In the UK, young people with learning disabilities have the right to education up to the age of 19 and may choose to remain at school. Others will move on to college or other daytime activities before then, so transition planning needs to start well before that.
The transition planning process offers an important opportunity for young people and their families to make decisions about the future and can be effective if parents are able to invest time and energy in contributing to reviews and are supported to do so.
However, transition planning does not always work as well as it might for some young people with learning disabilities. There may be little choice about future options, young people do not always get enough time or support to give their views, and inter-agency collaboration is sometimes lacking. The biggest problem is probably the lack of facilities for adults with learning disabilities.
When a young person with learning disabilities reaches the age of 14, the local education authority is required to draw up a transition plan as part of the annual review process. This plan, which sets out the steps to be taken to address the young person’s need after they leave school, can then be updated and amended at subsequent reviews.
Certain people must be invited to the 14+ review including parents or guardians, a relevant staff member from the school, the careers officer and a representative from Social Services. Parents have the right to ask other people to attend, such as a family friend, an older sibling or their GP, and written information can be circulated at the review from anyone unable to attend. Local and national parent groups can also provide help and advice about transition reviews.
Many young people with learning disabilities are likely to require services paid for or provided by social services. This will involve a separate "community care" assessment by the social services department, after which a care plan will be drawn up, setting out how services will meet the assessed needs.
In some cases, the transition process will need to address continuing specialist health care needs as they leave paediatric services, otherwise they may be at risk of moving into segregated accommodation as they reach adulthood.
Individual circumstances differ, but transition planning may need to consider the young person’s future in terms of their:
- future daytime activities after leaving school (further education; supported employment; day services, or a "package" of different activities);
- living arrangements (remaining in the family home; moving to more independent living and the kind of accommodation and support that might be required);
- leisure opportunities during the evenings and at weekends;
- general and possibly specialist healthcare needs;
- entitlement to disability-related and other benefits.
When the Learning and Skills Act came into force in 2001, the National Learning and Skills Council’s Young People’s Learning Committee provided an opportunity to improve the transition process from age 14 and address some of the current difficulties outlined above.
The government’s Connexions initiative for 13-19 year olds, phased in from April 2001, created new partnerships between a range of agencies including social services and education. All young people, including youngsters with disabilities, will have access to a "personal adviser" and training is offered for vulnerable young people, including those with disabilities.
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