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Introduction

The purpose of this Statistics Release is to present the second set of national figures for services provided by local authorities in Scotland for adults with learning disabilities. All figures for 2004 relate to the week ending 12 September 2004 and are provisional. As such, they may be subject to change. The final figures will be published in future publications. Final figures for 2003 are also included.

This publication is a result of The same as you? review of services for people with learning disabilities, published in May 2000. Its 29 recommendations for developing learning disability services set out a programme for change over 10 years.

• An estimated 22,369 adults with learning disabilities were known to local authorities in Scotland.
• Across Scotland, the ratio of adults with learning disabilities known to local authorities per 1,000 population is 5.4
• A Local Area Co-ordination service was provided by 23 local authorities. This has risen from 12 in 2003.
• An estimated 24% of adults known to local authorities have a personal life plan or person centred plan whilst an estimated 10% have an independent advocate.
• It is estimated that 26% of adults known to local authorities are living in their own tenancies.

Chart 1: Adults with Learning Disabilities known to Local Authorities per 1,000 Population

There were an estimated 22,369 adults with learning disabilities known to local authorities across Scotland (see table 1).

Table 1: Adults with Learning Disabilities known to Local Authorities

Of these adults, 12,354 were male (55 per cent) and 10,015 were female (45 per cent). 79 per cent of all adults known were aged between 21 and 64 years old. This equates to 17,661 adults. A further 2,420 adults (11 per cent) were aged 16-20 and 2,288 adults (10 per cent) were aged 65 or over.

For every 1,000 population aged 16 and over, local authorities across Scotland knew of approximately 5.4 adults with learning disabilities. This ranged from 3.2 in Fife to 10.9 in Dundee. Ratios for all local authorities can be found in chart 1 and in annex A where they are given alongside an age and gender split for each authority.

One of the recommendations of The same as you' was that local authorities and health boards should put in place local area co-ordinators to get to know people with learning disabilities and their families, assist them to identify their needs and help them to get their needs met. An estimated 1,640 adults benefited from the services of a local area co-ordinator across 23 local authorities providing the service in Scotland. This equates to an estimated 7 per cent of all adults with learning disabilities known to local authorities and represents an increase from the estimated 4 per cent of adults known who received this service from 12 local authorities in 2003.

The percentage of adults known to authorities who receive this service varied across age groups. 9 per cent of all adults aged between 16 and 20 with learning disabilities were in receipt of a service from a local area co-ordinator. This compares to 9 per cent of 21-64 year olds and less than 2 per cent of adults aged 65 and over.

Amongst the 23 authorities offering this service, an estimated 11 per cent of adults known to them received it. This varied from 1 per cent in 3 local authorities to 41 per cent in Argyll & Bute and 53 per cent in Moray.

A Personal Life Plan ( PLP) is a process for continual listening and learning which, in alliance with a person's family and friends, focuses and acts upon what is important to someone now and in the future. The same as you? recommends that everyone with a learning disability who wants a PLP should be able to have one.

A total of 5,452 adults with learning disabilities had a personal life plan. This is approximately 24 per cent of all adults known across Scotland and represents an increase of almost 1,500 from the 3,978 adults who had a PLP in 2003. There is some variation in the level of take-up between authorities with no-one having a PLP in Shetland Isles, 4 per cent in Perth & Kinross and 74 per cent of adults known to Eilean Siar having a PLP. A full breakdown of PLPs by Local Authority can be found in annex C.

PLPs were most common amongst the 21-64 age group. Of all adults known to local authorities in this age group, 26 per cent had a PLP. This compares to 16 per cent of all adults aged 16 - 20 and 17 per cent of those aged 65 and over.

An independent advocate is someone who gets to know a person with learning disabilities and helps them to speak up for themselves.

A total of 2,283 adults, 10% of all those known to local authorities, had an independent advocate. This is an increase of 722 from 1,561 in 2003.

The number of adults with an independent advocate as a percentage of all known adults varied between local authorities. In East Ayrshire, when group advocacy (run by the independent advocacy service) was included, an estimated 72 per cent of adults with learning disabilities received this service. Figures for all local authorities can be found in annex C.

There was little variation in take up between males and females with 10 per cent of all males and the same percentage of all females having an independent advocate. Amongst adults aged 16-20, 5 per cent had an independent advocate whilst 11 per cent of all 21-64 year olds and 7 per cent of those aged 65 and over received the service.

One of the recommendations of The same as you? states that greater priority needs to be given to developing a range of employment opportunities for people with learning disabilities. This is seen as being important in helping people to be included in society.

Table 2: Adults with learning disabilities who have employment opportunities

In a typical week there were an estimated 3,205 adults with learning disabilities engaged in some sort of employment throughout Scotland. This figure corresponds to 14 per cent of all known adults with learning disabilities and consists of 1,178 in voluntary work (37 per cent), 1,130 in 'non-open' employment (35 per cent) and 897 in 'open' employment (28 per cent). (Definitions of these employment types can be found in annex D along with figures showing the numbers of adults with learning disabilities in employment by local authority). In 2003, 2,493 adults with learning disabilities were found to be in employment.

The majority of employment opportunities, roughly 59 per cent, lasted between 0 and 15 hours per week whilst 26 per cent lasted between 16 and 30 hours and the remaining 15 per cent lasted longer than 30 hours. A further split of employment length, by type of employment, can be found in chart 2.

Chart 2: length of employment opportunities by employment type

There were 1,857 males in all types of employment across Scotland compared to 1,348 females. This means that 58 per cent of all adults in employment were male and 42 per cent were female and that 15 per cent of all males and 13 per cent of all females known to local authorities were in some type of employment.

Chart 3: Length of employment opportunity by gender

Chart 3 shows that males were more likely to spend more than 30 hours per week in employment than were females. 19 per cent of all males in employment were working for more than 30 hours compared to 9 per cent of females in employment. 46 per cent of all females in employment worked on a voluntary basis, compared to 32 per cent of males and less than 3 per cent of voluntary opportunities lasted more than 30 hours.

In a typical term-time week, 4,469 adults with learning disabilities were in some form of further education. This consisted of 2,447 males and 2,022 females and represents an increase of more than 300 people from 4,161 in 2003. The participation rate amongst all adults known to local authorities was equal for males and females with 20 per cent of all adults of both genders in further education.

Chart 4: Length of Further Education opportunities

Chart 4 shows that the majority of people in further education attended for 1 or fewer days with 27 per cent attending for a half day in a typical week and a further 27 per cent attending for a single day. A further 17 per cent of those in further education attended for 3 or more days in a typical week.

Adults with learning disabilities receive a variety of employment training opportunities outwith further education colleges.

In the six months leading up to September 2004, a total of 1,370 adults with learning disabilities (an estimated 6 per cent of all known across Scotland) received some form of training. Of these, 820 (around 60 per cent) were male and 550 (40 per cent) were female. There was little difference in the proportion of all males and all females receiving training opportunities with 7 per cent of all males and 6 per cent of all females in training.

A community short break is where a break is provided in a non-residential setting for the carer and the person with the learning disability.

In a typical week in Scotland 2,289 adults with learning disabilities had some form of community short break. Of these, 1,218 (53 per cent) were male and 1,071 (47 per cent) were female. This is an estimated 10 per cent of all adults with learning disabilities known across Scotland and equates to 11 per cent of all known females and 10 per cent of all known males. In 2003 1,848 adults had some form of short break in a typical week. This represented an estimated 10 per cent of all adults known.

Participation in community short breaks varied between local authorities with the highest levels in East Dunbartonshire, where 43 per cent of all known adults received a short break in a typical week, and Clackmannanshire with 39 per cent. Figures for all local authorities can be found in annex F.

Chart 5: Length of community short breaks by age

Of the community short breaks in Scotland, 4 per cent lasted less than 1 hour, 42 per cent lasted 1 to 5 hours and the majority, 54 per cent, lasted longer than 5 hours. This differed between genders with 58 per cent of community short breaks among males and 52 per cent of those among females, lasting more than 5 hours. There was also some variation between age groups as chart 5, above, shows. 71 per cent of the community short breaks amongst the over 65 age group lasted over 5 hours compared to 56 per cent amongst those aged 16-20 and 53 per cent in the 21 - 64 age group. None of the community short breaks amongst those aged 65 and over lasted less than one hour.

Throughout Scotland, 5,814 adults with learning disabilities were living in their own tenancies or were owner occupiers. This was made up of 3,210 males and 2,604 females and equated to an estimated 26 per cent of all adults with learning disabilities across Scotland. In 2003, 4,250 adults were living in their own tenancies. This equated to 24 per cent of all adults known at the time.

The percentage of adults living in their own tenancies was the same, 26 per cent, amongst both males and females. 6 per cent of all 16-20 year olds lived in their own tenancies. This compared to 29 per cent of 21-64 year olds and 23 per cent of those aged 65 and over.

There was considerable variation between local authorities in the percentages of adults who lived in their own tenancies. Figures ranged from 5 per cent in Eilean Siar to 62 per cent in Aberdeen City. The numbers and percentages of adults living in their own tenancies are shown for each local authority in annex G.

The same as you? says that the role of day centres should change. Nobody should go to a day centre full-time but they should instead get alternative day opportunities for at least part of the week.

Table 3, below, shows the number of adults attending a day centre in Scotland in a typical week along with those receiving alternative opportunities.

Over 7,000 adults with learning disabilities attended a day centre in Scotland in a typical week whilst an additional 2,435 adults did not attend a day centre but had alternative day opportunities. An estimated 32 per cent of all adults with learning disabilities known across Scotland attended a day centre.

Table 3: Adults attending day centres

Of those adults attending a day centre in 2004, 2,124 (30 per cent) attended full-time. This has fallen from 37% in 2003. The percentage of adults attending for less than 5 days with no alternatives has risen from 15 per cent in 2003 to 25 per cent in 2004. In the same period, the number of adults who do not attend day centres but receive alternative day opportunities has risen by almost 500 from 1,969 to 2,435 (a 24% increase).

In both East Renfrewshire and Shetland Islands none of the adults attending a day centre did so for the full 5 days in a typical week. By comparison, 50 per cent of all adults attending a day centre in North Ayrshire and 70 per cent of those in Renfrewshire did so for the full 5 days in a typical week ( see annex H for figures for each local authority).

Table 4: Adults with and without alternative day opportunities

From table 4, a total of just over 5,600 adults with learning disabilities benefited from some sort of alternative day activity. This equates to an estimated 25 per cent of all adults with learning disabilities known across Scotland. Of the adults receiving alternative opportunities, 43 per cent did not attend a day centre. Annex I shows the number of adults with alternative day opportunities by local authority.

Chart 6: Length of alternative day opportunities

Chart 6 shows the percentages of alternative day opportunities of various lengths. The most common length of alternative day opportunities was 2 days with 24 per cent of adults attending for this period in a week. A further 23 per cent attended for 1 day and 17 per cent had a full 5 days of alternative day opportunities.

Data was collected with respect to the week ending 12 September 2004, although some local authorities provided information for a different week, which was thought to be more typical.

The same as you? signalled a fundamental change in the way services were provided for adults with learning disabilities. Increasingly services are no longer focussed on buildings, whether in a hospital or Day Centre. People with learning disabilities are now living in the community, often with their own tenancy in a house or small group accommodation. New style day services are being introduced, with a focus on people, and a variety of things to do. More people with learning disabilities are doing activities during the day that are stimulating and include them in the community.

Following the publication of the first set of national figures for services provided by local authorities in Scotland for adults with learning disabilities, a consultation was held with local authorities. As a result of this a number of the questions asked of local authorities were slightly altered and additional guidance included for the 2004 survey. At the same time data collection methods have improved significantly since the 2003 publication and, consequently, care should be taken when comparing the 2004 figures with those for 2003.

Local Authorities were asked to provide information on the number of adults with learning disabilities known to them, what their living arrangements were and what services were provided for them.

A full or partial return was received from each local authority in Scotland. For certain topics a small amount of information has had to be estimated for some local authorities. Some data regarding gender has also been estimated. Care should be taken when comparing the number of adults receiving a particular service as a proportion of those known to local authorities. In some cases the calculation may not be based on the same base of individuals. Therefore in general those figures should be treated as estimates.

All of the local authorities and their NHS and Independent Sector partners are making progress implementing The same as you? Any comparisons between authorities should take account of local prioritisation and varying baseline levels of service.

All figures within this release are provisional. The final figures will be published in future publications.

Further Information

Further details and analysis of the data presented in this Statistics Release are available on request from the address given below. The Statistics Release is available on the Internet by accessing the Scottish Executive web site ( www.scotland.gov.uk).

Information at a disaggregate local authority level showing the number of adults with learning disabilities known to local authorities and the number involved in various topics throughout the survey is shown in Annexes A to I in this release.

Contact: Steven Gillespie
Tel: 0131 244 3777
E-mail: SWStat@scotland.gov.uk

This statistics release was published on 25 May 2005

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