Search results for ‘Subject term:"learning disabilities"’ Sort:
Results 1 - 1 of 1
Can transition meetings in school be done in a person-centred way?
- Authors:
- KAEHNE Axel, BEYER Stephen
- Journal article citation:
- Learning Disability Today, October 2011, pp.28-30.
- Publisher:
- Pavilion
- Place of publication:
- Hove
Transition from children’s to adults social services can be a time of upheaval for young people with learning disabilities. This article considers the quality of transition reviews and whether they can be done in a person-centred way. The study worked with a school in the northwest of England to examine the way in which they carry out transition review meetings, whether they meet the criteria of person-centred planning and, if so, how this ensures that everybody who should be involved in transition planning is effectively participating in the meeting. Records of transition meetings and transition plans for 43 pupils about to leave school were analysed. In addition, half of the families were contacted to find out their feelings about the meeting and the planning process. The findings indicated that the young people, their families, school and Connexions staff were consistently present at the meetings; however, social workers and staff from voluntary employment agencies only attended a minority of meetings. Only 44% of the meeting records and transition plans were ‘somewhat accessible’, while almost a third used highly technical language, effectively preventing the young person from understanding their own transition plans. The biggest problem was that many of the meetings did not discuss the whole range of needs of the young person or long-term planning. In particular, only 25% of transition plans outlined clear and actionable employment goals.