Preparation - What this means for Lewis and his family

Alice arranges to meet with Julie at the family home to explain the care and support planning process. It means that Lewis’ aunt Sue can be present as she is an important person in his life.

They use a relationship map to identify the most important people in Lewis’s life, including the professionals, who support him and Alice contacts them to gain the relevant information. They also use a preparation booklet to prepare for the conversation about his care and support

Lewis can become anxious around groups of people so they decide that the best place to have the conversation meeting would be at Lewis’ short break service. The meeting is arranged for the next morning before school. Alice explains that she will be gathering the information required including whether Lewis is eligible for a personal budget.

Preparation by Lewis and his family:

Before the preparation meeting, Julie collects information using the preparation booklet. Alice, Julie, Sue and the transition social worker use the headings in the preparation booklet to gather information about what is important to Lewis and what is and isn’t working. They also talk about some of the concerns for the future, such as what will happen when Lewis can no longer access his current short break service and how he will achieve more independence as an adult.

Preparation by the practitioner:

The team coordinator Alice talks to the children’s social work team about Lewis’s current package of care, an assessment for a personal budget and what money could be available to Lewis and his family to use as a direct payment.

Alice speaks to Lewis’s transition social worker to find out her perspective and checks with Lewis’ school as well.  Lewis is due to have an Education, Health and Care plan (EHCP) so Alice speaks to the Special Educational Needs team to make sure that the information in his care and support plan can be used to develop it.