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Preparing for Adulthood

Girl with packing boxes

What does preparing for adulthood mean?

For young people with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND), planning for adulthood begins in Year 9 (the school year in which a child has their 14th birthday), and in some cases will continue until their 25th birthday.  We often call this phase in life 'transition' or a 'transition to adulthood'.

View our Parents Guide to Special Educational Needs and Disability Transition to Adulthood document

Growing up involves lots of changes, so it's important to have the right support and information around you as you prepare for adulthood.

We are asking all SEND young people in Peterborough who are aged 14 or over to have their say by completing this short survey. Your answers will help us learn what young people want so we can improve services that will help you as you grow up.

SEND Young People's Survey

Please submit your response by the deadline of Friday 22 May 2020

Information on COVID-19 support can be found on the Local Offer COVID-19 - Information page and the SEN and Inclusion Services COVID-19 Support page. 

Local support groups can be found by using the search term 'COVID-19' in the search box at the top of the page.

Preparing for Adulthood - Employment

Working in a shop

It's often hard for a young person to think about what they may want to achieve from their adulthood when they are in their early teens. But early planning is the key to success and so it's really helpful if parents and carers can work with their young people to start thinking about this.

All young people should be helped to develop the skills and experience, and achieve the qualifications they need to succeed.

To find out more, take a look at our 'Preparing for Adulthood - Employment' page

Preparing for Adulthood - Independent Living

Man in wheelchair at the sink

Independent Living means young people have choice, control and freedom over their lives and the support they have, their accommodation and living arrangements.

You can find out more on our page Preparing for Adulthood - Independent Living.

Preparing for Adulthood - Friends, Relationships and Community

Young people sitting on the floor

Friendships, relationships and being a part of the community,  are important to a young person's quality of life. There are many ways to get involved other than being in education or employment.

To find out more take a look at our 'Preparing for Adulthood - Friends Relationships & Community' webpage

Preparing for Adulthood - Good Health

Health professional with patient

Growing up and becoming more independent it is important to be aware of your health needs and how to look after yourself.

There are a range of health services available for young people with special educational needs and disabilities such as: GPs, hospitals, dentists, pharmacists, and opticians. In some cases, you may need to access specialised services which may be different depending on your need.

To find out more, take a look at our  'Preparing for Adulthood -  Good Health' webpage

Information for parents on transitions

Parents have also asked for a comprehensive guide to transitions and we have worked with Family Voice to produce the Transition to Adulthood - A Parents Guide, which you can find on this page.

We have also published a document 'frequently asked questions' that has been written to help parents prepare and plan for the move to adult services at 18 years.

How can we support young people with SEND to be prepared for adult life?

View a series of Power Point slides that summarise a webinar given by Julie Pointer the Preparing for Adulthood lead at the National Development Team for Inclusion.

Post 16 Education offer 2020-21

Peterborough Post 16 Education Offer 2020-21 (v.2) - For any young adults who are transitioning to college this academic year and have not decided on a place this may help.  We are currently planning how to help with this transition stage and will hopefully be able to include updates after Easter.

Do you want to share your views and experiences nationally?

The Council for Disabled Children are looking for disabled young people and young people with special educational needs (SEN) aged 12-25 years old to be part of our young people’s advisory group, FLARE.

FLARE stands for Friendship, Learning, Achieve, Reach and Empower. It’s really important that disabled children and young people and those with SEN to be involved in the decisions that affect their lives. FLARE work together to share their views and experiences with the Department for Education and other organisations to help them understand how children and young people want to receive support and what services they need.

FLARE meet 6 times a year and you will need to be able to travel to London to share your experiences, give feedback and advice, and also talk to professionals about how to make positive changes to improved things for disabled young people. Due to the current coronavirus pandemic, we cannot meet up as group as usual for the time being. However, we are looking for new members now and then will be resuming our face to face meetings later on in the year!

Click on this link to get more details telling you how to apply

Peterborough Post-16 Offer

A guide to further courses and pathways for learners with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities over 16 years old in Peterborough and surrounding area.

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