Providing Community Support and Social Inclusion for Disabled Children and Young People
at the Ann Tayler Centre
on Thursday 5th November 2009
Transition
20 parents attended the group
Professionals attending
Sheila Ramdular
Gillian Goodchild
Aysegul Dirik
Azhar Rahman
Robert Raby
Pat Howley
Steve Easter, Transitions Coordinator; Derek Briscomb, Information Officer, Transitions team; Ruth Nightingale, OT; Toni Dawodu, Head of Integrated Services (Disabled children); Makalima Mlilo, Consultant Social Worker; Kate Akindipe, Parent Partnership; Heather Turner & Christian Mahoney, Adult Services (second half of meeting; Cllr Rita Krishna
Aysegul Dirik facilitated the meeting.
1. Introductions from the speakers and parents
Ayse welcomed everyone to the group and all present introduced themselves.
2. Steve Easter
Steve's stated aims for the session were to get parents thinking about the issues associated with leaving school. All young people have decisions about life, study, friends, work, and for young people with disabilities this is even more complex, though research indicates that they want the same opportunities as everyone else. There is a need to reconcile what is important to a young person with what is necessary for a young person: a person-centred plan, which combines what someone needs with choice is therefore essential. Hackney is producing a guide to the transitions process: some draft copies were available at the meeting and parents were asked to look at it and make suggestions.
Steve made a distinction between disability and special educational needs, as these are not necessarily the same and might dictate who is eligible for adult services. Decisions around eligibility criteria are made when the young person is about 16 years old.
Q If young people don't get adult services, what do they get?
A Maybe Connexions. There is concern that the needs of some young people (eg on the more able end of the autism spectrum) are overlooked so Hackney is currently looking at more appropriate support systems
Q If they transfer to college at 16, do they still have SEN status?
A No, because it's a different sector, colleges count as further education & are funded by the Learning & Skills Council, not the Learning Trust, and Connexions will do an assessment of need. If they stay at school until 18-19, the SEN status remains.
Q There is discrimination against special needs children in mainstream; what support is given to school staff confront this?
A Transitions service not yet doing this - will need to take on.
Q What happens if an SEN child moves - does the budget go with him to the next school?
A Steve referred this question to the parent partnership: Kate said the funding should go with the child.
Q What criteria inform the "139 assessment" during the transition to college?
A Not just academic, it looks at broader issues, such as social needs.
Q When should I start thinking about transition
A At the latest in the Year 9 review - Connexions always attend this - it is essential that parents do too so they become aware of the issues.
Q How many disabled young people are supported through transition?
A About 20-25 a year with significant disabilities, 100 plus with lower level needs.
There were also questions specific to the schools and the Learning Trust, which were deferred as irrelevant to transition, but please bring to the session in the new year which would focus on <16 education.
The point was made that young people would not be left NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training). This is a government guarantee and either the Learning Trust or the Youth Service would be involved.
Transitions week
A number of parents then voiced dissatisfaction with the activities around Transitions Week. Several parents had received little or no notice, and the plan to disseminate information via school didn't work as notices were sent out in half term! In the first part of the meeting there were also no representatives from Adult Services. Parents questioned whether the week could be repeated. Because of the logistics, it is unlikely that the entire week's events could be repeated as a themed week especially as this was meant to be a starting point. Toni Dawodu took responsibility for lack of communication and indicated that some of the workshops might be able to be repeated: some parents asked if this was a firm commitment, as they wished to contribute to and learn from the workshops. Cllr Rita Krishna gave this commitment, as a politician and Toni Dawodu assured the meeting that they too would learn from the process.
The meeting questioned whether the purpose of the Transitions week was to produce a guide or to improve the process of transition itself? Parents assured that it was the process, which it is not a snap stage but lasts from 14-25, and parents need to be involved throughout; the guide is intended to explain this. Parents again expressed anger that they had not been made sufficiently aware of the week's events.
Pat Howley then intervened to remind people that HFT's purpose is to set up a series of meetings about topics of interest to parents and the strength of feeling expressed indicated this was the case. The intention was that by expressing these opinions in HFT meetings, influential professionals could learn and alter their practice. It was established that parents had received notice of the HFT meeting via letter, text or email; it was a shame that communication about the Transitions events were less effective.
3. Group Work
Parents split into small groups to consider 3 questions:
- What person or service most helps your child now?
- What support will your child need as they become teenagers and young adults?
- What concerns you most when you think of the future?
Action points from this meeting
- The Parent Guide to transition needs to be clearly written and parent friendly. (Joan Dunne has volunteered to contribute to this guide to help ensure this) By Feb 2010
- A detailed guide for professionals about transition services should be produced.
- The Learning Trust commits to improving its communication about events
Councillor Krishna, cabinet member for children and young people, attended the meeting as an observer but was invited to give a brief address. She had been impressed by the level of involvement of parents in the meeting and concerned about the issues of missed events for Transitions week. She made a commitment that, even if the week could not be repeated en bloc, many workshops/events would be repeated to give parents an opportunity to attend. She noted that professionals at the meeting had acknowledged and apologised for the ineffective communication. A Story in Hackney Today ought to be an effective method of reaching all Hackney families.
She assured parents that disabled children formed an important strand in Hackney's Children and Young People's Plan. The Ark was just one expression of this. Hackney is also planning on building up a very strong partnership with parents, and HFT is an essential part of this process. She considers parents to be equal partners in developing services, and should be seen as such: she assured the meeting that professionals were commited to this, too, the question was just how effective current forums were.
Pat Howley emphasised that the Action Points identified at each HFT meeting are one expression of this: some result in direct pieces of work, such as the development of a leaflet about and by the Enuresis Clinic. Others may be less successful., but HFT needs to ensure that senior managers listen and act on parents' views.
5. Grapevine
- Hackney Family Backup's Leaps and Bounds club, aimed at young people with behaviour perceived as challenging and who are undergoing, is next running on November 14th. Leaflets available.
- HFBU annual reports also available
- Hackney Families Drinking Together meeting at 8pm on Friday 13th at the Weatherspoon's pub in Mare Street. Any parents welcome.
- Feedback forms from the last HFT meeting, with Contact-a Family, has been sent out with the last flyer and were also available at this meeting.
- Toni thanked parents for their comments and mentioned that there is an opportunity for parents to contribute towards developing the parents' guide: parents. Joan Dunne volunteered for this.
- There is also a transitions steering group which meets monthly.
- Mandy Elliott also mentioned HIP (Hackney Independent Parent's forum). Parents' opinions about the Ark are being sought. Mandy asked parents to either attend the meeting of the Children's Board on 26th November to voice their views, or give Roz Grainger their feedback so she could represent a broad picture of parents' concerns. (leaflet available).
The next meeting of Hackney Families Together has been cancelled, as it clashes with the official opening of the Ark.
This will happen 1-3pm on 3rd December and will be followed by a celebration for the children.
6. Date of next meeting
Not in December. The next meeting will be on 28th January.
HFBU never make direct appeals to the public for funding. If you receive an e-mail requesting
financial assistance that you think might be from us please contact us immediately.