Learning Disability Wales wants to hear your views on Welsh Government’s draft learning disability action plan by 21 February 2022. 

Welsh Government is developing a learning disability action plan that sets out the policy priorities for the next 5 years. They want your views on this action plan to make sure it focuses on the issues that are important to the people of Wales, including people who access learning disability services and those who provide this essential support. 

Welsh Government worked with the Learning Disability Ministerial Advisory Group (LDMAG), which Learning Disability Wales is a member of, to develop the draft action plan. 

You can download or read the Learning Disability Strategic Action Plan 2021-2026 plan here (PDF). 

You can download or read the easy read Learning Disability Strategic Action Plan 2021-2026 plan here (PDF). 

The action plan builds on the work of the Learning Disability Improving Lives programme that ended in March 2021. It identifies and prioritises the key areas, actions and outcomes that will be the focus over the years ahead, including outstanding actions from the Improving Lives programme. It also addresses key issues identified by the LDMAG in their Policy Priorities report submitted to the Welsh Government in May 2021 and priority actions focussing on helping services and people with learning disabilities as we come out of the pandemic restrictions. 

Given the ongoing public health situation and continued pressures on services, there is a focus on Covid recovery, particularly in the early years of the plan. The plan will therefore be formally reviewed after 2 years during spring 2024.   

The key areas covered within the plan are: 

  • Overarching/Cross cutting including cross-government activity that may not sit in one specific area 
  • Covid recovery 
  • Health including reducing health inequalities and avoidable deaths  
  • Social services and social care 
  • Facilitating independent living and access to services through increased access to advocacy and self-advocacy skills, engagement and collaboration 
  • Education including children and young people’s services 
  • Employment and skills 
  • Housing including appropriate housing, close to home, and access to joined-up services
  • Transport.

The plan provides a high level, strategic overview of areas of priority activity over the coming years. It will be supported by a more detailed implementation plan that sets out the specific actions within each area that will help deliver the main themes in the action plan. Welsh Government plans to publish both documents by the end of March 2022. 

We will be responding to Welsh Government’s draft action plan by 28 February.

We want to hear your views and comments by 21 February to include in our feedback.  

Some of the questions that we want you to think about include:  

  • Are the areas identified in the plan the ones you think Welsh Government should be focussing on? 
  • Is Welsh Government doing enough in these overarching areas to meet the needs of people with a learning disability? 
  • Do you think these proposals will be achievable in the years ahead or will they put too much pressure on services during the ongoing health crisis? 
  • Are there other areas that should be included as a priority? 

How you can give your views 

Email: Please email us your comments by 21 February to cath.lewis@ldw.org.uk 

Phone or online video chat: If you prefer you can contact us to arrange a phone or online interview to discuss your feedback. To arrange an interview please either phone 029 20681160 or email cath.lewis@ldw.org.uk as soon as possible.  

Update: Read our response

Thank you to everyone who shared their views on the draft action plan with us. We submitted copies of all the responses we received to Welsh Government alongside our own response that was informed by the views of those who shared their views with us. You can read our response here.