In February, we hosted an online session on what transitioning to adulthood means for young people with SEND and their families.
This interactive session, run by Jessica Husbands, Practice Development Social Worker, Children and Young People Directorate from London Borough of Newham, was attended by more than 30 social work professionals from across the partnership and provided an opportunity to exchange knowledge in cross-organisational settings on the following areas:
Jessica was prompted by the fact that “we all agreed this can be a challenging area of practice that we need to strengthen further in order to improve outcomes for young people with SEND.”
“This was a great session with social workers from across 6 different local authorities coming together to reflect on transitioning to adulthood and adult services for young people with SEND and their families”, added Jessica.
Participants discussed case studies and unique personal and structural challenges in group activities to make the young people’s transition successful. Some chose the opportunity to share feedback about the training via a short survey:
“We learnt what makes a good transition for SEND young people into adulthood by discussing our experiences and the knowledge from different professionals across London. We also looked at NICE guidelines for transitions and Care Act eligibility. I will be taking the backpack exercise to assist my practice.”
Some said that “tips, information on law, sharing of information by other attendees” was the most helpful part of the session, while others enjoyed “small group discussions. Use of the idea of the backpack and preparing for endings. Also feedback from young people and parents about the process of transitioning.”
We are grateful that Jessica “look[s] forward to coming back again in the future and being able to share examples of our good practice across the North East London Social Work Teaching Partnership.”