Preparing for adulthood - moving from Children’s Services to Adult Social Care

If you do not have a Children’s Worker and you think you may need care and support as an adult you can either speak to your school, college or you/someone who supports you can also request an adult social care assessment through our One Front Door Service on 0121 704 8007.

For more information about having your care needs assessed as an adult, please see Adult Social Care webpages.

We consider all the things you can do for yourself and then look at the things you may find difficult. We will discuss how best to support you to do the things which are difficult and work with you to enhance the things you excel at. We will assess your needs in the following areas:

• Getting washed and dressed
• Being safe at home
• Eating and drinking
• Getting out and about
• Caring for others
• Living independently
• Going to work, education or training
• Using the bathroom
• Making friends and seeing family.

Our social care workers who work in our Transitions team are skilled at working with young people who are stepping into adulthood. They are experienced in assessing and arranging support for people who are turning 18 and starting adult education or seeking employment.

Adult Social Care workers will start by focusing on what you can do. This is called a strengths based approach. This could mean having a direct payment, to access the services you want to with support or exploring services that can prepare you for and support you to gain employment.

Adult Social Care workers support people in their first move into independent living as well as any changes from education to social activities through to potential employment.

Everybody is different, and your Adult Social Care worker will support you to develop a care and support plan that is personal and appropriate to your needs.

Transition to Adult health services is a significant step. In the time when you are aged between 14 to 18 the changeover to adult health services will begin and you will begin to see changes to your health support (if you receive it). All health services are required to have transition pathways for young people who require adult health services. You should be told by the people delivering your treatment what the changes will be, but it’s worth talking to each service to see what this change will look like and how you can prepare.

Your GP (the doctor you see locally) will stay the same and you will continue to visit the same GP surgery as before unless you move out of the area.

Consent to treatment

From the age of 16 it will be you who gives permission before you have any medical treatment, examination, or test. The NHS say on their website: ‘Like adults, young people (aged 16 or 17) are presumed to have sufficient capacity to decide on their own medical treatment, unless there's significant evidence to suggest otherwise.’

Consent to treatment - children and young people (NHS)

This means that your doctor may ask for your permission to talk to your parents about your health and treatment, and ultimately it will be you who says yes or no to something.

Learning Disability Register

If you have a learning disability you can ask to be added to the Learning Disability Register at your doctor’s surgery. Anyone of any age, and any level of learning disability can join the register, even if you live independently and have little or no support. Find out more about the learning disability register.

Annual Health Checks

Annual Health Checks, by being on the Learning Disability Register you will get extra support when you visit the doctors and could receive an annual health check (Mencap guide) from when you are 14 years old. Mencap have guides and information on their website about annual health checks and the learning disability register. They have a section about health for those with a learning disability, including frequently asked questions and information about getting help when you visit the doctor.

The support you have had from Children’s Services is free. When you turn 18 and move to Adult Social Care, this will change. Adults who receive social care services are likely to have to pay towards their care.

When you turn 18 you are legally an adult and you may be eligible for benefits such as Universal Credit or Personal Independence Payment (PIP), depending on whether you are still in education or able to work.  Any benefits you receive are your money, for your needs.  Some of that money may be used to contribute to the costs of your care.

We will only provide care if we think you need it and if you agree. Our finance team will work out what money you receive and decide if you need to pay anything towards the cost of your care. Find out more on the paying for your care webpage.

If you or the young person you support has an EHCP (Education and Health Care Plan) and wants to continue in further education please find more information in the Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) explained webpage.

Employment or training is an important area in preparing for adulthood and something you can access any time after leaving school or college. Your allocated worker will speak to you about the things you would like to achieve and your aspirations for the future, one of these things may be to get a job or learn something new.

If this is something you are interested in, you can ask to be referred to our Supported Employment Coordinator who will talk through your options in more detail with you and help to create an action plan for you to access and be successful in employment. We work with a range of organisations to support this work, so it does not matter what experience of employment you have, the Supported Employment Coordinator will discuss the best options for you. The service is completely free, one to one and flexible to your requirements.

When your child turns 18, your role changes too.  Under the current laws you change from being a parent or carer to the carer of an adult.  It’s an opportunity to start planning for the longer term and talk to your child about their wishes for the future.

As your child turns 18 they may be eligible for advocacy services which can help them have independence in making their views clear.

You can help your child to prepare for adulthood by thinking about the support they might need to become independent in the future. This could include helping your child to learn life skills such as cooking or budgeting.

You might need to prepare for changes to your household budget. For example you will no longer receive child benefit and your child may receive benefits of their own which they will need help to manage.

Work with your child to think about their longer term goals such as where they want to live.  Think about the steps that need to be in place and how you can support them to move towards their goals. 

Help your child to speak up for themselves so they can express their own views about what they need and want for the future.

If you need help to think about the support your child will need as an adult, please talk to your child’s social worker or allocated worker.  Or contact the Carers Trust Solihull for information and advice.

If you’re not eligible for adult social care we will work with you and your family to identify what support is available.  There should still be a conversation with your Children’s social worker about preparing for the changes to adulthood.