Moving from child to adult social care
This is a guide for parents and carers about what should be happening, and how you can help the process.
Often a great many people need to be involved, so organising a transition plan which meets your son or daughter’s needs can be a difficult business.
From age 14
Planning for transition should start in school at the beginning of Year 9 (the year in which your son or daughter is 14). From this first meeting, the school Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) should hold meetings at least every year to discuss and plan future school, college, work experience or placement, or employment opportunities.
The first transition planning meeting can involve:
- your child
- parents or other carers
- doctors, nurses and therapists
- social worker
- respite carer
- brothers, sisters or other family members, friends, housing or welfare benefits advisor, volunteers or workers from support groups
- and anyone else who can contribute.
They will try to work together so that full information is available to your son or daughter about his or her options for the future.
Those people working directly with your son or daughter will seek his or her views and aspirations and those of parents. They aim to develop a transition plan that meets individual circumstances and needs as your son or daughter gets closer to adulthood.
Your son or daughter will be given a copy of the transition plan. Encourage him or her to look at it from time to time and think about changes that may be wanted at a later stage.
From age 16
Staff from all the agencies involved will meet to review the transition plans if your son or daughter has complex disabilities.
This is especially important if your son or daughter has been away at school or college, and plans to move back to the borough. The transition plans need to link back into local networks, and checks made that service and support needs for your son or daughter and their carer have been assessed.
Although you will not be invited to these meetings, you will be told if any changes to the transition plan need to be made.
Other changes at 16
Your child will be responsible for consent and have the right to confidentiality over health matters
Your child will need to apply for some benefits, such as Disability Living Allowance, in their own right and it will be paid directly to them. You should speak to a benefits advisor to see how your family income could be affected or call the benefit enquiry line on 0800 88 22 00.
Mental Capacity Act
People of 16 and over have their right to make their own decisions and are protected by the Mental Capacity Act.
Changes at 17–18 years of age
You should be aware of what will change during this period:
If you are already receiving direct payments for your son or daughter, they will be able to receive these in their own right and be able direct their own care.
If they are unable to undertake the responsibility of managing the payment you could become their 'third party' and manage the fund on their behalf. (The hourly rate will change at 18, the figure for adult services being lower than the children's rate).
If your son or daughter is in receipt of a care package your needs as carer can now be assessed.
Changes at 18 years of age
You can discuss your transition to adult services with your social worker, personal advisor or other key worker who can then refer you to Adult Services, or contact the Adult services directly.
If your son or daughter has social care needs beyond age 18, his or her social care needs will be assessed as an adult. This is done through a Care Act assessment, a copy of which is given to the young person and their carer once the assessment has been completed.
If the young adult is not eligible for council funded support services, the social worker, advisor or care managers may explore what other options are available from local voluntary sector agencies and also signpost him/her towards support that you can access.