GOVERNMENT MUST ENSURE JOBS AREN’T A ‘FAIRY TALE’ FOR YOUNG DISABLED PEOPLE

14 October 2026

Nine leading disability charities* urge the Government to back young disabled people and invest in their futures ahead of the Milburn Review’s final recommendations.
Charity CEOs say early intervention is vital but must not come at the expense of existing financial safety nets.

Nine leading disability charities have branded the failure to support young disabled people early enough as a ‘national scandal’ and called on the Government to fund a radically different approach.

In an open letter to Prime Minister Andy Burnham and his cabinet, the Disability Charities Consortium (DCC) says, “It’s a national scandal that we can see which children are most at risk of being left behind, often years before it happens, and still fail to act early enough. The prospect of a secure job shouldn’t be a fairy tale for young disabled people. But right now, for too many disabled young adults the challenge of getting even a paying job is more like a nightmare. Employers overlook them. Jobs with the right support don’t seem to exist. And when they end up out of work, they are often blamed for a system that failed them”.

Nearly one million 16 to 24-year-olds in the UK are not in education, employment or training (NEET). The Milburn Review’s interim report starkly set out the scale of the challenge facing young people. With the Review’s final recommendations heavily anticipated, the DCC is urging the Government to support young disabled people, who are disproportionately disadvantaged.

In 2024/25, nearly half (45%) of young people who were NEET were disabled, with mental health difficulties increasingly prominent. Young people with special educational needs or disabilities are around 80% more likely to be NEET than their peers, while deprivation increases the risk eightfold.

The DCC says when disabled people do fall behind, too often the question becomes what is wrong with the young person, rather than what support was missing. That’s why the group is urging the Government to get behind a “national mission built around, and with, young people”.

They argue that Government departments need to come together to bring about radical change by removing barriers across employment, education, health, social care, housing and beyond. This, they say, will ensure young disabled people get the right support earlier and before they reach crisis point.

And supporting young disabled people into education, training or work must not come at the expense of their financial security. The DCC says those who rely on social security must have a strong safety net that works alongside tailored help. Those who cannot work must be “protected and supported to live with dignity, choice and independence”.

DCC Co-Chair Jon Sparkes OBE, Chief Executive of learning disability Mencap, said:

We tell our children to dream big. But for too many young disabled people, the foundations needed to thrive in adult life – education, training and secure employment – remain out of reach. Why should it be a fairy tale for them, while it’s a reality for others?

“Young disabled people, including those with a learning disability, aren’t short of ambition. What they are in desperate need of is opportunity and the right support. Too many are being held back by barriers that could and should be removed.

“Ministers have a choice: keep paying the human and economic price of acting too late, or invest earlier and give young disabled people a fair chance to build the futures they want. Our leaders have the power to change the story.

DCC Co-Chair Jon Sparkes OBE, Chief Executive of learning disability Mencap

DCC Co-Chair Dr Sarah Hughes, Chief Executive of Mind, said:

There is a huge rise in young people struggling with their mental health, which is both a cause and a consequence of individuals falling out of work and education. Fractured and inadequate support is holding them back further.

"Government has a pivotal opportunity right now to turn things around for our young people. This needs to include open access to mental health services so that anybody experiencing distress can get the right help at the right time and giving all young disabled people greater opportunities to participate in society alongside a strong safety net when they need support. If we don’t get this right, we risk letting down a whole generation as more and more young people fall through the gaps.

DCC Co-Chair Dr Sarah Hughes, Chief Executive of Mind