Enabling Dominic's voice and participation through the cocreation of an ‘I am’ Digital Story for supporting his post‐19 transition from special school to adult social care

Abstract

BackgroundTransitions into adult services for young people with complex communication needs are often experienced as challenging and rarely include the voices of young people.MethodsWe piloted a person‐centred method to enable one young person's (Dominic) voice to be included in his transition to adult services. An ‘I am’ Digital Story is a short video (c.6 min) that provides a strengths‐based representation of a young person that is designed to be shared with and between settings. The process and outcomes of story cocreation were evaluated through semi‐structured interviews with key stakeholders.FindingsThe process of story creation was evaluated very positively by key stakeholders. The information about Dominic's strengths and preferences helped the new setting to prepare for Dominic's arrival.ConclusionsThe ‘I am’ Digital Story method provides a powerful and accessible method for including the voices of young people with complex communication needs in their transitions.