Working with young People with Learning Difficulties andor Disabilities

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Working with young People with Learning
Difficulties and/or Disabilities
Claire Bradley
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Workshop Aim

• Aim
• To increase awareness of the role of personal
  advisers in their work with young people with
  learning difficulties and/or disabilities through
  their transition into adult life.
• Objectives
• To inform Partners of the requirements on the
  Connexions service
• To inform Partners of the strategic developments
  in the Black Country in relation to Connexions
  work with young people with learning difficulties
  and/or disabilities.
• To explore how the Personal Advisers can
  complement and enhance the overall process of
  supporting young people with learning
  difficulties and/or disabilities
• To inform Partners of Connexions publications.

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Workshop Aim

• Learning Outcomes
• Partners will understand the processes leading to
  the Section 140 Assessment.
• Partners will be aware of publications and
  information sources that Connexions staff use to
  support their work with young people with
  learning difficulties and/or disabilities

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How do we define learning difficulty and/or
disability (LDD)?

• As defined in the Learning and Skills Act 2000, a
  person has a learning difficulty or disability
  (LDD) if-
• he/she has a significantly greater difficulty in
  learning than the majority of persons of his age,
  or
• he/she has a disability which either prevents or
  hinders him from making use of facilities of a
  kind generally provided by institutions providing
  post-16 education or training.

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Strategic Overview

• Children and young peoples strategic partnership
  boards
• Learning Disability Partnership Board
• Multiagency Transition Groups
• Transition Pathway
• Integrated Services in Sandwell
• Person Centered Approaches

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Requirements on Connexions services working with
yp with LDD

• Identify young people with LDD from year
  8(section 140 planning tool, information from
  LEA)
• We must attend the year 9 annual review for young
  people with statements of special educational
  needs
• We oversee the implementation of the Transition
  Plan
• We carry out an initial assessment using the APIR
  (Assessment, planning, information and review)
  framework
• We will undertake (and review) a section 140
  assessment
• Work with LSC to plan provision and address gaps
  in provision inc recommendation for funding
  specialist FE

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Transition Planning

• The SEN Code of Practice (2002) details
  Transition Planning for young people who have a
  statement of educational needs.
• It starts in Year 9
• It sets out the arrangements for the young person
  from the age of 13 to 19 making explicit plans
  which include
• Education, Training or Employment after the age
  of 16
• Independent living ( benefits, housing,
  accommodation)
• Health and care support
• Recreation and leisure (friends and social
  activities)

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Initial Assessment

• The APIR Framework defines assessment by a
  personal adviser as
• The process of drawing together a range of
  information about a young person and meeting with
  him/her to establish their view and perspective
  of the situation. It is critical to the process
  of identifying barriers to learning and
  transition. The purpose of assessment is to
  inform the development of a plan to remove those
  barriers and enable the young person to achieve
  their goals.
• Who does this? All personal advisers

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A section 140 assessment

• For the purposes of Section 140 of the Learning
  and Skills Act, an assessment of a person with
  LDD, is an assessment resulting in a written
  report of-
• Her/his educational and training needs, and
• the provision required to meet them for those
  leaving school/college and moving onto further
  education (local and specialist FE), higher
  education or training
• In the Black Country we call this a Moving
  Forward Plan
• Who does this? Prospects personal advisers.

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Review Section 140 Assessment

• Connexions reviews the section 140 assessments
  for those young people who have moved onto
  Further Education or Training.
• We do this by targeting young people with LDD
• Who does this? Prospects personal advisers

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Targeting young people with learning difficulties
and/or disabilities in Black Country

• Prospects Personal Advisers use planning tool
  with Senco's to identify young people with LDD
• Information input onto Profile
• Personal Advisers target young people with LDD
  to
• find out review dates
• Meet young people prior to annual/transition
  review
• Undertake initial assessment
• Attend review ( must attend Year 9)
• Offer Advice and Guidance on options (post 14, 16
  and 18)
• Undertake section 140 assessment

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Liaise with LSC

• Discuss provision
• Discuss and address gaps in provision
• Development of 14 19 curriculum

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Information in the Black Country

• Forward
• Information for parents and carers of young
  people with additional needs
• The Big Picture
• The young persons guide to transition

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Guidance Teams

• Prospects LDD PAs
• Work with young people with LDD in special
  schools, in local FE colleges on specific
  courses, in specialist schools and colleges out
  of the area, in some PRUS. support mainstream
  colleagues in each of the four areas.

• Prospects PAs
• Work with young people with LDD in mainstream
  schools, some PRUS, colleges, training providers
  and LDD NEET