Transitions to adulthood SCIE and the Children’s Society 30 July 2019

1. Transitions to adulthood SCIE and the Children’s Society 30 July 2019

2. Your presenters today Iryna Pona, Policy Manager, Children's Society Sarah Hegarty, London Area Manager, Children’s Society Tony Hunter, CEO, Social Care Institute for Excellence

3. Supporting transition to adulthood for vulnerable 16 and 17 year olds Iryna Pona Iryna Pona, Policy & Research Manager Sarah Hegarty, Service Manager

4. The Children’s Society • 140 years supporting the most disadvantaged children and young people. Online archive: • Now services nationwide for young people and families alongside policy, campaigns and research to understand and advocate for improvements to young people’s lives. http://www.hiddenlives.org.uk www.thechildrenssociety.org.uk 4

6. Supporting transition to adulthood for vulnerable 16 and 17 year olds The case for better support for vulnerable 16 and 17 year olds as they transitions to adulthood Transitions in practice

7. Supporting transition to adulthood for vulnerable 16 and 17 year olds • The case for improved transition support • 16 and 17 year olds not offered same protection as younger children in legislation

8. POLL: AT WHAT AGE?

9. Supporting transition to adulthood for vulnerable 16 and 17 year olds • Developmental needs and exposure to new risks • The case for improved transition support

10. Vulnerabilities faced by 16 and 17 year olds Material deprivation Low life satisfaction Family Would not turn to family if upset Poverty Poor health Mental health Out late Caring responsibilities Home not warm Used drugs Risk Taking Friends Lost sleep Not supported by family Feels like a failure Behind with bills Feels useless Less than 2 close friends Doesn’t feel likeable Cannot afford £10 savings per month Alcoholmisuse Don't feel as able as most people

11. 51% had at least 1 poverty & material deprivation vulnerability 46% had at least 1 physical & mental health vulnerability • How many are experiencing multiple vulnerabilities? • How many 16 and 17 year olds have these issues in their lives? • Scale of vulnerabilities 29% had at least 1 familial and social support vulnerability 18% Had at least 1 risk taking behaviour vulnerability The data showed that around 20% of young people aged 16 and 17 experienced 5 or more vulnerabilities. This is about 240,000 young people in England

12. Issues 16-17 year olds are experiencing Top issues identified in assessments of 16-17 year olds • Child’s mental health • Parental mental health • Domestic violence • Socially unacceptable behaviour • Emotional abuse • Child’s drug use

13. Supporting transition to adulthood for vulnerable 16 and 17 year olds • The case for improved transition support • Only small number of vulnerable 16 and 17 are entitled to support post 18

14. POLL – HOW WELL ARE TRANSITIONS PLANNED IN YOUR AREA?

15. Tony Hunter

16. “There’s a whole world out there” The words of a lad from Liverpool during my time there, who would, with support, do volunteer work. He had a learning disability but his work meant that soon he was mentoring other people with learning disabilities to volunteer; he also supported them to do things like using the bus for the first time. He then went on to further education.

17. Lyn Romeo Chief Social Worker for Adults, England “The challenge for us is to move away from idea of systems – that children supported by children’s social care services just need a process to transition to support and arrangements from adult social care to achieve the best possible adulthood”.

18. Key messages • Getting the transition right for people with learning disabilities has proved stubbornly problematic for many years • Challenges have been worsened by a lack of integration, risk-averse organisations and funding pressures • Social workers need the right support, systems and commissioning, an understanding of social care law and a focus on each person they support.

19. Practice Framework • Having the right conditions in place. • Underpinning knowledge. • The right values, skills and attributes. • Supporting the person through the system. • Focus on the young person.

20. Having the right conditions in place Social workers need supervision, training, reasonable caseloads, integrated systems and good local commissioning to best support people as they prepare for adulthood. Example: Caseload pressure. Cases can be closed as soon as any immediate tasks are completed, which leads to a repeated switching of practitioners, and compromises the development of a lasting, trusting relationship Suggest creating protected time to build trusting relationships with young people and their families.

21. Values, skills and attributes A solid grounding in social care law, practices and theories is central to good social work practice with young people with learning disabilities. More important still is having a set of attributes and values that, combined with the benefits of in-depth knowledge, can help young people work towards their life goals.

22. Going through the system Social workers need to understand local systems and services, and support young people and families to find what they need from those systems. Develop an understanding of local social care, health and education systems, and get to know the organisations providing support in these areas.

23. Focus on the person Transition social workers need to understand the plans, concerns and needs of the young people and the families they support, and work with them to make those plans real.

24. Sarah Hegarty Outcomes • A lack of transition support NEET (not in education, employment or training) • 12% reported that they were NEET at 18 or 19 years old. However young people experiencing specific vulnerabilities at 16 and 17 were more likely to report being NEET.

25. Entitlements to transition support • Where a child in need is approaching 18 years of age, this transition point should be planned for in advance. This includes where children are likely to transition between child and adult services. • Children in need • Local authorities have a duty to start planning transition to adulthood for care leavers as early as possible, and soon after they turn 16 and are still looked after by local authorities. • Care leavers • The Children and Families Act 2014 extended the framework of support for disabled young people up to the age of 25. • Disabled children Young Carers • The Care Act 2014 places a duty on local authorities to conduct transition assessments for children, children’s carers and young carers where there is a likely need for care and support after the child in question turns 18 and a transition assessment would be of ‘significant benefit’.

26. Different transitions Dorothy, a child in need • Early childhood issues • Estranged from family at 16 • Mental health needs • Lives in supported accommodation • Claims benefits • Has support worker who she rarely sees • Struggles financially All support stops when Dorothy turns 18 Lucas, a looked after child • Early childhood issues • Estranged from family at 16 • Mental health needs • Lives in supported accommodation • Has a support worker and a pathway plan looking at education, employment, health etc • LAs provides funding for food, bus fares etc Support continues till Lucas is 25

27. Mental health supportHousingFinancial independenceSafetyRelationshipsTaxes, bank accounts etcEducation, employment, training Issues to focus on in transition planning

28. Reflection- NICE guidelines for transitions: • Young people who will move from children's to adults' services start planning their transition with health and social care practitioners by school year 9 (aged 13 to 14 years), or immediately if they enter children's services after school year 9. • Young people who will move from children's to adults' services have an annual meeting to review transition planning. • Young people who are moving from children's to adults' services have a named worker to coordinate care and support before, during and after transfer. • Young people who will move from children's to adults' services meet a practitioner from each adults' service they will move to before they transfer. • Young people who have moved from children's to adults' services but do not attend their first meeting or appointment are contacted by adults' services and given further opportunities to engage. https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/qs140/chapter/Quality-statement-1-Planning-transition

29. Serious Case Reviews- transitions • Young people should be treated as victims up to the age of 25 • Joint exploitation panels for up to the age of 25 • Exploitation not child exploitation and should include all forms of exploitation • There need to be collaboration between children and adult safeguarding boards and better working together between children services for young people going in to adult services • Joint planning in cases between children and adult services • Co location of children and adult services • Adult services being training around CSE • Local or regional forum to develop sharing of practice • Young people spoke about their concern around transitions, especially around CAHMS to adult mental health services transition Newcastle SCR: https://www.newcastle.gov.uk/sites/default/files/wwwfileroot/final_jscr_report_160218_pw.pdf https://www.newcastle.gov.uk/sites/default/files/wwwfileroot/final_jscr_report_160218_pw.pdf

31. For more information visit::https://www.childrenssociety.org.uktwitter: childsocpol *Iryna.Pona@childrenssociety.org.uk * Sarah.Hegarty@childrenssociety.org.uk

32. Any more questions?