HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL
TRANSITION SCRUTINY TOPIC GROUP
13 JANUARY 2011
Report authors: Sue Darker Adult Care Services (ACS), Sheila Reynolds and John O’Loughlin Children, Schools and Families (CSF)
Lead officer: Sue Darker, Assistant Director for Learning Disabilities and
Mental Health
This report is provided to address the two questions as set out in the scoping document in relation to Transition:
· that the five recommendations made in 2006 transitions scrutiny have been embedded in service design and delivery:
· Members are able to test the effectiveness of current arrangements
1. PURPOSE OF REPORT
1.1 To provide the topic group with answers to the scope questions and address the scope outcomes.
· that members are satisfied with the governance arrangements in place to ensure children, young people and their families have a smooth, personalised transition into adult life.
2. BACKGROUND
2.1 Following the scrutiny in October 2006 a steering group was set up, jointly chaired by ACS and CSF to look at how we make transition better for young people.
2.2 After thorough research a report was taken to the joint ACS and CSF board (July 2007) with the recommendation to set up a transition team that offered a service to young people from the age of 14 to 25 years old. It is in these years that many very significant life changes happen and it is not considered to be a good time to also be transferred from team to team.
2.3 A number of problem areas were identified along the journey, and whilst none of these have hindered delivery, it has meant that the work has slowed and given the Transition steering group further areas to reconsider in terms of timescales.
3. HAVE THE FIVE RECOMMENDATIONS MADE FROM THE 2006 SCRUTINY BEEN EMBEDDED IN SERVICE DESIGN AND DELIVERY?
Five recommendations emerged from the 2006 scrutiny:
1. CSF & ACS should robustly implement the Transition Protocol
2. Employment opportunities for young people should be further explored and improved.
3. A key worker should be identified for each young person going through transition.
4. The information and support needs of parents/carers should be improved
5. Work should be undertaken in partnership with district councils and the voluntary sector in order to secure independent housing for young people in transition.
3.1. CSF & ACS should robustly implement the Transition Protocol
3.1.1 The work on updating and further developing the multi agency transition protocol has been crucial in determining how local services work together to meet the needs of disabled young people in their transition to adulthood. The protocols were originally written three years ago. The protocols were fit for purpose, however they were very long, and not all the agencies had formally signed up to their responsibilities from the onset.
3.1.2 Recent work has brought all the responsible agencies together to streamline and simplify the protocols, ensuring that everyone is in agreement and absolutely clear as to their agencies responsibilities. Due to the complexities of the multi agency sign up, this work had taken longer than anticipated.
3.1.3 This document has now been updated by Youth Connexions, Schools, Colleges, PCT’s, CSF, and ACS, and details the overarching responsibilities for each.
3.2. Employment opportunities for young people should be further explored and improved.
3.2.1 Youth Connexions Service is a major partner and works with young people with disabilities from 14-25 to look at prospects into adult life. Youth Connexions Personal Adviser will offer Information, Advice and Guidance on a range of options after school, such as further education, training and employment but also consider wider aspects such as independent living and enrichment activities. Over the last 4 years a greater number of young people with a range of disabilities have been able to access local bespoke packages through close collaboration between Connexions Personal Advisers, Learning for Living and Work Brokers and workers from the Transition Team. The transition coordinators now complement this by making closer links to the schools.
3.2.2 Further work with day services has also seen a much greater emphasis on employment and developing a different service in line with the needs and wants of the young people being supported.
3.2.3 An employment adviser is part of the team and works with young people and their families to look at the possibilities open to them. She is also producing guidance for the team on employment and transition planning/assessments to ensure that the team are skilled and maintain young people’s employment as part of any transition planning.
3.2.4 As an employer the County Council has created an employment board to look at work and meaningful day opportunities for people with disabilities and disadvantaged groups. A significant part is that every department has signed up to offer work tasters to people with disabilities in preparation for a working life. The Transition Team have supported two young physically disabled people into University.
3.2.5 Work Solutions work closely with the Transition Team, colleges and Connexions to ensure young people are supported into employment. Work Solutions have developed a new ‘work preparation programme’ for young people with learning disabilities to help consider and prepare for a life of paid work. This programme has been very successful in more effectively preparing people with learning disabilities for the work search process, identifying motivation, training and support needs, and also provides and supports work tasters offered by HCC. A young man having successfully completed the Work Solutions programme and a work trail with HCC has now been sponsored on a one year paid job with Community Development Agency in Hatfield.
3.2.6 The aim is that the county council become an exemplar employer as an example to others.
A new post of Learning Disability Expert by Experience and has been appointed to, and we continue to work with colleagues in Human Recourses and Learning and Development to ensure recruitment is accessible to people with learning disabilities.
3.2.7 Hertfordshire is part of the National pilot for Aspirations for Life programme which aims to raise ambitions and inspire young people, their parents, carers, schools and also employers to think consider their career prospects and a life of paid work at a much earlier stage in their development.
3.2.8 Hertfordshire has produced a new DVD Better Lives for People with learning disabilities which showcases the valuable work being done to prepare young people for employment in a range of settings including; catering, administration, light industrial and packaging, in horticultural settings and in self-employment.
3.2.9 Day Services Transformation is very much focussed on developing new skills for life including volunteering, training and employment and has been successful in converting volunteering opportunities into a social business venture offering paid jobs for people in Hitchin Town Clean Sheet Laundrette.
3.2.10 We continue to support the social enterprise sector to secure external funds and develop their business plans to deliver paid jobs for young (and old) who have a learning disability. Groundwork Hertfordshire are in the final stage of a bid to National Lottery to develop extensive green housing and horticultural activities which will offer opportunities to work in this sector.
3.2.11 A successful partnership with North Herts College and a car valet company called Euro Shine Valet, offers paid jobs for young people, we are also at the advanced stages of a proposal to grow this business and offer a service for staff at Farnham House with potential for other sites, this will further increase opportunities for paid jobs.
3.2.12 We continue to work in partnership with our colleagues in Economic Development and Adult Learning to ensure disability is part of the wider strategy for skills and job and the business case for disability employment is understood.
3.2.13 We are making more information available on the HCC website to enable people, with support, to consider their options for work.
3.3 A key worker should be identified for each young person going through transition.
3.3.1 A joint ACS/CSF funded multi agency team has now been operating since April 2010. All staff have been recruited, and undertaken a thorough induction and training regime. Whilst not every young person allocated to the team has a named link person they and their families do have a direct line to the team and are supported at the point of contact.
3.3.2 Every young person who is supported by the team will have a clear transition plan and a needs and outcomes assessment to assess how much money they need to fulfil the assessed support plan.
The Improving choice framework is being developed as the stand alone transition plan for all agencies.
3.4 The information and support needs of parents/carers should be improved
3.4.1 There are clear advantages to the team being multi agency including that families will have fewer people to deal with and the team coordinates the contact needed.
3.4.2 A Transition sub group of the Learning Disability Partnership Board has been created and parents and carers are included on this to ensure that their voices are heard.
Parents Carers and young people were also fully involved in the recruitment and induction of all staff in the team.
3.4.3 The Ideas for life pack that is available to parents and carers at the year nine reviews at schools (age 14) and has been further developed to ensure that it contains the correct, up to date information. This year an ideas for life DVD was produced by the Youth Connexions Service in partnership with the Transition team, with professionals, young people and carers featuring to tell their stories and give information first hand .
3.4.4 Very positive work has been taken forward with health colleagues working on solutions to the interface issues that often frustrate families and carers, at the point of transition from children’s to adult health services.
3.5 Work should be undertaken in partnership with district councils and the voluntary sector in order to secure independent housing for young people in transition.
3.5.1 A recent needs analysis and better demography data is enabling us to work much earlier and in partnership with District Councils, Housing Associations and the voluntary sector in order to secure the right kind of independent housing in the right place for young people in transition. The aim is to provide young people with all levels of support needs as great a choice as possible over where and how they live.
4. COMMUNICATIONS
4.1 A substantial number of joint ACS and CSF communications have taken place. Through the consultation process, joint meetings were held, chaired by Sue Darker from ACS and John O’Loughlin from CSF. Staff across both departments were given opportunities to comment on the new team structure/service.
4.2 An article was published in the HAND newsletter, which goes out to all young disabled people aged 0-19yrs living in Hertfordshire. A further article will be submitted in Jan 2011.
4.3 Presentations have been undertaken at Learning Disability, and Disabled People Partnership Boards, the CLDT Service Review Meeting, the Youth Connexions Mutli Agency transition meeting and most recently at an open public LDPB Annual Event.
4.4 Rose Geraghty with the PCP and Self Directed Support Team has participated in the Youth Connexions Ideas 4 Life DVD. This supplements the Ideas 4 Life information pack and will be given out to all children with a disability and their families at the age of 14 years at the start of the transition planning process.
4.5 Service user friendly leaflets about the team have been developed and the Learning Disability Partnership Board Transition Sub Group has produced an article which will shortly be going onto Connect etc. This article can be given out to parents/carers and will be available on Herts Direct etc.
4.6 A formal launch of the team is due to take place in the spring.
5. What are the challenges regarding transition we still face in Hertfordshire?
5.1 Support economic well being
With the development of the team, expectation amongst professionals and families is very high. Managing this expectation in a fair and measured way is a constant pressure.
5.2 Maximise independent living
There is a challenge in ensuring that the right kind of accommodation and/or services is in place for people to purchase with their individual budgets. ACS and CSF have joined up the commissioning function to facilitate the ability to plan much further ahead and ensure that the right services are in the right place at the right time. The Transition Team seek to ensure that day and employment opportunities are made as available as feasible.
5.3 Ensure a positive childhood
In maximising opportunities for children and young people with disabilities into adulthood some of the challenges are helping young people, their families and carers to see ‘the art of the possible’. It is always a challenging time for parents when a young person becomes an adult and wants independence. Parents of children who have disabilities, and are in many ways more vulnerable, are often understandably much more protective and anxious about encouraging independence.
5.4 Secure a good education for all
To further develop and secure post school/16 learning opportunities for young people with a range of disabilities in their local area through timely; coupled with effective multi-agency transition planning, capacity building within local colleges and creating bespoke pathways that lead onto meaningful progression, i.e. employment and/or independent living. Embed the Learning for Living and Work Assessment Framework as the single Transition Plan as an outcome of the Aiming High Transition Person Centred Planning Pilot.
Ensure a closer match between the assessed education and training needs and aspirations (S139A learning difficulty assessment) and suitable provision to meet those needs. Achieve joint commissioning for post 16/19 learners with complex social care and health needs.
5.5 Reduce carbon emissions
This Priority is not directly addressed by this scrutiny.
5.6 Ensure safe neighbourhoods
Helping young people with disabilities feel safe, secure, and healthy. When safeguarding becomes an issue, the transition team work within the safeguarding vulnerable adult’s policy and procedures. The disabled children’s teams will follow the safeguarding children’s policy and procedures until the young person becomes an adult at the age of 18 when carefully planned arrangements within the transition plan would be made to transfer this responsibility to adult services.