Agenda item

This report provides a briefing on how the transition from children’s to adults services is managed for children receiving specialist social care services, the options that are available to young people and how Medway Council continues to develop and strengthen its transition pathway.

Discussion

The agenda item was considered by the Committee to highlight the challenges facing young people when transitioning from children’s to adult services that were provided by the Council.

Mrs Keith and her son George, a user of Adult Social Care Services, addressed the Committee. The key points of this were as follows:

·         George had attended Bradfields School, having left in June 2016. There had been no discussion about what activities and interests he could pursue when he left school and it had been expected that some information would have been provided about the services available and a list of local groups and places that the young person could go to.

·         It had been very difficult to get information about the services available with Mrs Keith only having found out about Direct Payments by chance.

·         George not had not had a social worker since he was 8. Initial contact with the Council had been difficult as Council staff had not been particularly friendly in the past. More recently, there had been quick contact with a social worker and a meeting arranged with Direct Payments also being progressed.

·         An application had been made in June 2017 for George to have a Continued Healthcare Assessment but this had still not been undertaken.

·         There was a lack of continuity in the provision of social workers and there was inadequate support for families who were just about able to cope on their own.

·         After a year without physiotherapy, George was now receiving regular physiotherapy at Medway Maritime Hospital. This was very good but the year without physiotherapy had caused him great difficulty.

·         George was now attending Carers Relief sessions and Botra as well as the G beats nightclub. These services had changed George’s life and had enabled him to reconnect with old friends.

Officers apologised for the difficulties that had been experienced by George and his family. Significant changes were being made with the young person being put at the centre of the transition journey. Social workers in the 0-25 team worked with young people from the age of 14 with there being an expectation of there being multiple transitional meetings before the young person left education.

In January 2018, the 0-25 team had moved from Adult Social Care to become part of children’s services. This team was now integrated with the Special Educational Needs (SEN) team, the Educational Psychology team and with  physical and sensory support. This integration would help to assist young people with the transition to adulthood. As part of the recent restructure of Adult Social Care, there had been investment in three social work posts which would specifically focus on the transition from children to adults. Under the SEND code of practice the Council was required to provide an independent advice and information service. This included a website to highlight services available. Other services to assist with the transition included Flight, which was two flats that could accommodate four young people for up to two years to enable them to gain independence and skills to live in the community, as well as the Shared Lives programme that enabled people to live within a family environment. Supported living options were also available, such as supporting people to buy or rent a property with support then being tailored according to their individual needs. There were plans to develop more local provision to stop young people having to moved out of Medway and there had already been some success in enabling young people to return to Medway to live near their family.

A Committee Member apologised to Mrs Keith and George for their experience and said that similar issues had been raised repeatedly. Previous assurances had been given that new policies would improve the situation but this had not happened to date. The Member also felt that multiple changes to a family social worker was a significant problem and hoped that George’s Continuing Health Assessment would be undertaken soon. 

Another Committee Member said that it should not come as a surprise that young people would need to transition to adult services as they grew up and said that there was an alternative to austerity. The Member asked for assurance that the Continuing Healthcare Assessment would be undertaken soon and asked whether engagement could be undertaken with Medway Voluntary Action to ascertain what support they could offer to service provision. The Member also highlighted the need for engagement to take place before young people leave school.

A Committee Member was concerned that the report stated that children with less complex needs, such as social, emotional and mental health needs, would be managed by mainstream children’s services as the Special Educational Needs (SEN) code of practice stated that these children should be managed by the SEN team. The Member was also concerned that young people provided support by CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) did not always continue to receive support when they became adults.

Officers reiterated that services had been brought together as part of a restructure and agreed that services had previously been too fragmented. It was agreed that work needed to be undertaken with the voluntary sector, including with Medway Voluntary Action. There had been a SEND inspection of services for young people in December 2017 and actions in response to this were being worked on through an action plan.

Two posts had been added to Adult Social Care that were specifically to work with the voluntary sector. Part of the approach in relation to the Three Conversations Model was about helping people to be supported in the community.

The Council had recruited extra children’s social workers. However, there was a national shortage of social workers with there being 20% fewer than needed while the need for social workers was increasing. Students undertaking a degree in social work were helping to ensure the availability of good quality newly qualified social workers with the Council being committed to recruiting and retaining newly qualified social workers.

The Assistant Director of Adult Social Care said that he would personally ensure that George’s Continuing Care Assessment was completed.

Decision

The Committee:

i)             Noted and commented on the report.

ii)            Requested that written information be circulated to the Committee to include:

a.    The number of social workers employed by Medway and the staffing structure.

b.    The number of Continued Healthcare Assessments that were outstanding.