The student section of the resource has not been completed.
A rough outline of the content is included below.
So what are you going to do after school?
Thinking about life after school is sometimes both exciting and scary.
It can also be a lot of fun as you think about all the:
- new people you will meet;
- new things you will do; and
- new places you will go.
All this is called 'transition' - as you change from an adolescent into an adult.
It is rather like

Getting your L-plates…
(Must have licensed driver in car with you)

then P-plates …
(Can drive on your own. Zero alcohol limit)
before you can drive away into the future.
(Driving independently without P-Plates)
Stop!
Planning for life after school is similar to learning to drive.
It takes time and at different stages you have different levels of responsibility.
Also, just like being in a car with a learner driver, your family may think that it is pretty risky!
To make a smooth transition to adult life it helps to have a transition plan.
What is a transition plan?
A transition plan is about looking ahead and planning for your future.
It is a bit like using a road map
- Making decisions about where you want to go.
- Working out where to start.
- Making a plan about how are you going to get there.
Step 1
Inquire - Where do I want to go?
The first step is deciding where you want to go.
You need to think about your goals, hopes, dreams etc.
- What do I want/need in my future?
- How do I learn best?
- What do I want to learn?
- What do I do well?
- How will I get there?
- What do I need to do now?
- What do I need help with?
- What do I need to do next?
Step 2
Plan - Putting together a plan for building my future
Who will I have on my team?
You need to think about what people may be able help you reach your goals - You need a team!
Talking about your goals, hopes and dreams with the people on your team is essential to working out your plan (or roadmap)
People on your transition team can support you in setting your goals and planning for you future.
Your planning team should have at least 2 members. We suggest that you don't have more than 8 members in the team (including you) as a large group is harder to manage.
You and you family are responsible for picking the most appropriate people to be on your team.
Answer the questions below to help you decide who the best members for your team:
- Who knows me best?
- Who do I trust?
- Who do I go to for advice and support?
- Who would I like to help me with my transition from school to adult life?
- How can these people help me?
Some key people for you team include:
- You
- Your family
- School staff
Here is a list of other people that you may want to consider including in your team:
- Careers Advisers
- Carers (paid and unpaid)
- Coaches
- College Course Advisers
- Community Advocate
- Community Agency staff
- Counsellors
- Co-workers
- Dentists
- Disability Employment Network staff
- Doctors
- Employers
- Fitness Instructors
- Friends & their family
- Grandparents
- Inclusion Support Staff
- Local Area Coordinators
- Local Community Partners
- Mentors
- Neighbours
- Parents/Guardians
- Pastoral Care
- Psychiatrists
- Relatives / Extended Family members (Uncles, Aunts, cousins etc.)
- School Chaplains
- School Counsellors
- School support staff
- School Teacher Aides
- Siblings (brothers & sisters)
- Social Workers
- Spiritual/Cultural mentors
- Student Peers
- TAFE Disability Liaison Officers
- Teachers
- Team-mates
- Therapists
- Transition Support Teacher
- Transport providers
- Tutors
- VET / ASBA Coordinators
- Work Experience Coordinators
- Youth Workers
Who will be on my team?
How will I ask them?
When and where will I meet them?
Transition Planning Team - Contact Information Template
What will my plan include?
Your plan will be unique to you.
Actively participating in the discussions and decisions will make sure that it reflects who you are and what you want for your future.
This also means you are responsible for completing the steps and achieving the goals you've set in your Transition Plan.
Decide:
- What steps or actions to take?
- Who will work together on each task/action?
- How will we do each task/action?
- How can we tell if the task/action/plan is working?
- When will each task/action be completed?
Planning notes template
I am now Road Ready!
Step 3
Implement - Put the transition plan into action
Step 4
Review - How is the plan working?
- What have we achieved?
- What have we tried?
- What didn't work?
- What do we need do next?
- What else do I want to learn?
- Am I on track?
- Is this the right road? (Do I know how to ask for directions?)
- How do I cope with the bumps in the road? (Can I fix the flat tire?)
- What do I need to change?
Quite often we think we have a great plan to get from A to B, but then something happens that may make us change our mind.
Plans can change over time and we need to make sure that we review our plans to make sure that they still fit in with what we want to achieve.
Example:
If you want to learn about managing your money, you may decide to go to learn about it at school.
So you plan to catch the bus from home and go to school.
After a while, you discover that you can still learn about managing money at school, but that it might also be a good idea to put what you are learning into practice. You decide to do this by getting involved with planning the family's weekly food shop.
This means still going to school but also setting aside time with your family to decide what groceries to buy, work out the budget and maybe going out and buy the food
Plans do change!
Be sure to review your plans and adjust them to make sure that they are still getting you to where you want to go.
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