4.15 Leaving Care and Community Learning Disability Team |
Many young people leaving care have been known to be assessed as having a mild to moderate learning disability. This often becomes magnified when the young person attempts to live independently without the support of foster carers, supported lodgings carers or supported housing providers.
Research has evidenced that this group of young people is a particularly vulnerable category of careleaver who is more susceptible to homelessness, mental ill health, criminality and poverty. This is particularly the case for young people who have an unidentified and/or unassessed learning disability.
Many of these young people may reach their mid-teens without a full assessment having been undertaken of the implications and impact these disabilities may have when they move from their care placement. Workers and carers may often under-estimate these disabilities to avoid negative labelling. This process may well disadvantage accessing support from appropriate adult services.
To ensure that Looked After Children and Careleavers with mild to moderate and either unidentified or unassessed disabilities have access to services that meet their needs and address their vulnerability.
Looked After Children and Careleavers with disabilities should, as with all Looked After Children and Careleavers be included in consultation around the planning and delivery of care leaving services. They should participate fully and be involved in making choices in the same way as non-disabled Looked After Children and Careleavers. Special consideration must be given to ensure how this best happens particularly in the case of Looked After Children and Careleavers who have communication difficulties. This may involve using a range of interactive tools and techniques.
When undertaking the Leaving Care Assessment of Need, it is essential that the Leaving Care Service identifies the ability of the young person to manage independent living and the time scale required to achieve this. It will be necessary to refer to any 14+ Transition Plan, any Statement of Educational Needs and any current psychological or psychometric assessment. It will also be important to involve any specialist services and partner agencies to ensure that a comprehensive understanding of the young persons needs are developed.
Where it is assessed and evidenced that a young person is unable to live independently without appropriate levels of support beyond the age of 18 years, referral will be made to the Community Learning Disability Team. The referral will include a thorough assessment taking into account information drawn from services highlighted above. This will include the Leaving Care Assessment of Need, Pathway Plan (to follow at 16.5 years) and Risk Assessment and will identify any post-18 funding issues. It will be completed and forwarded to the Community Learning Disability Team by the young persons 17th birthday at the latest. The consent of the young person to share this information will be obtained beforehand.
Where it is recognised that the young person will not be able to live independently post-18, the primary responsibility for that young person will rest with the Community Learning Disability Team who will best meet his or her assessed and evidenced needs.
Where case transfer from the Leaving Care Team to Adult Services takes place after the young persons 18th birthday, that young person will still retain their Leaving Care Personal Adviser. The role of the Leaving Care Personal Adviser will be to assist in ensuring that the young persons rights and entitlements under the Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000 are met and that Pathway Plans are compatible with Community Learning Disability Team case planning. In the majority of cases the primary need is to effect a smooth transition to Adult Services and the Leaving Care Service may therefore perform a relatively minor role.
This protocol was formally agreed between Gino Penswick, Resource Manager, Community Learning Disability Team and Dermot Anketell, Service Manager, Leaving Care Team on 23rd February 2004.
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