Back to Transition Matters

The joys and perils of adolescence, in traditional societies, the passage from childhood to adult life is marked in a variety of ways but all of them recognise that the young person has now to take on new duties and responsibilities, that process of transition is often more complicated, because of the vast range of opportunities and choices now available to young people.
There are, however, increasing numbers of young people who face much greater challenges when making this transition - those who have long-term health problems which they will take with them as they grow up and become adults. There has been some spectacular advances in medical progress which has allowed many children to survive and become adults. These young people frequently have to negotiate many more hurdles and obstacles than their peers when making plans and decisions about further education, employment opportunities, mobility, independence and relationships.
Their task is frequently made more difficult than it needs to be, because health professionals do not adequately plan and manage the one aspect of transition which is within their control, the process of handover from childrens services to adult systems. All too often, there is an abrupt transfer from one service to another . Some young people have difficulty in finding an interested and competent service which is able and willing to provide continuity of medical care.
 I think the importance of a wider perspective that takes into account the many other aspects of transition planning, which may be as important - and often as important as  health care, and in particular highlight current thinking on the concept of 'person-centred planning'.
A few years before our daughter left school I listened to options that other families were taking up and (with the help of the internet ) searched on the web to see what was available out there ,and through this did find a placement for her.It is very difficult because you have to commit to your choice but you never know if it is fully going to work untill you start and sometimes it is hard to then start again.