The fourth Annual Paces Seminar was provided by Paces which is a Sheffield-based specialist centre for children with cerebral palsy and other motor disorders, in partnership with Action Cerebral Palsy, a UK charity which works to improve outcomes for children and young people with cerebral palsies and their families.

The audience included parents of children with cerebral palsy, policy makers, educators and service delivery managers. The seminar brought together specialists in their respective fields, including staff from NOCN who presented recent findings from the educational charity’s innovative study programme ‘Pathways to Adulthood’.

The NOCN presentation was delivered by Jane Jones, Deputy MD/Director of Business Development and Thalia Sparke, Pathways to Adulthood Consultant. They introduced the Pathways programme which is designed to help young people with a range of learning/physical, disabilities/difficulties to become more independent through a structured approach, tailored to each individual with achievable and meaningful outcomes.

Pathways to Adulthood was recently run as a pilot programme over a year and in different contexts including residential settings, specialist schools and community work placements. Evidence collected included videos, interviews, and questionnaires, all of which showed it is effective in providing individualised programmes of support for young adults with a range of disabilities and difficulties, helping them achieve positive and measurable outcomes. The main messages from the NOCN presentation were:

• Paces is offering Pathways to Adulthood this year to support learners with Cerebral Palsy
• NOCN understands that learners are individuals and have to be regarded holistically
• NOCN wants to help learners transition into adulthood and lead meaningful lives

Following the presentation there was considerable interest to learn more about Pathways to Adulthood. In order to meet this demand NOCN is providing three briefing sessions to explain the programme concept, structure, resources and outcomes for those who are interested in providing the programme. These events are as follows:

• Manchester 14 November
• Birmingham 21 November
• Newcastle - 22 November

To attend one of these events, get in touch and register your interest by either emailing sarah.whitham@nocn.org.uk, use our contact form or call 0114 227 0500.