Skip to content

Moving from Children’s to Adult Social Care Services - Transition Guide

Sheffield City Council has a social care transitions service.  This service supports young people who have a disability to move from children's to adult social care services.

The service carries out an assessment of your needs for social care support as a young adult. This is sometimes called:

  • a social care assessment,
  • Care Act assessment
  • Transitions assessment.

The service also helps young people who get support from adult social care to plan what help they need putting in place. In Sheffield this is called a care and support plan. You can be referred to the transitions service from age 14.  Information, advice and guidance will be offered.

Adult Social Care Assessment

An adult social care assessment is carried out for you or your parent/carer.  This is at a point that makes sense for other changes in your life.

There is no set age when young people reach this point. Every young person and their family are different. 

An adult social care assessment will take place when it is the right time for you.

If you are receiving support from children’s social care services and this needs to continue when you turn 18

The transitions service would:

  • do an assessment
  • do a support plan in time for adult social care services to take over once the you turn 18.

If you go to a special school

You may not need social care support while you are there but you may need it when you leave school aged 19.

The transitions service would assess you with enough time to get support ready before you leave school.

If you need support to take part in the assessment

Your social care worker can think about who else might be able to support you.  They could contact an independent advocacy service to help. 

Parents and carers are involved in the assessment process for young people up to 18 years old.  When you are over 18 years old, parents and carers are involved if this is what you want.

How the Transition Service works

The transitions service works in a flexible way.  This means that you will move on to your adult social care team once adult social care support is in place and is working well. For some young people, this might be around the age of 18, whereas for others, it could be up to the age of 25.

The social care transitions service will work with a you and your parents/carers as well as health, social care and education services. This might include your:

  • school
  • college
  • GP
  • specialist health workers
  • existing support providers

The team works alongside other agencies to help make a good transition plan. They can attend EHC plan annual reviews meetings if you have an EHC plan.

5 cartoon characters, one is in a wheelchair

What about referrals?

It is important for you and your parents to know that there is no automatic referral into the social care transitions service.  This is even if a you are known to children’s social care. If you get social care support from children’s services, this support will end when you turn 18.

Referrals to the transitions service can be made by:

  • you
  • your parents/carers
  • your children’s social care worker,
  • your school or college
  • other health or social care professional.

You need to give consent for this referral.

If you are unable to understand information about getting support from adult social care

The person who is referring you can explain this when making their referral.

How to refer to the transitions service

  • You can email pfa@sheffield.gov.uk. This is the team email address and a worker is available to respond to emails every day (9am-5pm).
  • You can telephone the team on 0114 205 7288.  The business support team will take details and ask a duty worker to call you back (9am-5pm).
  • You can refer online using the following link: Preparation for Adulthood (sheffield.gov.uk) (open any time). You can make referrals anytime using the Portal, but they will only be checked during office hours. So, please don't use it in an emergency or if you need help right away.
Last updated:

In this section

  1. Introduction to the Transition Guide
  2. Preparing for Adulthood
  3. Sheffield's Local Offer
  4. What happens and when - Early Years (age 0-4)
  5. What happens and when - Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 (age 5-7)
  6. What happens and when - Year 3, Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6 (age 7-11)
  7. What happens and when - Year 7 and Year 8 (age 11-13)
  8. What happens and when - Year 9 (age 13-14)
  9. What happens and when - Year 10 (age 14-15)
  10. What happens and when - Year 11 (Age 15-16)
  11. What happens and when - Year 12 (age 16-17)
  12. What happens and when - Years 13 and 14 (Age 17-19)
  13. What happens and when - Age 19-25
  14. Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plans - Transition Guide
  15. Education, Employment and Training - GCSEs and Help in Exams - Transition Guide
  16. Post 16 Education - Transition Guide
  17. A Guide to Qualifications at 16+ - Transition Guide
  18. Apprenticeships and Supported Internships - Transition Guide
  19. Things to do when not in college - Transition Guide
  20. University and Higher Education - Transition Guide
  21. Careers Advice - Transition Guide
  22. 1) Help with finding and keeping a job - Transition Guide
  23. 2) Help with finding and keeping a job - Transition Guide
  24. 3) Help with finding and keeping a job - Transition Guide
  25. Leisure - Transition Guide
  26. SEN Transport - Transition Guide
  27. Independent Travel Training
  28. Other Travel Support and useful Apps - Transition Guide
  29. Social Care Services - Transition Guide
  30. Moving from Children’s to Adult Social Care Services - Transition Guide
  31. Paying for adult social care - Transition Guide
  32. Getting a carer’s assessment for your parent/carer - Transition Guide
  33. Short Break Services - Transition Guide
  34. Direct payments for social care services - Transition Guide
  35. Housing - Transition Guide
  36. Decision making and mental capacity - Transition Guide
  37. Transitioning from Children’s Health to Adult Health Services - Transition Guide
  38. Annual Health Checks for people with a learning disability - Transition Guide
  39. Important Local NHS Health Services - Transition Guide
  40. Mental Health Services - Transition Guide
  41. 1) Finance and Benefits: Disability Living Allowance, Direct Payments and Appointeeship - Transition Guide
  42. 2) Finance and Benefits: Universal Credit - Transition Guide
  43. 3) Finance and Benefits: 16 to 19 Bursary Fund - Transition Guide
  44. 4) Finance and Benefits: Banking, Wills and Trusts and Child Benefit - Transition Guide
  45. Further help and support - Transition guide