Take a look at the Department for Education’s new transition scheme

A new website has just been launched for Preparing for Adulthood, a Department for Education scheme launched as part of their SEND Green Paper. Over the next two years, Preparing for Adulthood will advise on transition for young people with SEN and disabilities – helping them move easily into independent living, employment and integration with the community.

Preparing for Adulthood will mainly work with the pathfinder areas trialling the Green Paper’s proposals, focusing in particular on the combined ‘Education, Health and Care Plan’ providing support from birth to 25. They plan to develop a programme of work with each participating pathfinder area, and will be posting updates of their progress with each one over the coming months.

Outside of the pathfinder areas, they’re also looking to share information around transition and promote good practice across the country. They are keen to share resources, and already have some case studies of well-managed transitions uploaded onto the site.

The site has just launched, but we’re looking forward to seeing more extensive content in the coming weeks. In the meantime you can have a look at www.preparingforadulthood.org.uk, or sign up for their e-bulletin here.

Staffordshire Council apologises for educational support failures

Local Government Ombudsman, Dr Jane Martin, has found that Staffordshire County Council failed to meet the educational and care needs of a young man with autism (‘J’).

In a decision welcomed by the NAS, the Ombudsman has asked for the Council to apologise and make compensation.

The complaint was first made by J’s mother, on behalf of her son who has autism, selective mutism and complex learning difficulties. He needs support with his education and personal care, which was provided adequately at his original school. However, after turning 16 he transferred to a new placement in September 2009. At this point, the Council failed to amend his statement of special educational needs. This meant that there was much less support available for him at the new college, leaving him severely stressed and unhappy.

At the end of the school year, the council agreed in principle that J’s needs would be better served at a different school, 15 miles from the family’s home. However, they told J’s mother that they would not help with J’s transport costs until their assessment was complete. By this point, October 2010, the new academic year was beginning. J’s mother enrolled J at the new school and began transporting him there and back herself.

The Ombudsman has ruled that the Council’s failure to keep J’s statement up-to-date meant that his family lost the opportunity to challenge the view that J no longer needed speech and language therapy, to have the statement reviewed by professionals, and appeal against details in the statement.

As well as this, J’s social care arrangements were poorly handled – his transition social worker did not complete his assessment in time for him to make a smooth transition to adult respite care provision. Instead, the transfer after his 18^th birthday was rushed and stressful.

The Ombudsman found that the combined lack of educational and care support caused J and his family a lot of unnecessary distress. She said, ‘Transition to adulthood is exceptionally difficult for the parents of a child with complex educational and care needs. It is vital that the proper support is in place to ensure that this transition goes as smoothly as possible, but that was not the case here.’

Staffordshire County Council has acknowledged its failings and apologised. It has also agreed to pay the complainant (J’s mother) £5250 in compensation. Because J has little concept of money, they will be installing a swing-seat in the garden of his home in lieu of compensation.

In making this ruling, the Ombudsman has sent a clear message to all local authorities that they must ensure that they are meeting their statutory duties around transition.

NAS supports Ambitious About Autism campaign for better post-16 education

The National Autistic Society is supporting Ambitious About Autism’s new campaign, ‘Finished at School: What next for young people with autism?’.

The campaign aims to secure more and better educational options for all young people with autism aged 16 – 25 to enable them to develop skills, gain employment, live more independently and ultimately live the life they choose.

Ambitious About Autism reports that currently, less than 1 in 4 people with autism carry on with education post-16. Their report highlights the lack of appropriate opportunities for young people with autism wishing to continue their education. Without further educational support, many young people struggle to enter into employment and community living.

The campaign calls for:

• a clear legal right for educational support up to the age of 25 for young disabled people;
• a funding system that gives young people and families more education, choice and support;
• a cross-government focus on outcomes and destinations for young disabled people and
• a further education workforce with the skills to support young people with autism.

The NAS is pleased to support Ambitious About Autism’s campaign. The post-16 transition period can be challenging for people with autism, and both charities have welcomed the proposal in the SEND Green Paper to extend Education, Health and Care Plans, which will replace statements  to age 25.

You can find out more information about the campaign by visiting http://www.ambitiousaboutautism.org.uk/ and following the link. You can also sign an online pledge showing your support for the campaign, email your MP asking for their support, read the full Finished at School report, and share your own story.

Parliament debates post-16 transition for disabled young people

Stephen Lloyd MP recently tabled a debate in Parliament on support for disabled young people.

The debate aimed to focus particularly on transition post-16 for young people with a disability.

Mr Lloyd drew on the National Autistic Society’s Make School Make Sense campaign to talk about this.

He pointed to statistics in the campaign report that found that although it’s a legal obligation for young people with disabilities to have a transition plan, only 53% of young people with statements actually receive them. According to the report, this figure is only 34% in mainstream schools, and 45% of those who participated in transition planning were dissatisfied with the process.

Mr Lloyd also questioned the recent closure of support programmes, and called for provision of key workers to co-ordinate services post-16.

Kate Green MP raised the issue of the loss of Education Maintencance Allowance and the Connexions service, and asked whether the Government is assessing the impact of this on disabled young people.

Much of the rest of the debate focused on concerns around benefit changes and most notably, the changes to Disability Living Allowance (DLA), which currently focus on adult DLA. The NAS is working hard on the proposed changes to adult DLA. To find out more go to www.autism.org.uk/whobenefits

Responding to the debate, Disabilities Minister Maria Miller agreed that post-16 provision needed to be more joined-up. She said that the proposed changes to the SEN system would mean that young people with a disability, would be able to access an Education, Health and Care Plan, which will replace statements, up to the age of 25.

The National Autistic Society has welcomed the proposal to extend these plans to the age of 25. However, we are also working to ensure that those with SEN who do not have an Education, Health and Care Plan or statement can also access the support they need.