Priority 1 - preparing for adulthood and transitions
Partners work together to ensure that every young person with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) is supported to prepare for adulthood through ambitious planning, coordinated transitions and equitable access to opportunities that lead to positive adult outcomes.
1.1) Where we are now: Preparation for adulthood is not consistently embedded within EHCP planning and annual reviews.
What we will do:
- embed Preparing for Adulthood across assessment, planning, review and transition processes to ensure a consistent focus on outcomes from early adolescence through to adulthood
- increase the participation and influence of children and young people in shaping their future outcomes
Outcome: Preparing for Adulthood is consistently embedded across Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), annual reviews and transition planning, with children and young people actively shaping their aspirations, goals and future outcomes.
Success measures:
- Preparing for Adulthood is routinely embedded within EHCPs, annual reviews and transition planning
- young people and families report increased involvement in planning for their future
- quality assurance demonstrates sustained improvement in Preparing for Adulthood practice and outcomes
1.2) Where we are now: Partnership arrangements do not consistently support early, coordinated planning for adulthood. As a result, opportunities to develop skills, independence and aspirations can be missed and transitions are not always sufficiently joined up.
What we will do:
- establish and implement a partnership transition pathway that defines roles, responsibilities, handover arrangements and planning milestones from Year 9 onwards
- establish and embed a consistent partnership-wide transition protocol, underpinned by strong quality assurance, participation and performance monitoring, to improve Preparing for Adulthood experiences and outcomes and drive continuous improvement across the SEND system
Outcomes:
- education, health, care and wider partners take shared responsibility for Preparing for Adulthood, resulting in coordinated planning and smoother transitions into adult life
- children and young people with SEND experience coordinated planning and support that prepares them for successful adult lives and positive transitions
Success measures:
Increasing proportion of;
- EHCPs containing specific, measurable and aspirational Preparing for Adulthood outcomes
- annual reviews demonstrating meaningful discussion of Preparing for Adulthood across all four Preparing for Adulthood domains
- young people with timely and coordinated transition plans
1.3) Where we are now: Pathways into further education, employment, training and adulthood are not yet sufficiently coordinated across the partnership, resulting in variable experiences and outcomes for young people with SEND.
What we will do: develop joint commissioning and pathway arrangements with education providers, employers, adult social care, health services and community organisations to increase opportunities for young people with SEND.
Outcome: young people with SEND have equitable access to education, employment, training, health and community opportunities that support them to achieve positive adulthood outcomes.
Success measures: Increased supported internship availability, apprenticeship participation, Further Education progression and community participation opportunities.
1.4) Where we are now: The Partnership does not yet have a sufficiently developed understanding of longer-term outcomes for young people with SEND, limiting its ability to evaluate impact and drive continuous improvement
What we will do: establish a robust quality assurance, participation and performance framework to monitor Preparing for Adulthood outcomes and drive continuous improvement. including destination tracking to age 25.
Outcome: the partnership uses robust outcome and destination data to improve services, transitions and long-term outcomes for young people with SEND.
Success measures
- increased proportion of young people accessing supported internships, apprenticeships and employment pathways
- increased participation of young people with SEND in community, leisure and volunteering opportunities
- improved destination tracking for young people with EHCPs at ages 16, 18 and 25
- reduction in the proportion of young people with SEND who become NEET (not in education, employment or training)
- young people report that they feel prepared for the next stage of their lives
1.5) Where we are now: Transition pathways for young people aged 16 to 25 are not consistently planned or implemented across health services. Referral routes and eligibility criteria are not always clear, resulting in variability in access to support and gaps in provision as young people move into adulthood
What we will do:
- develop and implement a multi-agency health transition protocol, including agreed referral routes, eligibility criteria, workforce responsibilities and commissioning arrangements to support young people moving from children's to adult services
- implement partnership performance monitoring of transition outcomes and experiences
Outcomes:
- children and families are supported with effective discharge from community paediatrics
- where young people are expected to transition to 18 plus health pathways, effective plans are developed
- where young people are not expected to transition to 18 plus health pathways, they are provided with self-management strategies in preparation for adulthood
- young people with SEND experience a coordinated and graduated transition into adult services, supported by clear pathways, aligned eligibility criteria and timely access to appropriate support
Success measures:
- increased proportion of young people with documented transition plans in place by agreed ages
- reduction in delays or gaps between children's and adult services
- improved access to adult health, social care, employment, training and community support services
- improved transition outcomes into adult services