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Moving to Adulthood

Support for young people with a disability or long-term health needs usually looks different when a young person reaches 18 and over. Transition is the name used for this process and can be applied particularly to social care, health and education.

Moving to Adulthood in Greenwich

Following a successful pilot programme from 2020-2023, as of February 2023 the Royal Borough of Greenwich has restructured its services to create the extended Disabled Children and Young People Service (DCYPS), supporting young people with an Education, Health and Care plan (EHCP) who require adult social care support until they leave education.

Young people who have an EHCP and require an adult social care service will remain in the DCYPS until their plan ends, better aligning the transition point with the life stage of leaving education.


Safeguarding Concerns

If you have a safeguarding concern for a young person who is aged 18+, please contact the Adult’s Services Contact Assessment Team (CAT) on 0208 921 2304 or by emailing aops.contact.officers@royalgreenwich.gov.uk.

 

If you have a safeguarding concern for a young person who is under 18, please contact the MASH team on 0208 921 3172 or by emailing mash-referrals@royalgreenwich.gov.uk.


Moving to Adulthood process

Following the success of the pilot work, the process has changed for those with Education, Health and Care plans who may require social care support as an adult.

The process now involves a streamlined assessment completed by an allocated social worker in the Disabled Children and Young People Service. It includes a Care Act Eligibility assessment and a Moving to Adulthood Profile, which is built with the young person to ensure that it reflects their wishes and plans for the future, as well as that of the family or carers involved.

We now hold a Transition Outcomes Meeting (TOM) for each individual young person, which lets them, their parent/carers and all other relevant professionals come together and discuss the planning for the young person’s 18th birthday and beyond. From this meeting, a support plan is put together. A care package can then be agreed at a later date that will be suitable for the young person as they move towards and beyond their 18th birthday.

In terms of agreeing care packages or funding, the young person and their parent/carer(s), with support from the social worker, put forward requests for funding changes to a young person’s care in preparation for key points of their transition (e.g. 18th birthday, leaving school etc.). This is then agreed and signed off by senior decision makers in both Children's and Adult's Services. 

Once the assessment is complete and an appropriate support plan is in place, the young person's case is kept by the Disabled Child and Young People Service and will be reviewed each year.

All young people with an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan who are likely to require social care services after they turn 18 are being taken through this new transition process.

If a young person does not have an EHC plan, already went through the previous transition process or is over 18 and now requires a Care Act eligibility assessment to be completed, they will need to be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Our Vision

We will proactively build on the individual strengths of our young people to help them aspire towards and achieve the best possible outcomes in their lives, relationships, employment and accommodation.

Royal Borough of Greenwich will do this in partnership with our young people, their families, carers, staff and partnered providers. Young people will be put at the heart of their individual journey as they successfully transition to adulthood focussing on independence and being part of their community.

Principles of Moving to Adulthood 

  • Strengths based approach: Always seek opportunities to work with young people to live as independently as possible, through focusing on their strengths and opportunities

  • Flexible and adaptable towards the specific needs of the individual: Have real conversations where we listen to our young people and their carers, building understanding and trust and offering tailored support

  • Provide a seamless journey: Fully involve the individual in making the right long term decisions that build resilience and independence using local community resources and wider support networks

  • Be Whole-Person Focused (Employment, Education, Living, Health): Work with our partners, really understanding what each other can offer, to support a holistic approach. Promoting local working in our communities.

Engagement and Feedback - Young People, Parents and Carers

Throughout the 2020-2023 pilot, children and young people were involved in all decision making to redesign the transition process. 

Our Greenwich Action, Change and Equality (ACE) groups were consulted on the previous assessment forms and we asked for feedback on how to make it better. From that feedback, we created a more streamlined assessment that is more accessible, easier to complete and allows more input from the young person to plan for their future. 

Previously there were 3-4 different assessments completed as part of a young person’s Moving to Adulthood journey

These have now been combined into one comprehensive assessment, completed by one social worker with the young person and their family. See "downloads" to the right of this page for a You Said, We Did summary of feedback on the assessment. 


Throughout the pilot, parents and carers were a key partner for RBG. The Greenwich Parent Carer Participation Forum (GPCPF) were part of the pilot's working group, and each step of the redesign of the process was discussed with the parents and carers for ideas and feedback. 

The GPCPF have also been vital to developing the Moving to Adulthood Trial Guidebook which contains information on all of the processes for those involved. 

Below are some quotes from parents, carers and other professionals involved in engagement and feedback for the Moving to Adulthood Pilot.

How do I make a referral or find out more?

If you or your young person is under the age of 18 and you would like to explore options for support, please contact the Disabled Children and Young People Service by emailing cwdt.duty@royalgreenwich.gov.uk or calling 0208 921 2599. Alternatively, you can self-refer to the Greenwich MASH team

If you or your child is over the age of 18, you can contact the Contact and Assessment team (CAT) by emailing aops.contact.officers@royalgreenwich.gov.uk or calling 020 8921 2304. They will work with you to identify the best pathway in Adult's Services to provide support for you or your young person.

Support Pathways in Adult's Services

Once you or your young person move out of Children's Services after the EHCP has ended, further support can be provided by teams within Adult's Services. There are several different options based on your or your young person's needs and what type of support you/they require. 

The teams that are available to provide support to people with disabilities in Adult's Services include the Community Learning Disability Team, the Complex Care Team, Continuing Healthcare and Community Mental Health team. 

To make a referral for someone who is over 18, get in touch with the Contact Assessment Team (CAT) to discuss next steps.

Contact information

Email: aops.contact.officers@royalgreenwich.gov.uk

Telephone: 020 8921 2304

 

See the Adult, See the Child - identifying and responding to concerns

For more information on See the Adult, See the Child in Greenwich, please see the download link to the right of this page.