The Preparing for Adulthood and Transitions Team, part of Adult Social Care, is a Devon-wide social care team, working to the Care Act principles (see also the Care Act – easy read guidance), engaging with young people, families, carers, and supporting agencies to empower young people to capitalise on the opportunities of adulthood, becoming as independent, self-reliant and confident as possible.
Get support from the Transitions to Adult Social Care (TASC) Team
If you are a young person between the ages of 12 and 18, a carer, parent, or professional seeking support from the Preparing for Adulthood Team, you should first complete our referral form. The form can be completed by a young person themselves or by anyone that has gained consent from the young person or their family.
Please be aware that the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) applies to all people aged 16 and over. Considering the MCA will support you to clarify who can consent to a preparing for adulthood referral.
If the referred person is over 16 and they have mental capacity, they can consent to this referral. If they are over 16 but lack capacity to consent to this referral, the MCA states the decision must be made in their best interests.
If you have any questions about making a referral to the team, the services we provide, or wider questions about adult social care please call us on 01392 381 291 or email us at preparingforadulthoodsecure-mailbox@devon.gov.uk for an informal chat.
A worker from our team will then contact you and may complete a Care Act assessment of your needs. This will tell you if you are likely to receive services from adult social care in the future. If you have an Education, Health and Care plan (EHCP) then we may also attend your review meetings.
We can also have an informal conversation about services in your area which may be helpful. If you are likely to be eligible for support from social care post-18 years old, we will maintain regular contact with you on a yearly basis just to see how things are going.
When you turn 16 years old, we may increase our contact with you and will look to complete our independence toolkit which identifies goals of independent living that you may wish to develop. This may lead to a referral to our Reaching for Independence service which can work with you to achieve some of these goals in your 17th year.
We may also implement some technology aids such as Brain in Hand, or AutonoMe where this is suitable. The workers may also recommend and complete referrals for carer’s assessments for family members or others who support the young person
It is important to understand that the Preparing for Adulthood Team does not hold case responsibility for young people, as under the Children and Families Act 2014 this remains with children’s agencies until the age of 18.