Neath Port Talbot Council has agreed to establish a pilot team to support young people with complex needs.
The pilot team will be developed to improve the process of young people with complex needs moving into adulthood. The initial focus of the team will be working with young people who are known to the Local Authority who have complex emotional, behavioural, or emerging mental health difficulties who are receiving support or care and, who often need continued support when they become an adult.
The new team will consist of a joint working approach between adult and children social services to make sure the transfer of care is in place before they reach the age of 18. Engaging with a young person at an earlier stage in their life will ensure the relevant care services for their needs are allocated well in advance of them becoming 18. This will help to remove the uncertainty of a sudden cut off point of services when a certain age is reached. Other benefits of joint working between the teams will include better use of information, improved planning and better management of outcomes for young people.
The team will be implemented in September for an initial period of 5 months and will work in addition to the Council’s established Transition Protocol for young people with physical and learning disabilities.
Councillor Alan Lockyer, Cabinet Member for Children’s Social Services said:
“We want to ensure the journey for young people moving into adulthood is as seamless as possible. Continuing to find ways to improve our services such as establishing a pilot team to allow services for children and adults to work more closely together is one way of doing this.
“It is a key priority of the Council to make a positive difference to the lives of all children and young people in care.”
