Planning for transition should start in school at the beginning of year 9 (the year in which your son or daughter is 14). From this first meeting, the Connexions special educational needs personal adviser and the school Special educational needs coordinator (SENCO) should hold meetings at least every year to discuss and plan future school, college, work experience or placement, or employment opportunities.
Contact Connexions for Lewisham on 020 8297 3330 to ask about preparations for this meeting – you may want to make sure that you and others concerned with your child’s welfare, will be available.
If your child is at school or college outside Lewisham, it is important that you make sure that Connexions are, or plan to be, in touch with his or her SENCO.
The first transition planning meeting can involve:
- your child
- parents or other carers
- doctors, nurses and therapists
- social worker
- respite carer
- brothers, sisters or other family members, friends, housing or welfare benefits advisor, volunteers or workers from support groups
- and anyone else who can contribute.
They will try to work together so that full information is available to your son or daughter about his or her options for the future.
Those people working directly with your son or daughter will seek his or her views and aspirations and those of parents. They aim to develop a transition plan that meets individual circumstances and needs as your son or daughter gets closer to adulthood.
Your son or daughter will be given a copy of the transition plan. Encourage him or her to look at it from time to time and think about changes that may be wanted at a later stage.