Moving on after school - transition
Between the ages of 13 and 25 a young person has to think about their future and what will happen after they leave school. This is a stressful time for any young person and their family, but for somebody with a disability it can be especially hard.
To help young people with Special Educational Needs make the change from childhood to adulthood (13-25), there is a formal process of transition planning.
The transition process
Parents highlight the transition process as one of the areas that is very stressful and the Special Educational Needs and Disability Reforms aim to address this by having one plan (an Education, Health and Care Plan).
The new legislation is contained within the Children and Families Bill which became law in September 2014.
When should you start the process?
You should first start the process of planning for transition at your child’s Annual Review in Year 9 and your school should help you with this. Where possible, your child should have a say in what they want for their future and this is known as Person Centred Planning. There are some useful publications and websites that will help you and your child understand the transition process and these are highlighted below.
The new legislation will mean that Education Health and Care Plans will continue all the while a young person is in education.
What other resources are available?
The Transition Information Network (TIN) is a website that has been set up for parents, carers and people who work with and for disabled young people in transition to adulthood. TIN provides information and advice through their website, magazine, e-newsletter and seminars.
Mencap has written a useful guide to transition that helps explain the process in clear English. This document can either be downloaded from the resources on the right of this page, or a copy can be requested from Mencap directly by phoning: 0808 808 1111