Education, employment and training (adulthood)
Information about Wiltshire-based services and education to support young adults with SEND to work and learn
Most of this information is relevant to those with SEND needs without an EHCP. If you do have an Education, Health and Care Plan (known as an EHCP) this will be reviewed annually. The plan may be ceased if your outcomes have been met, you no longer require support or you decide to move onto higher education.
From your year 9 review, you will be supported to think about your options after age 16, which could include education or employment after the age of 18. This will be discussed with you at your annual review, and you will be supported to think about what, you may like to do.
Choices for education and employment could include:
For more information about education provision in Wiltshire for young people aged 16 and above with special education needs or a disability please visit:
Sixth form, colleges and universities for ages 16+
Travel information for educational settings
In preparation for adulthood, it is expected that the majority of young people beyond the age of 16 will travel independently to their place of education. There will be a small number of learners who, after travel training, are not able to travel independently. A subsidised travel scheme is available for these learners continuing in full-time education (either school or college). For more information please visit:
Transport application and policy
Disabled Students Allowance
For young people with an EHCP who are considering moving on to university study, more details can be found by visiting the government information pages.
Supported Internship
Supported internships are individualised study programmes which are delivered by Wiltshire College and Fairfield College, with support from Wiltshire College job coaches. They help young people gain practical experience and work skills to give them a realistic chance of getting paid employment.
For more information please visit:
Supported Internship information
Traineeship
A traineeship is a skills development programme that includes a work placement. It can last from 6 weeks up to 1 year, though most Traineeships last for less than 6 months.
For more information please visit:
Apprenticeship
Apprenticeships combine practical training in a job with study. Apprenticeships take 1 to 4 years to complete depending on their level.
As an apprentice you will:
- Work alongside experienced staff
- Gain job-specific skills
- Earn a wage and get holiday pay
- Study towards a related qualification (usually one day a week)
For more information please visit:
Travel information for employment
In preparation for adulthood, it is expected that the majority of young people beyond the age of 16 will travel independently to their place of work. There will be a small number who, after travel training, require further assistance.
A travel scheme called Access To Work is available, for more information on this you can visit the government website: Access to work
The following section has a range of people you can talk to who you can discuss your personal needs with.
Help, and more information
Wiltshire Employment Support Team
The Wiltshire Employment Support Team (WEST) assists young people into finding and sustaining varying levels of paid employment with local employers. This ranges from job coaching to advice about financial support.
For more information please visit:
Community Connecting
The Community Connecting team assist people to find out more about their local community and how they can access some of the following. They provide a time limited service; with the aim of working with the customer so they are able to find, take part in their chosen community activity and to do this independently.
- Finding voluntary work
- Socialising
- Further Education; including College courses and other training opportunities
- Using their community facilities to do things that they enjoy
- Travel training
- And much more
For more information please visit:
Jobcentre Plus
Jobcentre Plus is a claims support service for people who receive benefits like Employment Support Allowance, Income Support, Universal Credit or Jobseekers allowance.
For more information please visit:
Advocacy Services
Advocacy services are designed to give you impartial support in a range of situations. This may be to help formalise a child or young persons voice in a discussion or decision making process. They are also a key aspect of mediation and legal proceedings when required.
For further details please visit:
Personal budget
A personal budget is the money Wiltshire Council allocates to an individual to meet their assessed support needs.
An outcome based assessment will be carried out to establish an approximate figure for how much the council would need to spend to meet an individual's needs.
Types of personal budget:
- A personal SEN budget is a sum of money made available to an educational setting by a local council, above and beyond the basic funding settings receive for all children and young people (top up funding), to allow them to meet a child or young person's educational need. This budget will be used to support a child or young person to achieve pre-agreed educational outcomes. The need for a personal budget is considered as part of the statutory assessment. If you have questions about this you can talk to your lead worker if you have one, or call our single point of contact.
You can read the policy information and further guidance on personal budgets in the document library.
Access to work
Access to Work can help you get or stay in work if you have a physical or mental health condition or disability.
The support you get will depend on your needs. Through Access to Work, you can apply for:
- a grant to help pay for practical support with your work
- support with managing your mental health at work
- money to pay for communication support at job interviews
Further information about funding support that may be available can be be found by visiting:
For schools, parents, and other commissioners of alternative provision
Alternative provision (AP) refers to something in which a learner participates: As part of their regular timetable, away from the site of the school and not led by school staff or by parents.
AP can be 'Commissioned' by schools/ parents/ carers and learners who have been given a budget to manage their educational needs.
Commissioners refers to: Schools or parents of a learner and/or learner, who has been granted a personal budget to meet the outcomes detailed in the learner's EHCP Note. While schools can commission alternative provision for any learner at risk of exclusion or to reengage learners in their education, only those parents/learners who have a personal budget can commission Alternative Provision.
Each educational establishment will have a strategy to support SEN learners and may use their budget in different ways, if they access AP it will be to choose available provision best suited to the individuals needs where possible. For learners with an EHCP there may be additional budget allocated to allow for specific support dependent on reviewing the learners needs. This can be discussed in annual reviews or during initial evaluations. EHCPs always include a section for the voice of parent/carers and the individual to suggest support they feel might benefit them, these suggestions are taken seriously and included with discussions around the plan.
Wiltshire Council has a directory which can be found via Right Choice of providers which have had a level of quality assurance vetting, this helps commissioners get a head start but does not replace the commissioner responsibilities (information can be found in the AP guide). The directory is not definitive, if you have links with a provider that you might like to work with and they are not listed on the Wiltshire Approved Alternative Provision directory, please ask the provider to contact alternativeprovision@wiltshire.gov.uk for further details.
The most up to date information and support can always be found on the platform for Wiltshire SEN professionals, Right Choice: Alternative Provision resources.
Email alternativeprovision@wiltshire.gov.uk to answer any further questions not covered by the Right Choice materials.
Sensory needs can be difficulties with any sense. It is most commonly difficulties with vision or hearing. However, especially among children and young people with autistic spectrum disorders, it can also include challenges with sense of touch or reaction to strong smells or noise levels.
Social, emotional and mental health needs relates to how children and young people respond to situations and environments they find themselves in and how they form and maintain relationships.
Cognitive and learning needs relates to how a child or young person understands, processes and retains information and therefore, how they are able, or struggle, to learn. For example those with dyslexia.
Communication and interaction needs relates to how a child or young person expresses themselves and communicates with those around them. It is most commonly associated with challenges speaking, but can also include children and young people who struggle to express or understand their emotions or to make it clear how they feel.
Physical and medical needs are those associated with a child's or young person's body or health. This is most commonly associated with challenges in movement or independent personal care. However, it may include a range of illnesses, or bodily difficulties that affect a child or young person in a setting.
The Specialist SEN Service (SSENS) is a team of Specialist Advisory Teachers, supporting children and young people as part of Wiltshire Council's 0-25 SEND Service. We specialise in practical and realistic teaching and learning strategies which are underpinned by current educational research. Each Specialist Advisory Teacher has extensive experience and has undertaken specialist training.
We help schools and settings understand and meet the needs of children and young people with identified or suspected special educational needs and/or disabilities. All of the SSENS Team are expert and enthusiastic about minimising the impact of additional learning needs in the classroom.
You can read more by visiting the services home page, they also have a resource area with learning guidance helpful to parents/ carers and professionals:
- Sensory Impairment - Physical or Medical (Word doc) [39KB] (opens new window)
- Sensory Impairment - Visual (Word doc) [18KB] (opens new window)
- Sensory Impairment - Hearing (Word doc) [40KB] (opens new window)
- Behavioural support
- Educational psychology (Word doc) [24KB] (opens new window)
- Educational welfare
- Speech and language therapy
Information and links for professionals and parents regarding SEND educational placements in Wiltshire.
For more information please visit:
Jargon Buster
Advice and support
Growing up and Moving on
Transitions
EHCP
Travel
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