Funding

Our provision is planned to reflect the advice set out in ‘Preparing for adulthood’ in the SEND Code of Practice 2020. This states that

‘Where young people have EHC plans, local authorities should consider the need to provide a full package of provision and support across education, health and care that covers five days a week, where that is appropriate to meet the young person’s needs.’

Some will benefit from this package being spread across different providers, but Stepping Out is mainly aimed at those young people, particularly those with autism, who need the consistency and familiarity of a stable environment, peer group and staff team in order to thrive. We will provide:

• volunteering or community participation 
• work experience 
• opportunities that will equip young people with the skills they need to make a successful transition to adulthood, such as independent travel training, and/or skills for living in semi-supported or independent accommodation
• training to enable a young person to develop their social communication skills, maintain friendships and/or support them to access facilities in the local community
• activities to promote good mental health
• a sensory and physical programme to facilitate physical health and sensory regulation
• where appropriate, health and care related activities such as physiotherapy

All of the above bullet pointed activities will be offered in a personalised programme for each individual attending Stepping Out, as well as more formal accredited courses if this is required. In this way we aim to meet the four broad areas of need outlined in the SEND Code of Practice 2020: Communication and Interaction, Cognition and Learning, Social, Emotional and Mental Health and Sensory and Physical.

Funding for Stepping Out can be accessed in different ways, through Education, Social Care or a mixture of the two, depending on the needs of the individual. Although we are not a school or college, we can be classified as providing education under EOTAS (Education Other Than At School). We can also register as a provider of qualifications with bodies such as ASDAN.

If you wish your young adult to come to us for up to five days a week, please do refer to this guidance in your Annual Review meetings and make sure that a Transition social worker and an Education case worker are both in attendance.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions about this. 

PROGRESSION