5.7.3 Transition Planning |
Contents
1. Policy
The City of London Corporation recognises that there is an important period of transition from being a young person to being an adult accessing social care services. Both the Family and Young People’s Service and the Adults Service aim to make this transition as smooth as possible and will work in a joined up way to arrange care plans for young people involved in the transition process and their families and carers, ensuring they are offered choice and that their wishes are listened to.
The City of London Corporation is committed to providing services of the highest standard within the resources available for all existing and potential users of our services. Quality and equality are core values that underpin all our activities. We believe that promoting equality will enrich our service delivery and ensure that our services are fair and sensitive to people's needs. Consequently the City of London Corporation aims to ensure that no current or potential service user's needs are less well met on the grounds of sex, or sexual orientation, race, nationality, ethnic origins, colour, creed, disability, marital status, age, or on any other grounds that cannot be justified.
2. Procedure
- Introduction
Transition refers to a period in time when a young person changes from child to adult services, from school to further and higher education or employment.
The transition process will affect young people with a disability.
Services to disabled young people leaving care (See Leaving Care Procedure)
The Service Manager of the Family and Young People’s Service is responsible for ensuring continuity of service to a young person during transition. A Children and Families social worker will be allocated as a personal adviser to a young person leaving care (See Leaving Care Procedure)
In instances where a young person with a disability is looked after both the procedures for leaving care and Point 3, Family and Young People's Transition below must be followed.
- Educational transition
The transition process begins at about age 14 (year 9) where a young person’s school will organise a Transition Review. The young person’s school will invite a social worker from the Family and Young People’s Service to the young person’s first Transition Review.
The needs of children and young people are monitored each school term by the Special Education Needs Panel. Annual Reviews continue until the young person has left school.
The Family and Young People’s Service Manager or Senior Social Worker will ensure that a social worker attends the Transition Review. The allocated social worker will undertake a home visit prior to the Review taking place to talk to the young person about the review and establish their wishes and feelings.
Assessments are carried out in accordance with the Children and Families Eligibility Criteria and follow the guidelines set out in the DH Assessment Framework for the assessment of children and their families.
- Family and Young People’s Transition
For Looked After Children, please read in conjunction with Leaving Care Procedure.
When the young person reaches age 16, their allocated Children and Families social worker will begin a Transition Assessment. The Assessment will highlight areas of current and future need. Every young person with learning difficulties will require a person centred plan prior to transfer to Adults Services.
For young people with a disability receiving a service from the Family and Young People’s Service, the allocated social worker will facilitate the completion of a Person Centred Plan. This Plan will be discussed at the first transition review at age 14 (see Section 2, Education Transition above). The social worker will discuss with the young person who s/he would like to assist in producing the plan and will co-ordinate the people who will assist the young person to draw up the plan. The Person Centred Plan will be the focus of six monthly reviews.
At age 14 the allocated Children and Families social worker will tell the Adults Service about the young person and their possible future needs.
From age 16, the Adults Service Manager will allocate a social worker to work alongside the Children and Families allocated social worker for a young person. The allocated social workers will continue to attend any further Transition meetings and liaise with the young person, their parents/carers and other professionals to ensure that services are provided.
At age 18, the Family and Young People’s Service Manager will, in accordance with Children and Families Procedure J13 Register for children with a disability, instruct the team clerk to transfer the young person to the Adults Disabilities Register.
If the young person is in higher and further education they will not transfer to the Adults Service until their 19th birthday.
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