'For all young people the transition from childhood to adulthood involves consolidating identity, achieving independence, establishing meaningful relationships and finding a meaningful occupation.
"For young people who are sick and disabled, this transition is made more difficult by concerns about whether, how and where their social care needs will be met.
"Many young people feel vague about the transition process because they have not been given the opportunity to discuss it, and families report that they are faced with a cliff edge where services fall away when the young person reaches the age of 16."
Department of Health
- Introduction
- Latest News
- Instructions
"It absolutely stopped dead and that was it...they dumped him when he left school" Mother of boy with learning disabilities
This website is about transition. Transition is the name given to the process that oversees the transfer of a disabled child from children's services to adult services.
The opening quotes was taken from the report of the Young Adults Transition Project, carried out in Lewisham in 1998. The cliff edge (see left) refers to the gap in services offered disabled teenagers who reach the end of school and suddenly find the level of care to be lower than what they have previously had. A social worker remarked in the report: "It all changes when they reach the magic box of 18."
So ten years on, has the situation changed?
The experts and politicians I spoke to all remark that transition is far higher up the political agenda than it was then. But there is still a nagging sense among some that having identified the problem the government aren't doing more to provide a smaller step to adult care, rather than the 'cliff edge' that some think still exists.
It is a huge topic; this website aims to condense some of the issues for those who are unaware of transition. If you are reading this and have a strong interest in the topic then I welcome all comments on how it could be improved and any errors I have made.
Nigel Perfect, MA Multi-Media Journalism, Bournemouth University 2007-2008
lookingoveracliffedge@rocketmail.com
Latest News
July 18: Person-centred Planning Coming Of-f?
Am expert in transition has spoken about a new research project involving OFSTED.
July 11: 'Postcode Lottery' Problem
A prominent disability campaigner has voiced her concerns with the ‘postcode lottery’ problem that affects disabled people across the country.
A senior politician has warned that the credit crunch will hit those with disabilities hardest unless action is taken.
Each section of the site contains audio or video so make sure your computer is set up to listen to sound and view video. This is positioned 'in the cliff' on the left-hand side. For the content to fully make sense within the context, you are advised to watch or listen to it when instructed to in the text.
As a suggested path, you may want to follow the top menu from left to right. There is also a menu on the left to navigate the site.
The site aims to be as interactive as possible and if you click on an image you will be taken to a relevant website without losing your position.
'No Choice?' introduces the topic further and explores the perceived inactivity from the government on transition. 'Lottery Lives' explains the impact the right to choose where to live could have on young disabled people's lives. The next section details how the government's personalisation agenda has tackled transition. 'A Tales from the Cliff Edge' looks at an individual who has gone through transition. Finally, the last section ('Comment') offers a conclusion to the issue. You are encouraged to email me your views as well.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------