Although the detailed approaches were tailored to each Region's circumstances and aspirations both involved looking at local and national data in a different way and engagment with staff from local authorities and from local care and support providers.

Shared Learning: Although the scope of the work in the two regions was different the conclusions overlapped. For example:

Delivering improvements will require a whole system response incl. health, social care, education, housing professional practice, commissioning, and partnership working. The key shared improvement opportunities are:

• Understand their future growth pressures for at least 3 yrs ahead (incl. future support needs of autistic people), and have clear savings plans to mitigate these pressures.
• Start Prep for Adulthood planning earlier and adult skills development work e.g. from age 14).
• Fully embed strengths/outcome-based social work practice. In particular, during assessments and at reviews and reassessments of ongoing support.
• Develop the care and support workforce skills relevant to young people with complex needs such as “Enabling” approaches and positive behaviour support.
• Fully embed strengths/outcome-based systems and processes to support staff to use strengths-based approaches incl. having named social workers for complex young people with learning disabilities and autistic people.
• Further shape the local support and accommodation market to build local capacity/ capability to meet complex needs effectively and locally.
• Working with partners to enable timely MDT wrap around crisis response services are available to people wherever they live.
• Collaborate to improve their negotiating strength. Agree regional (or sub-regional) approaches to fee uplifts for residential, nursing care, and direct payment rates.

We will be presenting (with colleagues from each Region) a summary of the analysis and the conclusions drawn and the improvement opportunities identified at the ADASS Spring Seminar ay Wyboston Lakes on 29th April 2025.