What does preparing for adulthood (PfA) mean?

Preparing for adulthood means preparing for:

Higher education and/or employment – this includes exploring different employment options, such as support for becoming self-employed and help from supported employment agencies.
Independent living – this means having choice, control and freedom over your life, the support you receive, your accommodation and living arrangements.
Having a life - participating in society – including having friends and supportive relationships, and participating in, and contributing to, the local community.
Being as healthy as possible in adult life - including moving to adult health services, having
access to sport and keeping active and having an annual health check.

Education and employment - what happens and when?

Education

Transition planning and preparing for adulthood should start at year 9. All annual reviews should focus on the young person's aspirations and ideas for their adult life and how these can be met.

This is an opportunity to look beyond educational needs and to include wider aspects of life such as:

health needs,
personal and social development,
training and employment,
transport and independent travel,
housing and leisure

It is the responsibility of the school to make sure that the young person, their family and other agencies are informed in good time about the planned annual review meeting and that it will have a focus on transition planning so they can prepare in advance.

Health

It is important the key health professionals involved in the young person's life attend the year 9 review and start discussing with the young person and their family when the key health service provision changes, from children to adult health services, will occur.

Social care

The disabled children's team will take the lead role in attending year 9 reviews for all young people known to them and will also represent adult social care, providing a range of adult services information to individuals and parents if they wish to receive it at this point.

The review meeting should result in a transition plan which records the actions needed to help the young person achieve their short and long term goals.

Who else is involved?

The key roles involved in the transition process at this stage are:

Lead practitioner - acts as a contact point and provides additional support as required by the young person and or their family, makes sure assessments and other documents are completed by all agencies and keeps a detailed record of all activity.
Special educational needs team - makes sure that EHC plans are completed with the young person and their family.
Disabled children's team - works with the specialist adult pathway team to assess and review the social care needs of the young person and their family.
Health transitions - are the most complex and often involve lots of people; a person centred approach is taken based on the specific circumstances of the young person. A health lead professional will be identified as a single point of contact who will liaise with other health professionals.
Careers Service - For careers information, advice and guidance contact C+K Careers through their CHAT service. The Chat service is available Monday to Friday, between 10am and 4pm, call 01484 213856, email chat@ckcareers.org.uk or use Facebook messenger, find them at @CKCareers.

Education and employment - what happens and when?

Education

The year 10-11 review should be conducted in the same way as for year 9.
For young people in their final year of school, the local authority is responsible for ensuring that a transfer review is completed as part of a needs assessment. The local authority must give parents 2 weeks' notice that a transfer review and needs assessment has begun to enable them to prepare for the transfer review meeting.

The SENCO or another member of staff in the school should help the young person prepare for the review by helping them to develop a person-centred plan. Any specialist communication needs, including interpretation or translation services, should be identified and support provided at the review meeting. The young person and their parents/carers should be helped to identify any key individuals, such as advocates, that they wish to be present for the review.

Health

It is important the key health professionals involved in the young person's life attend the year 11 review and specific detailed planning with the young person and their family begins. For young people with complex health needs it is crucial planning starts now. Health professionals and specialist adult pathway team staff must work in partnership so that a clear indication about who has adult funding responsibility is established by the young person's 17th birthday.

Social care

Attendance at the year 11 review meeting will be from both the disabled children's team, if known to them, and the specialist adult pathway team.  A social care transitional assessment will be undertaken by the disabled children's team. This will be passed onto the specialist adult pathway team as the young person approaches 18. The specialist adult pathway team will start the person led assessment process, including carrying out a carers assessment. See our Carer's assessment and eligibility for support page. At this stage the specific planning for post 18 adult social care begins. Details of young carers will be provided to the specialist adult pathway team to ensure the transition assessment is carried out for all young carers.

Who else is involved?

The key roles involved in the transition process at this stage are:

Lead practitioner - acts as a contact point and provides additional support as required by the young person and or their family, makes sure assessments and other documents are completed by all agencies and keeps a detailed record of all activity.
Special educational needs team - makes sure that EHC plans are completed with the young person and their family.
Disabled children's team - works with the specialist adult pathway team to assess and review the social care needs of the young person and their family.
Specialist adult pathway team - works very closely with the disabled children's team. Their role is to assess needs to establish if the individual is eligible for adult social care funded support.
Health transitions - are the most complex and often involve lots of people; a person centred approach is taken based on the specific circumstances of the young person. A health lead professional will be identified as a single point of contact who will liaise with other health professionals.
Careers Service- For careers information, advice and guidance contact C+K Careers through their CHAT service. The Chat service is available Monday to Friday, between 10am and 4pm, call 01484 213856, email chat@ckcareers.org.uk or use Facebook messenger, find them at @CKCareers.

Education and employment - what happens and when?

Education

Review meetings should be organised as before by the head teacher or designated staff member in school or college. Information from a range of professionals should be collated to support the review meeting. EHC plans can continue until the young person is 25 but will stop if they:

go to university;
get a job;
tell the local authority they no longer want their EHC plan; or
the local authority thinks they no longer need it. For example, following a review because they have achieved their educational goals in their plan and no longer need additional special educational help.

Health

The transfer from paediatric children's service to specialist adult health services will take place over a period of time. The more complex the individual's health needs are the more planning is required. If the young person meets the NHS continuing healthcare criteria the provision of care and support services will be led by the lead health practitioner. Good person centred planning focusing on the young person and their family will help make this difficult time less stressful.

Social care

From a legal perspective adult social care legislation begins when someone turns 18 years of age. This is when adult social care funded support will replace children's funding. The specialist adult pathway team  will have been planning with the young person and their family for this day. Young people accessing children's social care services will transfer to adult social care services if they meet the Eligibility for care and support critiera. Young people who meet the significant benefit criteria and also the adult social care funding criteria will be able to start receiving support from their 18th birthday. Good person centred planning will ensure moving from children's social care to adult social care has been well planned and has taken place over a suitable period of time.

Who else is involved?

The key roles involved in the transition process at this stage are:

Lead practitioner - acts as a contact point and provides additional support as required by the young person and or their family, makes sure assessments and other documents are completed by all agencies and keeps a detailed record of all activity.
Specialist adult pathway team - works very closely with the disabled children's team. Their role is to assess needs to establish if the individual is eligible for adult social care funded support.
Careers Service- For careers information, advice and guidance contact C+K Careers through their CHAT service. The Chat service is available Monday to Friday, between 10am and 4pm, call 01484 213856, email chat@ckcareers.org.uk or use Facebook messenger, find them at @CKCareers.

Next Getting support with preparing for adulthood (if you have an EHCP)

Last updated: 14/09/2020

Useful links

C&K Careers

Carer’s assessment and eligibility for support

Moving from Children's to Adult Social Care

Preparing for Adulthood national website