The experiences of parents of young people with complex learning difficulties on transitioning out of school and into post-19 provision

* Introduction * Context * All about transition * Plans A and B * Methods * Findings * What’s next

* Learners with ASD/Complex Needs/Challenging Behaviours * Catholic * Independent * The last chance

* Year 9 * Year 11 * Year 14 * SEN Code of Practice * Connexions Service

* It is common for the decision on a young person’s new placement to remain undecided until the very end of their last school year, and in some cases, after they had finished and left school (A-PPGA 2009). * ‘For those leaving care, boarding or residential college, future independent adult life is a daunting unknown’ (OFSTED 2012 p 7)

* Qualitative case study * Interview leavers * Technical issues * Consent

* Qualitative case study * Interview parents & carers * Exploring in depth a process, bounded by time and activity, collecting detailed information (Stake 1995), and ‘investigating a contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context’ (Yin 2003 p 13). * Literature review

* Literature review summary: * The organisation of transition was poor * Most parents experienced high levels of stress

* Semi-structured interviews * Interview schedule – a linear approach (Cohen et al 2000) * First interview a pilot * Recorded, transcribed, coded * Thematic approach (Braun & Clark (2006)

Young PersonPlacement Family CircumstancesInterviewee A Female/21 38 week residential training est. Father accountant, mother at home. Both very involved in A’s care. Mother & Father B Male/22 38 week residential FE with supported living Father businessman, avoidant of caring role. Mother at home, recovering alcoholic. Mother C Male/21 Local FE college supported learning unit, living at home Mother at home. Father petrochemical engineer working abroad. Mother has suffered from depression. Mother D Male/22 38 week residential specialist FE college Parents separated.Mother E Male/22 Local FE college supported learning unit, living at home Living with long-term foster family. Foster parents retired. In contact with natal mother, who has learning difficulties. Foster Mother F Male/23 Living at home. Not in education, training or employment. At home with family. Father former professional footballer. F has own self- contained residence at family home, and external carers to support the family. Father G Female/22 38 week residential specialist FE college Parents separated. Living with mother, who is a midwife. Mother H Female/21 Local FE college supported learning unit, living at home Living with long-term foster mother, who is a part-time hairdresser. Foster Mother

* After the interviews – interviewee follow-up * Two sets of findings * First: the facts * Reasons for choice of school, what was the process of getting your child in like, did they make progress * Second, four main interpretive themes

Good relationships – with family, with friends, with others Stress and isolation – coping with young people with ASD and challenging behaviour can be very difficult and lead to great stress, and can also result in social isolation Disappointment and Frustration – with Social Services, social workers, the NHS, benefits agencies – and with bureaucracy in general Positives (It’s not all bad) – despite all the negatives, there were positive aspects to both caring for these children and young people, and in seeing them become young adults

* Parental stress a key theme, so… * Use the Stress Index for Parenting Adolescents, an off-shoot of the Parenting Stress Index * A future study on a longitudinal basis * Follow a cohort through * Include children and parents

* The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Autism (2009) Transition to Adulthood – Inquiry into transition to adulthood for young people with autism, London: National Autistic Society * Cohen, L, Manion, L & Morrison, K (2000) Research Methods in Education, 5 th Edition, London: RoutledgeFalmer * Braun, V & Clarke, C (2006) Using thematic analysis in psychology, in Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3, * OFSTED (2012) Learning Independence: Views of care leavers, students in residential further education and boarders in boarding schools on moving on to independent life, Manchester: OFSTED * Stake, R.E (1995) The Art of Case Study Research, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications Inc. * Yin, R.K (2003) Case Study Research, 3 rd Edition, London: Sage