Key transitions in social care
This page will guide you through the key transition focuses in social care, and how to prepare for adulthood at this stage.
Useful services
Family Hubs
Family Hubs provide walk-in support for families with children of all ages, including groups and activities for children aged 0-5 years and support for parenting, relationships and adult mental health. Family Hubs are co-located with a wide range of services and provide advice on managing a low income, social/ peer support opportunities, holiday programmes and sensory facilities.
Personal Advisors
For cared for children and young people, at 16 years old, a Personal Advisor (PA) is allocated from the Leaving Care Team to co-work with the allocated social worker until the young person is 18. The PA remains involved until a young person is 21, or up to 25 where required.
The PA's role is to advise of care leavers' accommodation options, to assist the allocated social worker in formulating the pathway plan with the young person, to complete a 6 monthly review of their pathway plan and to advise of the young person's entitlements as a care leaver and ensure they are provided.
Early Help
Families with multiple needs can access help from a Family Intervention Worker where more intensive support is required to manage a safe, stable and healthy family life. Typically, families supported by a Family Intervention Worker will have received an Early Help Assessment (EHA) and a multi-agency support plan will be in place to help the family work alongside services in a clear, joined-up way.
Disabled Children's Team
Provides emotional and practical social care support to meet the needs of children who have substantial, long-term disabilities which have a profound impact on their lives.
Transitions Service
This team works with young people and their carers who are likely to need support from social care into adult services. They need to have a diagnosis - physical disability, mental impairment, learning disability/autism. The team will support that young person through the Preparation for Adulthood up to 25.
Adult Social Care
Adult Social Care supports people (and their carers) to stay independent and well so they can live the life they want. Our Adult Social Care teams are committed to helping people remain in their own homes and communities where they can continue to live independently for as long as possible. We work with you to ensure you have choice and control over how you can live your life, and to ensure that you continue to enjoy good health and wellbeing.
Virtual School
The Virtual School is responsible for promoting the educational achievement of children in our care, wherever they live or are educated. Education is central to all decision making and will feature in all care planning together with social workers, school admission officers, independent review officers, LA SEND Team and Virtual School Team. This service is also responsible for promoting educational achievement of those children previously in our care and providing information and advice to parents and others.
Things to think about as a family/carer
- Understand what services as a family you will have access to - what are the thresholds to access any of these? This is particularly important when moving from children to adult services...are staff communicating with each other?
- Ensure that the relevant people come to your transition meetings - inform the school and SENDO.
- Have you a specific worker or someone you can talk to?
- Are you aware of all the options available to you and the various pathways - particularly in the secondary to post-16 pathways.
- In terms of children and young people with highly complex needs who have access to continuing care support - ensure you have all the physical and emotional support that you need.
- If your child is in an out of authority placement it will be important that all services are involved in meetings to re-engage your child back into your local community. The setting your child is in will have been planning this transition back since your child has started.
- Those young adults may need to enquire about access to voluntary work and social enterprises.