Somerset Parent Partnership Service

Somerset Parent Partnership Service

A free impartial service for parents and carers of children with Special Educational Needs

School based Transition Planning for those who are 14 – 19 years old

Information for Parents and Carers

Who is this information for?

·  A young person with a Statement of Special Educational Needs

·  A young person who is currently receiving School Action Plus at

Levels 2 or 3

·  A young person with a significant learning disability that requires support through the process.

(Please Note: The terms School Action and School Action Plus are likely to change under the current national SEN Funding Review to be implemented in April 2013. An update of this leaflet will be available when the full information is known.)

What is Transition Planning?

Transition Planning begins at the Annual Review Meeting in Year 9 where you and your son or daughter will begin to consider options for when they leave school and move on to the next phase of their life.

For those with a Statement of Special Educational Needs

Transition to adulthood will be discussed at the Yr 9 Annual Review and the Careers Adviser will contribute to the meeting with you and your son or daughter. Ideas may be explored through the action plan drawn together at the end of the meeting.

For those without Statements the Annual Reviews from Yr 9 will begin to consider transition arrangements and thoughts about further education or training.

The Transition Plan and Annual Review will bring together information from you, your son or daughter, school and other professionals who work with your son or daughter.

As this information will be shared with a future placement and other agencies, it is very important that you are aware of this and if you are not happy, that you make your objection known. There is a box on the Annual Review Report for this purpose.

The Annual Review should put your son or daughter at the centre of any Transition Planning and enable them to find out about what they could do when they leave school and start the journey to adulthood.

There will be opportunity to discuss future plans and support needs your son or daughter may require.

Who would you expect to be at the Transition Planning/Annual Review Meetings?

·  Your son or daughter

·  You as the parent or carer

·  Teachers and Learning Support Assistants

·  The Careers Adviser (if a statement applies the Careers Adviser will do their best to attend)

There could also be:

·  Transition Worker

·  Social Worker

·  Specialist Teachers

·  Therapists

·  Educational Psychologist

·  Advocate or Mentor

·  Anyone your son or daughter or you would like there, with the agreement of the Headteacher

What will be considered?

The Transition Plan as part of the Annual Review will set out the options for your son or daughter from the age of 13 to 19 years old or 19 to 25 years old and will make careful plans to include the following:

·  What your son or daughter wants

·  What you as the parents or carers think

·  Education after the age of 16 or 19 at a further education college or independent day/residential college (subject to an application process)

·  Work experience

·  Housing or accommodation

·  Benefits

·  Health and Social Care support

·  Short Break provision

·  Recreation and leisure

·  Training and employment including apprenticeships

The Annual Review Action Plan should:

·  Set clear targets and timescales

·  Outline actions to be taken

·  Identify who is responsible for carrying out the Plan

As part of the Annual Review, the Transition Plan will be reviewed at each Annual Review.

Transition Planning is a process so some decisions may change. It is an opportunity to begin to think about and plan for the future.

Careers Advice

Schools will be free to make arrangements for careers guidance for young people that fit the needs and circumstances of their students, and will not be required to engage with any one particular provider.

However they must give access to independent advice and the LA will have the responsibility to make sure vulnerable young people are encouraged to participate in education and training.

Work Experience

Opportunities for work experience are generally offered in Years 10 or 11 and this a good time to sample a job whilst still at school.

They would be based at a place of work: it could be a shop, office, factory or wherever they choose. It will be a place to learn about a job as they carry out tasks and duties like an employee. The placement usually lasts for one or two weeks, but could be a day a week.

Young People who have a Statement of Special Educational Needs

For Young People who have a Statement of Special Educational Needs, it is a statutory requirement that a Careers Adviser from Careers South West is involved and invited to the Year 9 Annual Review

Learning Difficulty Assessment

For all pupils with Statements, a Learning Difficulty Assessment, sometimes called a Section 139a assessment, is completed in year 11, or their last year of school, if they want to go to further education or training. This is a review of the young person’s needs and the provision needed to meet them.

The Local Authority will make special arrangements to enable Careers South West to carry out a Learning Difficulty Assessment for pupils on School Action Plus where:

·  they are likely to cost the sector college more than £19,000 to support or

·  they need to attend an independent specialist provider post 16 or post 19.

The Local Authority makes decisions on placements in further education and specialist independent day/residential college placements based on these assessments.

Transition Personal Adviser

A Transition Personal Adviser, who is based in Adult Social Care, will also support your son or daughter if they have more severe and complex needs and will need support from Adult Social Care in the future.

They will

·  attend Transition Reviews as an Adult Service Representative to learn about your son or daughter’s needs. They will monitor the young person in preparation to complete an assessment called ‘Understanding You Document’ which will include health and /or social care needs

·  help and support you through the change from Children’s Services to

Adult Services

·  answer questions you may have about Short Breaks and Direct Payments

·  complete a Carer’s Assessment for yourself, if required

Care leavers

If you are leaving care or you are the carer for someone leaving care, please liaise with your Leaving Care team (Children Social Care).

Other Important Information

Young people transfer from Children’s Social Care to Adult Social Care at 18 years old.

Moving from Paediatrics to Adult Health Care is not so straightforward -

If the young person has Continuing Health Care funding to meet a health need, then they go to Adult funding at 18 years old.

Sometimes a Consultant may want to continue looking after a young person over 16 years old, hence the transition to Adult Services can vary according to the need and the Consultant.

At 16 years old a young person with a disability can be assessed for benefits in their own right.

Find out about the Benefits they may be entitled to by contacting your local Citizen’s Advice Bureau (CAB), Jobcentre Plus or the Benefit Enquiry line. (See below for details).

If your son or daughter has not been entitled to Disability Living Allowance in the past, they may be eligible at 16 years old if

·  they cannot prepare a cooked meal for themselves

·  they need some help with personal care

·  they have mobility difficulties

It is well worth checking!

Further Contacts:

Taunton Office of Careers South West (previously Connexions)

3 Mendip House

High Street

Taunton

TA1 3SX

Telephone: 01823 281250

Website: www.careerssw.org

Email:

Learning Disabilities Community Teams including Transition Personal Advisers

Mendip 01373 456500

Sedgemoor & West Somerset 01278 455571

South Somerset 01935 470600

Taunton Deane 01823 257908

Somerset Parent Partnership Service Phone; 01823 355578

Website: www.somersetparentpartnershipservice.org.uk

Somerset Advocacy 01823 322900 www.somersetadvocacy.org

National Autistic Society 0845 070 4004 www.autism.org.uk

Ups & Downs 01278 685731 www.upsanddowns.net

MENCAP Helpline 0808 808 111 www.mencap.org.uk

Scope Helpline 0808 800 3333 www.scope.org.uk

Somerset Direct Community Services for Adults 0845 345 9133

Somerset Direct Children & Young People’s Services 0845 345 9122

For advice and information on benefits contact your local

·  Citizen’s Advice Bureau

·  Jobcentre Plus

·  Benefit Enquiry line for disabled people and carers – 0800 882200

This information has been produced by Somerset Parent Partnership Service Somerset Transitions Teams and Careers South West and is correct at the time of printing

If you need any further information, please contact: Somerset Parent Partnership Service County Hall Taunton TA1 4DY

Tel: 01823 355578

Email:

Website: www.somersetparentpartnership.org.uk

Somerset Parent Partnership Service is a statutory service funded by Somerset County Council

Working together for equalities

This leaflet is available in other formats and languages on request.

September 2012