Key agencies
Download 'Key agencies' Handout
There are a number of different agencies who may be providing support during the transition process.
Connexions
Connexions services offer advice and guidance for young people aged 13-19 (and up to age 25 when young people have additional support needs). The services focus primarily on advice and guidance regarding education, employment and training but can also advocate for and refer young people to a range of other services and agencies which they might need.
Health
Health provision is usually shared between local health authorities, primary care trusts and NHS trusts. They have to agree, in consultation with the local authority, how to identify, assess and make provision for the health needs of children and young people with special educational needs (SEN). A designated Medical Officer, possibly a Community Paediatrician, for SEN has responsibility for co-ordinating services and ensuring that all schools have a contact (usually the school health services) for seeking medical advice on children who may have SEN.
Community Mental Health Team (CMHT)
This is a specialist team that offers a service for people, between 18-65, who are experiencing severe mental health problems. The team will usually include Community Psychiatric Nurses, Mental Health Social Workers, Occupational Therapists, Psychologists and consultant Psychiatrists.
Children and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS)
This is a multidisciplinary specialist mental health service for young people up to the age of 18 who may be experiencing severe and/or complex emotional and behavioural difficulties. CAMHS usually offers in-patient, day patient and out patient facilities and can work with families and individuals.
Local Authority Special Educational Needs Department
These departments primarily carry out statutory assessments of young people to determine how their individual needs would be best met within an educational provision. They do this by:
- Ensuring the young people’s needs are identified and assessed quickly and matched by appropriate provision
- Providing high quality support to schools
- Co-ordinating provision to ensure children benefit from additional support
- Developing close partnership with parents, schools, health, Children’s services and the voluntary sector
- Ensuring systems are in place for monitoring and accountability
Social Services/Social Care and Health/Children’s Services
Provide a range of care and support services for adults, families and children in need. Most local authorities provide a separate social work service for children with disabilities. These social workers are responsible for assessing the needs of children and young people with disabilities and co-ordinating care and support services which they and their families need.
They work closely with colleagues in health, education and other agencies to provide a holistic approach to support young people. This can include:
- Enabling services to support young people in accessing community based activities
- Short break care
- Holiday schemes
- Residential breaks
They also provide advice, guidance and counselling for young people and their parent/carers.
By the time a young person reaches their 18th birthday, relevant assessments should have been completed in order to support them in their transition to Adult Services. In some areas a Transition Social Worker will support this process.
Although every effort has been made to ensure that this information was correct at the time of publication, contacts, telephone numbers and addresses are subject to change, which may make the information become gradually less accurate.