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Transitional

Also known as “New Horizons”, our Transition Programme gives those who are transitioning from children’s to adult services the help and support they need to settle in and make new friends. We offer evening, weekend and holiday activities for individuals aged 18-25 years old, as well as annual respite breaks.

There are separate groups for those who need a higher level of disability support and those who just need a little help to build new friendships.

Our transition services aim to:

  • Build and maintain friendships
  • Support integration into the community
  • Provide a wide choice of activities, opportunities and breaks
  • Create an inclusive environment for all abilities
  • Achieve and celebrate goals together
  • Build confidence and skills to use in everyday life
  • Encourage a healthy, active and fun lifestyle

You can access our transition services through:

  • Your social worker
  • Contacting us directly

Our Transition services are priced by the hour and depend on the level of support that you will need. This ranges from Level 1 (low level needs that require little assistance to enjoy a social life and minimal support with money and safety) to Level 5 support (for someone with very high needs and challenging behaviour where there might be a risk of theft, self-harm, absconding or serious medical attention).

How you can pay:

  • Using a personal budget or direct payments.
  • Your social worker can directly commission hours for you to spend with us.
  • You can use your own money and fund yourself.

We cannot tell you what AWF means to us as a family – a lifeline, a light in the dark. Something that has offered our daughter equality, to have a social life and really support us as a family.

I just cannot thank you enough for taking K my daughter so that she could have fun with her friends on holiday in Milton Keynes, […] it made her extremely happy.

Selfishly for me it gave my wife a much sought after period of respite exhausted after 16 years of constant care. Complete respite is dependent upon the knowledge that your child is in safe professional caring hands. The ‘about with friends’ staff impress me because they display such enthusiastic vocational attitudes towards their care.

I’ve got my life back

This is the best transition I have had for a student in the whole five years I have taught 6th formers!

I always have a smile on my face after a day with the members of the team. They are all individuals and each, in their own way, bring joy to my life. They are all much appreciated and I enjoy the gardening of course!

Many thanks again for J’s lovely break in Derbyshire with About with Friends. He really enjoyed himself, had loads of fun and told us all about the cable cars, stepping stones, cinema, meals out, etc.! We would be very grateful if you could pass on our sincere thanks to all the staff who organised the holiday and supported our youngsters to enable them to have such a wonderful time. We are also very grateful as we, ourselves, were able to enjoy a short break in Paris, which was wonderful and recharged our batteries!

Having spent many years in school with little improvements in I’s behaviour and speech, in just a few weeks with you the improvements in both areas are plain to see. Please continue as you are, as life at the moment for us as a family is greatly improved because of your input.

Over the last five years I have had a fortnightly, 2 hour designated gardening slot. I highly value your service and ethos.

About with Friends and you particularly, have done some great work with excellent outcomes for D. I was particularly pleased to hear that you are working on integration with the Youth Group as I felt he would miss out on peer interaction if he didn’t come to college.

Just a short note to thank you all for your help with our daughter. she has spent many years at school with little improvement in her behaviour and speech, yet in just a few weeks she has been with you guys the improvements in both areas are plain to see.

I am not sure what the different methods used are but please continue as you are, as life at the moment for us as a family is greatly improved because of your input.

We are very aware of her complex needs and how she can change like the wind but we will continue to enjoy the fruits of your labours.