A coalition of leading charities has written directly to Downing Street, urging Prime Minister Andy Burnham to take bold cross-government action to give young people with disabilities a "fair chance" at life. The move comes amid what has been described as a "national scandal" that leaves hundreds of thousands of young disabled people with no employment prospects or opportunities.
Open letter to the Prime Minister
In a deeply personal open letter, the charities called on Mr Burnham to consider his own childhood aspirations, asking: "Do you remember being a child dreaming of your future? What did you want to be? An astronaut? Playing upfront for Everton? The Prime Minister? We're sure your dreams were endless."
The letter emphasises that while not every aspiration can be fulfilled, every young person is entitled to a basic fair opportunity. Instead, the charities caution that young disabled adults are encountering a "nightmare" in which they are completely ignored by employers, excluded from appropriate support, and subsequently "blamed for a system that failed them."
Rising NEET figures
Recent statistics reveal that nearly one million young people across the UK are presently not in education, employment or training (NEET). Alarmingly, 45% of these young people indicate having a disability - a figure that has more than doubled from 21.1% over the past decade.
The charities warned it constitutes a "national scandal" that the state can clearly identify which children face the greatest risk of being left behind years in advance, yet it continues to fail to intervene early enough.
Government's response
In an attempt to address the UK's stubbornly high disability employment gap, the Government announced on September 27 that it is extending its Jobs Guarantee scheme. Supported by £2.5 billion for Youth Guarantee schemes over the next three years, eligible young people receiving health benefits will be offered a guaranteed job on a voluntary basis from week 13 following their Work Capability Assessment.
The Government has committed to covering 100% of wage costs for up to 25 hours per week over six months, while employers who take on an unemployed young person for half a year will be given a £3,000 payment. The accelerated scheme, which will additionally offer mentoring and bespoke support covering mental health, financial matters, and accommodation, is scheduled to launch in April 2027 and is designed to assist 90,000 young people into employment by the close of this Parliament.
The Government had earlier unveiled a fresh "right to try" guarantee, enabling those receiving sickness benefits to explore employment opportunities without the immediate risk of forfeiting their financial assistance.
Charities' call for a national mission
Emphasising the significance of this measure, the DCC's letter stated: "Young disabled people need the right to try - no one should fear that taking up employment will be damaging. Young disabled people aren't short of ambition. What they need is opportunity."
Leading learning disability charity Mencap used social media platform X to support the campaign, writing: "A fair chance at a future shouldn't be a fairy tale. But for too many young disabled people, that's exactly what it feels like. Today, we joined the Disability Charities Consortium in writing an open letter to Prime Minister Andy Burnham... Young disabled people deserve the right support and opportunities to build the future they want."
The consortium is calling for a "national mission" to dismantle the barriers between government departments, cautioning that young people live "one life, not a series of government departments."
In a final appeal to Mr Burnham, the charities wrote: "This generation of leaders has the power to change the story. We can continue to intervene late, after opportunities have narrowed and young people have been left behind. Or we can act earlier, join up the systems around them and give them a genuine opportunity to build a future of their own. That shouldn't be a fairy tale. It should be the very least we expect."
