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Pan Lothian Learning Disability Strategic Review Working Group 7: Transitions Minute of meeting held on 8.5.06
Who was there:- Christine Schaffer, Chair Person Maura Bertram, Jewel & Esk Valley College Mark Grierson, City of Edinburgh Council Sean Bradley, Careers Scotland Andy Foreman, Real Jobs, The Action Group Kathleen Gualtieri, Saltersgate School Breda McLoughlin, Transitions Health Team Rhona Neill, People First Gerald Wilson, People First Steve Coulson, EDG Who said they are not able to attend:- Polly Wright, East Lothian Council Denis Rowley, Project Manager Jane Kellock, West Lothian Council Bob Walley, Midlothian Community Learning Disability Team (CLDT) Rosemary Gray, East Lothian CLD Team Kate Tomlinson, East Lothian Council Anita Harrison, East Lothian Council Carol Chalmers, City of Edinburgh Council Sally Cheseldine, CAMHS Pat Jackson, Child Health Suzie Gibbs< Health John Russell, Health Marie Brown, Midlothian Community Learning Disability Team
1. Minute of last meeting Page 4 Action Point one has been attended to; there has been no response from Colin Smith. Page 4 Action Point two amend Jane Kelly to read Jane Kellock, this action point is pending. Page 4 Action Point three is also pending Page 4 next paragraph refers to the recently published Same as You Reports. Page 11 Any Other Business, any comments/additions re the employment mapping should be sent to Andy ASAP.
2. Report back from the Strategic Review Board & other working groups.
It was not possible to deal with this agenda item as Denis was not able to attend today.
Gerald commented that People First are concerned that there has been a reduction in the attendance at the Board meeting.
3. Notes from discussion re the points previously raised by Ann Caldwell on behalf of People First members
Some people go straight into employment from school. The key issue is ensuring that young people and their parents are aware of all the options.
There is a concern re young people who appear disinterested in education, employment or training. The colleges offer different learning opportunities. There are insufficient places at college. Mainstream courses are not always a good option.
Jewel & Esk Valley College offer taster experiences that reflect actual courses, this is not true of all Colleges. Saltersgate School take young people on visits to the College, to get used to the canteen etc. Parents are also encouraged to visit the College with their young people.
The document Partnership Matters looks at the partnership between agencies in agreeing how to support young people with additional support needs into college etc. Parents are often shocked by the reduced support that is available from adult services. Young people moving onto College can expect reduced support and larger groups as compared with school. Young people need support to make these transitions.
Schools do not know which section of Social Work to talk to about transition planning.
During the Future Plans Project coordinated by EDG it was found that sometimes College courses did not entirely fit with what young people wanted to do. Young people do not always know what the courses entail and sometimes it feels like an extension of school. It was thought that the College courses did not allow for individualised programmes. Moving into work might be a better option.
It was also found that Social Workers in Children & Families services did not have enough knowledge about adult services and Social Workers in Community Care did not know about young people’s services. This increased the anxiety of the young people and their parents.
The Education (Additional Support for Learning) Act has placed the responsibility onto Education/Schools to take responsibility for future planning. It is important that young people (and their parents) are put at the centre of the planning process.
In the past it was assumed young people would go from school to college. This is now being challenged as there are not enough places and college does not suit everyone.
Employment needs to be promoted more as an option e.g. supported work experience, taster experiences. The work of The Action Group in supporting young people in work experience has gone well. Young people and their families also need access to welfare rights advice.
Saltersgate School tries to organise work experiences for young people but finds that there are limited experiences available that are appropriate. Some young people use work experience as a way of getting a part time job, other use it as a way of getting insight/experience.
Employment experiences for young people with complex needs are gradually becoming greater e.g. Ikea but more work experiences are required.
Some times young people need to stay on at school for a while to become more mature before moving on to adult services. Being able to travel independently is an important independence skill for example. Young people can however become dissatisfied with school and their behaviour there may deteriorate.
Person Centred Planning is a good tool for helping parents see what the young person is capable of in terms of expressing views etc. Young people aged 14 need to be encouraged to begin to think about what they might want to do when they leave school.
Advocacy can also be important for young people in transition.
There is a concern that staff in mainstream Secondary Schools are less experienced at transition planning. The Future Plans Project found that use of Person Centred Planning helped young people feel more in control and more confident. PCP needs to occur early as if it is left to the end of the school process then people are too anxious. This should preferably occur at age 14 years. In the City of Edinburgh there is class room work occurring with 14 year olds thinking about the future, what are their strengths, what matters to them etc? As a consequence these young people have been asking for their own individual plans.
Saltersgate has 125 pupil reviews each year, so time to consider the detail of a PCP could be an issue. There is also a concern about funding being available to match PCPs. The Scottish Executive is in discussion with the Scottish Consortium for Learning Disability about piloting “In Control” in Scotland.
It is thought that if the money followed the young person rather than being given to Colleges for example that this would not work. The individual money would need to be an add on to a block grant.
Gerald said that Ruth Lowe PCP Coordinator in Midlothian is attending a People First meeting to talk about “In Control” and “Calling the Shots”. Volunteering experience also needs to be valued.
4. Discussion about transition planning for young people with autistic spectrum disorder and complex needs.
It was agreed to carry forward this discussion to the next meeting. 5. Dates of future meetings. Monday 5th June; Monday 31st July; Monday 28th August; and Monday 25th September all from 10.30 to 12.30 and all in Conference Room One, Fairfield House, Dalkeith.
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