Without some support, even a little, many young people with additional support needs may fail to meet their potential. Many young people will benefit from extra information and help, including those who do not meet the eligibility criteria for adult social care services. This can include help with employment, training, housingand engaging in their communities.
Progress made by children’s services may also be lost as they move into adult services due to lack of continued support.
With access to the right information, support and services, young people with additional support needs have an equal chance to thrive. Self-directed support, early intervention and a GIRFEC and GIRFE approach can all help young people to reach their potential.
Professionals implement eligibility criteria consistently and fairly, and the reasons for decisions are clearly communicated.
Young people, parents and carers get information about options outwith those provided by health and social care services.
Young people get support to be included and valued in their communities.
Young people get support at an early stage to help prevent them requiring more intensive social care or health support in the longer term.
Professionals provide advice and support to community-based resources to enable them to be inclusive of young people with a wide range of support needs.
The level of funding available for health and social care services is reducing as cuts continue to be made to budgets across Scotland. This has impacted on the eligibility criteria set by local authorities to determine who is eligible for funded support. In many authority areas, funded social care support is provided only if individuals meet a threshold such as 'substantial' or 'critical' level of need. In some areas, funds are limited to critical need only.
Young people who are assessed as not being eligible for adult social care support or have access to support to find a job or training should still be supported to engage with their community in ways that allow them to be included and valued.
These can be explored through using person-centred planning approaches at school. The national curriculum provides opportunities to develop skills for life and work, and these can be further developed through agencies such as Skills Development Scotland, further education or work experience.
We recommend that more work should be done to establish a clearer picture of the numbers of young people with additional support needs who are receiving post school support, the outcomes they are achieving in different aspects of their lives and the levels of unmet need. Improved data collection is required, locally and nationally, to understand the level of demand and capacity of services and other stakeholders to meet this, and to inform and measure improvement of effective and sustainable change.
‘Principles into Practice’ can work with local authorities to enhance data collection through Compass and focus on areas of development through process or journey-mapping, and use of the framework.
Young people and their parents and carers should have chances to give their views on services for young people with additional support needs in their area and to be informed of the changes made in response to what they say. Article 12 of the UNCRC calls for all young people to be heard in matters which relate to them, and this is now incorporated into Scots Law.
Many young people with additional support needs and their carers will require support to develop the skills, confidence and knowledge to participate meaningfully in what are sometimes complex decision-making processes. Where these opportunities do not exist, they should be consulted about how to best to include them in planning and decision-making processes, and how to make these processes accessible to them.
‘Principles into Practice’ is designed to help those with strategic responsibility for transitions to improve the experiences of transition for young people with additional support needs and is widely adopted by local authorities in Scotland.
It provides practical guidance to help ensure that planning and decision-making is carried out in a person-centred way in your local authority area. Data collected through Compass will help to evaluate progress and identify where further improvements are needed.
With a data sharing agreement in place, ARC Scotland can provide data reports from people using Compass in your area. These include to what extent:
Contact us to discuss the support available to help you build this Principle into your strategies.
