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Seòmar agus comataidhean

Official Report: search what was said in Parliament

The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.  

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Dates of parliamentary sessions
  1. Session 1: 12 May 1999 to 31 March 2003
  2. Session 2: 7 May 2003 to 2 April 2007
  3. Session 3: 9 May 2007 to 22 March 2011
  4. Session 4: 11 May 2011 to 23 March 2016
  5. Session 5: 12 May 2016 to 5 May 2021
  6. Current session: 12 May 2021 to 2 July 2025
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Displaying 846 contributions

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Education, Children and Young People Committee

Disabled Children and Young People (Transitions to Adulthood) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 22 February 2023

Stephanie Callaghan

I will pick up on what Sue Webber was talking about and will probably go back to other stuff as well. We are talking about consistency, but it can be difficult to look at consistency when you are looking at people who have really different needs. We are great at measuring positive outcomes and really good at collating a lot of different data, but what are we doing about measuring the things that actually matter to the individual, and doing that every single time? Is there a focus on that just now? What I mean is measuring how that individual feels they are progressing towards their aspirations and whatever their life goals are. I suppose that that brings us back closer, to a degree, to them having someone they have a good relationship with and can rely on. It is not a single transition, but something that develops over time. How can we include young people’s feelings about how they are moving towards their aspirations? At the end of the day, surely what really matters is the individual’s experience.

Education, Children and Young People Committee

Disabled Children and Young People (Transitions to Adulthood) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 22 February 2023

Stephanie Callaghan

Sorry, could I just come back in for a second? I am really interested in measuring every single time how an individual views their own progress and outcomes.

Education, Children and Young People Committee

Disabled Children and Young People (Transitions to Adulthood) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 22 February 2023

Stephanie Callaghan

I wish to ask about the independent living fund. We have heard from quite a few people that they were not aware of the fund. Some of them found out about it by accident. Other organisations were very well up on the independent living fund—they had quite a lot of people applying and were getting quite good funding from that route.

I have a couple of questions. Is that the fairest way to do it? Will that approach possibly be reviewed? Should there be smaller grants that go out to a wider range of people? I can imagine that, as awareness around the fund increases, the demand will increase, too, and that will create funding pressures.

11:30  

Health, Social Care and Sport Committee

Patient Safety Commissioner for Scotland Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 7 February 2023

Stephanie Callaghan

Thank you to everybody for being here today. It is hugely appreciated and very important.

My question is for Irene Oldfather and it is based on what she has just been saying. We have already heard from everyone today about how people are not listened to and need answers to their questions. We need to ensure that investigations are thorough. It is all about saving lives and saving people from experiencing trauma.

The commissioner would largely define their own role. Irene Oldfather talked about that role having as wide a scope as possible and said that it should include equalities and human rights. Some people could look at such a remit and think that it is overwhelming. There is also the idea that it could perhaps pull together everything that is already happening. Do you have any recommendations? Is anything missing from the bill? Do you have any comment on the idea of pulling everything together?

Education, Children and Young People Committee

Disabled Children and Young People (Transitions to Adulthood) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 1 February 2023

Stephanie Callaghan

I, too, have a question for Dr Stark, who is getting quite a few questions at the moment.

You mentioned that there are good examples of successful transition plans. Will you tell us a bit more about some of those successes and how the balance worked between practical needs and individual aspirations?

Education, Children and Young People Committee

Disabled Children and Young People (Transitions to Adulthood) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 1 February 2023

Stephanie Callaghan

Are we getting the things that are in the plan right? Should it be an individual training plan in which the young person, the things that matter to them and the direction that they are looking to go in—their aspirations—are front and centre?

Education, Children and Young People Committee

Disabled Children and Young People (Transitions to Adulthood) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 1 February 2023

Stephanie Callaghan

It was good to hear what was said about employers. A local employer in my constituency provides pretty much wraparound care, and it gets loyalty and a huge amount of commitment from the young people. It would be fantastic if Rebecca Scarlett could send the committee more information on what she said about employment.

All the witnesses have mentioned that there are gaps in services and that the opportunities for disabled young people when they leave school are limited. Are there key gaps in provision that we should focus on?

Education, Children and Young People Committee

Disabled Children and Young People (Transitions to Adulthood) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 1 February 2023

Stephanie Callaghan

I will pick up on something that Andy Miller and Jenny Miller said about relationships being incredibly important and at the centre of the matter.

Education, Children and Young People Committee

Disabled Children and Young People (Transitions to Adulthood) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 1 February 2023

Stephanie Callaghan

I will pick up on that before I move on to anyone else. I am happy for others to come in on that. We have certainly heard from a lot of families and young people that individuals step up and make a difference in their lives.

In the earlier evidence session, we heard about mandated dedicated transition workers who work with young people. Do you feel that it would make a difference to have someone who could be that person? We have also spoken about named individuals. Who are the individuals who will take ownership and have accountability?

Education, Children and Young People Committee

Disabled Children and Young People (Transitions to Adulthood) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1

Meeting date: 1 February 2023

Stephanie Callaghan

I certainly do not disagree with that, but I want to go back to something that you said earlier. You said that individuals should be able to carry their own documents and have ownership of their story. You also spoke about having the flexibility to change.

Do you see a transition plan as being part of a longer-term shared health and social care plan? Would it fit into and be part of that, rather than being something separate? I would be interested to know how the other witnesses feel about that, too.