1. Transitions - getting it right
Event this evening will allow us to look at transitions and I will try to set the scene for the evening.
First of all check who is in the audience – families and young people leaving this summer? Next summer? Beyond that? Professionals – support providers? Local authorities?

2. Key factors for an effective transition
Start early
Be co-ordinated at all stages
Involve the young person in all decisions
I’ll talk about two recent projects that have followed the experiences of young people through the transitions process, but in essence their findings can be summed up as follows:

3. The experiences of young people
A tale of giant leaps and small steps supporting young people to move into adulthood
( )
Just getting published in its final format and if you want a copy of this please contact me:

4. Further information
For further information and a copy of the report

5. SDS Consortium
Working Together to make it happen: Helping Young People Move on successfully
( )
And this was a project involving all of these organisations -

6. Further information www.scottishtransitions.org.uk
And for further information you can look up these websites:

7. Findings Money and Resources Transitions Pathways and processes
Impact on people
Support after leaving school
Access to information
Personal outcomes
You can read the detail of that in the report but I want to return to the place we started

8. Key factors for an effective transition
Start early
Be co-ordinated at all stages
Involve the young person in all decisions
Check with young people / families what stages they are all at in their transition

9. How people experienced transitions
Not in last year of school
Incomplete data
Negative
Mixed
Positive
Transitions process 1 3 11 4 6
Support immediately after school 7 9
Support / service now 14
One positive aspect that can be highlighted from these results is that the eventual outcome for the majority of young people is a positive (or mixed) experience. Young people and their families generally feel that their needs are being met and their personal outcomes are addressed with the level and nature of support that suits for them. But it can take some time to reach that positive outcome with the immediate support after school not always being what the young person needs or wishes. There are a significant number of negative experiences although outweighed by positive experiences. This primarily reflects that support was put in place late in the day or young people were offered what they or their families described as ‘inappropriate’ services. This will be explored more fully later in this section. However, it is during the lead up to leaving school where the greatest difficulties for young people and families emerges. The transition process itself is positive for only a small number of young people. Many families, and sometimes the young person themselves, experience a highly stressful time.

10. How people experienced transitions
The transitions journey for young people
Number of young people
Not applicable (not in final school year) 1
Unknown (at one stage of process at least) 4
Negative at all three stages
Mixed at all three stages
Positive at all three stages 3
Negative to Negative (with change at stage 2)
Negative to Mixed (by at least stage 3)
Negative to Positive (by at least stage 3) 6
Mixed to Negative (by at least stage 3)
Mixed to Mixed (with change at stage 2)
Mixed to Positive (by at least stage 3) 2
Positive to Negative (by at least stage 3)
Positive to Mixed (by at least stage 3)
Positive to Positive (with change at stage 2)
The most striking result here is that only for 3 young people was the process described as positive from start to finish. For no young person was it negative at all three stages. However, for 1 young person the process started negatively and ended negatively with an improvement only at the stage of support immediately after school. For others who experienced a negative transitions process at the start, for the majority it became a positive experience. This was true also for those who had a mixed start to the process, where the majority became positive and none became negative. For those that started positive, none became negative

11. We can all do better…
And that brings us back to today’s event…

12. Recommendations Adopt principles of good transitions Communication
Transition pathways
Common paperwork for outcomes- focused assessments
Flexible and faster to act
Share stories of creative solutions
Transitions Fairs and Information sessions

13. 7 Principles of Good Transition
All plans and assessments should be made in a person-centred way.
Support should be co-ordinated across all services.
Planning should start early and continue up to age 25.
Young people should get the support they need.
Young people, parents and carers must have access to the information they need.
Families and carers need support.
Legislation and policy should be co-ordinated and simplified.