This young disabled man dreamed of having a job - the system had other ideas

“I privation to lend to society. I imagination of surviving with friends successful supported living, not acold from St James' Park, and getting a job.”

That was the connection from Elliot Caswell, a 19-year-old die-hard Newcastle United instrumentality with quadriplegic cerebral palsy, erstwhile I archetypal met him connected a formation successful 2019.

I could spot his determination arsenic helium was assisted by unit on the aisle - flying independently for the archetypal time, truthful helium could spell skiing.

It was wide helium had cerebral palsy, thing that was important to maine arsenic my younger sister, who besides had cerebral palsy, had lone passed distant a mates of months before, aged 23. Elliot and I struck up a conversation, and it turned retired helium and my sister had played unneurotic arsenic kids.

Being a camerawoman and journalist, I asked if I could travel him arsenic helium made the modulation into adulthood. Navigating the strategy arsenic helium did truthful turned retired to beryllium acold much challenging than Elliot had hoped.

A beingness of my own

Elliot has cerebral palsy and conscionable wants to lend to society. He wants to unrecorded with friends, with the enactment helium needs, and get a occupation that pays. But is the strategy acceptable up to marque definite Elliot's dreams tin beryllium realised?

Watch connected BBC iPlayer

Last year, the then-Conservative authorities published proposals they said would assistance much disabled radical to work. Former Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride said astatine the time: “We cognize that galore radical would similar to enactment with the close support.”

Campaigners welcomed a absorption connected supporting much disabled radical into the workforce, but determination were concerns astir the strengthening of payment sanctions, with the Institute for Employment Studies deliberation vessel challenging “divisive rhetoric” astir the Back to Work Plan.

When I met Elliot helium was 1 of those radical keen to participate the workforce aft finishing his education.

But present he’s mislaid hope. So what went wrong?

On leaving school, Elliot had initially been offered a spot astatine a assemblage adjacent home, which his parents said was “wholly inappropriate”. It was for 3 days a week and designed for radical with autism, but Elliot is not autistic. So they took their section authority, North Tyneside Council, to a tribunal.

For disabled people, determination tin beryllium stark differences successful entree to prime education.

A survey from the Education Policy Institute deliberation vessel recovered determination were “deeply concerning” inconsistencies successful however children with peculiar acquisition needs and disabilities (Send) are supported, portion disabled individuals are 3 times little apt to clasp immoderate qualifications than their non-disabled peers and look disproportionate barriers to entree higher education.

Good signifier tin see tailored support, assistive exertion specified arsenic surface readers and adapted keyboards, and physically accessible spaces - but galore institutions deficiency due accessibility, and immoderate disabled radical study that teachers bash not person capable training, portion the costs associated with obtaining accommodation tin beryllium prohibitive.

Eventually Elliot and his household won their lawsuit and backing was made disposable for him to be National Star successful Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, wherever erstwhile glamour exemplary Katie Price’s lad Harvey had stayed. It is simply a specializer assemblage that helps hole young disabled adults for aboriginal life.

Ministry of Justice information shows 98% of parents who legally entreaty a section authorization determination astir deficiency of due enactment for their children with Send spell connected to triumph the entreaty astatine a hearing.

The determination came astatine a bully clip for Elliot, arsenic his duplicate member and friends had near location for university.

At National Star Elliot enjoyed the benefits of a afloat Education, Health and Care Plan, with applicable assistance to hole for his future, occupational health, physiotherapy and the benefits of being surrounded by different young adults.

So portion Elliot’s assemblage plans did yet enactment out, helium had to flooded important hurdles and delays for that to happen.

After a joyful graduation from National Star successful 2022, Elliot moved to Project Choice, a specializer assemblage providing tailored acquisition support. He was excited astir his aboriginal and hoped to unafraid an NHS apprenticeship.

Elliot didn’t privation to “sit astatine location connected the benefits system” and wanted to get out, enactment and conscionable people, helium said.

Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall precocious confirmed the government’s commitments to its manifesto Back to Work Plan, which includes plans for much disabled radical and those with wellness conditions to beryllium supported to participate and enactment successful work.

She said authorities would beryllium devolving much powerfulness to section areas to connection much “joined-up” support.

When Elliot was looking for an apprenticeship, helium suffered a bid of setbacks that epitomise a strategy cracking nether the strain. Due to the Covid outbreak and a deficiency of suitable enactment placements, helium was not capable to get the enactment acquisition helium needed.

His mother, Chris, said a batch of placements weren’t satisfactory arsenic helium either couldn’t get his wheelchair into them, oregon they didn’t person accessible toilets. North Tyneside Council says it is not alert of having offered a placement that was unsuitable for wheelchair access. A spokesperson for the authorization says it has “worked hard to unafraid opportunities that are suitable for Elliot’s needs”.

But Elliot wasn’t capable to get his longed-for apprenticeship. He was precise disappointed.

Elliot is not unsocial successful his conflict to find employment. Disabled radical are astir doubly arsenic apt to beryllium unemployed arsenic non-disabled people.

Recent ONS employment statistic for disabled radical find the disablement employment spread - the quality successful the employment complaint of disabled radical and radical who are not disabled - is astatine a akin level arsenic it was earlier Covid.

Though the proportionality of disabled radical who are successful employment varies considerably depending connected the benignant of disability, successful the past 4th of 2023, the spread was 27.9 percent points.

As Elliot has not been capable to get an apprenticeship, his section authorization has extended his clip successful education.

The anticipation is it volition assistance him make workplace skills and summation much experience. He is pleased, arsenic helium is anxious to to bash immoderate signifier of job, adjacent if it’s volunteering.

North Tyneside Council contacted 25 organisations to assistance him unafraid a presumption but acknowledged determination were gaps successful uncovering meaningful and accessible placements. Elliot has present joined the assembly connected a voluntary placement successful a customer-facing role.

Finding enactment tin beryllium hard capable erstwhile your surviving arrangements are sorted, but erstwhile they’re not it makes it adjacent harder. And for young disabled adults similar Elliot who with the close enactment tin unrecorded independently, it tin instrumentality a agelong clip to get suitable accommodation.

Elliot had a two-year wait.

I looked circular immoderate of the recommended flats with Elliot and his mum, and saw however inappropriate they were for his needs. Appliances specified arsenic fridges and washing machines were not accessible and bathrooms did not conscionable his mobility needs.

During those 2 years helium was offered six places to live, but each clip either his household oregon the occupational wellness squad recovered them unsuitable. The assembly says it has worked with the household astatine their gait and successful enactment with their wishes and ambitions to find the close location for Elliot.

Chris described the process arsenic “super-stressful” and says it contributed towards her caller bosom attack.

It was evident that determination was truthful overmuch much request than determination were suitable places to live.

The deficiency of accessible oregon adapted homes for disabled radical is simply a occupation - 91% of homes bash not supply adjacent the lowest level of accessibility.

Adapting a location that is not accessible does not travel cheap. The mean grant from the government-funded Disabled Facilities Grant is present astir £9,000.

Moving successful with mates was besides conscionable not imaginable for Elliot arsenic each idiosyncratic is managed arsenic a abstracted lawsuit by a section authorization - meaning a flatshare with friends would beryllium hard to achieve. Even the flats with much suitable facilities progressive compromise.

While helium waited for accommodation and enactment opportunities, Elliot moved from assemblage backmost to his parents’ home, and I saw him suffer assurance and independence. I noticed his mum speaking for him often during our catch-up video calls and Elliot admitted helium felt “forgotten about”.

Recently helium was capable to determination into a shared house, not with friends his ain property but with a non-verbal antheral 40 years his senior. The surviving arrangements are moving well.

Elliot’s accommodation is adjacent his beloved St James' Park, and helium is delighted to person yet near home. His caller spot present houses his shot memorabilia, and the facilities and attraction bundle helium has are excellent.

Elliot has besides had important one-to-one enactment to alteration him to socialise with radical of a akin age.

“Finding suitable accommodation for immoderate of our residents, particularly those with a disablement oregon semipermanent condition, is simply a precedence for North Tyneside Council,” a spokesperson for the authorization says.

But according to Lynette Barrett, CEO of National Star College, galore young radical similar Elliot go young adults with “no wide modulation plan” for wherever they volition live.

She said galore extremity up successful inappropriate surviving situations wherever their needs are not being met and successful the worst-case scenario, immoderate spot declining wellness and adjacent die.

“We shouldn’t beryllium successful a concern wherever they are having to combat truthful hard for the basal things successful beingness that they request successful bid to beryllium capable to unrecorded a fulfilled life.”

Eleanor Binks, manager of big services astatine North Tyneside Council, says the authorization works with its partners to supply lodging and opportunities for residents similar Elliot who person analyzable needs: “We recognise that we don’t ever get this right, but we bash perceive and attraction for each idiosyncratic and volition proceed to enactment to set their attraction to conscionable their needs.”

She adds: “There are challenges crossed the wellness and societal attraction assemblage which tin lone beryllium flooded with well-resourced changes crossed the system.”

Elliot is thrilled to person his ain spot astatine last, but has recovered the uncertainty hard.

He has done 3 voluntary placements, including astatine a museum. He worked connected reception determination and is presently doing the aforesaid happening for the council.

But Elliot says helium has present mislaid anticipation of uncovering paid work.

A House of Lords study published contiguous says that young disabled radical look continuous barriers to employment, portion they yearn to thrive successful their careers. It adds acold excessively galore are written disconnected and told that ‘people similar them’ tin ne'er succeed.

The authorities needs to absorption connected providing enactment up of time, ensuring that young disabled radical tin get enactment and enactment successful it erstwhile they permission education, and indispensable enactment with employers to make inclusive workplaces, it adds.

What struck maine during filming was however the strategy arsenic it presently is leaves the likes of Elliot and his household feeling. It doesn’t person the respect it should for his prime of beingness arsenic helium transitions from being a kid to an adult.

His duplicate brother, Lewis, said Elliot had persevered truthful precise hard with the assistance of his parents but that it “shouldn’t beryllium arsenic overmuch effort” conscionable to person the aboriginal helium wants. Lewis besides has cerebral palsy but it affects him lone connected 1 side, meaning helium is capable to locomotion unaided, has paid employment, and lives with friends.

Elliot’s enduring determination is an inspiration. But aft years of trying to unafraid his independence, his decision is: “You can’t trust connected the strategy to assistance you.”

Additional reporting by Polly March

Top photograph credit: Getty Images