Transition planning and the needs of young people and their carers: the alumni project

Abstract

Melanie Smart is a research associate at Sunfield School, Worcestershire, and a trainee clinical psychologist. In this article, she reports the results of a small‐scale survey which looked at the views of 17 parents whose children with severe and/or complex learning difficulties had made the transition from a residential special school to an adult placement. Pa rents were asked their retrospective views on the transition planning process; their own involvement; and how the adult placement met the needs of their children. Melanie Smart's findings indicate that the majority of parents were very much involved in the planning process, although they reported struggling to get consistency of approach and basic information. The young people themselves were found to be marginalised in the planning process, with very few being involved in any decision making. Most parents were happy with the eventual placement, but those who had concerns were still pushing for basic services and care. Of those who had suffered placement breakdowns, the major factor was lack of consistency of approach and failure to use prior information about the child. This survey shows that parents and their learning disabled children experience difficulties in the transition process. There seems to be a distinct lack of person‐centred planning, particularly with this user group, by both child and adult services. Parents are vital to this type of planning approach, particularly when the young people themselves cannot voice their needs or advocate their own rights to quality service provision. Melanie Smart argues that parents need access to better quality information and reassurance that their children will receive the services they deserve as young adults. The various agencies, she asserts, need to work together to ensure that the transition process is effective.

Developing a Mathematics Module for Students with Intellectual Disability in Higher Education

“…Options for this student population at this key transition stage are generally intricate and uncommon (Davies & Beamish, 2009). For the last twenty years, small-scale studies in the U.S. (Keogh, Bernheimer, & Guthrie, 2004), Australia (Murray, 2007) and the U.K. (Smart, 2004) have produced negative findings related to both the transition process and post-school life for young adults with disabilities and their families. These studies provide evidence that young adults with ID have poorer post-school outcomes and are at risk of experiencing a poorer quality of life compared to their peers (Davies & Beamish, 2009).…”

American and Portuguese parent perspectives on transition

“…Parents, especially those with adults with more severe disability, have identified concerns related to high levels of unemployment, restricted levels of participation in community activities, and a prevalence of continued living with and dependence upon families (Chambers et al, 2004;Davies & Beamish, 2009;Grigal & Neubert, 2004). Similar concerns about poor post school outcomes also have been identified in small scale studies within Australia (Burrows, Ford & Bottroff, 2001;Murray, 2007) and in the United Kingdom (Smart, 2004).…”

Informed Choice for Disabled Young People in Transition: A Secondary Analysis of Qualitative Data

“…It is often assumed that because of communication difficulties and impaired intellectual capacity, the views of people with learning disability are either irrelevant or inadequate (Smart 2004). This can lead to children's and young people's issues being identified and resolved by parents and professionals (Davis 2011).…”