'Hope, Creativity and Co-operation' The Children's Room
Sponsored by
Can a Personal Budget
Make a Difference to
Transition for Young
Disabled People?
The Big event is
sponsored by:
Paul Connolly –In Control
and Senior Practioner Transition Newcastle Children’s Services.
Growing up its isn’t easy
In this workshop we will look at•What young people and families tell us of their experiences.
• How a personal budget might help.
•Some of the challenges that we face. I am only talking about
social care. Should I be?
•Some stories of our work with young people and families in
Newcastle.
•Your questions comments, learning and experience.
There is more to life than the
move between Children and Adult
Services!
What have we done?
Some of the things family say.
•It was like falling of the end of the cliff
•It seemed like one day there was ever thing the next day there
was nothing
Why has transition become so
difficult?
Do we share an understanding of what
the problem is?
•Transition has become systems based- we are looking to see
what the next box is that a young person fits in too. Money
following services rather than young people.
•Lots of people involved with their statutory responsibilities to
follow loosing sight of our focus – the young person.
•Change is difficult and people don’t like to feel that they are
being criticised? For schools they are scared about what young
peoples futures look like.
•Lack of clarity about what people are entitled too- a lot of ‘gate
keeping’ going on.
How could a PB support
better transition?
• Cultural and relationship change. Stop our blame game! Your
just waiting to the young person is 18 to do any planning , its
school fault, Connexions don’t do enough.
• Clear entitlements will help to make planning more real and
allows people to build sustainable support, and if you need to
change anything you can plan for it.
•It can also take some of the stress out of the move for families.
•A PB isn’t however the magic wand it isnt the only thing that is
going to get young peoples lifes they want, we must build
opportunities in our communties were people can get advice
support and guidance.
A whole life for one life
There is still much to be done
•Ambitious to see one clear PB pulling together one budget with
one plan that has the young person at the centre- For those
young people who need them.
•Clarity of entitilment for all.
•In the meantime- It would be useful for social care services to be
clear about Fair Access to Care Services and an indicative budget
at 16- this can make this part of transition easier.
• Work together- Develop support and planning options with
people that they can access when they need them across the
growing up and adult years.
It makes sense to work with young
people in the transition age group on
self directed support because….
•Putting People First and the resulting changes in Adult services
means that PB’s are something that young people and their
families are going to experience at 18.
•As I said earlier big concern in Adult Services everybody is
waiting till 18 until planning start. Children’s Services are
profligate and set up support that isn’t sustainable!
•PB’s have planning as their focus they are rooted in person
centred approaches and there is a concentration on how money
is being used to achieve outcomes in young peoples lives.
What Graeme Wanted
•Graeme his mother and father Jan and Alan have helped us
learn and they have challenged us in Newcastle to think about
what makes sense to them as a family.ice and his
•Graeme's allocation for his IB was lower than his existing spend.
•Jan now feels that they get more from Graeme's budget than
they did with his commissioned service and his direct payment.
Some of what Graeme did
•Employ a PA for 1 hour each morning to get me ready for school.
•To go out with Dean and his friends on a Saturday.
•Have somebody come on holiday with me and my family to help
with my personal care, have a laugh with me and help me and my
family enjoy our holiday.
•Follow my passion for musicals and Take That- I’ve seen them 3
Times in the last 2 years.
One thing that wasn’t working
for Rachel and her family
Mornings…..
•They were hectic. Rachel was 17 years old, and has a much
younger brother and sister. She had to get up early to fit in getting
ready and be ready for the bus at 7.55am. It wasn’t a good start
to the day for anybody in the family.
•Rachel's family have used some of her budget to buy support
and organise a start of the day that makes more sense to her.
•Rachel loves water they used some more of her budget to join a
health spa.
Stephen
•Stephen was 171/2 by the time he started with his budget, he
was about to leave the residential short break unit that he had
been using since he was 6 years old.
•In support planning it became clear that this is what made sense
to him and his family.
•They all enjoyed caravan holidays- Stephen but some of his first
year budget to buying a caravan, the family paid for the other half.
•Stephen goes with his family he also goes with his friends.
What families have told us
•Why didn’t you tell us this 10 years ago all we wanted to do is get
on with family life.
•It’s the first time that we have walked along the quayside in 15
years.
•Its changed our life and his.
•Its hard work when you have the whole family to think about.
•For one parent it was just too late.
•We can keep relationships going that are important to my son but
they are for the whole of the family.
Newcastle’s next steps
•Department Children School and Families (DCSF) funded to
work with 30+ children young people and their families.
•35 children and their families signed up and involved.
•14 children will have signed off support plans and live budgets on
1st April 2010.
•We are working to engage other streams of funding including the
LSC changes.
•Strong Emphasis on community and Children’s inclusion.
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