In May we had a fun filled agenda, in the morning Chloe Boobyer from the Preparing for Adulthood (PFA) team visited the group. This was following on from our work in April surrounding PFA.
In April we looked at:
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- What help is needed when becoming an adult
- What support could be better
- Their awareness of Adult Social Care and what support entitlements they are entitled to.
Below are some of the findings of Aprils meeting:
Conclusions
- Generally, members of the Unstoppables weren’t really aware of Adult Social Care, or what they do, but felt that they needed to communicate better with Children’s Social Care
- Most members had not heard of the Preparing for Adulthood team
- They didn’t really know what happens during the move to adulthood or what they’d be entitled to
- Members felt that they should be taught life skills and the things to expect from adulthood when they are at school and that the transition to adulthood could be smoother
- The Unstoppables felt that they should have more support for their next steps beyond school
Recommendations
Based on the findings from members of the Unstoppables:
- There needs to be better communication between Children’s and Adult Social Care to fill the gaps that appear when SEND young people approach the transition to Adult Social Care
- Adult Social Care needs to make young people aware earlier who they are, what they do, and the entitlements SEND young people can expect when they cross over to that service
Life skills should be taught at schools, to help young people know what they can expect from the adult world and empower them with the skills needed to help navigate it
Next steps: The Unstoppables and PFA team will be working together more on the recommendations and creating resources for SEND young people so keep an eye out for future SEND news articles from us!
Young Unstoppables coming soon!
Background
- We were involved in the first year of the Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools (PINS) project work and the young person’s voice wasn’t very prominent as it wasn’t on the project specification, so for year two we wanted to make sure it was done effectively.
- SEND young people’s voices under 13 are widely missing when sharing lived experience
- Want to widen the voice that we’re hearing across Somerset
What will Young Unstoppables look like?
- Aimed at under the age of 13 as that’s our starting age for Unstoppables.
- 30 schools included in the second year of PINS.
- Aiming for 10 young people per session
- Three sessions per school – aiming for approx. 900 voices will be heard throughout the school year
- The Unstoppables will be steering group for Young Unstoppables
- Topics we engage on will fit into The Unstoppables priorities; SEND Strategy aims and topics the students want to discuss surrounding their school to help with the PINS work.
There are so many exciting things coming up and we will share them with you when they happen!
Our next meeting is on Saturday 7th of June 2025.
If you or a young person you know wants more information about how they can join the Unstoppables, or be part of our work they/you can contact us via email (SENDParticipationTeam@somerset.gov.uk) or via phone/What’s App (07976 809 773).
To follow information about all youth voice activities across Somerset follow:
Facebook @SomersetYouthVoice
Instagram @somersetyouthvoice
Threads @somersetyouthvoice
