Barriers to successful transtion planning

Why is the process of transition planning often not straightforward?

“In one sense… transition planning is a relatively simple idea. Its purpose is to co-ordinate the contribution of all relevant professionals and agencies in order to support the young person, and her or his family, effectively during transition from school to adulthood. However, the range of agencies involved, and the volume of legislation and guidance that affect the work of these agencies, can make the process complex and, in practical terms, extremely difficult to manage.” (Special Educational Needs Pupil Support & Access, SEN Regional Partnerships Case Study 7, 2003)

There are several reasons why transition from children’s to adult services is so difficult to get right.

1. It is a fluid process, spread out over a number of years;
2. The age at which young people move from one service to another differs: paediatric to adult health services at 16; children’s to adult social care at 18; alongside the transition stages in their education;
3. Communication between adult and children’s services is often poor with many parents worryingly unaware of eligibility criteria for adult care.

A Symposium held in London in 2008, looking at Autism Specific Transition, concluded that:

“Despite the comprehensive policy framework that now exists at government level the overall picture on the ground is one of inconsistency and patchy development. There is a lack of infrastructure across the country to support the specific needs of young people with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This ranges from under resourced local teams in social services, shortage of housing for supported living, shortage of specialist transition support within schools and further education colleges and loss of information.”