Transition Plan (TP)
Having carried out a transition assessment, Southend City Council Adult Services must give an indication of which needs are likely to be eligible needs (and which are not likely to be eligible) once the young person in question turns 18, to ensure that the young person or carer understands the care and support they are likely to receive and can plan accordingly.
A Care Plan (inclusive of transition needs) should be drafted at a suitable time before the young person turns 18, when it is clear that eligible needs under the Care Act 2014 have been identified and how ASC will meet those needs. This should include practical details of how the young person will actually transition and move from Children's Services to Adult Social Care, for example will move accommodation if relevant, change schools if applicable, or continue with residual service input from Children's Services if applicable, whist under the care of Adult Services.
It is critical that families are able to understand what support they are likely to receive when the young person or carer is in the adult system, and that the transition period is planned and managed as far in advance as is practical and useful to the individual to ensure that there is not a sudden gap in meeting the young person's or carer's needs.
Where a young person is in receipt of support and services from Children's Services, where applicable, this support and services should continue until an assessment of the young person and their carer's care and support needs have been assessed under the Care Act, and a decision has been reached about the provision of support. This ensures that there is no gap in provision of care and support when people move from Children's Services to Adult Social Care.
Mental Capacity Assessments (MCA)
Any Applicable Capacity Assessments should also be carried out if and when required when the young person turns 16 years of age.
Provision of Advocacy
Whilst we encourage young people to lead their own planning for transitions, the need for advocacy should be considered at the outset of all transition cases. Where it is identified that the young person would experience substantial difficulty in understanding the necessary information or in communicating their views, wishes and feelings and if there is nobody else appropriate to act on their behalf, a referral for advocacy support needs to be made.
Our duty to provide advocacy support applies for all young people or carers who meet the criteria, regardless of whether or not they lack mental capacity as defined under the Mental Capacity Act 2005.
Consent
The young person and or carer will be made aware that they will be referred to Adult Social Care prior to referring and they will also be made aware that their capacitated consent must be obtained to engage in all assessments. Where there is doubt that a young person or carer may lack the requisite mental capacity to consent, Southend City Council must undertake a capacity assessment to determine whether or not the young person or carer has capacity. If the outcome of the capacity assessment is that the young person or carer lacks capacity to consent, a Best Interest Meeting will be convened and a best interests decision reached as to whether or not it is in their best interests for the assessment to take place.