Improving the journey from childrens services to adult social care

New guidance for health and social services on improving their support for disabled young people approaching adulthood.

The Social Care Institute for Excellence and THE National Institute for Health and Care Excellence produce guidelines for improving the transition from children to adult services.     

The handover from children to adult services has been a long running concern for disabled children and their carers. With different social work staff, different law, different services and a lack of joined up thinking, this transition has a reputation for producing poor results.

The Social Care Institute for Excellence is an independent charity working with adult, family and children's' care and support services across the UK.

The National Institute for Health & Care Excellence (NICE) is an independent arm of the Department of Health. Its role is to evaluate and promote standards of clinical effectiveness and in 2012 was also given responsibility for developing guidance and quality standards for social care.

Working together these two organisations have drawn up guidelines which aim to improve support for young people as they move from child to adult health and social services.

The guideline addresses 4 recognised problem areas.

• Adult social care services taking joint responsibility with children's services for transition.
• The need for there to be a joint approach between NHS and Local Authority organisations to the services they provide.
• Training staff to work better with young people and to understand their differing needs.
• Maximising opportunities for young people who have become disengaged or who are not eligible for adult care services.  

Christopher Binns of Wrigleys said:

"These guidelines build on the improved legal provisions in the Children & Families Act, the Care Act and the Care Act statutory guidance. Young people with disabilities often encounter problems when they move to the adult scheme leading to confusing changes in their support which may be inadequate. This guidance is step in the right direction but we need to see it implemented on the ground"

The full Guidance is accessible (here) http://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng43

Readers of this item may also be interested in the Transition Information Network: http://transitioninfonetwork.org.uk/home.aspx