Child Needs Assessments - Section 58 (Transition to Adult)
A Child In Need Assessment under Section 58 of the Care Act 2014 assesses the needs of a child as they make the transition to adulthood. It ensures that they are supported to make that transition smoothly.
Under section 58 of the Care Act 2014 a Local Authority must undertake a Child Needs Assessment of a child who is approaching the age of 18 when: –
- It appears that the child has needs for Care and Support;
- It appears that the child is likely to have needs for Care and Support after becoming 18;
- Carrying out an assessment would be of significant benefit to the child.
The purpose of the assessment is to understand what the child’s needs are now, what their needs are likely to be after the age of 18 and how these will be met with the Local Authority subsequently being required to give an indication of which needs are likely to be eligible needs (and which are not) once the young person in question turns 18.
Many of our Independent Social Workers have experience of both children’s and adults’ services and/or of working with families whose children have enduring and complex physical or emotional needs. Given that expertise and their prompt availability they are ideally placed to undertake Child Need Assessments.
A Child Needs Assessment can be requested by the child, a parent, a person with parental responsibility or any person providing care to the child and the child’s consent is required to undertake the assessment unless the child is assessed not to have capacity AND this is considered to be in his/her best interests.
The transition to adulthood can involve significant changes in many aspects of a young person’s life – education, health, accommodation and care services. Early assessment and transition planning helps to provide clarity to children and families as to the future support to be provided at a time that might otherwise be characterised by uncertainty and anxiety.
Prompt transition planning allows a greater opportunity for consideration of a range of available care/support services that, importantly for Local Authorities, both best meets the young person’s needs and are commercially sensitive.
There is no set age when young people reach the point that an assessment should be undertaken – every young person and their family are different. As such, transition assessments should take place when it is most appropriate for them. It will generally be of ‘significant benefit’ to assess as they approach adulthood and at the point when their needs for care and support as an adult can be predicted reasonably confidently. However, for young people with special educational needs (SEN) who have an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan under the Children and Families Act, preparation for adulthood must begin from year 9.
Under the Care Act a child’s Needs Assessment must include an assessment of:
- The impact of the child’s needs for Care and Support on their individual Wellbeing now;
- The anticipated impact of the child’s likely needs for Care and Support from the age of 18 on their individual Wellbeing;
- The outcomes the child wishes to achieve in day-to-day life; and
- Whether, and if so to what extent, the provision of Care and Support could contribute to the achievement of those outcomes.
The Local Authority must also consider whether, and to what extent, matters other than the provision of Care and Support could contribute to the achievement of the outcomes that the child wishes to achieve in day-to-day life.
