Surrey Schools Youth Transition Fair takes place Oct. 23
Families of students who are Community Living BC-eligible, in BASES or have diverse abilities are invited to come to this year’s Youth Transition Fair to learn more about support services available to their child once they leave school.
Hosted by Surrey Schools, the annual transitions fair is a touchpoint for families to connect with agencies and support services that provide support and resources for individuals with developmental disabilities once they’ve left the kindergarten to Grade 12 school system.
“Many people don’t know there are a lot of support services out there for adults, and a lot of families worry ‘What will happen to my child after high school, what is there out there for them?’” said inclusive education helping teacher Greg England.
To help with those connections, about a dozen post-secondary institutions, social service and community resource groups will be on hand to meet with families.
Depending on individual needs, England said services can run the gamut of supported housing and care, to job coaching, employment support or other assistance.
“Sometimes the only thing holding an individual back from independence is getting through that job search and interview process, so there are aids in place for that,” he said, noting the top concerns for families are typically employment, support funding and long-term support.
“A lot of parents worry who will take care of my son or child when I’m not able to and so part of this fair is getting them setup to understand how the funding works and where the services are.”
England said families should consider thinking and planning for that transition into adulthood as soon as their child begins secondary school.
“Once kids are in Grade 8 you might want to start that vision of thinking how to build independence and what that looks like,” he said. “If you start early, you can take those five years of high school and build towards a specific goal.”
While many of the adult supports for youth don’t begin until they turn 19, England noted families may not want leave things until the last minute, as many can be applied for at 16-years-old.
“It can be a long planning process for some of these resources and so the earlier you begin, the better equipped you’ll be for when your child leaves the system after Grade 12.”
The 2023 Youth Transition Fair is open to the public and takes place Monday, Oct. 23 between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. at the Surrey Schools Resource Education Centre, Room #304, 14123 92 Ave.
Anyone interested in learning more can contact Greg England at 604-595-5359 or england_g@surreyschools.ca.
