7 evidence-based principles based on the law and what research tells us works best to support young people.
Planning should start early and continue up to age 25
The Principle
Why this Principle matters
Early planning which involves supportive, personalised discussions about a young person's future can take place at school, at home or with a trusted professional.
Continuing planning up to age 26 helps ensure young people and their families are supported through later transitions, such as leaving college. Many young people report this as being a challenging time for them.
Transitions planning for some young people starts too late and ends too soon. This can have a profound effect on their future life opportunities.
What this Principle can look like
- Young people and their parents and carers are given enough time and help to plan for the future.
- Professionals begin transitions planning with young people at least 2 years before they leave education.
- There is a a flexible approach to transitions planning, meaning a young person can change their plan if needed.
Starting planning early and continuing up to age 25 means:
Planning begins when a young person is at school and can involve discussions with relevant people as early as S2. These can be with guidance teachers, support for learning staff or an appropriate agency such as Skills Development Scotland. These discussions should explore a young person's strengths, areas for development and ambitions for the future.
It should be expected that the outcomes young people are likely to achieve will change over time. Plans begun at an early date should therefore be reviewed and updated.
Children with exceptional healthcare needs will be involved with multiple agencies and professionals. Planning needs to be joined up to avoid parents, carers and young people having to repeat their story to different professionals.
Everyone needs to be made aware of what supports are available early on to help inform the planning process. To help with effective planning, social work should provide an indicative budget for young people who meet eligibility criteria no later than one year before they are due to leave school.
The Scottish Government's strategy on Getting It Right For Everyone (GIRFE) aims to create a more joined-up approach to service provision and continue the work of GIRFEC. The GIRFE toolkit helps practitioners to deliver the key principles of GIRFE when delivering public services.
Joined-up approaches and documentation for adult assessments should incorporate GIRFEC, GIRFE and Self-directed Support principles. Holistic needs assessments should be used for service planning, and diagnostic assessments should be completed on time to avoid delays in access to services.
To avoid rushed or abrupt transitions, the planning process should provide reassurance to children and young people that professionals understand their roles and responsibilities and systems are in place.
Post-16 transitions are often treated as a leaving-school event rather than an ongoing process lasting several years. This means that subsequent transitions, for example, when leaving further education are often unsupported. To prevent this, we recommend young people with additional support needs should have access to transitions support until their 26th birthday. This extended period of support may include exploration of care needs, accommodation, respite, short breaks, health services, leisure and social activities, income maximisation and the implications of guardianship.
Children and young people have a right to education in accordance with the UNCRC and the Standards in Scottish Schools (2000) Act. Further education plays an important role in supporting many young people's personal and career development. However, this is not always the right option for some young people and programmes like 'Developing the Young Workforce' can support planning towards modern apprenticeships or work placements.
Building this Principle into your strategies
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 starts as early as possible 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:
- Young people have had enough time to work out what they want to do in the future.
- Parents and carers know how to update the plan if things change.
- Professionals are able to start transitions planning at least 2 years before the young person leaves school.
Contact us to discuss the support available to help you build this Principle into your strategies.
