Moving from children’s services to adulthood can feel like a cliff edge for many young people with additional support needs.
It’s not just a change in provision, but a major developmental shift.
Time to Talk Next Steps (TtTNS) is a proven, rights-based programme that helps young people:
- build confidence,
- explore goals, and
- plan for the future.
And all without a diagnosis or label that other supports often require.
Purpose
Commissioning Time to Talk Next Steps provides an evidence-informed intervention. It is designed to bridge the gap between childhood services and adult life.
Our goal is to support young people to move towards autonomy and self-determination.
The programme focuses on four pillars of a good adult life:
Self determination and voice
Supporting young people to move from being subjects of care to authors of their lives.
Emotional resilience
Building stability to manage the stressors of transition (education, housing, changing expectations).
Economic and social participation
Opening pathways to employment, training and meaningful contribution to society.
Rights and advocacy
Ensuring young people and families understand their rights and can advocate for the support they are entitled to.
Why commission?
Time to Talk Next Steps is designed to be a high-yield investment for commissioners facing rising statutory pressures. Evidence shows the value and impact on young people and local systems.
- Significant fiscal return on investment: Analysis of our case studies shows that a £9,000 investment in TtTNS resulted in estimated savings of almost £60,000 to the public purse by reducing long-term dependency on statutory services.
- Alleviating caseload pressure: TtTNS provides intensive, 1:1 remote support that bridges the gap between statutory appointments. This helps to prevent the transition crises that lead to emergency placements.
- Meeting Education Health and Care Plan (ECHP) and Care Act duties: Our programme directly supports the delivery of Preparing for Adulthood outcomes and fulfills local authority duties under the Care Act 2014.
- Coproduction and quality: Every commissioned package includes the Training Squad, where young people are paid to codesign and deliver training to your professionals, improving local practice.
Evidence base
Hear what young people said:
What's included
Each support package is a comprehensive, multi-layered intervention:
1:1 personalised coaching
Eight dedicated remote sessions with trained supporters that use person centred tools to define adult goals.
Peer support networks
Bi-weekly groups that turn isolation into social capital, building confidence in a safe online space.
Whole family resilience
Webinars on transition rights and Listening Ear appointments for parents and carers.
Sustainable integration
Support to connect families with local community resources and supported employment.
Procurement options
We offer flexible commissioning arrangements to meet the strategic needs of your area.
This could include:
- Individual spot purchase: Immediate support for high priority or complex transitions.
- Block contract cohort: Strategic support at a reduced rate for Year 11/13 leavers or specific geographic cohorts.
- Regional pilot: Bespoke, fully integrated transition strategy support for a local authority or ICB.
Preparing for Adulthood
Time to Talk Next Steps is closely connected to Preparing for Adulthood.
This is a programme that we designed and have been delivering through a range of partnerships since 2012.