Leaders from social care, health and the parent carer community across Dorset have come together to sign a Joint Declaration of Support for our young people with special educational needs and disabilities as they move into adult life.
The Declaration, signed by Executive Directors from Dorset Council’s Children’s and Adults Directorates, NHS Dorset, the Dorset Parent Carer Council and lead members, highlights their commitment to work together, through the Birth to Settled Adulthood Programme, to improve the experience young people have as they prepare for adulthood.
The Programme is designed to particularly help those who are disabled, have special educational needs, have significant mental health problems or are at risk of abuse or neglect.
It is working with parents, carers, children and young people, schools, partners and practitioners to ensure they receive timely support and access to information when they need it.
Cllr Jane Somper, Portfolio Holder for Adults and Social Care at Dorset Council, said she was delighted to be able to sign and support the joint declaration:
“It is about providing a seamless service, preparing our young people for adulthood who receive care and support so they can achieve the same opportunities as all young people.
“We will do this by working together with those young people and their families by always listening and always learning from what they tell us they want. We will also work alongside our partners in health and Dorset Parent Carer Council and other stakeholders in the voluntary and community sector.
“We have a set of ambitions for all young people to have access to great education, opportunities for employment and training, living safe, happy, healthy independent lives in their communities,” she added.
Theresa Leavy, Executive Director for Children’s Services at Dorset Council, said she wanted the change programme to deliver better outcomes for our children and young people with additional needs or disabilities.
“We want to make sure that we smooth out transitions, that we make it possible for practitioners and parents and carers to work together effectively to secure the best live outcomes for their young people.
“Our Strategy is that we want our children and young people to have healthy, happy and safe and be able to achieve their potential to lead a best fulfilling life. We want them to go to great schools, and great schools for us are inclusive schools and we want them to have and expect the same opportunities in life, as other young people, including work and a good home.”
Vivienne Broadhurst, Executive Director Adults and Housing at Dorset Council, spoke of her commitment to working better across adults, children, health service, the DPCC and elected members to ensure that we improve the outcomes for young people with special educational needs and disabilities, so they have the same opportunities as other young people.
“By signing this declaration, we are committed to creating a better, simpler and more straightforward offer for our young people. We will be listening to young people and designing the right support at the right time for them and their families so that they are fully prepared for moving into adult life.
“Having access to training and job opportunities, accommodation and involvement in their communities in a way that is right for them at a time and pace that supports each person to live their best life.”
David Freeman, Deputy Chief Executive and Chief Commissioning Officer NHS Dorset Integrated Care Board, said through the Joint Declaration and the Birth to Settled Adulthood Programme, “we are starting to make the necessary changes to put children, young people and their families at the heart of all we do, changing from what we offer to what you need.”
“This declaration really cements our shared commitment to working differently together, and more importantly, to solving the problems that we will inevitably come across by working together to get the answers we need.”
The Parent Carer Forum (Dorset Parent Carer Council) expects the Birth to Settled Adulthood Programme to be ambitious for Dorset’s young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
“Our aim is to ensure young people have every opportunity to flourish. As parents of children or young people ourselves we are aware of the fears, issues and enormous emotion that comes with thinking about and planning for adult life for our children.
“It is vital young people themselves and their families have good information, to know what is possible, and how to create a gloriously ordinary life for their young person.”
Notes to Editors
The video can be found at Birth to Settled Adulthood declaration – YouTube
Further information on the Birth to Settled Adulthood (B2SA) Programme can be found at Commissioning for A Better Life for Adults in Dorset – Dorset Council
I am really pleased to read this and appreciate the sentiment behind this gesture – but I really truly hope there is much more transparent action, commitment and creativity that follows to radically improve provision for all children with SEN. As a mum of a child who is a few weeks away from adulthood and has been through the hell of years of wrestling to get their needs met, with critically under-resourced education, protection and healthcare services and a massive mountain of bureaucracy that was near impossible to navigate when options were presented, I count myself lucky that, while they haven’t had the start in life that they should have had, they are at least still alive. Whoever thinks these services are not important enough to fund or resource properly should try being a child who is reliant on them when they aren’t.
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