The Adult Social Care Preparing for Adulthood team work with young people and their families in a range of ways, depending on their age, circumstances, care and support needs and aspirations for the future.

The information below explains how they work with people at different points in their preparation for adulthood:

At 14–16 years old - let’s find out…

• Now is a great time to start finding out about your options as you start to think about your adulthood
• To receive support from our adult social care services, you'll need to be assessed as having eligible needs
• If you have an education, health and care plan (EHCP), as part of your preparation for adulthood you should be given the opportunity to discuss whether you might require support from us once you're 18, and what your options may be

At 16–18 years old - let’s talk…

• If you're receiving support from our children’s social care services, your worker can make a referral to us on your behalf
• If you're not working with children’s social care services, you can make a referral yourself, or ask someone to make the call on your behalf. The number is 0345 678 9021
• Depending on your situation, you may be invited to come and meet one of the team in one of Shropshire’s Let’s Talk Local Hubs, which are based across the county. They can talk to you about what's going well for you in your life, and any areas where you feel you could benefit from some support.

Alternatively, you may meet one of the team in your school, college, at home or in another environment where you feel comfortable.

• The team works closely with lots of other agencies across the county, including education, children’s social care services, housing providers, health services and many more. To best support you, the team will work alongside anyone else who is important in your life
• If you're going to receive support from the team, we'll spend time getting to know you and the people who are important in your life

At 18 years and over - let’s talk about the future...

• If you're going to receive support from adult social care services your wishes, goals and aspirations will be at the centre of this support
• Your support will be planned with you to help you to move towards your goals for the future. This could include further education, employment or living independently
• We'll continue to work together with the other important people in your life to make sure we all support you in the best way possible
• If you're in education, your preparing for adulthood worker will come along to your annual EHCP reviews to be part of planning for your future
• Your preparing for adulthood worker will keep in regular contact with you. They will be in more frequent contact when there are changes happening in your life, for example moving home or moving on from school or college