Our early life experiences help us to prepare for life as an adult and this should be recognised as early as possible, although there is an expectation that Young People with SEND focus on PFA from Year 9. Conversations about a young person’s future should involve themselves, their parent carers, their teachers and anyone else who works with them. As young people with SEND get older their support should be increasingly aimed at preparing them for adulthood. This can be a challenging time for both the young people and their families, with lots to think about. Through the work done in the PFA Navigator Project, PACC has produced a PFA Guide for SEND families. The guide covers all the areas that families told PACC that they were struggling to get information about and support parent carers to plan for the future with their young person. The guide is available on the link below.

Moving from childhood to adulthood, moving from one education setting to another and moving from children’s to adult’s services, moving from the family home into supported living are all transitions. The young persons hopes, wishes and aspirations for the future are kept central to the planning process. With an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), planning for adulthood starts in Year 9, and a transition plan will be developed in the Year 9 annual review.

Transition is not a single event. It is a gradual process during which your son or daughter should be supported throughout their teenage years and into adulthood to build up their confidence and ability to manage the care and support they need where they have capacity to do this. The process should ideally begin from age 12 and be well underway by the age of 14. In England this will often tie in with the Year 9 school annual review. A good transition should build on your young person’s strengths and wherever possible work with them to plan for how they can meet their aspirations in life.

Read More: Shropshire Council Transition Plans

Read More: Moving from Childrens to Adults Social Care

Read More: Transition to Adult Services