CBF launches new transition guide to adulthood for young people with learning disabilities

The Challenging Behaviour Foundation (CBF) has launched a new guide for people with learning disabilities and their families experiencing the transition from children’s to adult services, examining what can make transitions successful and prevent them from falling off a ‘cliff edge’ in terms of support.

The report, Building a Bridge: How to end the cliff edge of transition between children’s and adult services for young people with learning disabilities in England, combines current research with families’ experiences of complex and poorly coordinated systems.

It includes an overview of the legal frameworks and policies around transition, the issues that young people with learning disabilities and their families face, information on the impacts of poor transitions on them, and examples from practice demonstrating what works.

Problems in transition that create the “cliff edge”

Jacqui Shurlock, CEO of the Challenging Behaviour Foundation, said:  “Becoming an adult should be a time of growing independence and opportunities, and for young people with learning disabilities and their families, this should be no different. Yet, too often, as young people move into adulthood, essential opportunities and support fall away. Established routines are disrupted, trusted relationships are lost, needs go unmet, and rights that should be upheld are too often overlooked, and family carers are frequently left to step in and fill the gaps.

“This should not be the experience of turning 18. Adulthood should never come as a surprise. We must do better.  This report identifies the systemic problems that create the “cliff edge” and considers how to build the bridges to prevent it. With the right planning, support, and accountability, young people can access the opportunities they are entitled to—and families can be families, not substitutes for the state.”

• Further reading: How can families effectively prepare for the transition to adult social care services?

The report makes five recommendations:

1. Improve joint working by introducing a national, cross-departmental plan for transition, co-produced by young people with learning disabilities and their families
2. Make sure all young people and their families have access to a named transition coordinator
3. Introduce a statutory age of 14 to begin transition planning
4. Strengthen the evidence base for ‘what works’ in transition for young people with learning disabilities
5. Address the increased inequalities faced by young people with learning disabilities from minoritised ethnic groups.

People with learning disabilities need independent lives as they move into adulthood

The CBF say that if taken forward, these recommendations, which are built on what families tell them is important and what the research identifies as issues and solutions, would make a real difference to the lives of young people with learning disabilities and their families.

Polly Somervell, Family Carer and Co-Chair of the Challenging Behaviour – National Strategy Group Transition Subgroup, added: “As a family carer of young people with learning disabilities, the transition from childhood into adulthood can be an incredibly confusing and daunting process. With so many parts of the system changing at once, it can feel overwhelming and difficult to navigate.

“This is such an important point in young people’s journeys, shaping what the rest of their life will look like. We need services to work together in partnership, with the family placed firmly at the centre, to make it a success for them.

“As families, we know our relatives best and know what they need. However, too often we are not listened to, or the right kind of support does not exist. Like any family, we want our loved ones to have fulfilling, happy, and independent lives as they move into adulthood— but we have to fight so much harder to achieve this.”

Alison Bloomer

Alison Bloomer is Editor of Learning Disability Today.

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