Transition from Children's Services

On this page:

• About Transition
• What to expect during the transition assessment
• When does the transition assessment take place?
• How to make a referral to the Adult Social Care Transitions Team
   

About Transition

Transition is the period of time when young people are moving from childhood into adulthood. Adult Social Care involvement will begin by carrying out their statutory assessment, which is currently known as the Transition Care Act assessment.  

To be eligible for support from the Adult Social Care Transitions Team, a young person or carer must meet at least 2 of the support needs from The Care and Support (Eligibility Criteria) Regulations 2014.

Transition to adult care and support comes at a time when a lot of change can take place in a young person's life. It can also mean changes to the care and support young people receive from education, health and care services, or involvement with new agencies such as those who provide support for housing, employment or further education and training.

The Adult Social Care Transitions team supports young people with their transition to adulthood.

What to expect during the transition assessment

The transition assessment should support the young person and their family to plan for the future by providing them with information about what they can expect. Transition assessments can also help to provide solutions that do not necessarily involve the provision of services, and which may aid planning that helps to prevent, reduce or delay the development of needs for care or support.

During the transition assessment the local authority will also consider how the needs of carers, young carers and other family members might change. Carers Assessments are a part of the discussion and can be offered to family members or carers.

The young person or carer in question must be involved in the assessment for it to be person centered and reflect their views and wishes. The assessment must also involve anyone else who the young person or carer wants to include. For example, many young people will want their parents involved in their process.

The transition assessment often involves professionals from different agencies, families, friends and the wider community, working together to help raise the young person's aspirations and achieve the outcomes that matter to them. The local authority can combine their transition assessment with other assessments that are being carried out (provided all parties agree), or carry out the transition assessment jointly with other organisations. This allows for flexible combinations of assessments, which is usually in everyone's interest.

Transition assessments could also potentially become part of a child or young person's Education, Health and Care plan, or could contribute to the Continuing Health Care Assessments.

When does the transition assessment take place?

Most transition assessments will take place before a young person turns 18, or around their 18^th birthday. However, this can vary and is dependent on individual circumstances. 

The local authority will consider the circumstances of the young person or carer and whether it is an appropriate time for them to undertake an assessment which helps them to prepare for adulthood.

How to make a referral to the Adult Social Care Transitions Team

The team accept referrals from professionals as well as parents or carers, and self-referrals can be made. 

You can make a referral:

• internally via the Single Assessment (when a young person has a social worker from Children's Services)
• by completing the Transitions team referral form [43KB]  and emailing it to asctransitions@westberks.gov.uk
• by completing the online enquiry form

Our Local Offer page on our website provides further information about the transition process. You can also find information and listings of organisations and services on the Local Offer - Preparing for Adulthood section of the West Berkshire Directory.

There is information from the NHS on moving from children's social care to adult's social care and from  West Berkshire Council's Adult Social Care Transitions Information Guide [474KB]  for young people, parents and carers.