Reviewing a Transition Plan (Disability Locality Teams and Transitions)

1. When to use this Procedure

This procedure should be used whenever you have been asked to review a Transition Plan for a young person that is not:

1. Part of an Education, Health and Care Plan; or
2. A Care and Support Plan

If you need to review and Education, Health and Care Plan for a young person under the age of 18 you should refer to available children's procedures.

2. The Purpose of Reviewing the Transition Plan

The purpose of reviewing the Transition Plan is to:

1. Ensure that actions have been carried out as agreed;
2. Discuss and agree timeframes for a proportionate assessment to confirm needs and eligibility or commence Care and Support Planning;
3. Review progress towards outcomes in the plan and identify new outcomes;
4. Establish any changes required to the plan; and
5. Agree any further actions required to progress transition.

3. Who should be Involved

Unless there have been any changes in consent or the young person's situation it is normally appropriate to involve the same people in the Transition Plan review as were involved in developing the Transition Plan.

Consideration should be given as to the stage in transition where it would be helpful for a person with expertise and knowledge in adult Care and Support to become involved in reviews of the plan.

The advocacy duty

Where the young person lacks capacity (or competence under the age of 16) you should consider whether an independent advocate is required to maximise their involvement.

If the young person is under 16

When the young person is under the age of 16 you must involve:

1. The young person;
2. The young person's parents;
3. Anyone who has parental responsibility;
4. Anyone else that the young person asks to be involved;
5. Anyone else that a person with parental responsibility asks you to involve;
6. Anyone else that you feel needs to be involved (with the consent of the young person or anyone with parental responsibility).

If the young person is over 16 but under 18

When the young person is over the age of 16 you must involve:

1. The young person;
2. Anyone with parental responsibility;
3. Anyone else that the young person asks to be involved;
4. Anyone else that the young person consents to be involved (for example a parent or family member that does not have parental responsibility);
5. Where the young person lacks capacity, anyone else that you feel it is in their best interests to involve.

If the young person is over 18

When the young person is over the age of 18 you must involve:

1. The young person;
2. Any carer;
3. Anyone else that the young person asks you to involve;
4. Anyone else that the young person consents to be involved; and
5. Where the young person lacks capacity, anyone else that you feel it is in their best interests to involve.

4. Combining Transition Reviews

Where the young person with a Transition Plan has a carer with a Transition consideration should be given to combining the young person's Transition Plan review and the carer's Transition Plan review.

Reviews can be combined so long as:

1. The young person is in agreement; or
2. The young person lacks capacity and a decision is made in their best interests (over the age of 16); or
3. The young person lacks competence and a person with parental responsibility consents (under the age of 16); and
4. The carer is in agreement; and
5. Combining reviews is technologically possible.

5. Reviewing the Transition Plan

When to review

Unless an unplanned review is requested or required the Transition Plan review should be carried out to the timeframes agreed:

1. When it was developed; or
2. At the last review

The timeframe should be proportionate and appropriate to the specific transitional needs of the young person and their circumstances.

The timeframe should be flexible and bringing a planned review forward should always be considered whenever it is requested by anyone involved in the plan.

Method of review

The method of review should maximise the involvement of the young person and may be:

1. Face to face;
2. Telephone communication;
3. Email communication.

Where the young person lacks capacity (over the age of 16) or competence (under the age of 16) you should meet with them face to face to review the plan. This should be with the support of an appropriate person or an independent advocate.

What to include in the conversation

The Transition Plan review conversation should be proportionate and appropriate to the specific transitional needs of each young person. It should broadly consider the following things:

1. Whether the outcomes in the plan are progressing as planned;
2. Whether the support being provided to the young person to prepare for transition is working as intended, or whether changes are needed to the support;
3. Where likely needs from the age of 18 have not yet been confirmed through a proportionate adult needs assessment, when it may be of significant benefit to do so;
4. Where likely needs from the age of 18 have been confirmed and found eligible, when it may be of beneficial to set an indicative personal budget and begin Care and Support Planning;
5. Where likely needs have been assessed and found not eligible, what alternative options for support from the age of 18 need to be explored;
6. If there have been changes to the young person's needs or circumstances (now or likely in the future), what the impact on the plan is;
7. Whether the plan is still an appropriate and proportionate way to support transition;
8. Whether anyone else needs to be involved in then plan (for example a health professional);
9. New actions required to progress the plan;
10. What monitoring of the plan may be required to ensure progress following the review;
11. When the plan should next be reviewed.

Tools to support the conversation

There are a range of tools available to you to support effective conversations during the Transition Planning process. You should consider the tool/s that you feel are best suited to the young person and will maximise their engagement.

A range of tools available to support any transition process with a young person up to the age of 25 with Special Educational Needs (SEN). See SEND resources for healthcare professionals.

6. Recording and Next Steps

Recording the review

You are responsible for establishing the current framework used for recording purposes. If you are unclear you should speak to your line manager before proceeding to make a formal record of the Transition Plan review.

The timeframe for making a record

There is no statutory timeframe for making a record of a Transition Plan review, but this should be done in a timely way and in line with the Local Standards for Timeliness of Recording. The standards can be found in the Local Resources area by clicking here.

What should be included in the record

The review record should include:

1. What progress has been made towards outcomes in the plan;
2. What support has been provided to the young person to support them to manage the transition, and how this has worked;
3. What has been discussed or agreed in regard to any proportionate assessment to confirm needs, setting an indicative personal budget or Care and Support planning;
4. Whether there are any changes required to the plan, including the young person's outcomes and the transitional support being provided support;
5. Whether anyone else is going to be involved in the plan;
6. What new actions have been agreed to progress the plan;
7. How the Plan will be monitored and when the next review will be.

Providing a copy of the record

A record of the review should be provided to the young person and to anyone else who is involved in the plan.

You must also provide a copy to anyone else that the young person asks you to, unless you feel that doing so will place the young person, or another vulnerable adult or child at risk of harm or abuse.

Where the young person is under the age of 16 you must also provide a copy to anyone who a person with parental responsibility asks you to provide a copy to.

If you feel that the record should be shared with anyone else you can only do so:

1. With the young person's consent (from the age of 16);
2. In their best interests (from the age of 16 if they lack capacity); or
3. With the consent of a person with parental responsibility (under the age of 16 if the young person lacks competence).

If you are unsure whether to share a copy you should seek advice from your line manager.

Revising the Transition Plan

The process for revising the Transition Plan should be as simple as possible to reflect the fact that it may need to be revised on many occasions throughout its lifetime.

If you are not familiar with the process for revising a Transition Plan you should seek advice from your line manager.

Ending the Transition Plan

7. Ending the Transition Plan

When to end the plan

The timeframe for ending a Transition Plan will be different for each young person and no legislation sets a time limit on ending or continuing a Transition Plan.

Some plans will end as soon as adult Care and Support begins to meet eligible needs, some may end before this time and some may continue beyond it.

Indicators that a Transition Plan may no longer be required include:

1. All outcomes in the plan have been met with no further action required;
2. The young person has no eligible needs from the age of 18 and has made appropriate alternative arrangements which do not require monitoring;
3. The Transition Plan has been incorporated into an adult Care and Support Plan and will be monitored as part of the statutory Care and Support Plan review;
4. The young person has successfully transitioned to adult Care and Support and there are no further transitional objectives to be met.

Any decision to end the Transition Plan must be agreed with:

1. The young person;
2. The young person's parents (under the age of 16);
3. Anyone with parental responsibility (where the young person is under 18);
4. Any carer (over the age of 16).

Where the young person is over the age of 18 any decision to end the Transition Plan must be made with regard for:

1. The views of the young person about ending the plan;
2. The views of any carer about ending the plan; and
3. The impact of ending the plan on the young person's individual Wellbeing.

If the young person (or their parent/person with parental responsibility) is not in agreement with the decision to end the plan you must make them aware of their right to complain.

Ending the plan

If a decision has been reached to end the Transition Plan you should:

1. Ensure that measures are in place to follow up on any on-going elements of the Transition Plan via other plans or adult Care and Support processes; and
2. End the Transition Plan.