Transition from Children's Services to Adult Services

Day services / opportunities

Day services/opportunities provide structured support people with a Learning Disabilities.  Access to these services will require social work funding following a social work assessment to ensure eligibility criteria is met and to identify the service(s) that will best meet the young person's care needs. 

Cherry Road (Midlothian Council)

Cherry Road is a centre for adults with learning disabilities to access services, facilities and activities.

People can choose from a wide range of learning and developmental opportunities. All activities are based on identified interests and take place within environments conducive to the individual i.e. in quiet spaces or at key times of the day. Cherry Road are open to exploring many ways of working in order to meet the different needs and interests of people with complex learning disabilities. 

The Team support people to maintain existing skills and friendships and also to have individual or shared meaningful experiences ……………and of course FUN!!!

Young Community Access Team (YCATS) (Midlothian Council)

YCATs is a community based day service at various community venues. YCATs use person-centred, community-based and human rights approaches to work with young adults with learning disabilities. The service specialises in supporting the transition of young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 from school to adult services.

YCATs offers a range of activities that are tailored to the individual interests and needs of each participant, including dance, ball sports, boccia, work experience at the Penicuik Storehouse, bike rides, supported travel training, education through the Skills Accreditation Programme offered by Borders College, and cooking healthy meals. YCATs programme enables young adults to reach their full potential, with good quality support built around their individual needs and outcomes. The service uses community resources such as libraries, leisure centres, and local businesses to provide a program of activities. Special activities such as outings to places of interest, bowling, and cinema are also arranged to promote social interaction and community participation.

Garvald Midlothian

Garvald believe everyone is unique, has value and the potential to grow. Garvald aim to create a supportive community, built around individual value, mutual respect, and fun. Garvald deliver first-class care and a level of support that gives their members the confidence to learn new things, develop life skills and independence, and push themselves further.

Garvald working environments provide meaning, structure and stability. They offer calm spaces that nourishes the senses and develop a feeling of community that may otherwise be difficult for members to experience. Garvald work with members to set their own goals and gain more control over their lives.

There are a wide variety of workshops, offering members quality and choice. Alongside making handcrafted products, members build transferable skills and receive recognition for their work. This approach empowers members through the community they become part of and the things they create and do.

The Mayfield House service was established in 2014 and has six activity groups: Kitchen Group, Garden and Outdoor Craft Groups, Art and Printmaking Studio, Textiles Studio, Jewellery Studio, and Pottery Studio. Garvald also offer a range of opt-in opportunities and activities including walking groups, swimming, boccia, drama group, music and signing groups, sign-along group, exercise movement groups, dance, meditation and relaxation, field trips, storytelling, Eurythmy, festivals…

Teens+ (Transitional Educational Extra Needs Support)

Teens+ is a transitional education day service designed for young adults who are not quite ready to take the step into post school education, work or to a new home.  The person-centred programme works with the needs and aspirations of the students to help them thrive.

Teens+ provide a range of education and therapeutic disciplines to support the students and their families to learn new skills and approaches. 

The team of speech and language therapists, education tutors and occupational therapists work alongside the highly experienced project workers to build an extensive individual learning plan, tailored for each student. Teens+ work with students across four centres in four communities to create opportunities for learning and development in a range of settings.

Teens+ - Next Steps Programme

Next Steps is a guided extension of Teens+ that enables young people with additional complex needs to develop skills & explore new experiences and discover what independence can look like for them. 

This is achieved by providing opportunities tailored to their interests and life goals. Whether it’s getting a job, doing their own shopping, or learning new skills that enhance their everyday lives, the possibilities with Next Steps are endless.

Next Steps has created opportunities for social inclusion and building a network to provide young people with access to new skills and training opportunities that fit with their interests and goals in life.

Thera (Outreach)

Thera (Scotland) support a group of young people who meet at Bright Sparks in Bonnyrigg every Monday to Thursday for outreach support from 10-4pm (times can be flexible).

The young people benefit from shared support and one-to-one support, where there is an assessed need and can choose to take part in group activities or go out and about in the community to visit places of interest.

Each of the young people are encouraged to plan their chosen activities weekly, this includes life skills, cooking, budgeting, travelling around their local areas by bus, the playing pool, gaming ,football, artwork, sports events. The young people have achieved positive outcomes and really enjoy the supportive environment, they have developed positive relationships with each other and the dedicated staff team.

UpMo Midlothian

UpMo provide day support and opportunities for adults with disabilities.  At UpMo, staff help adults to develop their potential with a range of creative and educational workshops – including Art and Design, IT and Digital Skills, Outdoor Learning, Health and Wellbeing, Employability and Performance Arts.  UpMo have a small nurturing service in Gorebridge, based at The Hive community project.  There students learn skills through a range of activities including visual art, outdoor learning / gardening, sport & leisure, cooking and life skills.  They work in partnership with a range of other providers including Duke of Edinburgh and Into the Music.

YAS (Young Adult Service)

Young Adults Services (YAS) is provided by the LASC Childcare Services Ltd. The YAS service is for young adults with additional support needs from the ages of 16 until 25 years old. They operate Monday to Saturday and are registered to care for 12 young adults per day between the hours of 9-3pm.

The mission at YAS is to empower service users to thrive in a vibrant, supportive community where every day is an opportunity for growth, joy, and self-discovery on their individual transition path. Their vision is enhancing the quality of life of service users by offering person centred approach in all aspects of care provided. To champion the unique needs of young adults envisioning a future where they flourish in both safety and excitement whilst gaining a strong sense of belonging, embracing their individuality, and unlocking their full potential whilst fostering lifelong skills and confidence.

They encourage and support the young adult’s interests and hobbies, and build up a relationship with the parents/ carers to include them in planning for the services as well as getting feedback on what they would like to achieve.

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