A national roundtable hosted by Bradford City Council with NDTi has highlighted the need for earlier planning, stronger relationships and more flexible systems to support young people with complex needs as they move into adult life.
Too many young people experience disruption, rupture, and instability as they transition into adulthood. To explore how this can be improved, NDTi brought together leaders from local government, health, social care, national organisations and the voluntary sector.
The event was chaired by Melanie Williams, Executive Director of Adults and Wellbeing at West Northamptonshire Council and a member of the Independent Expert Panel advising the work of the Health and Social Care Committee on transition into adulthood.
Discussions focused on the experiences of young people whose lives are shaped by trauma, disability, care experience and complex support needs. Melanie said:
“Young people should not have to battle their way into adulthood. They should be supported, known, planned with and believed in.”
Examples from Bradford Council and Hartlepool Borough Council showed how person-centred, relationship-based support can help young people establish stable homes, trusted support networks and opportunities to feel included in the local community.
Fazeela Hafajee, Assistant Director Adult Social Care at Bradford City Council and roundtable host, said:
“The transition to adulthood should be a time of opportunity, not crisis. Young people tell us they want the same things we all want: a place to call home, people who know and care about them, and the chance to be part of their community.
“This report shows what is possible when services work together around those ambitions. It is a call to be bolder, more flexible and more relational in how we design support so that every young person can look to the future with confidence and hope.”
Participants agreed that systems are too often organised around services rather than young people. The report calls for earlier planning, stronger partnership working and greater flexibility to help young people and families experience transition as a period of opportunity rather than crisis.
Key recommendations include:
- Put the young person at the centre and support in way and at a pace that works for the individual.
- Building respectful and supportive relationships between the young person and those supporting them now and into the future.
- Strengthening collaboration between children’s and adult services.
- Improving the use of data to identify need early in a young person’s life.
- Increasing the provision of stable local housing options and creating new support options.
All attendees acknowledge that this is not the first time these recommendations will have been made but, there is a pressing need to tackle these barriers, in the short term on a case-by-case basis and in the longer term with a new regulatory framework.
The publication of the report marks the start of a wider conversation about how partners can work together to develop local, person-centred solutions that help young people thrive in adulthood. It reflects NDTi’s commitment to inclusion, amplifying the voices of young people and families, and supporting the system changes needed to create better pathways into adult life.
Alongside the report, NDTi is developing Brighter Futures, a practical programme that helps local areas put these ideas into action.
More about Brighter Futures
Brighter Futures
Local area bespoke support solutions for young people with complex lives as they transition into adulthood.
Individual Planning
Practical support for individual young people with complex needs to plan for independent, fulfilling lives in their communities.
Small Supports
Working with local systems to develop small, bespoke, person-led support organisations that enable people with complicated lives to thrive.
