Introduction
Young people approaching adulthood want to make decisions for themselves and develop their own pathway towards what everyone wants from life – employment, regular meaningful activities, independent living, being part of their community and good health.
The journey from Children’s Social Care to Adult Social Care can sometimes feel quite daunting. If a young person is likely to need support from Social Care in adult life due to sensory loss, physical disabilities, learning disability or significant mental health needs, then a referral can be made to Adult Social Care.
Young person’s transition to adult social care
The journey from Children’s Social Care to Adult Social Care can sometimes feel quite daunting. If a young person is likely to need support from Social Care in adult life due to sensory loss, physical disabilities, learning disability or significant mental health needs a referral can be made to Adult Social Care.
Early planning is really important for a smooth transition to Adult Social Care and referrals can be made from 14 years old onwards. A specialist countywide preparing for adulthood team, will consider the needs of the young person outlined within the referral form and will identify the most appropriate service or team to support the young person. The preparing for adulthood team also works closely with Children’s Social Care, health professionals, schools/colleges and other professionals involved to identify and understand the needs of the young person as early as possible
Where appropriate, a strengths-based Care Act Assessment will be completed before the young person turns 18 years to identify Care Act Eligible needs. This assessment should be Person-Centred and focused on the outcomes they want to achieve particularly within the 4 preparing for Adulthood Outcomes;
- Employment
- Independent living
- Community inclusion
- Health
You can find out more information about Adult Social Care on our Delivering care and support page.
To make a referral, young people, families and professionals can complete the referral form below.
Saving this form
Please note that this referral form does not automatically save. However, as you progress through the form, you will be able to save your progress by pressing the “Save” button from page 2 onwards. This will present you with a unique link that you can use to resume your incomplete form at a later time. This can be a useful feature if you need to collect more information.