1. Transitions Information Getting Started

2. Introduction This will give parents / carers / young people Information to help with getting started looking into what will happen when a young person moves from adolescence to adulthood. It will help with planning for this change

3. Transition means change and is a term used by services to describe the change from being a child to becoming an adult It covers the period between when the child is 14- 25 years old It starts in year 9, the year the young person turns 14. It is a continuous, evolving process Also need to be aware in Buckinghamshire Adult social care have agreed to assess young people who are aged between 17-18 to help with further planning

4. Think – “getting a service not a life” Think – where they’ll go, not what, they’ll do, Information -Parents “don’t know what they don’t know” Fear for the future – fear of abuse – Winterbourne, Rosa Monckton’s “Letting Go” Panorama Disabled enough! or too disabled – too challenging! Looking holistically at their child, but no else seems to be

5. The Transition plan should be about answering questions which concern the young person and their family such as: What are their hopes and dreams for the future? What skills do they need to develop to achieve these? What is important to and for the young person? Any care/support needs and practical help needed? How are the school helping the young person? Are there any health or welfare needs and support from health and social care services? Can any other agency or organisation provide support

6. Person centred thinking is rooted in the belief that people with disabilities are entitled to the same rights, opportunities and choices as other members of the community. Person centred planning starts from an assumption of common decency: What is a decent way for our society and our services to treat someone of this person‘s age, gender and culture in terms of their living arrangements, security and autonomy? It challenges the whole idea of batching people together on the basis that they are perceived as needing a similar type or level of assistance. It challenges the assumption that because someone needs a lot of help it is acceptable for them to have an impoverished or restricted life. Based on the principle of inclusion

7. 1.The person is at the centre 2.Family members and friends are partners in planning 3.The plan reflects what is important to the person now (and for the future) their capacities and what support they require 4.The plan helps build the person’s place in the community and helps the community to welcome them. It is not just about services, and reflects what is possible, not just what is available. 5.The plan results in ongoing listening, learning, and further action. Putting the plan into action helps the person to achieve what they want out of life.

8. Puts person at the centre Involves families, improves partnership working Makes sure plans are made with the young person not for them (Nothing about me without me!) Encourages everyone to think about the whole of the persons life not just education Provides richer, more detailed information and produces clear action plans

9. Thinking and planning ahead for the future Useful for handing over information to new people – focuses on the detail! Helps families to focus on child becoming an adult Helps to identify possibilities for work and leisure and matching support staff Links strongly to the personalisation agenda and self-directed support

10. The language we use in relation to disabled people sets them apart from the rest of society Focus on impairments not the person

11. “ Personalisation means starting with the person, not the service. It recognises that the individual is best placed to know what support they need and how their needs can best be met, and it gives them the opportunity to arrange their own care. While many people will need support to make these decisions, their parents and carers are often well placed to help them decide what will work best.” [Source: Mencap - http://www.mencap.org.uk/document.asp?id=12148&]

12. The aim of Self Directed Support is to give people a greater choice and more control about the kind of support individuals need and want to receive to live their lives. Self directed support is a more personalised way of providing support, it starts with the person. Who are they? What things do they like doing? And, what support do they need to help them do it? It’s about fitting the support to meet the person’s needs and wishes and not necessarily fitting them into a service or someone else’s idea of what they should be doing.

13. Benefits – young people aged 16 may be entitled to other benefits (ESA) At 18 the social care system changes and so does the law. Mental Capacity – Court of Protection. Bank Accounts and Direct payments

14. Top Tips Don’t Panic Know your rights Start Planning do your research now Learning about person Centred Planning and thinking Visit various web sites

15. Useful web sites Disability Rights Network www.disabilityrightsuk.org Preparing for Adulthood www.preparingforadulthood.org.uk The Challenging Behaviour Foundation www.challengingbehaviourfoundation.org.uk