Hope Creativity and Co-operation The Children s Room Sponsored

'Hope, Creativity and Co-operation' The Children's Room Sponsored by Can a Personal Budget Make a Difference to Transition for Young Disabled People? The Big event is sponsored by: Paul Connolly –In Control and Senior Practioner Transition Newcastle Children’s Services.

Growing up its isn’t easy In this workshop we will look at • What young people and families tell us of their experiences. • How a personal budget might help. • Some of the challenges that we face. I am only talking about social care. Should I be? • Some stories of our work with young people and families in Newcastle. • Your questions comments, learning and experience.

There is more to life than the move between Children and Adult Services! What have we done? Some of the things family say. • It was like falling of the end of the cliff • It seemed like one day there was ever thing the next day there was nothing

Why has transition become so difficult? Do we share an understanding of what the problem is? • Transition has become systems based- we are looking to see what the next box is that a young person fits in too. Money following services rather than young people. • Lots of people involved with their statutory responsibilities to follow loosing sight of our focus – the young person. • Change is difficult and people don’t like to feel that they are being criticised? For schools they are scared about what young peoples futures look like. • Lack of clarity about what people are entitled too- a lot of ‘gate keeping’ going on.

How could a PB support better transition? • Cultural and relationship change. Stop our blame game! Your just waiting to the young person is 18 to do any planning , its school fault, Connexions don’t do enough. • Clear entitlements will help to make planning more real and allows people to build sustainable support, and if you need to change anything you can plan for it. • It can also take some of the stress out of the move for families. • A PB isn’t however the magic wand it isnt the only thing that is going to get young peoples lifes they want, we must build opportunities in our communties were people can get advice support and guidance.

A whole life for one life There is still much to be done • Ambitious to see one clear PB pulling together one budget with one plan that has the young person at the centre- For those young people who need them. • Clarity of entitilment for all. • In the meantime- It would be useful for social care services to be clear about Fair Access to Care Services and an indicative budget at 16 - this can make this part of transition easier. • Work together- Develop support and planning options with people that they can access when they need them across the growing up and adult years.

It makes sense to work with young people in the transition age group on self directed support because…. • Putting People First and the resulting changes in Adult services means that PB’s are something that young people and their families are going to experience at 18. • As I said earlier big concern in Adult Services everybody is waiting till 18 until planning start. Children’s Services are profligate and set up support that isn’t sustainable! • PB’s have planning as their focus they are rooted in person centred approaches and there is a concentration on how money is being used to achieve outcomes in young peoples lives.

What Graeme Wanted • Graeme his mother and father Jan and Alan have helped us learn and they have challenged us in Newcastle to think about what makes sense to them as a family. ice and his • Graeme's allocation for his IB was lower than his existing spend. • Jan now feels that they get more from Graeme's budget than they did with his commissioned service and his direct payment.

Some of what Graeme did • Employ a PA for 1 hour each morning to get me ready for school. • To go out with Dean and his friends on a Saturday. • Have somebody come on holiday with me and my family to help with my personal care, have a laugh with me and help me and my family enjoy our holiday. • Follow my passion for musicals and Take That- I’ve seen them 3 Times in the last 2 years.

One thing that wasn’t working for Rachel and her family Mornings…. . • They were hectic. Rachel was 17 years old, and has a much younger brother and sister. She had to get up early to fit in getting ready and be ready for the bus at 7. 55 am. It wasn’t a good start to the day for anybody in the family. • Rachel's family have used some of her budget to buy support and organise a start of the day that makes more sense to her. • Rachel loves water they used some more of her budget to join a health spa.

Stephen • Stephen was 171/2 by the time he started with his budget, he was about to leave the residential short break unit that he had been using since he was 6 years old. • In support planning it became clear that this is what made sense to him and his family. • They all enjoyed caravan holidays- Stephen but some of his first year budget to buying a caravan, the family paid for the other half. • Stephen goes with his family he also goes with his friends.

What families have told us • Why didn’t you tell us this 10 years ago all we wanted to do is get on with family life. • It’s the first time that we have walked along the quayside in 15 years. • Its changed our life and his. • Its hard work when you have the whole family to think about. • For one parent it was just too late. • We can keep relationships going that are important to my son but they are for the whole of the family.

Newcastle’s next steps • Department Children School and Families (DCSF) funded to work with 30+ children young people and their families. • 35 children and their families signed up and involved. • 14 children will have signed off support plans and live budgets on 1 st April 2010. • We are working to engage other streams of funding including the LSC changes. • Strong Emphasis on community and Children’s inclusion.

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