CFDN's CEO submits evidence to the House of Lords inquiry into youth employment, education, and training, with a focus on youth disability.

The CFDN’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr Daniel Ruscoe, has submitted written evidence to the House of Lords inquiry into youth employment, education and training, ensuring that the experiences of disabled young people and their families are represented at the highest level of national decision-making.

The inquiry is examining the factors that lead young people to become not in education, employment or training (NEET), and the long-term impact this has on their lives. CFDN’s submission focuses specifically on disabled young people, a group that is disproportionately affected by poor transition planning and exclusion from education and employment pathways, yet is often under-represented in policy discussions.

Grounded in advocacy and lived experience

The evidence submitted draws directly from CFDN’s work across East London and Essex. It includes learning from the charity’s Community Disability Advocacy Service, feedback from families and young people, and discussions held at recent CFDN coffee mornings.

It is also informed by a multidisciplinary meeting involving commissioners from Redbridge and Waltham Forest Council, alongside local MPs, including Sir Iain Duncan Smith, where disabled young people and their carers spoke candidly about the barriers they face when moving into adulthood, education and work.

Across all of these conversations, a consistent picture emerged: disabled young people are not becoming NEET due to a lack of ambition or ability, but because systems fail to plan early, join up support, or make reasonable adjustments that enable them to succeed.

South Woodford Church hall with around 30+ members of the CFDN charity sitting in a semi-circle facing MP Sir Iain Duncan Smith sitting at a table at the front and talking about their local disability challenge.

The first meeting, a CFDN-hosted coffee morning with Sir Iain Duncan Smith, brought together more than 35 disabled people, parents and carers to share their lived experiences directly with a local Member of Parliament. Families spoke openly about the realities of poor transition planning, sudden withdrawal of transport, gaps in adult social care, and the emotional and financial toll of navigating fragmented systems. The success of the meeting lay in its honesty: rather than abstract policy discussion, real stories highlighted how decisions made without consultation can destabilise lives. The session reinforced the importance of listening to families as experts in their own lives and demonstrated how meaningful dialogue can only happen when disabled people and carers are given the space to speak for themselves.

The second meeting, held just last month and hosted by the parents of Dance 21, was a multidisciplinary supported living discussion with local authority commissioners from Redbridge and Waltham Forest alongside families and MPs, marked an important step toward more joined-up planning. For many parents, this was the first time they had been able to ask direct questions about supported living pathways, care assessments, employment and education options and long-term housing options for their sons and daughters. A key outcome was shared recognition that progress is impossible without early consultation, consistent care assessments, and evidence gathered from families on the ground. The meeting highlighted that lived experience is not an “add-on” to service design but the foundation for effective planning, ensuring that future housing, employment and support models reflect real needs rather than assumptions.

Speaking about the submission, CFDN’s CEO said:

“Disabled young people are too often missing from national conversations about education, employment and training. This inquiry was an important opportunity to make sure their voices, and the voices of their families and carers, were heard clearly and directly at the very top.”

“Our evidence shows that many young people want to work and build independent lives, but are blocked by poor transition planning, lack of advocacy, and systems that don’t understand disability. These are not individual failures, they are structural ones.”

Continuing a long-standing legacy

Elizabeth Fitzroy and her son Michael

For CFDN, contributing to parliamentary enquiries and raising our families' and members' concerns with ministers and MPs is deeply rooted in the charity’s history.

The organisation's movement of Fellowships was founded in the 1950s by Elizabeth Fitzroy, a mother to Michael, who lived with Down Syndrome and was often excluded from many parts of society and public life, including the church. Her vision and determination led her to campaign within Parliament for the rights and dignity of disabled people.

Reflecting on this legacy, Dan added:

“Advocating at a national level is not new for CFDN. Our founder, Elizabeth Fitzroy, believed disabled people deserved to be heard where decisions are made having had the lived experince of carering for her disabled son. We are proud to carry that legacy forward by speaking up for our community today.”

What happens next

The House of Lords inquiry will now review evidence from organisations, professionals and individuals across the country before publishing its findings and recommendations. The CFDN hopes its submission will help ensure that disabled young people are properly considered in future policy, funding and government initiatives around education, employment and training and to build ongoing conversations directly from those living with disabilities.

The CFDN will continue to advocate locally and nationally so that disabled people and their families are not left out of decisions that directly affect their lives.

Read the full written submission:  🔗 Evidence Submission from Dr Daniel Ruscoe, CFDN

Find out more about the inquiry: 🔗 Youth employment, education and training – House of Lords call for evidence