I’m picking up good transitions

‘No health without mental health’ states that the service transition from child and adolescent to adult services can be improved by planning early, listening to young people, providing appropriate and accessible information to young people, and focusing on outcomes and joint commissioning¹. Addressing such a big agenda needs a coordinated approach and strategic commitment.

There are a number of steps identified through Right Here’s experience which can help to bridge the gap between child and adult services:

• Talk to young adults about their past experiences of transitioning and ask young people about their  hopes and fears for transitions yet to come. You may be surprised by what they have to say.
• Plan for transitions well in advance with young people. Resources like Ready Steady Go² can help you to do this.
• Build relationships with services on the other side of the transition from you. Build connections between services in the voluntary and statutory sectors. Hold joint events together to give young people the opportunity to ask questions and share their concerns.
• For selected disorders (like Autism), consider redesigning pathways of care that cross age barriers and make a reality of the life course approach.
• Where possible, be flexible around the age of transitioning. If a young person doesn’t meet adult service thresholds, take responsibility for ensuring the young person is linked into appropriate support elsewhere.
• If a young person disengages from AMHS, attempt to track and follow up with the young person rather than closing the case.