SNOOP Support Planning for parent/carers-Transition

What does it do?

SNOOP Support Planning for Parent/Carers uses a tried and tested process to support parent/carers to prepare for the transition from children’s services to adulthood and adult life whilst the person they care for, their son or daughter, is going through a similar process in school.

Educational settings are responsible for supporting their students through this preparation and planning process, but the parent/carers are often do not participate in this process as fully as they could or maybe should.

Support Planning for Parent/Carers informs and enables you to see what a great opportunity transition can bring and feel more in control of what is happening instead of having things done to you and the person you care for.

The SEND Reforms and the NDTi all support the need for early preparation for transition from school to adulthood . For the parent/carer this can be a time of great concern and worry. One should not underestimate the importance of preparing early for your son or daughter with SEND leaving school or of being involved in the process.

At SNOOP we believe it is absolutely right that the young person and their parent/carers should have high aspirations for the future, but also we believe in being realistic. No-one is going to do this for you and if parent/carers can be supported to access all the relevant and accurate information they need on what is ‘out there’ and they have the tools and the opportunity to work through what opportunities are available for the person they care for when they leave school at the end of the month of July and begin their adult life the day after, then they too can play a full part in supporting their son or daughter to have a good life moving forward.

This does not necessarily mean services, but looks at all areas of life : Living as independently as possible, employment and the world of work, health and care needs and family and community life. It is also a time for the parent/carer to think about their needs and rights as a Carer and begin to look at opportunities to have a life of their own, which may include re-entering employment, training or education.

The Bradford Support Planning Toolkit, developed by SNOOP (Special Needs Objective Outreach Project) and parent/carers from Bradford’s secondary co-located special schools, is a valuable toolkit for parent/carers and young people. The free downloadable PfA toolkit is available and located at the bottom of this page within the resource file. (Double click on the file to open)

Who is it for?

This toolkit is for any parent/carer who is thinking about their son / daughter’s transition from children's’ into adulthood and how they can make a start. If your son or daughter with SEND is in special education or mainstream, or indeed they are making the transition from college to adult life, our experience and that of other parent/carers tells us that it is best to approach this time of transition positively.

See this as an opportunity and get involved. Take the time to visit places and find out costs and support and check the quality for yourselves before you buy. This way you have a real chance to get it right from the start and enjoy planning a good future life for your son or daughter, that both you and they have played a full and proactive part in.

How do I access it?

Please contact SNOOP if you wish to discuss how to get started and how to use the toolkit. We are happy to help.

The more parent/carers can learn from this experience the more they can share with other parents and enable more young adults with SEND and their parent/carers to have choice and control over their lives.

The SNOOP story

SNOOP Is Run By “The 2 Carol’s” – Carol Amery & Carol Beardmore.
They have been close friends for over 40 years and both are parent/carers. They have over 25 years experience in care and play work and 17 years experience of management and service development and training in SEND  locally and regionally.

As parents/carers themselves, they are passionate about delivering services which make a difference to the lives of the people SNOOP support and to help their families to sustain this.  We believe our young people and carers have the right to have a good life with the same choices and chances as any other person.  They have been passionate in the use of their position, particularly in recent years, to ensure that the views of parents/carers of such children are heard and acted upon.