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.
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 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.
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
The service is currently working on how to make a referral online. They are trying to make this simple to use. Until that is available, referrers will need to contact the service by phone.
- if you are under 18, call the Children’s Safeguarding Hub on 0114 273 4855. Ask for a referral to the transitions team.
- if your over 18, call Adult First Contact on 0114 273 4908. Ask for a referral to the transitions team.
Some young people may not be able to get support from the social care transitions service. For example, you are no longer in a period of transition. It could be you have particular care needs such as a mental health issue. In these cases, you will be re-directed to speak to the most appropriate social care team.