4 March 2010

Midland Hotel, Manchester

16 March 2010

City University, London

30 March 2010

Lyngford House, Taunton

Ensuring smooth transitions for young people with learning disabilities: effective multi-agency practice between adult and children's services.

JOINT EVENTS WITH RESEARCH IN PRACTICE

'... a good learning experience, good information and sharing of good practice..' (delegate after event in Taunton)

Transition usually occurs when a young person leaves school, ideally entering further education, training or employment. Aiming High for Disabled Children (2007) recognises that young people with learning disabilities and their families face a unique set of challenges during this transition, often reporting it as a time of great confusion and anxiety. It is also a challenge for both adult and children’s services of how they respond to this need.

Drawing on current research, policy and practice, the workshop looked at building effective and co-ordinated multi-agency support for these young people and their families/carers during transition, to ensure that their needs are appropriately met, including:

• effective and well-timed transition planning involving both adult and children’s services
• developing a personalised approach, considering the needs of individual young people and their families/carers
• supporting young people with learning disabilities to use personal budgets to purchase services that will best support them during transition - in line with Adult Social Services current Personalisation Agenda
• effective outcomes: examples of multi-agency services that are making a positive impact.

This event also allowed time for multi-agency discussion and idea sharing, and provided a chance for staff from the adult and children’s sectors to familiarise themselves with each other’s perspective. Led by an experienced facilitator, the discussions required active involvement of all participants.

Speaker and facilitators:

Helen Wheatley, Programme Director, National Transition Support Team, Council for Disabled Children and

Miro Griffiths, Independent Consultant on Tranistion

Programme

Welcome to the Day

Miro Griffiths, Personal Experience of Transition

Helen Wheatley and Miro Griffiths, Smooth Transitions

Todor Proykov, Transitions - The Research Evidence

Further Reading: Changes and choices: finding out what information young people with learning disabilities, their parents and supporters need at transition