Young Adult and Independent Living Team (YAaIL)

In 2021 Adult services was restructured.

What were formerly the Adult Learning Disability and Preparing for Adulthood Teams have developed into an adults service to include adults with physical disabilities.  This gave us an opportunity to broaden our remit and support people with a physical disability to develop their independence and reduce reliance on paid support.

What was the Preparing for Adulthood team is now called the Young Adults and Independent Living team to recognise the diversity of support offered to young people and adults with disabilities.

Our YAaIL team is part of adult social care and works in partnership with a range of local services and agencies including children’s services, education, health and housing to provide information, advice and support to help young people with disabilities to develop and prepare for life as they become an adult (commonly known as transition).

The service aims to:
  • support young people to make a contribution to the communities in which they live
  • enable young people to access universal and natural support
  • encourage young people to achieve their goals and ambitions
  • support young people in achieving a healthy lifestyle
  • treat young people as partners, with dignity and respect
  • enable and support young people to be safe but not restricted
  • help young people to develop networks in their local area
What we do

We can start working with young people who have a learning disability, physical disability and or Autism from the age of 14, this will mainly be to start gathering information or attending school and ECHP reviews-  involvement from an identified worker increases as a young person approaches 18.

Our main aims are to promote independence and to empower young people to do as much as they can for themselves or with their peers (not always with carers) as well as promoting employment, health/well-being and independent living .

We will start to get to know the needs of young people who are likely to be eligible for adult services and work with them, their families and professionals on preparing them for adulthood. Whilst we will seek the views of parents, family and other professionals where a person demonstrates capacity to make a decision (16+) they will be the primary decision maker in relation to their care and support.

To receive services as an adult people need to be eligible under the Care Act 2014,  however, YAaIL will advise guide and signpost where young people are ineligible for services.

Eligibility

To understand if a young person is eligible for support from Adult Social Care, we assess under the Care Act 2014.  YAaIL will undertake this assessment as early as possible before a young persons 18th birthday, so that the right information and or support can be provided and there are no gaps in provision.  We will work with young people and their families on developing a support plan which identifies how needs will be met, as well as providing advice for Education, Health and Care plans.

Not all young people who have a Special Need, Disability, Autism or who are deemed vulnerable will meet the eligibility of the Care Act and therefore are not necessarily entitled to social care services post 18.  We will signpost and support people to universal services where this is the case.

As an adult social care team we have no authority to fund or make decisions regarding care and support for a young person before they are 18 years old, however will seek to be part of any planning for young people 14+ and advise and guide our children's services, health and education colleagues, as well as families and young people about what may be available locally to meet a young persons' needs.

For those young people whose primary need is their mental health, a transitions pathway into adult mental health services should be considered, including assessment under the Care Act (delegated responsibility). The relevant clinical referrals should be made in a timely way and ahead of time by children's services colleagues in health or social care. Adult Mental Health Services are provided by East London Foundation Trust.

How to access support

Central Bedfordshire Councils Children and Adult Services work closely to identify who may need support as an Adult- where appropriate and with consent relevant information is shared by children’s services to enable YAaIL to support the transition of young people and to ensure a worker is allocated as soon as possible ( this is often dependent on risk and complexity).

We accept referrals from a range of professionals, families and young people.  A referral can be made via the Council’s Contact Centre (0300 300 8000) or via the Online Form: Adult Social Care Enquiry.  Our First Response Team who will take the information and pass this directly to YAaIL.

Once we have received the referral for support we will make contact with the referrer to acknowledge we have received it- giving details of the team and when we are likely to be in touch to undertake a Care Act assessment.

We will work with young people, families and their support networks on planning for the future and to ensure that assessed support is in place ahead of a young persons 18th birthday.

What we get involved in
  • Our Independent Lifestyles Officers ( commonly referred to as TILT) work with young people to practically support their independence, this can be cooking, cleaning, using public transport, developing peer networks, friendships, signposting to universal services, looking for job opportunities as well as support to access benefits and housing( i.e. housing register).
  • Attend school/college reviews 14+ to ensure consideration of future needs and outcomes.
  • Contribute to the development and advice within Education Health and Care plans
  • Lead Multi-disciplinary transitions meetings to ensure young people are supported by the right team at the right time.
  • Undertake early assessment of need and support planning so that there are no gaps in the services young people receive.
  • Attend Joint Allocation Panel to offer support and guidance to colleagues regarding future provision and offer guidance in relation to S117 (aftercare) and Continuing Health Care.
  • Undertake all statutory responsibilities under the Care Act 2014 (eligibility applies)