Children's transition to adult social care
What is transition?
'Transition' is the period of time when young people are moving from childhood into adulthood. Council services for adults are different from those for children, so it's important that young adults get the services they need to live a full life. This is a very important stage in a young person's life because they need to make plans for their future care arrangements which will help them live as independently as possible.
Help for young people
If you are a young person approaching adulthood and:
- you live with a disability
- you are a young carer and care for an adult with a disability
- you have other problems (for example autism, mental health problems or illness)
then you may be eligible for care and support. If you're not sure whether you are eligible, just call Adult Social Care on 020 8547 5005.
The right help at the right time
Good planning for your transition will help you to lead a more enjoyable and fulfilling life adult life. To design the right care and support plan for you, we will carry out a transition assessment to find out just what help you will need as you approach adulthood.
We will assess you at a time that works for you. For example, we would not assess you when you are preparing for exams or coping with medical treatment.
Your transition assessment
Your assessment will be based on what you need, want and hope for as you begin your adult life. It will consider your wellbeing, including building a fulfilling social life and making a contribution to society, as well as your basic living needs.
The transition assessment may not always result in services, but whatever happens, we will give you good advice and a plan for meeting your identified needs.
Meeting your identified needs
Your assessment will tell us what your needs are. Then, we will work with you and perhaps your family, carer or someone who knows you well to build a transition plan. We will consider your identified needs and look at the help and support available to you, including your friends, local community services and specialist help if you need it. And because you and your needs will change over time, your support plan will change too, perhaps because you develop new interests, move away from home or go to college. If it does not result in services, we will write to you and explain why we have made this decision. If this happens, we​ will also provide information and advice explaining other support that may be provided by other organisations such as the voluntary sector.
What does care and support cost?
There are charges for some of the services we provide. However, no-one has to pay more than they can afford, and, you will need to budget and live within your means. As well as help with budgeting, we will also offer you advice on getting all the benefits due to you.​
Further information
Achivieng for Children provides additional information including:
- which young people are eligible
- how referrals are made to the team
- what happens after referral