Chamber and committees

That is helpful.

Perhaps Gary Somers will comment on any additional conditions for Highland Council.

There will be an opportunity to expand on some of those challenges as the session goes on, but, first, I will sort of flip it and ask the panel to say briefly how they would define a successful transition for an individual. We acknowledge that our children and young people will be very different from one another and that success will look different for everyone, but how would panel members define a successful transition? How should we be measuring whether we are getting it right for the wider cohort as well as for individuals?

Yes, I recognise the challenge of sharing information between different administrative or IT systems. However, we also heard from a parent about a case meeting for a handover for her young person from children’s services to adult health services. Despite everyone being in the room, the action that was agreed and planned did not continue, so it is probably not always that structural thing about IT, although I understand the challenges around that.

I am keen to bring in Dr Stark for her reflections on those points.

Occupational therapists work in a variety of environments, and your members will be able to reflect on how well—or otherwise—that works. Do you have anything to say about how collaboration and co-ordination can give the best outcomes for young people?

That is a helpful point.

Thank you. Can you give me a bit more on the availability of services? Is it that the available services are not the ones that the young people want? You spoke about their not having the same choices as other children and young people.

I am also interested to hear that, although the guidance says that the planning should start at 16, it actually starts only about six months before they leave school. Can you talk more about that as well, please?

Thank you, convener. I welcome the witnesses. I am not sure whether you saw the first evidence session. I intend to open with the same questions I asked the first panel of witnesses, around transitions to adult services. What are the key barriers to supporting those better outcomes that we all want for children and young people as they move into adult services? That question is for Dr Joshi first.

Okay.

A lot of that—personalities, training, leadership—is about culture rather than legislation or even guidance. How do you reflect on that?