Good Practice Examples
Person Centred Transition Planning is essential in order to inform commissioners and providers of support services of likely future needs.
Some examples of good practice include:
Guidance on Developing Person Centred Approaches in Schools
has been produced by Helen Sanderson and Pippa Murray. http://www.helensandersonassociates.co.uk/ info@ibkinitiatives.com
A number of authorities are developing and using personal budgets to support young people in transition, in order to ensure that they have more choice and control in their lives. http://www.in-control.org.uk/ http://www.dynamite.og.uk/
Transition Toolkit
A framework for managing change and successful transition planning for children young people with Autism Spectrum Conditions http://www.bild.org.uk/
Transition Pathway
Using the guidance and tools in the Transition Pathway to gather information from young people about their hopes and dreams for the future. http://www.transitionpathway.co.uk/
Sunfield Transition Solutions Project
Sunfield is a charity based in the West Midlands offering education, care and therapies to children with severe and complex learning needs on a 52 week basis (http://www.sunfield.org.uk/).
In 2005 Sunfield secured funding to conduct a research project to look at the process of transition for this group of young people and their families. The project was entitled “Transition Solutions” and focussed on the experiences of the leaver groups between2005 and 2008. Jan Millward was appointed as Transition Solutions Advisor to lead on the project.
The aims of the project were:
- To support young people and their families in the year leading up to them leaving Sunfield.
- To map the progress of the leaver groups from 2006, 2007 and 2008 (29 students in total).
- To develop Person centred practices within the organisation to support the transition process
- To empower families to understand and navigate the process of transition.
- To develop a list of adult service providers who are able to meet the needs of young people with complex learning need
- To strengthen relationships with adult service providers – offering a link after the student has left.
- To prepare the students for leaving Sunfield.
The role of the Transitions Solutions Advisor includes:
- Support to families by attending reviews, giving advice, providing lists of service providers, accompanying them on visits to potential adult providers.
- Visiting students following their departure from Sunfield and keeping in telephone contact with the service providers.
- Co-ordinating the development of a transition profile for each student. Based on the Transition Pathway model.
- Arranging training equip families with the relevant legislation to support transition and to highlight the rights and entitlements.
- Development of a comprehensive list of adult providers who are able to meet the needs of young people with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and other complex needs.
- Maintaining contact with service providers to offer advice and continuity of approach from Sunfield through to the adult service.
- Supporting individual students to maintain contact with friends who have left Sunfield, including e-mail, letters and visits.
Coddington Court School
(a residential school for young people who are on the autism spectrum) has established a partnership arrangement between the deputy care services manager and senior teacher. Together, they provide a transition lead to offer support to young people and to families. They also offer guidance and expertise to other professionals and have mapped a range of adult provision across the country. They offer the facility for people who will be supporting the young people in adult life to stay at the school and get to know the young people before they leave school.
www.autismwestmidlands.org.uk/CoddingtonCourtSchool
The Big Picture and My Life My Future tools from the Transition Pathway http://www.transitionpathway.co.uk/ are used within the school to gain the young people’s views on what is important to them. http://www.autismwestmidlands.org.uk/
The Valuing People Support Team
has supported a national programme of person-centred reviews. The aim is to ensure that the young person is central to the review and planning process, focussing on
- What is important to the young person?
- What support is needed?
- What is working and not working for the young person?
http://www.valuingpeople.gov.uk/ http://www.helensandersonassociates.org.uk/
Warwickshire
In Warwickshire, a range of information leaflets have been developed for families and for young people, and regular transition information meetings for families are held.www.warwickshire.gov.uk
Staffordshire County Council and Children Trust,
in partnership with Connexions, have developed a transition strategy for children and young people with learning difficulties and disabilities and statements of special educational needs. This aims to ensure that young people and their families are completely engaged in decision making.
The strategy includes:
- the development of new transition worker posts
- person-centred transition planning, based upon the Transition Pathway guidance and tools
- Multi-agency training sessions on using the Transition Pathway tools
- Satisfaction survey, involving young people and parents/carers
http://www.staffordshire.gov.uk/ http://www.transitionpathway.co.uk/
Improving Choice Pathfinder
East of England Region. The Learning and Skills Council is developing support for disabled learners, in collaboration with other agencies, in response to the lack of specialist provision in the area. http://www.lsc.gov.uk/
Gloucestershire Person Centred Planning Pathway
In Gloucestershire a multi agency group are developing a Gloucestershire Person Centred Planning Pathway and Process, along side an inforamtion pack for families. They are also piloting personal budgets for children in order to give young people more choice and control into adult life. http://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/
A Transition Guide for all services
key information for professionals about the transition process for disabled young people. http://www.dcfs.gov.uk/ http://www.transitioninfonetwork.org.uk/
The Getting a Life Project
a project supported by Valuing People to explore how to bring together the funding and planning processes around;
- special educational needs transition planning,
- post 16 education planning and provision,
- disability employment advice and support
This project has been established by the Office of Disability issues, Department of Health, Department of work and Pensions, Department for Children Schools and Families and Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills.
It aims to start from person centred planning and to achieve integrated assessment and decision making processes to allow people to use public resources flexibly to get the outcomes they want.
http://www.valuingpeople.gov.uk/