We have for a number of years now worked with a group of young people who have a wide range of physical disabilities and learning difficulties, our “Independence Group”. We provide fully integrated opportunities and support for them within our evening Youth Clubs and also provide them with a wide range of positive, constructive, developmental and residential opportunities. By employing additional, specialist support staff we are able to afford these youngsters many of the same opportunities as their peers. We have been able to broaden the delivery of “taster” sessions in a wide range of activities, many of which would not traditionally be available to this cohort of young people, so that all members of the group have the opportunity to engage in some developmental and independent activity each week. By attending the Club and joining in the activities, the young people are also giving their parents and/or carers essential respite, which is invaluable to those caring for young people with physical disabilities and learning difficulties. Residential opportunities are an important part of the work we do with young people, designed to introduce them to challenging outdoor activities and elements of independent living. Their aim being to take young people away from their routine environments. For members of the Independence Group, home life can range from ‘sheltered’ to ‘chaotic’ and giving them the opportunity to experience life away from home helps them gain self-esteem and confidence in a safe environment. For many these breaks offer the only chance to spend time with their peers independent of their parents/carers and for some they represent the only opportunities to leave Bolton. A typical example of a short residential opportunity is when a group of about 14 young people spend three days at Ormside Mill, a residential centre in Appleby-in-Westmorland, Cumbria, where we give them a fantastic experience trying new activities and generally enjoying a sense of independence; relishing even their part in the responsibility of mundane chores. The increased self-confidence, sense of worth and independent living skills that we witness leave us in no doubt about the value of this work. It has become increasingly obvious that there is no comparable provision in the town. There is good work specifically for young people with disabilities and/or learning difficulties but not in the fully integrated setting that we provide. It has also become increasingly obvious that members of our Independence Group come to rely on what we provide and are unable to ‘move on’ into adult life in the same way as their peers. Because of the range of disabilities and/or learning difficulties, that transition often cannot be contemplated in the late teens but in the mid to late twenties. This creates a huge gap in provision with nothing for the young people to move on to in terms of diversionary, independent activity and no support structure for a transition to further education, volunteering opportunities and employment at the appropriate time in their lives. As we have established very strong relationships that we build with members of the Independence Group over a number of years, we are ideally placed to continue to engage them in positive activity and support them in transition to more independent adult lives. We are confident that, with the benefit of the part-time “Moving On” Worker, we shall support and enable many young disabled people and those with learning difficulties to gain more independence, choice and control over the assistance they need, and both appreciate and achieve their aspirations. We have over 70 members in our Independence Group of which around 30 we would consider to require the support of the proposed “Moving On” Worker. This equates to less than £500 per young person to benefit from this “Moving On with Independence“ service.