The Road Ahead – Literature review

1. Introduction

This report is about the information needs of young people with learning difficulties and their families at transition to adulthood. It summarises key themes from the UK literature (journal articles, magazine articles, conference and research reports, books, and unpublished documents) about the process and experience of transition for young people with learning difficulties and their families. It also draws out key areas of information need for young people and families in the form of a list of topic areas and questions at the end of each main section.

The literature review is just one part of a wider project called The Road Ahead, commissioned by SCIE (Social Care Institute for Excellence) from the Norah Fry Research Centre (University of Bristol) in collaboration with the Home Farm Trust and North Somerset People First. The aim of the project was to find out what young people with learning difficulties and their families wanted from a website about transition. The work involved extensive consultation with young people and families, as well as a review of existing resources for young people, families and supporters.

Appendix A gives more details of The Road Ahead? project; Appendix B outlines the search strategies used for this literature review.