What is out there Post 16?

It's quite worrying isn't it? What happens after Secondary school and further into adulthood for our people with additional needs, learning disabilities and metal health issues. What are you talking about Sue from the Brew? It's a worrying time all of the time!!! I'm thinking in my experience of my son leaving the education path after 18 years old really. 

I feel at the moment that I'm following the education system along with my son and it will follow a path until he is 18 which we have a plan for then after that we drop off a cliff and there is nothing for him to continue onto.

Well that's what I thought until I went to an information evening at one of our local education placements called Transition 2. It totally opened my eyes to the extent of what is actually out there, even provisions that I didn't know were available in my role as a volunteer locally for the NAS. I felt a sense of relief in that life wasn't going to come to junction and a one way street to nowhere it actually opened up into a spaghetti junction with so many roads to go down and choices we could make as a family.

Transition 2 (T2) itself  provides opportunities for young adults with learning difficulties, severe learning difficulties , and/or autism  aged 18-25.  Learners follow individual learning pathways based on person centred long term targets. I loved this place and although my son has plans for another year, it would be something I may look at in 2018. Other educational opportunities were Key College which is part of YMCA Derbyshire which offer accredited training courses from the ages of 16 - 19years and even up to 24 in some cases. I never knew they existed so I will be passing all this information on within the support groups I provide. 

The Padley Group in Derby also provide some great creative courses and there is Portland College in Mansfield which also offers a lot of opportunities for people with disabilities, even offering day or residential programmes so the choices have just widened massively for us. 

There is also a wide range of places who offer day opportunities for those with disabilities and learning difficulties, offering short breaks and also support for the whole family including services for siblings. I will give you some websites to visit at the end of this post as there is so much information. All these services offer different ways in which to access activities, independence, general support, signposting to other possibilities and all looking beyond the persons disability giving them a chance to live their lives to their full potential.

It really did give me hope for the future and I know I am featuring services here which are available in Derby as it is my local area but if you do see one of these information open days available in your own area do go along. I'll be honest I have tended to ignore it and think that I can't be bothered but these people are there and ready to support our young people for years to come, one of the services even went as far as up to 35 years so that's incredible.

So thanks for reading and I hope this has helped a little. I will catch you back here tomorrow for 'Pass the Remote'.

Key College (YMCA Derbyshire) www.ymcaderbyshire.org.uk

Portland College - www.portland.ac.uk

Padley Development Centre - email admin@padleygroup.com

Derby City Council Adult Learning Service - email enquiries@derbyals.org

Transition 2 - www.transition2.co.uk

Inspirative Arts - www.inspirativearts.co.uk

Funability and Moving Forward - www.stjamescentrederby.co.uk

Opportunity Knocks S&K Ltd - email opportunityknocks@live.co.uk

Active Support - email activesupport@talktalk.net

The Enabled Centre - www.enabledcentre.co.uk

Derbyshire Carers Association - www.derbyshirecarers.co.uk

SENAD Specialist Education and Care - www.senadgroup.com

Some of these organisations do have Facebooks pages and but all the details you need will be on the websites, if there is no website just email for information and they will be happy to tell you what services are available if they are suitable for your young person or adult.

​Take care for now and you need any more information, please leave a comment and I will be happy to help.