- Start discussions about ‘what the young person is good at’, ‘what they like doing’, ‘what support they need’, etc., and implement these into their Individual Plan.
- Identify who will support the young person in accessing work experience, and ensure they build a trusting relationship.
- Agree on how the young person will access information about supported employment/apprenticeships.
- Update the Career Plan and/or Vocational Profile.
- Review the previously gathered information on Post-16 options to ensure it remains reflective of the young person's aspirations and wishes.
- Agree actions required to work towards agreed outcomes, plan visits and taster sessions and ensure this is reflected on the young person's Individual Plan
PfA Year 10
Why do we need to plan for the future?
We need to start thinking about the future and what it could look like, as well as identifying the right support to help along the way. This means everyone is involved in the planning and decision-making, including the young person, parents, carers and any professionals involved.
Planning for the future (also known as Preparing for Adulthood) formally begins in Year 9, as there is a lot to think about. Years 10 and 11 focus on developing future plans and monitoring progress. But for now, it's about starting to understand the process, what will happen, and the decisions that need to be made.
What if I have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP)?
If you have an EHCP, the preparing for adulthood process is a little bit more formalised. An annual review is a meeting that happens once a year to review your EHCP. At this meeting, everyone involved in supporting you will discuss the support that needs to be put in place to enable you to move towards your educational goals and life aspirations and to live as independently as possible. See the tab at the bottom of the page for specific information on your EHCP.
What do I need to start thinking about?
- Add to and refine the personal profile by: Identifying what independent means to the young person being, for example, living in their own home, ability to access the community independently, making a drink, being supported to make a choice.
- Ensure the young person has the opportunity to practise travelling as independently as possible, thinking about what they may need in the future, e.g., travel to college, in the community and for employment.
- Explore the Local Offer for information on the different housing options.
- Identifying the young person’s long-term aspirations in adulthood, where they would like to be in the future, for example, having a job or being in a relationship.
- Identifying their current life skills and abilities, for example, managing money, having a bank account, and welfare benefits; Identifying gaps or skills that need to be developed to achieve long-term aspirations. The Community Enablement Team may be able to support the young person with these skills in the future.
- Enabling the young person to make their own decisions and understand what support is available to help them become independent.
- Discuss what being as healthy as possible means to the young person and families, for example, pain management, how to maintain and develop good health, and maintaining and improving mobility.
- Discuss current healthcare needs and provision. Discuss how and when the young person will move from children’s health services to adult health provision.
- Ensure health professionals, such as the Paediatrician, copy/share relevant information/clinic letters to the appropriate Teams.
- Consider Personal Health Budgets if eligible.
- Look into getting an Annual Health Check via GP if eligible.
- Identify any formal carers' responsibilities. Would you benefit from a carer’s assessment?
- Begin by discussing what is important to the young person about their future friends and social life, and how this might be achieved.
- How often does the young person go out with friends? Would they like to go out more? Is more advice or support needed?
- A wealth of activities and services are available to explore on the Kirklees Local Offer directory.
- Discuss post 16 education and employment options and discuss anything raised with the careers advisor if necessary.
- Ensure all options are covered, including supported internships, apprenticeships, traineeships and job carving – See the learning, work and money sections of the Learning Disability Partnership Board website
- C&K Careers attends parents' evening events and has a My Directions website, where you can find further information & events.
- Ensure the young person and parents are aware that the “full-time” college course is unlikely to be more than 3 days.
The year 10-11 review should be conducted in the same way as the year 9 review.
For young people in their final year of school, the local authority is responsible for ensuring that a transfer review is completed as part of a needs assessment. The local authority must give parents 2 weeks' notice that a transfer review and needs assessment has begun to enable them to prepare for the transfer review meeting.
The SENDCO or another member of staff at the school should help the young person prepare for the review by developing a person-centred plan. Any specialist communication needs, including interpretation or translation services, should be identified and support provided at the review meeting. The young person and their parents/carers should be helped to identify any key individuals, such as advocates, that they wish to be present for the review.
Health
It is important that the key health professionals involved in the young person's life attend the year 11 review and that specific, detailed planning with the young person and their family begins. For young people with complex health needs, it is crucial that planning starts now, if it hasn't already.
Health professionals and Specialist Adult Pathway team staff must work in partnership to establish a clear indication of who has responsibility for adult support and funding by the young person's 17th birthday.
Social care
Attendance at the year 11 review meeting will be from both the Disabled Children's Team (if known to them) and the specialist adult pathway team (if known to them). A social care transitional assessment will be undertaken by the Disabled Children's Team. This will be passed onto the Specialist Adult Pathway team as the young person approaches 18. The Specialist Adult Pathway Team will start the Care Act assessment process, including carrying out a carer's assessment. See our Carer's assessment and eligibility for support page for more information and eligibility. At this stage, the specific planning for post-18 adult social care begins. Details of young carers will be provided to the specialist adult pathway team to ensure the transition assessment is carried out for all young carers.
Who else is involved?
The key roles involved in the transition process at this stage are:
- Lead Practitioner - acts as a point of contact and provides additional support as required by the young person and/or their family, ensures assessments and other documents are completed by all agencies, and keeps a detailed record of all activity.
- Special Educational Needs Team - makes sure that EHC plans are completed with the young person and their family.
- Disabled Children's Team - works with the Specialist Adult Pathway team to assess and review the social care needs of the young person and their family.
- Specialist Adult Pathway Team - works very closely with the Disabled Children's Team. Their role is to assess needs to establish if the individual is eligible for adult social care-funded support.
- Health transitions are the most complex and often involve lots of people; a person-centred approach is taken based on the specific circumstances of the young person. A health lead professional will be identified as the single point of contact, liaising with other health professionals.
- Careers Service - For careers information, advice and guidance, contact C+K Careers. Or you can speak to your school Careers Adviser
en-GBLast updated: 16/04/2026