Bridging the gap: transitional safeguarding

Transitional safeguarding

Transitional safeguarding is an evidence-informed approach that seeks to bridge these divides—not just move people from children’s to adult’s services. It recognises that risk doesn’t change abruptly when a child becomes an adult, and that we must think more broadly about our responsibilities to support their needs.

For practitioners, this means they must navigate grey areas of responsibility, challenge age-based thresholds and provide relationship-based, trauma-informed support to young people.

To work effectively within this framework, practitioners first need a strong understanding of what transitional safeguarding is and how it applies in practice. This includes recognising the particular risks and vulnerabilities that young people face as they move into adulthood. These risks often intersect, creating complex circumstances that require sensitive, joined-up and sustained responses.

A clear grasp of the legislative, policy and guidance landscape is also essential. Practitioners must be confident in how the Children Act 1989 and the Care Act 2014 interact, and how these frameworks can be used to support young people as they move between services. Understanding the boundaries and overlaps of these laws helps ensure that care and protection remain consistent during this critical period.

Transitional safeguarding relies on effective partnerships between children’s and adults’ safeguarding teams, and with colleagues in health, education, housing, criminal justice and the voluntary sector. Practitioners need to be able to share information appropriately, plan together and coordinate interventions that reflect the whole person rather than the service they sit within.

Central to all of this is a commitment to empowering young people to participate meaningfully in decisions about their lives. Practitioners must ensure that their voices are heard, their rights are respected and their perspectives shape the support they receive. 

SCIE’s work

SCIE’s transitional safeguarding course helps practitioners build the knowledge, confidence and skills needed to put these principles into practice. 

Our first course brought together practitioners from a wide range of localities and organisations, each bringing experience, commitment and a determination to make change happen. Participants explored the challenges inherent in working across this age span and began to identify ways of bridging divides in systems and services. The session fostered open, constructive discussion about ethics, equity and engagement, highlighting how collaboration and shared purpose can drive progress in transitional safeguarding practice.