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Introduction

The purpose of this Statistics Release is to present the fourth set of national figures for services provided by local authorities in Scotland for adults with learning disabilities. All figures for 2006 relate to the week ending 10 September 2006 and are provisional. As such, they may be subject to change. The final figures will be published in future publications.

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.

Main Points

• 16 per cent of adults with learning disabilities were in employment and 29 per cent of these were in open employment.
• 28 per cent of all adults with learning disabilities lived in their own tenancy.
• 29 per cent of adults with learning disabilities attended day centres and 27 per cent had some form of alternative day opportunity
• A local area co-ordinator service was in use in 28 local authorities, compared to 27 authorities in 2005, 24 in 2004 and 14 in 2003.
• 29% of all adults with learning disabilities known to local authorities had a personal life plan.

Chart 1: Percentage of Adults with Learning Disabilities living in their own tenancies

Section 1: Adults Known to Local Authorities

In September 2006 an estimated 22,859 adults with learning disabilities were known to local authorities across Scotland (see table 1). This corresponds to approximately 5.5 adults with learning disabilities per 1,000 population and ranged from 3.4 in Perth & Kinross to 9.0 in North Lanarkshire. Ratios for all local authorities can be found in annex A where they are given alongside an age and gender split for each local authority.

Table 1: Adults with Learning Disabilities known to Local Authorities, 2006

Source: Same as You? annual survey 2006

The majority of adults with learning disabilities, 57 per cent of those known, were male. Thirty-one per cent were aged between 35 and 49, this equates to 6.1 per 1,000 population in that age group. The 1,750 18-20 year olds represented 8.5 people per 1,000 population in that age group.

Section 2: Local Area Co-ordination

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 2,295 adults benefited from the services of a local area co-ordinator across 28 local authorities providing the service in Scotland. This equates to an estimated 10 per cent of all adults with learning disabilities known across Scotland. Chart 2 shows the change in availability and use of the service over time.

Chart 2: Availability and use of Local Area Co-ordination, 2003-2006

Around 82 per cent of adults receiving this service were aged between 21 and 64. This corresponds to 10 per cent of all adults in this age group and compares to 14 per cent of all adults aged between 16 and 20 and 4 per cent of those aged 65 or over ( annex B).

The proportion of adults in receipt of this service varied amongst the local authorities providing it from 1 per cent in 2 local authorities to 44 per cent in Argyll & Bute and 50 per cent in Moray. Annex B provides a breakdown by local authority.

Section 3: Personal Life Plans/Person Centred Plans

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 6,723 adults with learning disabilities had a personal life plan. This is around 29 per cent of all adults known across Scotland. A number of local authorities reported improved data collection methods this year compared to last for this question. The large increase from 5,662 in 2005 can be partially explained by this. In 2004 5,367 people were reported as having a PLP and in 2003 the figure was just under 4,000.

There is some variation in the level of take-up between authorities. In East Dunbartonshire, 71 per cent of adults known to the council had a personal life plan. A full breakdown of PLPs by Local Authority can be found in annex C.

PLPs were most common amongst the 21-64 age group. An estimated 32 per cent of all adults in this age group had a Personal Life Plan compared to 17 per cent of 16-20 year olds and 24 per cent of those aged 65 or over ( Annex C).

Section 4: Independent Advocacy Service

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

An estimated 2,467 adults, 11% of all those known to local authorities, had an independent advocate. This represents a slight decrease of around 50 people since 2005, an increase of 375 people since 2004 and an increase of almost 900 people since 2003.

The highest take up of Independent Advocacy was in East Ayrshire where 60 per cent of adults with learning disabilities received the service. Figures from 2003 to 2006 can be found in annex D for all local authorities.

Twelve per cent of all 21-64 year olds had an independent advocate. The corresponding figure was lower for other age groups with 4 per cent of 16-20 year olds and 6 per cent of those aged 65 and over receiving the service ( Annex D).

Section 5: Employment Opportunities

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, 2003-2006

Source: 'The Same As You?' annual survey - 2006

In a typical week there were 3,712 adults with learning disabilities engaged in some sort of employment throughout Scotland. This figure corresponds to 16 per cent of all known adults with learning disabilities and represents an increase of over 500 people from 2005 levels.

Around 29 per cent of the 3,712 were in open employment. This corresponds to roughly 5 per cent of all adults with learning disabilities. (Definitions of employment types can be found in annex E along with figures showing the numbers of adults with learning disabilities in employment by local authority).

Chart 3: Hours worked per week by employment type, 2006

The majority of adults with learning disabilities who were working did so for less than 15 hours each week (around 63 per cent). A further 21 per cent worked for 16-30 hours each week while the remaining 16 per cent worked more than a 30 hour week.

As chart 3, above, illustrates, open employment opportunities were more likely to be full-time with 26 per cent working 30+ hours per week. Voluntary and non-open employment opportunities were more likely to be part-time with more than three-quarters of those with voluntary jobs working less than 15 hours a week. This compares to only 44 per cent of those in open employment.

Chart 4: Length of employment opportunity by gender, 2006

Chart 4 shows that 18 per cent of all males in employment were working for more than 30 hours compared to 13 per cent of females.

Forty-six per cent of females in employment worked on a voluntary basis, compared to 33 per cent of males. As shown in chart 3, the majority of voluntary employment opportunities were for 15 hours or less each week and only 12 per cent were for 30 hours or more.

Section 6: Further Education

In a typical term-time week, 4,055 adults with learning disabilities were in some form of further education.

Table 3: Adults with learning disabilities in Further Education, 2006

Source: 'The Same As You?' annual survey - 2006

This represents an increase of 130 people compared to 2005. The participation rate varied between age groups. Around 39 per cent of all 16-20 year olds with learning disabilities were in some form of further education. As chart 5 shows, 46 per cent of these were in this education for more than 3 days per week and around three-quarters were in education for more than 1 day per week.

Chart 5: Length of Further Education Opportunities, 2006

Overall, the majority of people in further education attended for 1 or fewer days with 54 per cent attending for either half a day or a single day in a typical week. A further 15 per cent of those in further education attended for more than 3 days in a typical week.

Annex F provides a breakdown of further education figures by local authority.

Section 7: Training

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

In the six months leading up to September 2006, a total of 1,717 adults with learning disabilities, an estimated 8 per cent of all known across Scotland, received some form of training ( Annex G).

A local authority breakdown of the number of adults with learning disabilities receiving training opportunities can be found in annex G.

Section 8: Community Short Breaks

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 an estimated 2,308 adults with learning disabilities had some form of community short break. This is 10 per cent of all adults with learning disabilities known across Scotland. The level of use of community short breaks varied between local authorities with the highest levels in East Ayrshire (36 per cent of all known adults with learning disabilities) and Argyll & Bute (33 per cent). Figures for all local authorities can be found in annex H.

Chart 6: Length of Community Short Breaks, 2006

Of all community short breaks in Scotland, 3 per cent lasted less than 1 hour, 43 per cent lasted 1 to 5 hours and the majority, 54 per cent, lasted longer than 5 hours.

Across Scotland, an estimated 12 per cent of 16-20 year olds had community short breaks compared to 11 per cent of 21-64 year olds and 5 per cent of those aged 65 or over ( Annex H).

Section 9: Adults Living in their Own Tenancies

Throughout Scotland, 6,448 adults with learning disabilities were living in their own tenancies or were owner occupiers. This is an increase of 130 people from the 2005 level. The figure represents 28 per cent of all adults with learning disabilities and includes 7 per cent of all 16-20 year olds ( Annex I).

The numbers and percentages of adults living in their own tenancies are shown for each local authority in annex I and chart 1.

Section 10: Alternatives to Traditional Day Services

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

An estimated 6,689 adults with learning disabilities attended a day centre in Scotland in a typical week. This corresponds to 29 per cent of all adults with learning disabilities known across Scotland. The number of adults attending day centres has dropped for the third year running as has the percentage of all adults known to the Local Authority. Table 4, below, illustrates this.

Table 4: Adults attending day centres, 2003-2006

Of those adults attending a day centre in 2006, 26 per cent attended full-time. This has fallen from 27 per cent in 2005, from 30 per cent in 2004 and from 36 per cent in 2003. Twenty six per cent attended for less than 5 days and had no alternative opportunities.

A further 3,035 people did not attend day centres but received alternative day opportunities. This figure has remained fairly constant since 2005 although it has risen by over 500 from the 2004 level and by more than 1000 since 2003 (a 54% increase over the 3 years). Table 5, below shows this increase.

Table 5: Adults with alternative day opportunities, 2003-2006

In East Ayrshire, 60 per cent of all adults attending a day centre did so for the full 5 days. This compares to 3 authorities in which no-one attending a day centre did so for 5 days in a week. ( see annex J for figures for each local authority).

From table 5, 6,219 adults with learning disabilities benefited from some sort of alternative day activity. This equates to an estimated 27 per cent of all adults with learning disabilities known across Scotland.

Of the adults receiving alternative opportunities in 2006, 49 per cent did not attend a day centre. This compares to 47 per cent in 2005, 43 per cent in 2004 and 36 per cent in 2003. Annex J shows the number of adults with alternative day opportunities by local authority.

Chart 7: Length of alternative day opportunities, 2006

Chart 7 shows the percentages of alternative day opportunities of various lengths. The most common length of alternative day opportunities was 2 days with 23 per cent of adults having these opportunities for this period in a typical week. A further 20 per cent had these opportunities for 1 day. Seventeen per cent had a full 5 days of alternative day opportunities.

Background Information on the Collection of The Same As You? Statistics

Data was collected with respect to the week ending 10 September 2006, 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 with each publication and, consequently, care should be taken when comparing the figures over time.

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.

Local Authorities continue to improve their data collection and recording practices. In some cases fluctuations in figures for individual local authorities on a year-on-year basis are due, at least in part, to these improvements rather than to actual changes in the level of a service being provided. Where this is known to be the case a footnote has been included in the relevant annex.

Care should also 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.

Figures relating to 2006 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 J in this release.

Community Care Statistics
Basement Rear
St Andrew's House
Edinburgh
EH1 3DG
Contact: Steven Gillespie
Tel: 0131 244 3777
E-mail: SWStat@scotland.gov.uk

This statistics release was published on 27 March 2007.

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