the diagnosis of a learning disability to 5 years of age. We produced an information booklet for parents and a report with recommendations for practitioners and service commissioners.

Making Us Count : a programme of research that funded 4 projects to improve access to high quality mental health support for young people with learning disabilities. Various resources were produced, including DVDs, workshops for young people and parents and a report.