Planning your transition starts when you’re in year 9 at school (13 to 14 years old).
When you’re 13 to 14 years old
We will help you and your family to start to plan what you want to do in the future and what help you may need. This is called a ‘transition review’.
It includes things like:
- further education
- starting work
- money and benefits
- where you’ll live
- health – moving from paediatricians to other doctors
- help with day-to-day living – for example equipment or a personal assistant
We will work with you on this plan until you reach 18 years old.
When you’re 18 years old
The help you get will move from Children’s Services to Adult Social Care when you’re 18 years old. You’ll get a care and support assessment to see if you can get help from Adult Social Care. This will happen automatically. You don’t need to apply. A financial assessment will be made, based on your income and benefits not your parents. You may get a personal budget to pay for your care.
We will move your care from Children’s Services to Adult Social Care in stages. It may take some months or even years.
If you can’t get help from Adult Social Care
If you don’t qualify for help from Adult Social Care, we'll tell you where you can get the help you need.
If you stay on at school after you’re 18 years old
If you’re at a special school and you don’t leave when you’re 18 years old, you’ll get an assessment for Adult Social Care when you leave school in the summer after your 19th birthday.
If you stay on at a special school after you’re 19 years old, you’ll get an assessment for Adult Social Care when you leave school.
Further reading
My journey to adulthood
We've been looking at ways we can improve the journey to adulthood for young people and their families with SEND. We recognise that preparation for adulthood and the changes faced by young people during this period can raise lots of questions – so in response we've put together an information pack:
The above pack aims to provide useful information and to answer some of the questions you (and your family) may have about this important stage of your life, and the role of adult social care during this journey.
The team within Adult Social Care supporting this 'transition' is now called Young Adult Disabilities Team, as young people found the term transition confusing.
Preparing for adulthood
A protocol for professionals working with young people with special educational needs or a disability.