Preparing for Adulthood: A Guide for Young People

As young people move into adulthood, it’s essential they feel empowered, informed, and supported. Imagine entering this new chapter with a “backpack” filled with everything needed to navigate the journey ahead. This backpack symbolizes the skills, knowledge, and resources young people need to thrive: an understanding of themselves and their unique needs, the confidence to make informed choices, and the wisdom to seek support when it’s needed.

If we want full life participation for our children, then what happens in childhood truly matters. The experiences, skills, and relationships they build now lay the foundation for future independence. Recognizing this, families and caregivers can help by fostering self-advocacy skills, resilience, and an understanding of personal needs and available supports.

A common concern for families is the transition of support services when a child moves from paediatric to adult care. Instead of feeling overwhelmed or fearful about this change, there are proactive steps you can take to help your child prepare. Transition is not a single point in time but a process, one that should ideally begin as early as 14 years old to ensure a smooth path to adulthood. Starting early allows for thoughtful planning, skill-building, and the gradual transfer of responsibility to the young person, so they feel more confident and prepared.

One of the first steps toward empowerment is learning to understand one’s own condition or challenges. With self-awareness comes the ability to make informed decisions and speak up when necessary. It’s about knowing when to ask for help, where to find that support, and feeling confident in your ability to advocate for your own well-being. Learning these skills now helps build resilience and independence for the future. This is the period to get used to ‘owning’ one’s own health and wellbeing, starting to build healthy habits and being proactive about getting the help one needs.

Importantly, no one has to face this transition alone. There is a community ready and eager to support each step of the way.

This is why we’ve created an animation that brings these ideas to life, offering a visual guide and encouragement for the road ahead. We hope it serves as a reminder that resources, support, and understanding are always within reach, helping to make the path to adulthood a bit more navigable and a lot less daunting.

 

Rio Boothe is 19, studying Sport Business at Liverpool John Moores University. He is also an aspiring Paralympian. He tells us his story.

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Scarlett Murray is a 22 year-old mother of one, and a talented writer who blogs about her experiences of living with Cerebral Palsy. Her form of CP is left-sided hemiphlegia. She tells us her story.

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Young woman with little girl (Scarlett Murray and daughter)

Clive Gilbert is a leading policy expert on assistive technology for disabled people, drawing in part, on his own experiences living with Cerebral Palsy. He tells us his story.

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Man using assistive technology (Clive Gilbert)