Preparation for Adulthood

Depending on the needs of the young person, they will receive statutory support from a social worker, will be working one-to-one with a Coaching and Resilience Worker, participate in groups or be connected to an appropriate service. From this work a Young Person may be eligible for a package of support from Adult Social Care or build a plan of support from our ‘gold’ tier (see the below table for information into the tier system).

We contact and engage with young people using a range of technology and in community venues such as youth centres and other facilities.

All plans are coproduced with young people, focusing on their goals and aspirations – this allows them to explore and agree what they would like to achieve. The team regularly meet with the young person involved to review their progress and offer support where it is needed.

We work together with other services so that the young person remains at the centre of what we are doing and that we can all make progress together.

Transitions and Preparations for Adulthood work in partnership with schools, colleges and health and social care providers to help the young person prepare for the next stage of their life.

A variety of support is available to young people and is based on their needs with the tier system

Health

For young people who need support with managing their health needs as they move into adulthood our team can support them in two main ways:

• we can work with the young adult to proactively manage their health and wellbeing. For example, we can support them with developing coping strategies to better manage their health needs.
• we can give support with registering for a GP and helping make sure the young adult attends appointments on time independently.

Housing

When young people need support with their housing options, we give support by exploring what housing options are available to them in the local area.

• if the young adult wishes to live independently then we can focus on exploring what housing options are available and providing the resources to help them understand the process.
• our team can assist the young adult with applications for the housing register as well as looking into finding suitable accommodation within their budget.

In situations where the young adult finds accommodation but are unsure on the next steps, we are able to provide support.

• we can work with the young adult directly to understand and learn independent skills such as budgeting, practical skills and how to live safely.

Employment

If the young adult is looking for a job or an apprenticeship, but is unsure on where to start, our team is here to help:

• we can offer practical advice and guidance to support with the world of work and the steps it takes to reach paid employment or similar.
• we can also offer support with how to write a Curriculum Vitae (CV) and how to prepare for a job interview.

Friendships, Relationships and the Community

We support young people to make connections and positive relationships/ friendships within their community and if they are unsure what their community can offer them, we can support them to engage in meaningful activities within their local area.

Family Group Conferencing

Family Group Conferencing (FGC) is an in-house service currently aligned to TAPS (Transitions and Preparation for adulthood Service). A referral is required from an Adult Social Care worker via a referral form on Eclipse. FGC is a voluntary service, so we also require consent from the citizen.

FGC is a way of working with a citizen to identify their support network and make a practical plan to address the citizens outcomes (whether identified by them or in response to an identified risk or need outlined by professionals). FGC empowers citizens to think about their collective strengths and resources to make personalised future plans.

The FGC co-ordinator will prepare everybody involved for a ‘conference day’ which is always split into three parts

1. information sharing
2. private family time
3. agreeing the plan

FGC works so well because often, the citizen and their network can tell you how they can work together which means the plan is more likely to be relevant and succeed. People know their lives and their situations better than anyone else.

Watch the Family Group Conferencing - YouTube video to find out more information.

Any questions or queries can be emailed to adultsfgcteam@birmingham.gov.uk