Preparing for adulthood from year 10 (age 15/16)

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 or Community Enablement 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 carer's 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.
• Community Enablement Team will work with the young person and their family, if they need additional support and meet the significant benefit criteria, for a limited period of time to identify how their care needs can be met.
• 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 - C&K careers is a commissioned service with specific duties, such as to attend year 9 and year 11 reviews, subsequent leaver review meetings and to produce robust career summaries for each education leaver.