Accessing Adulthood: Transitions thinkSpace
Wednesday 7th June 2017
The Thistle Foundation
Introduction
Making the transition from education and children’s services to adult life is both a daunting and exciting prospect for young people and their families.
The Seven Principles of Good Transitions 3 details the importance of working in a person centred way, highlighting the importance of planning, information and support co-ordinated across all services.
With locality working, reorganisation within Children and Families and integrated Adult Services, how do we ensure that these principles will continue to be met for all young disabled people and their carers in Edinburgh?
Edinburgh Voluntary Organisations Council (EVOC), in partnership with providers from the Edinburgh Disability Forum,hosted this thinkSpace event as an opportunity to raise action points for how we address the above question. It brought together those with lived experience, alongside colleagues in the statutory and third sectors working in planning, support and provision of services.
Andy Jeffries, Head of Children’s Services, at City of Edinburgh Council chaired the event,and we heard from a number of experiencedspeakers including a young person and parent with lived experience, the Scottish Transitions Forum, The City of Edinburgh Council’s Children and Disability Practice team and The City of Edinburgh Council’s Transition Team.
Alexander Warren sharedhis personal experience of transitions, his journey from a challenging start at school to becoming involved in person-centred planning, where he developed and fulfilled his own dreams about his future. Alexander emphasised the importance of individual planning by highlighting five key points: (1) Be confident enough to try what YOU want to do, (2) Fight for what you want and don't let the professionals dictate to you, (3) Pursue what YOU want, it might not always go how you think but it's important to try. Take the positives, you are still learning and stretching yourself, (4) Finding the right people to trust is very important- then don’t be afraid to ask for help from them and (5) Have fun!
Scott Richardson-Read provided a national perspective on transitions, visualising their complexities and the need to consider the process as a journey, influenced by key pieces of legislation. He likened the process to a Rubik cube puzzle where the squares of different professions need to be aligned in order to bring the puzzle together.
“Transition is the period when young people develop from children to young adults. This is not a single event, such as leaving school, but a growing-up process that unfolds over several years and involves significant emotional, physical, intellectual and physiological changes. During this period young people progressively assume greater autonomy in many different areas of their lives and are required to adjust to different experiences, expectations, processes, places and routines. Transitions also impact on the family or on those who care for the child or young person.” (Principles of Good Transitions 3, Scottish Transitions Forum)
The Children and Disability Practice Team, who assess young people under self-directed support legislation, provided a local perspective.Support is provided under a number of different areas based on need. From the age of 14, this team works with the TransitionTeam to project the needs and resource implications of young people coming up to transition. The Transition Team work using a person centred approach to support the move for young people, and their families, from education and children’s services to adult services.
Lastly, we heard from a secondthought-provoking personal perspective, this time from the parent of a young person, who is making the transition to adult life. Linda spoke about how lucky she was to have an experienced social worker and thepositive relationship she and her family had with them, enabling a much smoother transition. However, she spoke of the need for consistency in support to be put in place when moving from children’s to adult services. Though her son is now in college, she believes that he is still transitioning into adult life, an exhausting process for her and her family, though one where she will continue to be her son’s voice as this process continues.
Feedback
Participants who attended the event split into smaller groupsand considered the following questions:
- What is working well in Edinburgh?
- What needs to be improved?
- What are your top two priorities for improving transitions in Edinburgh?
The results of the above discussions are as follows.
Positive Experiences of Transitions
Attendees had mixed experiences of transitions for young people into adulthood, though there were a number of positives associated with this stage. Joint working was seen as key to positive outcomes and particularly this includedcollege support, third sector services, and peer support. Underpinning all of this should bethe key principle of listening to young people to identify their interests. Getting It Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) legislation was viewed as crucial to enabling joint working to happen and for early identification of wellbeing needs for children and young people.
Attendees had some positive experiences of education and employment, in particular when specialised unitsarehosted within mainstream schools.Additionally, teaching independent living skills within either statutory education or a community settingwas seen as vital. Careers fairs and work placements were alsowelcomed to allow young people to move onto meaningful employment.
In terms of services, many people valued the third sector and the diverse range of services provided. Attendees also valued The City of Edinburgh Council’s Transition team, in particular the early engagement they experienced through the team.
In regards to specific interventions, one key projecthighlighted was The Big Plan, a tool used to deliver group person-centred planning sessions, which enabled young people to be aspirational in their plans and dreams for the future.
Areas for Improvement within Transitions
The following details the main areas of improvement for transitions, which attendees raised at the event.
Person-Centred Provision
Participants asked for an over-arching principle to be applied to all of transitions: a personalised approach, a truly person centred journey.
Information
There was concern about the lack of information about transitions available for young people, their families and professionals. Clear, consistent and concise information that is provided at the appropriate times was requested: resources could be in the form of open days, fairs, websites and through improving professional’s knowledge of the services available. Specifically, attendees to the event spoke about a road map that could identify the key steps within a transition journey and provide information about the choices available for families: this would help de-mystify the complexities of the legislation.
In terms of professionals, those working with young people should have a greater knowledge of adult services available for young people with disabilities. Information needs to be shared between children’s and adult services and should be more readily available, not dependent on a parent/ carer’sknowledge, whichcan lead to an increase in inequalitiesin outcomes for young people.
Education & Employment
Further education and employment was a key theme raised by participants, particularly the need for a greater sense of aspiration for young people with disabilities. Colleges should be more flexible and provide resources which enable students to study the subjects of which are of interest to them. This should lead onto support beyond college to move onto a meaningful destination: long-term goals of employment orhigher education need to be decided uponat an earlier stage.
In relation to employment, participants requested that supported work placements are made available in schools to prepare students for their future. Post-school, supported work placement opportunities areneeded once more, however these need to lead onto paid meaningful employment opportunities.
Increasing the Duration of Transition Planning & a Lead Professional
A key issueraised was the duration of the period of transition: thisneedsto significantly increase in length, to include young people aged 13 – 25 years old, though this should be flexible. Moreover, during this period, there is a need for one consistent advocate, or key person,to take a lead professional role for the planning of a young person’s transition. During this extended transition, discussions should occur between the young people, their families and all of the appropriate professionals at an early stage.
Partnership
Participants believed that GIRFEC principles should be consistently applied to transitions, including improved communication between all agencies (statutory, education and third sector), young people and their families. These GIRFEC principles should be carried over into adult services, forone journey of support between children’s and adult services.
Social InclusionSocial Opportunities
A focus on social inclusion for young people experiencing transitions is crucial,leading to a change in societal attitudes and the stigma associated with disability.
Participants also asked for an increase in social opportunities for young people with disabilities, for example peer support groups.
Housing
Participants believed that more effective models are needed to provide appropriate housing for young people with moderate needs, as well as complex needs. Independent living was emphasised as key to moving into adulthood, with the appropriate supports provided.
Life Skills / Independent Living Skills
Life skills need to be part of the curriculum within schools and colleges to enable independence within the community. This would include social, emotional and practical skills, for example travelling, cooking, communication skills, and financial capability. Participants were keen to emphasise that the embedding of this teaching should be extended to 25 years old, in a similar way to Through Care and After Care services.
Mental Health & Emotional Needs
In addition to practical support, emotional support should be a part of the transitions journey, including a focus on supporting the mental health of young people, across all services.
High Functioning Autism
Those young people who have high functioning autism were highlighted as missing out on the provision of transitions services. In particular, there are a lack of further education courses for those young people with high functioning autism.
Parents & Carers
Families need more support during the transition period, recognising their needs within the context of the young person’s needs. Parents fear the unknown during the transition period and consideration should be taken of how they will cope, including the impact on their care for other siblings.
Additional Suggestions
Further suggestions for improvements in relation to transitions within Edinburgh included the creation of a transitions forum, which would bring partners together to reflect upon live cases and previous learning. In addition, Edinburgh’s transitions policy is being re-written: this should be an accessible document for young people and their families, which covers all areas of disability.
Conclusion
In conclusion, though attendees experienced a number of positive experiences of transition, these are not replicated across the board, leading to inequalities in outcomes for young people and their families when they move into adulthood.
The Seven Principles of Good Transitions 3 has previously detailed the key areas for improvement of transitions for young people with disabilities. Perhaps unsurprisingly, all of these principles are reflected in conversations held at this event. Person-centred planning should be an over-arching principle, which is achieved by partners working together, and this should start from an early age and not finish when the young person moves into adult services. Support such as life skills, mental health support, housing provision and social opportunities should be provided for young people. Parents/ Carers need information to be provided to them in an accessible format to enable them to navigate the complex legislation associated with transitions. Furthermore, they also need additional support themselves when their children are moving into adulthood, particularly in light of the impact these changes will have on the wider family. Finally, it was widely agreed that a long-term commitment was needed for partners to come together to influence transitions policy and practice within Edinburgh. All of the above wouldimprove the support for young people moving through transitions, enabling them to achieve their ambitionsas they move into adulthood.
Next Steps
EVOC will continue to work with organisations offering support to young people with disabilities, and their families, to realise the recommendations in this report. The City of Edinburgh Council has committed to working with EVOC and other partners to reflect the learning from the event in how we develop our services together. We are committed to establishing a governance structure whereby we can all be held to account for making these changes happen within an appropriate timescale.
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