Preparing for Adulthood

Focusing on four pathways: employment, independent living, good health, and friends, family and community.

Support from the PfA programme has changed

Although the Preparing for Adulthood (PfA) contract came to an end in March 2022, the National Development Team for Inclusion (NDTi) will continue to work with the Department for Education (DfE) as part of the Targeted Support to Local Areas offering PfA where this has been identified as a significant need. See further details on our partner’s page here.

We no longer have funding to continue to run the website, social media or helpline. We know how much the resources are valued, so we have saved a selection of popular tools and guides from the PfA website onto a dedicated area on NDTi's website here. If you are adding links to your own resources or webpages, we suggest that you use NDTi's website as those links will remain active.

If you are seeking a PfA referral or want to discuss the local offer, we recommend contact your area's PfA or Transitions team; contact details will be listed on the Local Authority’s website.

For further information about the support NDTi can offer Local Areas around both PfA and SEND Leadership, please contact office@ndti.org.uk

About the national PfA programme

Until March 2022, Preparing for Adulthood was part of the Delivering Better Outcomes Together (DBOT) team which is a consortium of Mott Macdonald, NDTi and the Council for Disabled Children. The project was funded by the DfE.

The Preparing for Adulthood programme was designed and delivered by NDTi to bring together a wide range of expertise and experience of working with young people with special educational needs and disabilities and their families, at a local and national level and across government, to support young people into adulthood with paid employment, good health, independent living and friends, relationships and community inclusion.

During the course of our contract with the DfE, the PfA worked closely with regional SEND leads and the Department for Education and other partners. In this time we helped to identify the following key messages to support four pathways to ensure young people with special educational needs and disabilities have improved life chances.

• Personalise your approach - develop a personalised approach to all aspects of support using person centred practices, personal budgets and building communities.
• Develop a shared vision of improving life chances with young people, families and all key partners.
• Improve post-16 options and support - develop post-16 options and support that lead to employment, independent living, good health, friends, relationships and community inclusion.
• Raise aspirations - raise aspirations for a fulfilling adult life, by sharing clear information about what has already worked for others.