Residential special colleges, any ideas?

[vjg13]

My daughter is a teenager and her current special school goes up to age 19. I was hoping for ideas and experiences of what young people have done at age 19 and beyond.

I currently think I would like her to go to a weekly residential college if that kind of thing still exists and the relevant people can be persuaded to pay.

TIA

I believe it is increasingly difficult to get funding for further education. We have a local private college and pupils are getting funding for part-time places only. I think it is only until they are 21 so then it's day centres and....day centres

I have heard that it is easier if your DC has significant health needs as Health will fund. I could be wrong though

By the way, I have started a thread in the Teenagers with SN section about transition for young people with severe learning disabilities if that is any use to you

Thanks for that, I'll pop over there now.

Ambitious about Autism have a Finished at School campaign on this issue running and may have ideas on their website.
I know there was a really unhelpful court case recently which confirmed statements could not continue post 19 so it is a cliff young adults fall off.
Worth getting in touch with social services - if the care package needed post 19 was sufficiently expensive they may fund residential.
Locally they are pushing everyone to the local FE college on a day basis whether there are suitable courses or not.
Another bit of advice I heard recently (from a s/w) was to put young persons name down on housing list as if you are not living at home and cannot live independently then council may have duty to house and again that can lead to residential placements being considered.

DS went to one of these residential FE Colleges

[http://www.priorygroup.com/Personal-Site/Education-Services-and-Fostering/Overview.aspx]]
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www.priorygroup.com/Personal-Site/Education-Services-and-Fostering/Overview.aspx

OP, have you checked NATSPEC website? There are colleges like that around, I know a few families whose children attended and have had good reports.

my daughter started at residential college last september, it takes about a year to get all funding in place. it has to be funded 3 ways social services fund the care, medical fund treatments etc, education fund courses, you have to do lots of paperwork, then you have to get a college to assess and agree to offer a place, we tried 7 colleges and only one would assess dd for a place. then you have to beg for the funding paperwork to start being done, and it has to go to panel to be agreed,long process and these colleges go from 16-21,

AgnesDiPesto, that is my worry about a local college that will be totally unsuitable. Interesting about the housing list idea, I would consider that in the future.

Nightcat, thanks for suggesting that website, it looks really useful.

WetAugust, My daughter has general learning difficulties so I don't think would fit the criteria for the Priory Group.

Davidsotherhalf, I had heard about the funding being split and can only begin to imagine how hard that must be to deal with. How old was your daughter when you began the process and how old when she started? Does she like it and do you feel it's the right choice for her?

dd was 16 1/2 when we had an assessment done and they recomended residential college, she started college 4 weeks before her 18th birthday, it's the best thing that's happened to dd, she is more confident and can do more for herself now, in her words.....i fit in!!! i'm not a feak anymore!!! i have friends!!!......i can't believe the social life she has now, they go to the pub, cinema, clubbing, out for meals, she's a party animal lol......this time last year she couldn't go out of the door,

That sounds wonderful.

Is the plan for her to stay until 21. I noticed on some of the websites that some colleges go up to 25.

dd got funding for 3yrs, but we have to apply every year, we have to show she's making progress, i saw the figures the college sent out and i was shocked, it's £175000 a year, i didn't think we had a chance of getting funding for this amount. we had to get a lot of assessments done before we could even look at residential college, local college had to assess her and say they couldn't meet her needs first, if local college could meet her needs we didn't stand a chance of funding.

Davidsotherhalf, I have pm'd you as currently looking for my ds and have some specific questions..

Also, just wondered what were the reasons that some of the colleges declined to assess your dd?

I just started at parkanuar college in castlecaufield I like it where you meet new friends and all I felt happy