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PREPARING FOR ADULTHOOD THE LOCAL OFFER

TUESDAY 17 JUNE 2014
ASHBURTON HALL, EII COURT, WINCHESTER, SO23 8UQ

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WELCOME

Tesni Mason Childrens Services Hampshire County Council welcomed everyone
and outlined what the Local Offer is.





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Carol Dixon from Parent Voice gave a demonstration of the Local Offer and
answered questions from attendees.


WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR?
Nicola Gitsham from Preparing for Adulthood, National Development Team then
facilitated a number of different activities.

Each table considered the following questions to help understand what was needed
to be contained within the Local Offer.

Think of three questions you might want answered about Transitions and
Preparing for Adulthood
Where would you expect to find them on the local offer site?
The last time you didnt know who to contact what was the question?

Questions included the following.

What can I do during the day?
Sexual Health and relationship advice
What do I do next?
How and when do I start looking for a home/getting a job?
What do I need to know?
I want a job help me find one!
Funding when and how?
How do I DBS check my employees?
How do I contact a friend on facebook?
Where do I find out about support for transferring college/courses?
Ive left school what benefits am I entitled to?

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DECIDING WHICH HEADINGS TO USE

Each table was given one of the eight themes:

Independent living
Getting involved
Family carers
Staying healthy
Money
University and work
Being and adult
Getting around

Using pens and a tablecloth each table considered the following three questions:

The helpfulness of the theme
What would you expect the theme to cover?
Which organisations can help provide information?




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Independent Living


Where will I live? (Alternative name instead of independent living)
Housing benefits/eligibility
Speak with organisations working with young people and parents for whom
future living arrangements are key.
What are my options?
Speak with Housing Associations about simplifying information and routes
towards living arrangements
Shared Lives
Residential
How does turning 18 change the legal decision making and funding process?
Not living with Mum and Dad
Moving out of home
How does the housing list work?
Different local authorities have different systems. Housing lists working in
different ways






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Getting Involved



With what? When?
Participation
Activities
Avoiding being used and taken advantage of/gullibility/conned/mate
robbery/theft
How do I make decisions?
Responsible involvement
Alternative button suggestions Taking part, community matters, whats on?
Keeping busy, Having a life
Social activities
Volunteering
Participation
Preparing for adulthood
What age does it start?
Who is the audience? Young people? Their carer/support worker?
Staying up late example of a good site
Involvement at key ages e.g. Primary involvement, secondary involvement



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Family Carers



We feel we are alone. Who looks after my child when Im gone?
Where does the young person go for help? Now they are adult?
Independent living skills need this
Where do I even start?
Help?
Questions under all the buttons
Being an adult how?
Who will help him/her?
Language barriers social exclusion/lack of help/feeling of being
alone/confusing



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Staying Healthy



Scouts
Guides
Healthy eating and advice
Carers support
Dentist
Health Passport
Podiatry
Leisure centres accessibility
Sight check
Weight watchers/slimming world
Listen
Princes Trust
Stars in the sky
Staying safe on the internet
School nurses
Princess Royal Trust for Carers
Safeguarding
Mental Capacity Act
CCGs
Carers Together
Charities that offer advice to young
people e.g. options
Counselling services
Information on Health Liaison Nurses
and what they do
Parent Voice
Mental Health
Exercise
Swimming
Community Nursing
Sexual Health Advice
GP services
Transition in Health
Physiotherapy
Speech
Occupational Therapy





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Money

DWP
CHC
Health and social care money
What can you spend direct
payments on?
Consistent information needed
Legal advice
Debt management
Accessible information (sensory
impairment and learning
disabilities)
Makaton
Financial services - what is
available?
Where do I go to get advice?
Cost of services
Rent
Benefits and advice
Power of attorney
Getting a bank account
Budgeting
Charging for care
CAB
Direct Payments
Trustees
Sibling management
Advice on how to be an
employer for tax returns
payroll advice, staff, DBS,
emergency cover, insurance



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University and Work



Change to University and
Training?
Continuing education
Getting ready for work
Presentation skills
Interview skills
Time keeping
Learning new skills
Problem solving
Building a CV
Self employment
Work experience
Supported employment
Supported internships
Social firms
Social enterprise
Vocational
Further education
Paid work
College
University
Travel funding
Funding support
Volunteering for community
services
Independence
Money
Travel
Housing options
Confidence
Social skills
Time keeping
Form filling
Equipment
Volunteering
Language for older young
people
Housing
Link to Education



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Being an adult


Going out with other people
Meeting new friends
Meeting lovers
Learn about relationships and sex
Who can support me with bus training?
Road skills
Using public transport
Finding health services and staying healthy
Education about health living
Apprenticeships
Leaning about internships
Finding a job support to do this
Volunteering and/or getting paid
A job we want not all of us want to work in a charity shop
Making my own choices
Money help to help me more with spending
Benefits am I on the right ones?
Making my own choices
Getting new skills
Getting out and about on my own





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Getting around



Getting to work
Shopmobility
Criteria
Motability
Wheelchair accessible
Planning your route
Equipment/aids
Hospital transport
Hampshire Transport
Management
College transport
Costs
Walking groups
Changing places
PA support staff attitudes
Costs of travel
Subsidies and financial support
People willing to offer lifts/car
share
Blue badges for organisation
that transport people with SEND
Individual travel training
Inflexibility with school transport
Accessible timetables easy
read/apps
Getting the bus and getting a
bus pass
Travel assessment
Who should I talk to in
Transport department? (HCC)
Buddy scheme
Someone to go with
Criteria for disabled pass
Whats different? What are the
criteria?
Bus pass companion/carer.
Who do I ask?
Cycles for all accessible bikes
in safe areas
Safe space shops/centres
where I can go if I get worried

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WHERE CAN YOU FIND WHAT YOU WANT?

Everyone then used their questions and tried to see if they could be answered under
one of the suggested themes.





CONCLUSION

Many of the themes overlapped. You could expect to see them in several different
places. The most important thing is that the search facility works and current
information is available on a wide range of subjects.

How and when and what do I do next? These were questions people were asking.
Many thought that phrasing information around questions would be helpful.

We need to make sure we know who the audience is. Is it primarily for young people
or their carers? Young people prefer it to be focused on young people and written in
an accessible way. Must remember not everyone has English as their first language.
Need to consider sensory issues.

One approach that can be taken could be
Using questions
Starting with my family,

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University and work consideration is needed as to how this theme can be made
wider. what about lifelong learning and work? , does it need to be two different
themes one education and the other getting a job/employment? University is
elitist. education, training and work.
Alternative: education, training and work

Notes: training to be considered as into work and life skills (my money, travel
training, confidence and social skills. Wider variety of trainers, not just formal
establishments.


Being an adult this was very popular and people felt it gave an opportunity to
consider issues such as relationships, sexuality and dating agencies. Making the
right decisions, keeping safe,

Alternative: Becoming an adult

Notes: making the right decisions was a common theme across several areas.


Money this was very popular with people wanting to know what they were eligible
for, direct payments, funding, money management, where do I go for advice, power
of attorney, getting a bank account, checking my benefits,

Alternative: My money


Getting around road sense, apps that can help, public transport, bus training,
discounts, blue badge, transport buddy, route planning, bus pass, safe taxis

Alternative: My travel choices


Independent living key areas identified were accommodation where can I live
and with what support? What is the eligibility criteria? Some people felt that the
theme could be very broad while others assumed that it focused just on
accommodation. Moving out of home, understanding terms supported living,
shared lives, residential, out of county, independent living. Working out which option
is right for you. Not living with Mum and Dad.

Alternative: Where will I live?



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Getting involved the focus of this was social contact, what can I do during the day
and what to do once leaving full time education. This could be sectioned according to
age group.

Alternative: taking part, community matters, whats on, keeping busy, having a life,
what can I do?

Staying healthy sexual health and relationships, and health checks. Need to be
clear if it is health services or health and wellbeing advice/ health promotion / healthy
living. Counselling services, slimming / healthy eating,

Alternative: Healthy Living, healthy lifestyles, How do I have a healthy lifestyle?

Notes: Health services information on GPs, different roles and services will be found
in a separate section of the Local Offer.


Family and carers Who will look after my child when we are not here?

Alternative: My family

Notes: there is a potential to have a section within each theme on what carers and
family need to know or what support is available. Some people thought that this
should be a stand alone theme but others did not.













A BIG thank you to the young people, parents, carers, and organisations who
attended the workshop. Find out more and keep in touch via our twitter and
facebook page.

Hants Prep 4 Adulthood: @prep4adulthood https://twitter.com/Prep4Adulthood

Hants Preparing for Adulthood on Facebook: Facebook Hants Prep4Adulthood
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Hampshire-Preparing-for-
Adulthood/267796133423333?sk=timeline


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RESOURCES AND CONTACTS

Pathways to Getting a Life book
http://www.gettingalife.org.uk/downloads/2011-Pathways-to-getting-a-life.pdf

Personalisation in Practice Supporting young people with disabilities through
transition. Franklin and Sanderson
http://www.jkp.com/catalogue/author/2869

Link to Preparing for Adulthood Countdown to Implementation document Delivering
Support and Aspiration for disabled young people plus all PfA graphics
http://www.preparingforadulthood.org.uk/resources/pfa-resources

Nicola Gitsham:
Nicola.gitsham@ndti.org.uk
Twitter: @nicolagitsham
www.preparingforadulthood.org.uk or www.ndti.org.uk

Hampshires Transition Programme/The Local Offer: Preparing for Adulthood:
Samantha.hudson@hants.gov.uk
Siobhan.sweeney@hants.gov.uk
Alex.tye@hants.gov.uk

Parent Voice:
www.parentvoice.info