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Transition from child to adult services 

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Under Scottish law, a young person becomes an adult on their 16th birthday. That means families no longer have the legal right to take decisions or act on their behalf – even if they believe the young person doesn’t fully understand their situation or can’t reliably communicate their wishes. 


When your child turns 16, the benefits they claim – and those you claim for them – may change. Contact has set out a guide to the changes here: https://contact.org.uk/help-for-families/information-advice-services/benefits-financial-help/benefits-at-16/ 


There are a few transition tools to help provide information on the post school transition options for any young person moving from child services into adult life. It is suggested that planning starts 2 – 3 years before they plan to leave school. 



  • ARC Scotland have three versions of their digital Compass tool which helps provide information and options, for young people, for parents and carers, and one for professionals. Registration is required but the tools are then free and in the parent version you can add multiple children. These can be found here: https://compasslaunch.scot/ 

You can apply for the legal right to manage someone else’s Social Security Scotland awards. This is known as becoming their ‘appointee’. If you have a Guardianship order then you don’t also need to apply to be an appointee but you need to provide Social Security Scotland with the evidence that this exists. More information can be found here: https://www.mygov.scot/acting-on-behalf-of-someone-applying-for-benefits 

Parent Carers Legal Support (PCLS) is a specialist law firm set up to help parents and carers through the guardianship process. Their website is here: https://pcls.org.uk/ 


They also run training courses and have created a parent guide on guardianship: Parent guide 


Your application needs to include a list of the powers you need to allow you to look after your young person. 


Courts will not consider guardianship applications until three months prior to a child’s 16th birthday, so the best time to start the process is after the child’s 15th birthday. It takes two to three months for a Guardianship application to be prepared and submitted which is only started after Legal Aid is granted (note not all solicitors offer Legal Aid so it is worth confirming this with them to avoid any large legal bills). Guardians are usually appointed for three years so the full process needs to be completed every three years. 

The Independent Living Fund (ILF) Scotland offer a transition fund helps young disabled people in Scotland with the transition after leaving school or children’s services. Open to people between 16 to 25, offering up to £4,000 in funding. You can only apply for the fund once, and it takes roughly 12 weeks to be processed. The online application can be found here, and needs a supporting confirmation of disability template to be completed by a professional: https://ilf.scot/transition-fund/how-can-i-apply/ 


They also offer a technology grant to provide a 10.9‑inch Apple iPad, keyboard, cover and pencil to help them get online: https://ilf.scot/transition-fund/technology-grant/ 

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