Cardiff Council in Conjunction with Other Inter Agency Groups and Partners
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Transitions Moving from children’s services to adult services A guide for young people, parents and carers 2 Foreword We are delighted to introduce this transitions pack to you. It will provide you with a wealth of information that will help you make choices as you become an adult and begin to get your support from adult services rather than children’s services. A number of different organisations are able to advise and support you through the change. The transitions process requires that we all work together for you and all of these organisations have contributed to produce this pack of information. The transition guidance will guide all young people with disabilities and their families through the process. Person centred planning is the heart of its approach – it is about enabling you and your family to decide what is best for you. As you use this pack and go through your transition, you may think of some ways the pack could have been better. If so please let us know – there is a form for this in the pack itself. We are always looking for ways to improve for those following you through transition. Cllr. John Dixon Cllr. Freda Salway Health, Social Care and Wellbeing Education and Lifelong Learning 3 Speaking your language This transition guide has been prepared by Cardiff Council in conjunction with other inter agency groups and partners. We produced this guide to help you, your parents and/or carers to find out more about the people and organisations who can help you through the transition process. Copies of this guide are available from your care manager, the Cardiff Council website, www.cardiff.gov.uk or from: Social Care and Health, Communications & Publicity Team Room 337 Cardiff Council County Hall Cardiff CF10 4UW 029 2087 3856 [email protected] If you would like this guide in large print, audio format or Braille, or if you would like help with a translation, please contact the Communications and Publicity team who will be pleased to help you. You are welcome to tell us your views either by contacting us direct at County Hall, or by sending in the evaluation form at the back of this guide or on the council’s internet site. We are grateful for all contributions, views and opinions that will help us improve this guide 4 Introduction Changes or transitions in life can be stressful for anyone. For a young person, it might be a move from school to college or from Children's Services to Adult Services. Whatever the transition, it affects young people and their parents and carers. The Welsh Assembly Government has issued guidance on transition that encourages young people and their parents and carers to be involved and to make their own choices. “Planning for transition necessitates young people being encouraged to have high aspirations, offered accurate information on the options available to them, and invited to say what other options they would like considered. Positive planning by schools, LEAs, Careers Wales, The National Council for Education and Training for Wales and other relevant professionals will maximise the contribution of parents and pupils.” (Special Educational Needs Code of Practice, WAG 2002) The Special Educational Needs Code of Practice issued by the Welsh Assembly Government in 2002 guides us on how we should assist young people in transition. What does the government's code of practice say? The code of practice helps schools and local authorities make the best decisions about the type of help children and young people with special needs should have. Young people with a Statement of Special Educational Needs (SEN) have a review every year. The year 9 transition review is important because it is the beginning of transition planning process. 5 Contents 1. What is this guide all about? 2. What is transition? 3. Transition Review 4. Person Centred Planning 5. What are the options after 16? 6 6. Organisations Involved in Transition n Children’s Services (Cardiff Council) n Schools & Lifelong Learning Service (Cardiff Council) n Welsh Assembly Government – Department for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills (DCELLS) n Careers Wales n Cardiff and the Vale NHS Trust n Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University NHS Trust n Cardiff Local Health Board n Cardiff Health Alliance n Adult Services (Cardiff Council) 7. Money Matters 8. Complaints 7 9. Useful Contacts n Public sector organisations n Counselling and advocacy n Further education, training & employment social & leisure n Opportunities locally, support & information organisations n Complaints n National numbers n Useful websites 10. Evaluation Form We’ve included an evaluation sheet at the back of this pack. We would like you to complete and return it to us in the prepaid envelope provided. 8 1. What is this guide all about? Growing up can be exciting but also a challenge for anyone, especially if you have a disability. Planning the move from full-time education to the adult world is called transition planning. It aims to help you if you have a learning difficulty and/or physical and/or sensory impairment, to move into the adult world as smoothly as possible. This guide has been produced to help you, your parents and/or carers find out more about the people and organisations who can help you through the transition process. It contains useful information that you may need to make informed choices about the future. It has different sections to assist you in making these choices. It includes information about: n What is transition? n Transition review n Person centred planning n Options after 16 n Making a move to Adult Services n Organisations involved in transition n Money matters n How to complain n Useful contacts. We hope you find this booklet helpful and would appreciate feedback and suggestions for the future. We’ve included an evaluation sheet at the back of this guide. We would like you to complete and return it to us in the prepaid envelope provided. 9 2. What is transition? What is transition planning? Between the ages of 14 and 25 young people usually have to make important decisions about their education and leaving home, getting a job and starting relationships. These decisions and changes can be both exciting and challenging. This can be an anxious time as you may be concerned about what opportunities and services you can expect as an adult, and whether they will meet your needs. Your parent and/or carer will have a vital role to play in helping to plan for these changes, alongside all the organisations and professionals who can contribute to meeting your needs. During these years, the aim is to share information and develop a plan, which addresses all your needs. This process is called transition planning. There is a statutory requirement on schools to organise transition planning for their pupils with special educational needs. This process starts at the annual review in year 9. All young people who are in year 9 will have a transition plan. The plan includes: n information about progress at school n targets to work towards and n information about what help is available for the future. The transition plan is organised at the annual review meeting. Normally, this meeting takes place in school and everyone can help you plan. The plan is reviewed at each subsequent annual review until you leave school. 10 Who will be involved? What happens in transition. (Extracted from Start Transition Pathway, produced in the West Midlands) Getting ready Making the transition plan Planning ahead Leaving school Work College Moving on Daytime activities 11 3. Transition Review Stage 1: Year 9 (Age 14) The transition plan is part of your annual school review. The head teacher at school will organise the review meeting, however they will invite some other people who can assist in providing you with support and information as you start to make plans for the future. It is vital at this stage that service organisations are told what you might need for the future. What is a transition review? When you turn 14, we start looking at your future, after you leave school. All people that have a significant role in your life are invited to attend the year 9 transition review. If someone can't attend, they’ll write a report and send it to the head teacher of your school. After the review, we will have a plan for the next steps of your life. This year 9 transition review will mark the start of your transition planning. There are other planning methods that can help you identify your hopes and dreams for the future. This type of approach is called person centred planning. You may be offered a person centred transition review. 12 How can I prepare for this review? Although there are many people who can help plan your future with you, we always remember that you are the most important person there. To help get the most out of the transition planning process you might like to consider the following questions: n What targets do I want to work towards during the rest of my time in school? n Where would I like to go when I leave school? n What support would I like if I go to college or get employment or training? n Who do I want to support me once I have left school? 13 The following people will be invited to your review: n you n parents/carers n Social Services, who must be invited to make sure that your care needs are fully assessed n health professionals, who should provide advice on your transition plan and where possible attend the meeting n Careers Wales who must be invited.