A verbal update of the Health and Adult Transition Sub-Group.
Minutes:
The Corporate Parenting Panel received a verbal update on the Health & Adult Transitions Sub-Group discussion which had recently taken place. The Sub-Group further highlighted on the health progressions and adult transitions.
The Head of Adults, Simon Robson, shared with the Panel the five headlines from the meeting which were:
- What does transitions mean? (how were young people using services) – the need to develop a better understanding for user services.
- Critical interdependencies with housing and education for young people and their experiences in participation
- Access to health-related activities and signposting for GPs and dentistry, and knowledge of how this was done.
- How would we meet the range of mental health needs and neurodiversity? How could we do it better and get it right?
- 24/7 support – appropriate or extended support.
There were three points taken away from the Sub-Group discussion, which were:
- The interpretation of health and transition of care experienced young people.
- How do we develop better responses
- How could what was already out there be made more accessible and the development of commissioning
In a discussion led by Ambassador, T, the Panel heard that transitioning should not start from the age of 16, as from experience it took a year to process change of independence i.e.. paying bills and providing for self, and in desperation where there was no help, things would often get tough for the individual.
The Chair acknowledged that young people required clarity in support they received and asked whether there was 24/7 support for young people, and who could young people contact in a time of need out of hours, late at night or at a weekend. Officers noted that the service were great at setting up preventions to crises and needed to do better when crisis happened.
Feedback fm the exercise in relation to:
1 Any further ideas for an extended (support service in Croydon) response for yp leaving home for the first time into independent living:
- Collaboration with other boroughs
- Preparation groups
- Tool kit on basic maintenance
- Handyman employed by the borough
- Transition team to guide process and share information – checklist (I.e children with disabilities there was a team but not for children social care)
- Ensuring that a young person knew what transition looked like – it should be a natural route.
- Starter pack with practical information – link to resources such as You Tube, things that would be accessible for a young person whether it was a fridge magnet or via an app, and not just relying on one way to access information.
- How would the service simulate “the village” – as in different circumstances, different people had different experiences; what network had been put in place for those people who went to university etc. the village feeling to finding support. What assets did this borough have?
2 What are you aware of in Croydon in different communities of what is already out there:
- Mentoring for young people with different life experience
- What was available and out there for people to contact?
- Starter flats in housing association links/house project
- Having conversations to avoid the crisis.
- Independent life skills where a social worker started this work which already existed in foster care teams – to address mental health and other issues – real travel training.
- Peer support groups - Working together with experienced people who shared their experience and life experience for others.
- Foster carers – utilising their service – having a trusted adult in different spaces.
- Designated space for care leavers – similarly to Legacy
- Workshops and tutorials