Post 16 Provision

1. Post 16 Provision Brian Lamb

2. Post 16 Provision must cover: • how local authorities and health services should plan strategically for the support children and young people will need to prepare for adult life • how early years providers, schools and colleges should enable children and young people to have the information and skills they need to help them gain independence and prepare for adult life • support from Year 9, including the content of preparing for adulthood reviews for children and young people with EHC Plans • planning the transition into post-16 education • how post-16 institutions can design study programmes and create pathways to employment • how young people should be supported to make decisions for themselves • Packages of provision for children and young people with EHC plans across five days a week • transition to higher education • transition to adult health services • transition to adult social care • leaving education and training and progressing into employment

3. FE Duties • The duty to co-operate with the local authority on arrangements for children and young people with SEN. This is a reciprocal duty. • The duty to admit a young person if the institution is named in an Education Health and Care (EHC) plan. Young people have the right to request that an institution is named in their EHC plan, and local authorities have a duty to name that institution in the EHC plan • The duty to have regard to the Code of Practice • The duty to use their best endeavours to secure the special educational provision that the young person needs. This duty applies to further education colleges, sixth form colleges and 16-19 academies. It does not apply to independent specialist colleges or special schools, as their principal purpose is to provide for young people with SEN • Move post 19 from age to “whether the educational or training outcomes specified in the plan have been achieved”

4. 16-17 Year Olds “Where a young person is under 18, the involvement of parents is particularly important and local authorities should continue to involve them in the vast majority of decisions. Schools and colleges normally involve the parents or family members of students under 18 where they have concerns about a young person’s attendance, behaviour or welfare and they should continue to do so. They should also continue to involve parents or family members in discussions about the young person’s studies where that is their usual policy.” Draft Code of Practice April 2014.

5. LDA’s/Post 18 provision and EHC Plans “where relevant assessment information exists, and parents/young people and professionals are content with the statement/LDA; where there are no additional health and social care needs; and where personal budget is not sought, a transfer may use existing information and discussions with the child/young person and their parents to develop a person-centred, outcomes-focused EHC plan.” “When a young person with an EHC plan does make the transition to adult services, both sets of statutory guidance will make it clear that the assessment for adult services should be aligned with the annual review of the EHC plan, avoiding the need for separate, unconnected assessments. For those young people whose needs make them eligible for adult services, their resulting statutory Care plan will form all or part of the care element of their EHC plan.” Government Guidance to LA’s April 2014.

6. Young People’s Rights “After compulsory school age (the end of the academic year in which they turn 16) the right to make decisions etc. under the Children and Families Act 2014 applies to them directly, rather than to their parents. Parents, or other family members, can continue to support young people in making decisions, or act on their behalf, provided that the young person is happy for them to do so, and it is likely that parents will remain closely involved in the great majority of cases.” “Local authorities, schools, colleges, health services and other agencies should continue to involve parents in discussions about the young person’s future. In focusing discussions around the individual young person” Draft Code of Practice 2014.

7. Young Peoples Rights post 16. • the right to request an assessment for an EHC plan (which they can do at any time up to their 25th birthday) • the right to make representations about the content of their EHC plan • the right to request that a particular institution is named in their EHC plan. • the right to request a Personal Budget for elements of an EHC plan • the right to appeal to the First-Tier Tribunal (SEN and Disability) about decisions concerning their EHC plan

8. Autism Provision “Under statutory guidance accompanying the Autism Strategy, SENCOs should inform young people with autism of their right to a community care assessment and their parents of the right to a carer’s assessment; colleges should adopt the same approach. This should be built into preparing for adulthood review meetings for those with EHC plans.”

9. Mental Capacity Act “The right of young people to make a decision is subject to their capacity to do so as set out in the Mental Capacity Act 2005. The underlying principle of the Act is to ensure that those who lack capacity are empowered to make as many decisions for themselves as possible and that any decision made or action taken on their behalf is done so in their best interests.” Draft Code of Practice 2014.