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Here you will find a list of our most frequently asked questions.
ARC Scotland published ‘Principles of Good Transitions 3’ in 2017. They are seven principles based on what the law says about transitions plus what research tells us works best to support young people with additional support needs making the transition to adulthood in Scotland.
The Principles make it easy for everyone to see what organisations should be doing to make sure young people and their families have a good experience of leaving school and moving on to adult life.
They are there to make transitions for young people as effective as possible, but they don’t specify what good support looks like as this will vary depending on the individual.
You can find out more about the Principles of Good Transitions here.
The Principles aren’t laws, but they pull together everything the law says about transition plus what research tells us works best for young people and families.
They have been endorsed by many organisations that provide support for young people with additional support needs, the Scottish Government and national bodies.
Transition is how we describe young people developing from children into young adults.
It isn’t a single event, such as leaving school, but a growing up process over several years. It involves significant emotional, physical, intellectual and physiological changes.
Transition is generally accepted as covering the period from the age of 14 up to 25 years old. Over this time young people assume greater autonomy in many areas of their lives and have to adjust to different experiences, expectations, processes, places and routines.
It is a significant and formative experience both for young people and their parents and carers.
‘Additional Support Needs’ is a legally defined term for the support pupils need to overcome barriers to learning in school. It comes from the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004. This means the legal requirements are in place until someone leaves school, and so do not apply up to the age of 25.
However in the Principles of Good Transitions the term has been applied in a broader sense and extended to include the support needed to overcome barriers related to learning, life and work.
Principles into Practice is a national framework that offers practical guidance and evaluation measures to improve planning and delivery of support for young people aged 14-25 who need additional support as they make the transition to young adult life.
It is based on the seven Principles of Good Transitions and will help to embed these in policy, planning and practice across Scotland.
Principles into Practice enables everyone involved in planning and delivering services and support for young people who need additional support to:
It has been extensively tested in partnership with 10 Scottish local authority areas to make sure it is practical to deliver and effective as part of an ongoing improvement strategy for transitions to adulthood.
ARC Scotland, supported by Scottish Government officials, are trialling Principles into Practice in 10 participating local authority areas over 2 years (2020-2022) to identify, design and test changes that transform how young people with additional support needs are supported in their transition to young adult life.
The purpose of the trial is to:
There are 2 levels of the trial programme:
Transitions occur throughout a person’s life. However a large body of evidence suggests young adult transitions can be particularly challenging for many people with additional support needs.
We want to ensure transitions are as straightforward as possible with young people at the heart of any change.
The Principles into Practice trial programme will help make a real difference to the lives of young people aged between 14 and 25 who need additional support as they make the transition to young adult life, and will ensure young people are at the centre of all transition planning for their future.
By the end of the trial we will have a fully developed and tested framework, and evaluation resources that will be freely available to every local authority area in Scotland.
Principles into Practice is being trialled in 10 local authority areas over the next 2 years, with support from ARC Scotland’s Scottish Transition Forum and the Scottish Government. These are:
Compass is a web-based application designed to help young people with additional support needs in Scotland to make a smooth transition to young adulthood.
There are three versions of Compass – one for young people, one for parents and carers, and one for professionals and practitioners supporting families.
The tool has been designed to provide tailored information and support for young people and their families at the right time for them and gathers feedback to help shape transitions services and policy in their local authority areas.
All three versions of Compass provide information and guidance that is tailored to the user’s needs, at the time it is most relevant.
You will be asked to create an account and answer some questions to make sure you get the information that’s most useful to you. There are videos and other materials to help you get started.
Click here and choose the link for the version of Compass that’s right for you.
Any individual can use Compass, whether their local authority area has signed up or not.
However we can’t share any data Compass gathers with a local authority unless appropriate data sharing requirements have been agreed. For more details on this process, contact ARC Scotland.
ARC Scotland, Unit 12, Hardengreen Business Centre, Eskbank, Dalkeith, Midlothian EH22 3NX
Scottish Charity No: SCO 39129. Registered in England Company No: 01658354. Registered Charity No: 285575
