The Manchester

Project

Final Report
Laura Upton and Mark Burton February, 2012

The Manchester Getting a Life Project: Final Report

Contents
BACKGROUND TO THE PROJECT ................................................................ 2 THE SEVEN WORKSTREAMS OF GETTING A LIFE......................................... 3 1. Better plans for transition to adulthood (Person Centred Plans that everyone agrees to and works towards)................................................... 4 2. Make sure the right services are planned and funded before people need them (Commissioning).................................................................... 5 3. Set up a team of staff to work with young people as they become adults (The Transition Planning Team)..................................................... 8 4. Spread good news about how young people can get a life.................. 9

5. Self advocacy for young people and work with parents and carers (Young Peoples Parliament and the Transition Support Group for Families) 11 6. Get people jobs (including The Youth Supported Employment Project and Project Search) .............................................................................. 12 7 Learn from the project (Regular sessions to catch up, review, think and plan, and a formal evaluation by outsider researchers). .......................... 14 Conclusion............................................................................................... 15 Appendix 1: People who were involved in the programme and made the work possible................................................................................................... 16 Appendix 2: Manchesters Matching Provision to Need Tool. ....................... 17 Appendix 3: Manchester Getting a Life Report Recommendations, November 2011. ...................................................................................................... 19 Appendix 4: Documents to Refer to.......................................................... 22

The Manchester Getting a Life Project: Final Report

BACKGROUND TO THE PROJECT

Getting a Life was a national programme led by the governments Office for Disability Issues. It was sponsored by four government departments: The Department of Health, The Department for Work and Pensions, The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills and The Department for Children, Schools and Families (now the Department for Education). It ran from April 2008 to the end of March 2011.
Manchester was one of twelve demonstration sites. Although the sites varied in what they set out to achieve, they had in common the idea of trying out better ways to help young people and those close to them plan for their future as adults. This time is often called transition. As the government call for expressions of interest said:

We know that one thing people with learning disabilities tell us they want is a life! They want to be able to have their own place to live, go to college; get a job, friends and a social life just like everyone else. Growing up is a difficult time for everyone. For young disabled people it can be even more difficult as they move from school and services for children, to college or work and services for adults. It is an important time because plans are made for the way the rest of the persons life will happen.
When they asked local areas to get involved in the project, the government mentioned some things can go wrong for young people and their families. They include:C Too many different assessment meetings. There is too much paperwork that can be hard to understand. Childrens and adult services dont link up and talk to each other. Different organisations in the local area dont work well together. Things that were agreed in assessments dont always happen. Decisions are made that are not what the young person really wants to happen. Young people and their families arent encouraged to think about getting a job early enough and may think they wont be able to work. Young people dont always get work experience at school because there isnt support available for them. People end up in day services instead of finding a job. 2

The Manchester Getting a Life Project: Final Report

As the programme has now come to an end we wanted to celebrate its achievements and think about the ongoing work that still needs to happen in Manchester to ensure that young people with severe learning disability can lead full lives with a good chance of paid employment when they leave education. As the national programme got going it focussed more and more on how to help young people get a job. In Manchester that was an important part, but we worked on a number of other things too. So in Manchester we made our own list of things we needed to work on. These were the seven workstreams of the Getting a Life project.

THE SEVEN WORKSTREAMS OF GETTING A LIFE

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Better plans for transition to adulthood (Person Centred Plans that everyone agrees to and works towards) Make sure the right services are planned and funded before people need them (Commissioning) Set up a team of staff to work with young people as they become adults (The Transition Planning Team) Share good news about how young people can get a life Self advocacy for young people and work with parents and carers (Young Peoples Parliament and the Transition Support Group for Families) Get people jobs (including The Youth Supported Employment Project and Project Search) Learn from the project: regular sessions to catch up, review, think and plan, and a formal evaluation by outside researchers).

6. 7.

Here is an overview of what we think we said that we would do and where we thing things are working well or not. Where things are not working as well as we hoped, we have tried to put an action point in the Getting a Life Recommendations that follow the overview. We have also attached (Appendix 1) a list of key people we want to thank for their help and support on the project, without whose support the project could not have happened.

The Manchester Getting a Life Project: Final Report

1. Better plans for transition to adulthood (Person Centred Plans that everyone agrees to and works towards)
Goall from the oriigiinall proposall: Goa from the or g na proposa : We will build on Manchesters distinctive approach to Person Centred Planning. This incorporates the key ideas of person centred planning but is also pragmatic and straightforward and is designed so there is no reliance on separate PCP coordinators or culturally alien models. .The approach has, among other successes been enthusiastically received by parent groups and familyCled plans (with Talbot House, Himmat) have been created C both with adults and children.

How diid we do? How d d we do? What iis workiing wellll: What s work ng we : Bank of trained facilitators who can promote person centred plans and the idea of having one plan Investment in Person Centred approaches now happening across Manchesters Secondary schools so that planning can start early. This will be an opportunity to create profiles of young people to share with providers of education, health, social care and employment. Increased awareness of reviews that look at a persons whole life and should be done with them and not to them. Statutory Assessment Team who collate the paperwork from schools at Statutory reviews have had input on reviews that are person centred and are able to promote this type of review with colleagues in schools and other agencies Lots of awareness raised to those people who are paid to work with and support young people and children with learning difficulties, to use person centred thinking tools and approaches. Person Centred Thinking support groups to ensure that those planning with people are continuously assessing the impact that their approaches are having and share learning. It is a mixed group of families and those paid to support people at operational and strategic level across a range of settings such as schools, Connexions, day services, colleges, Adult Social Care, pupil referral units, Statutory Assessment Team to name a few. Any barriers or straining points can then be captured and communicated through the steering groups to ensure that we are continually learning from the practice and pushing for change. This group may also be a forum for future Working Together for Change sessions where we can group themes from reviews on whats important to/for people and whats working and not 4

The Manchester Getting a Life Project: Final Report

working to feed up to people who make decisions. This would be a forum for sharing good news and blue sky thinking together. Transition Support group for families where plans can be started and requests for person centred reviews can be made. A place where families are being supported to think about and prepare for transition by other parents and professionals. An opportunity for information to be shared and thought through. Transition pathway created and available for use with professionals, families and young people. Transition information is available for families via Connexions on or before Year 9 review.

What iis not workiing wellll: What s not work ng we : CThe Transition Pathway is not readily accessible and not on the internet or being used by all staff working in transition Person Centred Planning is still not something available to all. Still dependant upon person centred planning coCordinators or champions not always embedded into practice and not available to all people We are still some way away from the aspiration of one plan.

2. Make sure the right services are planned and funded before people need them (Commissioning)
Goall from the oriigiinall proposall: Goa from the or g na proposa : A transition team would be best supported by a commissioning approach that crosses this age range. One problem at present is that young people reach adulthood with support packages that can be in some cases below the level that adult services offer and in other cases above the level that adult services can sustainably support. A historical lack of strategic commissioning for adolescents with complex needs has meant that too many children have been placed out of district, in very high cost placements with no capacity for managing the market. Such gaps in the system of support have also meant a reliance on residential school and college placements for some young people. These difficulties could be reduced by ensuring a joining up of micro and macro commissioning for children and adults. For example by a) agreeing a joint commissioning strategy for transition, b) exploring example indicative packages for early adulthood support (validated by

The Manchester Getting a Life Project: Final Report

adult services) from age 16 (or earlier), c) requiring a dual key approach to high cost packages. These approaches would enable the development of a sustainable menu of support options (accessed through supported self direction using Individual Budgets), based on better stewardship of finite resources and with greater transparency for families of both what will be and what will not possible. A fundamental aspect of the plan would be to extend the current IBs for adults to children from age 14 or 16 onwards. They currently combine social care mainstream funds, Independent Living Fund, Access to Work and Supporting People. For young people they might also need to include, albeit in virtual form, LSC funding, and employment C specific monies. It is also worth exploring whether continuing health care funding (CHC), for which there is a new set of criteria, might be included in some way, since this would help support those with the highest and most complex patterns of need (CHC is currently not part of the IB scheme it could again be included in a virtual form at this pilot stage). IBs could open up employment options, for example by the use of flexible personal assistants to help people get to work and even work alongside the disabled person in some cases. It is anticipated that the strong partnerships that Manchester has already developed will ease the way to agreeing the combination of funding streams. This would best be done at two levels: a) the macro level, on the model of the Learning Disability Pooled Budget already in place for adults. Realistically it is acknowledged that the legislative basis and the legitimate organisational caution will mean that this can not be fully achieved with all funding streams: however it is suggested that some intermediate options could be explored such as C a virtual pool where organisations declare their budgets and review commitments, expenditure and pressures together, or C granting budgetary responsibility for defined budgets to one manager (a model successfully employed by health and social services in Manchester prior to the establishment of the current adults Pooled Fund).

How diid we do? How d d we do? What iis workiing wellll: What s work ng we : Getting a Life has raised the personalisation agenda and helped workforces to understand the need to work differently with people. Young people and families are more confident in using individual budgets to shape provision and some providers are working to respond to their ideas for person centred support.

The Manchester Getting a Life Project: Final Report

Manchesters Matching Provision To Need tool for 14 25 year olds provides a framework for using information about individual need to plan provision for young people on both an individual and a population basis. Expectations that things can be done differently Project Search is a great example of how organisations with very different roles (The Manchester College, Pure Innovations and Central Manchester University Hospitals Trust) can work together. Manchester is a Pathfinder site for the Special Education Needs and Disability (SEND) Green Paper, so we can continue to work on improving the systems of gathering and sharing information. Lessons from the pilot on Personal Health Budgets have been shared with the SEND pathfinder rather than having to start again. The Continence Service is working with Right to Control an example of how specialist health services are adopting the one plan model. Despite the changes to the role of the local authority in education, Manchester local authority still has a clear responsibility for commissioning of sufficient local provision for Manchester residents. The commissioners have been keen to work in a way that allows them to commission based on need. In 20111 Manchesters 14C25 Matching Provision to Need tool was released to everyone working in transition to ask them to start thinking about their young people, their aspirations and needs and sharing this with the local authority so that they are led by this. This has led to multiCagency information sharing and working together to ensure that education and social care are thinking about joint commission, with a focus on employment. Where the provision to meet someones needs is not already available, Transition Planning Team are suggesting cash Individual Budgets to families so that they can support plan and pay for support for themselves.

What iis not workiing wellll: What s not work ng we : Joined up commissioning not happening for all. Cohort information has been shared but no evidence that this is filtering through to all of the people involved in funding decisions. There is still different criteria for funding support before and after 18, creating discontinuity for young people and families who receive support from social care services.

The Manchester Getting a Life Project: Final Report

Services that are commissioned en bloc are often inflexible in meeting the inclusive and personalised aspirations of Getting a Life. This is becoming more difficult in the current financial situation. It will be essential that preCpaid contracts are specified so that individual needs and preferences can be supported cost effectively, rather than acting as a one size fits all straightjacket.

3. Set up a team of staff to work with young people as they become adults (The Transition Planning Team)
Goall from the oriigiinall proposall: Goa from the or g na proposa : For a transition team working with young people from their mid teens to their early 20s. The key idea here was that while many things change at age 19 (education, social care supports, secondary health services, benefits, etc) the fieldwork service that has the job of ensuring planning and continuity should not also change at this moment. It needs emphasising that the team will work to understand and listen to children and young people who often do not know what they want to do, nor understand the possibilities that there may be. The hope being that the project could also better combine educational and community care support arrangements more seamlessly and developing of Connexions Personal Advisors in a brokerage role alongside peoples own plans.

How diid we do? How d d we do? What iis workiing wellll: What s work ng we : The Transition Planning Team was set up and began to work with young people from April 2010 onwards. The team has moved from the distinction between members who work with children or with adults to staff who work with young people throughout transition. The team has a database of young people so that they know who is will soon be reaching adulthood. This includes young people who are placed out of the city in placements and is a starting point for looking at how packages of support can be put into place to remove reliance on residential and college placements out of the area for some young people. Some families are being supported to self manage their own budgets. The Transition Planning Team has reviewed its practices and processes. An action plan is being implemented. One goal is to work in a more proactive way, planning in good time, and partner teams and organisations are working to support this.

The Manchester Getting a Life Project: Final Report

The Transition Planning Team created a mission statement to share with families and other agencies to promote understanding of the team. There is a Connexions Personal Adviser with the team once a week to ensure that joint working continues after Getting a Life stops. A Transition Steering Group has been established where operational and procedural issues can be raised. This is attended by a range of people involved with transition and a parent representative. This will be a forum for keeping the messages and workstream of Getting a Life on the agenda. A system is in place for multiCagency discussions about the post 16 group, with Connexions Personal Advisers as the broker to look at joint commissioning of packages. This is stand alone to the commissioning done in Adult Social Care and what is happening in the commissioning of short breaks for young people.

What iis not workiing wellll: What s not work ng we : The mission statement had not (in November, 2011) been shared with families and other services so there was still some confusion about the teams role and capacity. Sharing of data between services is only now beginning to happen with the result that ther have been a number of late notifications. Due to restriction of recruiting the Transition Planning Team has been overCreliant on temporary staff. This has given rise to some concern on part of families about the longCterm commitment for the Transition Planning Team. The idea of one plan and reduced numbers of assessments by more effective partnership work and barrier removal between social care, education, health, etc is not happening as standard.

4. Spread good news about how young people can get a life
Goall from the oriigiinall proposall: Goa from the or g na proposa : The pilot will make employment the default assumption for young people reaching adulthood. Of course that does not mean that everyone has to work, but transition workers would have to actively rule it out (e.g. on basis of level and complexity and impairment) rather than having to rule it in. However, for this to be more than a rhetorical device does require a robust delivery strategy.

The Manchester Getting a Life Project: Final Report

How diid we do? How d d we do? What iis workiing wellll? What s work ng we ? The establishment of Youth Supported Employment Project and Project Search (see section 6) provides beacons of good practice for people working in transition to make reference to, where real paid job outcomes were obtained. Manchesters Project Search had the highest success rate for its interns obtaining paid employment at the end of the year. Dragons Den an event that celebrated what people can do and got young people, their families and employers together. Connexions Manchester has now taken the programme of this event, to offer to schools and colleges, as a way to showcase employment and get it onto peoples agenda. It was a practical way of showing what is positive and possible. Another product of this event was working with Greater Manchester Employer Coalition and employers known to Job Centre+ for the young people to show first hand what they are capable of doing. A Transition Pathway to employment has been created showing the key things that need to be in place to ensure that employment is thought about and tried to ensure that it is not just rhetoric. Some fantastic, creative and exciting work opportunity placements and provision in specialist secondary schools and further educational departments, building strong links with community providers and work based learning opportunities in a range of sectors. The Aspirations for All Campaign did some work to produce publicity of learning disabled people in work, which is now shared across the city to show and headline the expectation. Their website remains as point of reference from this work.

What iis not workiing wellll? What s not work ng we ? Only a minority of young people are being supported into work. Not all families are having their aspirations raised. Outcomes in reviews in general are not linked to work as a default. Lack of media publicity of good news stories to celebrate and show the good news stories of things like Project Search and the Youth Supported Employment Project. Getting some information out to families via coffee morning and in schools but still families who dont go to meetings are missing out on information. 10

The Manchester Getting a Life Project: Final Report

The Transition Pathway into Employment is not being followed by all providers and some young people are leaving school and college without any meaningful work experience or plans. This Pathway has not been shared with all working on transition. There remains some uncertainty regarding the ongoing funding of new initiatives.

5. Self advocacy for young people and work with parents and carers (Young Peoples Parliament and the
Transition Support Group for Families) Goall from the oriigiinall proposall: Goa from the or g na proposa : The project will emphasise partnership with Manchester's strong user and carer organisations (represented on the Partnership Board and actively leading service development). It will be vital to involve learning disabled people as role models we already have training packages for involvement in recruitment, service review, and staff training. This could be built on with people who are already in employment to 'headline the expectation' C disseminating images of possibility with prospective school leavers and their families.

How diid we do? How d d we do? What iis workiing wellll? What s work ng we ? Transition Support Group for Families continues, which was established as a result of the project. As professionals become more aware of the support group families who dont go to meetings can be supported to join in and share information and good news. Families are represented on the Transition Strategy Group. The Young Peoples Parliament is strong and linking with nonCdisability youth groups to avoid isolation from general young people issues Strong and robust parent advocacy groups at Talbot House which now has satellite service in Wythenshawe. Manchesters Parent Carer Network has been established to enable consultation. Progress is being made and there is commitment to consult parent/carers on policy and decisions made within the local authority.

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The Manchester Getting a Life Project: Final Report

What iis not workiing wellll? What s not work ng we ? The aggregation and analysis of views for them various self advocacy groups is not really happening to strategically inform change. We need less formal ways of including young people in leading services. As we are not aggregating person centred reviews across the board we are missing opportunities to really learn and understand what young people want or think is not working to be able to change things. The Young Peoples Parliament needs more opportunities to spread and share the work that they do with other young people.

6.

Get people jobs (including The Youth Supported

Employment Project and Project Search) Goall from the oriigiinall proposall: Goa from the or g na proposa : We also propose to build on current work to improve employment outcomes. There has been progress on employment for learning disabled adults (225 adults are in employment, voluntary work or vocational training, and 61 are in receipt of permitted earnings), but it is recognised that the effort of several agencies, specialist and mainstream has not been sufficiently coordinated. Therefore an employment pathway is being developed by the Joint Commissioning Team, making the process clear and defining responsibilities unambiguously. It is proposed that this approach would be 'reversed' into the adolescent years. A practical example would be to incorporate the work experience placements that the schools organise for this purpose. Engagement with employers will be central. We will try to get their representation on the Project Board. A current project to engage the larger local employers in employment of learning disabled adults would be connected to this pilot, with the help of organisations such as Employers Forum on Disability.

How diid we do? How d d we do? What iis workiing wellll? What s work ng we ?
-

A proposal has been made to Manchesters Childrens Services to allow families to chose to use their short break funding to pay for an Employment Coach allowing their young person to access services from a Job Club that supports young people to progress their careers and enter the job market in the future, to an Employment Coach to help

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them access paid part time work, depending on the funding that they are entitled to. This will require the support of someone who can help the families to understand that this can be useful for the young persons progression into employment whilst at the same time giving them a chance for respite (whilst the young person is out at Job Club or with their Employment Coach). This would be a pilot to show how people can use their funding creatively and differently to secure employment where they have control over their budgets. * See
Documents to Refer to at end of this report for more information on the Pathfinder.

Project Search is funded for a further year and discussions with other Post 16 providers on how they might want to use funding differently. Bridge College (independent specialist provider) is moving to coClocate with the Manchester College in 2012. This will mean that young people will have more local access to support and vocational courses at the same time. Employment Pathway has now been created by Adult Social Care which looked at the Getting A Life transition pathway to build on it rather than starting again once someone entered Adult Social Care. Manchester is now a Jobs First site which means that it will be looking at reducing barriers to employment and continuing on some of the work that Getting A Life started. This will be an opportunity for Manchester to continue to learn from other areas. For example, Herefordshire local authority have examples of young people on packages of support paid for part by the Young Peoples Learning Agency and part by Adult Social Care. The Jobs First team met with the Getting a Life team to see how to sustain good practice. Many of the people involved with Getting a Life are working alongside Job First so that there is continuation of the messages. This means that although Getting A Life has not managed to smooth out all the barriers, we can share experience to save others time.

What iis not workiing wellll? What s not work ng we ? There is insufficient understanding of whether and how the Employment Pathway is helping people achieve work and about how many employers are on board and linked actively into the pathway. The Youth Supported Employment Project has not been made selfC sustaining through people being able to use their own budgets to pay for it. Although that there are plans to develop a model for it to be paid for through Childrens services there is some concern that this would not be something that could flow through to transition. However, such arrangements should be devised so that they can 13

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become sustainable or pave the way for more substantial employment at 18. Young people with learning difficulties and disabilities need more access to mainstream vocational courses with support, that lead into industry and employment.

7 Learn from the project (Regular sessions to catch up, review, think and plan, and a formal evaluation by outsider researchers).
Goall from the oriigiinall proposall: Goa from the or g na proposa : The pilot will be run with an Action Research methodology, to ensure that the experience is effectively gathered, analysed and lessons learned. Such learning will help clarify the nature of the goals being work towards, the processes and methods found effective and the nature of the barriers or 'straining points' that proved resistant to change and which will need to be addressed strategically and nationally before any mainstreaming of the pilots. To do this we will exploit our strong Research and Development links (via the Manchester City Council Professor of Adult Social Care and the Manchester Learning Disability Partnership Professor of Health and Disability, both joint posts with the Research Institute for Health and Social Change at Manchester Metropolitan University, which has already hosted doctoral research on transition and is a centre of expertise on action research and related approaches).

How diid we do? How d d we do? What iis workiing wellll? What s work ng we ? National Getting a job, getting a life and getting it right booklet produced to use and share to inspire and motivate the agencies that support young disabled people and their families that it is positive and possible to get and keep a job Successful application for Manchester to become a special educational needs and disability Pathfinder site with specific focus on young people in transition aged 14 25 and to build on the Getting a Life learning and link into other pilots in Manchester such as the Jobs First, Right To Control and Personal Health Budgets pilots. This will also include continuing to create a single plan with flexible funding to deliver the plan.
* See Documents to Refer to at end of this report for more information on the Pathfinder.

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Transition Steering Group remains a multiCagency group with parent representation to work on issues to do with transition.

What iis not workiing wellll? What s not work ng we ? Not enough has changed. Insufficient commitment to the project by key organisations. The Manchester Metropolitan University link did not lead to a local evaluation due to staffing issues. However it has led to a funded local evaluation that will be integral part of the SEND Pathfinder.

Conclusion
As the above analysis indicates, the Getting a Life Project has had a number of very positive impacts. It has demonstrated a new approach and built a consensus among a variety of agencies about this. That consensus emphasises the need for high aspirations for young people to take their place in our community as adult citizens, whatever their disability. For many, paid employment is a realistic option. Because everyone is different and requires rather different levels and types of support, there is agreement on the central importance of person centred plans that avoid repetition and which focus on what support the person needs rather than what they cant do. That personalised planning will in many case be best supported by individualised funding, although this does not take away the need for our responsible agencies to understand the needs of the population of young people and to plan and commission accordingly. Getting A Life has helped to show the way everyones priority must now be to help all young people to Get a Life as they become adults.

Laura Upton Mark Burton Manchester, 2011

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Appendix 1: People who were involved in the programme and made the work possible.
Manchesters Getting a Life families and young people Manchester City Council: Directorate for Adults and Childrens Services including: Transition Planning Team, Manchester Learning Disability Partnership, SEN Casework Team, Statutory Assessment Team, Brokerage Team, Parent Partnership and Manmedia. Connexions Councillor Glynn Evans Jobcentre Plus Greater Manchester Employer Coalition All employers who came and supported the Dragons Den event The Learning and Skills Council (succeeded by the Young Peoples Learning Agency during the project) Clare Rayner, Linda Jordan and Nicola Gitsham from the national Getting a Life team Pure Innovations The Manchester College Loreto College Julie Allan 16 Kevin Bell Project Search National team Melland High School North Ridge High School Piperhill High School St Peters R.C. High School Chorlton High School Central Manchester University Hospitals Foundation NHS Trust The Gaddum Centre Breakthrough UK Youth Supported Employment Project (YSEP) Manchester Primary Care Trust Talbot House Parent Support Centre Manchester People First Manchester Metropolitan University Dawn Parvin Anna Fedeczko

The Manchester Getting a Life Project: Final Report

Appendix 2: Manchesters Matching Provision to Need Tool.

The MPTNT is intended to support transition planning for young people with special educational needs/learning difficulties and disabilities from the age of 14 by ensuring that there is a shared understanding of the continuum of need and provision required across the City by all schools, services, post 16 providers, parents/carers and students and a common language used by all to describe this continuum. Specifically, this version of the tool has been developed to: support schools and FE providers by setting out what levels of need and provision they should be planning for young people: support decision making about future packages of provision for individual young people: set out the level of need and provision for an individual young person that would best be met by mainstream or a specialist provider provide information for parents/carers about the level of support their young person/is entitled to expect. Overview of the tool Each matching provision to need tool provides a set of descriptors which are divided into 2 sections: descriptions of things which a young person may find difficult which are highlighted in a grey shade and bold type; descriptions of the provision, services or equipment which a young person may need to help them overcome their difficulties which are in regular type and white boxes.

Each matching provision to need tool describes the levels of need found across the population. They set out expectations of what universal provision should be in place, describe a graduated response across the continuum of provision and identify points on the continuum where young people should be accessing more specialist support. Additional needs become more individualised along the continuum set out in the MPTNTs and require a more individualised response and /or provision.

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Within each section, descriptors are mapped along a continuum as set out below: universal provision the descriptors here identify the things that all young people may experience from time to time and set out aspects of provision which all young people should have access to; school action the descriptors here identify things which some young people may find difficult and outline some of the additional or different things which should be provided to help that individual in addition to good quality universal provision; it also corresponds to up to 5,500 additional learning support in post 16 School action plusH the descriptors here identify things which some young people may find difficult and outline some of the additional or different things which should be provided to help that individual in addition to good quality universal provision; it also corresponds to 5,500C19,000 additional learning support post 16 ISAP/mainstream or special school with a statement the descriptors here identify the things that a few young people will find difficult and outline the more individualised approach to making provision for these young people in addition to good quality universal provision; it also corresponds to up to 5,500C19,000 additional learning support in post 16 Highest level need/Special school with statement the descriptors here indicate the level at which a young person may require more individualised and specialist provision; it also corresponds to 19,000 additional learning support or statement of educational need in post 16.

* See Documents to Refer to at end of this report for more information on the Matching Provision to Need Tool.

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Appendix 3: Manchester Getting a Life Report Recommendations, November 2011.

What 1) Review of groups involved in transition When
April 2012

Why
To streamline processes, break barriers, and ensure that all work going on with transitions is cohesive and joined up To ensure that planning of services, resources and budgets is linked to specific young people

2) Use of one database that is shared with information on young people coming through transition and who holds the plan? 3) Making sure that the Transition Steering Groups findings and decisions are linked in with the Adult Social Cares Joint Commissioning Executive

September, 2012

Already a Standing item at Joint Commissioning Executive.

Linking planning to commissioning and ensuring so that services can fit people and not people fitting services available Ensuring that this happens with enough time to change things. To open up opportunities for young disabled people to access part time paid work and the support they need to make that happen, during transition So that blockages and themes can be collated and shared at Transition Steering groups and with SMT in ASC, Childrens and with SEN education teams.

4) Continuing to work with Nov 2011 April the changes to 2012 Childrens IBs to pilot how we can use IBs to fund supported employment 5) Making use of the person centred thinking support group sessions to explore themes from peoples PCRs
Meet every 6 weeks:

Feeding back themes of the group to the Transition Steering Group

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What

When

Why
So that lack of provision can be identified and shared with local authority

Ongoing 6) Connexions PAs continue to use the September Guarantee which records whether young people have been been offered a place that meets their goals and support needs

7) Rolling out of the Matching Provision to Need tool

During the 3 years of the pathfinder

Early identification of needs. Creating spiky profiles of young people with accurate understanding of their strengths, weaknesses and aspirations this can then be used in the planning process and included in the one plan to better meet young peoples needs To consider how we can use money more creatively and to support people into jobs.

8) Continue discussions During the 3 years with Post 16 providers, of the pathfinder including providers of supported employment and the creator of the Employment Pathway in Adult Social Care 9) Transition Planning Team mission statement is shared with families with a copy of the Transition support group leaflet with the pathway on. Information also to be put onto MLDP website
January 2012

To share information about transition and empower families To reduce confusion as to what transition should be and make the point that everyones transition is different

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What 10) Show people what we mean by one plan to promote the idea to people involved in transition

When
June 2012

Why
Promoting and showcasing the idea, showing people how it can save everyone time and duplication. This is one of the visions of the Pathfinder.

Showing its effectiveness

11) Sharing Adult Social Cares Employment Strategy with TPT and Connexions and to post 16 group 12) Check that Adult Social Care employability strategy links to the GM Employer Coalition 13) To consider how the Working Together for Change process can be used to help the Pathfinder to help services to understand what needs to change. 14) Top Tips for families to ask at reviews to be shared widely.

March 2012

To share knowledge with other people working in transitions

May 2012

To ensure that the pathway is linked to employers who are already on board and engaged To keep people talking and reviewing if things are changing

Throughout duration of the Pathfinder.

March 2012

To help families and young people to know what type of questions they can ask to open up plans to include aspects of care, health and education. To raise aspirations with families and young people

15) Circulate positive images of possibility based on experience of young people.

To be discussed at Transition Steering Group and at Parent Carer Network (PCN) meetings February to May 2012

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The Manchester Getting a Life Project: Final Report

Appendix 4: Documents to Refer to.

For access to any of these please contact Laura Upton: Email: Laura.upton@connexionsCmanchester.com or telephone: 0161 202 8300 Manchester City Councils Matching Provision to Need Tool. Manchester City Councils special educational needs and disability Pathfinder information slides. Manchester Learning Disability Partnerships Customer Journey. Adult Social Cares Employment Strategy

All of the learning from Getting a Life remains as a legacy on the website: http://www.gettingalife.org.uk/areas/manchester.html

Podcast showing the impact that the Working Together for Change process can have: http://www.helensandersonassociates.co.uk/readingCroom/how/personC centredCreviews/informingCstrategicCchange.aspx

Other places to visit for information on the work that continues: http://councilfordisabledchildren.org.uk/whoCweCare http://www.ndti.org.uk/whoCwereCconcernedCwith/childrenCyoungC people/preparingCforCadulthood/ http://odi.dwp.gov.uk/odiCprojects/jobsCforCpeopleCwithClearningC disabilities/projectCsearch.php

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