Transitions Alliance

A national alliance working together to ensure every disabled young person can move into adulthood with choice, opportunity and ambition.

What is the Transitions Alliance?

The Transitions Alliance is a national cross-sector initiative convened by Kids, bringing together organisations, professionals, young people and families to improve the transition to adulthood for disabled young people. By connecting expertise, evidence and influence across education, health, social care, employment, housing and community life, we are working together to drive lasting systems change.

Our ambition is for every disabled young person to move into adulthood with choice, opportunity and ambition, supported by systems that work together to help them thrive.

What we do

The Alliance is centred around four key functions that provide a framework for collaboration, helping people and organisations connect, share learning, develop solutions and influence change.

Connect

Bring together sectors, organisations, professionals, disabled young people and families who do not always have opportunities to work together, building stronger relationships and a shared understanding of the transition journey.

Understand

Listen to young people and families, draw together evidence and practice, and build a clearer picture of what already exists, what is working, where gaps remain and where systems are failing to connect.

Collaborate

Create spaces where different parts of the system can work together on shared challenges, bringing perspectives that are too often considered separately.

Act

Translate collaboration into practical action, testing new approaches, strengthening and scaling existing good practice, and using the collective expertise, networks and influence of the Alliance members to support wider change.

Our vision for transition

We believe disabled young people should be supported by systems that are:

  • Person-centred
  • Collaborative and joined-up
  • Clear and timely
  • Built on high aspirations for every young person
  • Focused on the whole life journey, not individual services
  • Designed and delivered with young people and families

The Alliance builds on the principles and recommendations developed through Kids’ On the Cliff Edge report, placing disabled young people’s experiences and ambitions at the heart of change.

How the Alliance works

While Kids convenes the Alliance and provides coordination, infrastructure and programme management, its direction is shaped collectively by partners and informed by disabled young people and families.

Founding partners

Founding Partners provide strategic leadership and help shape the vision, priorities and long-term direction of the Alliance.

Kids is a leading charity for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and their families. Kids creates life-changing opportunities by providing a wide range of support for children and young people with SEND, and empowers them to stand up for their rights.

Sense is a leading disability charity supporting people with complex disabilities, including deafblindness, for over 70 years. The charity offers personalised, creative, and flexible support from early childhood through every stage of life. Working in homes, centres, and communities across the country, Sense focuses on what’s possible – helping children develop ways to communicate and play, supporting young people and adults to build skills and confidence, and ensuring families feel seen, supported, and valued.

Business Disability Forum is a leading not-for-profit membership organisation that works with businesses, government and disabled people to remove barriers and create inclusive workplaces and services.

Natspec is the membership association for organisations that offer specialist further education and training for students with learning difficulties and/or disabilities aged 16 to 25.

VODG is a UK national charity and membership body that represents leading not-for-profit organisations and voluntary sector providers working alongside disabled people.

The Local Government Association (LGA) is the national membership body for local authorities in England that works on behalf of councils to ensure local government has a strong, credible voice with national government.

Ambitious about Autism is the national charity standing with autistic children and young people. We believe every autistic child and young person has the right to be themselves and realise their ambitions. We started as one school and have become a movement for change. We champion rights, campaign for change and create opportunities.

Strategic partners

Strategic Partners contribute expertise, evidence, networks and leadership to help drive the Alliance’s work.

Alliance members

Alliance Members support the vision of the Alliance by sharing learning, contributing insight and helping strengthen the collective movement for change.

Join the Alliance

We are building a national movement for change and welcome organisations, professionals, young people and families who share our ambition.

Whether you want to contribute expertise, share learning, influence policy or help shape future priorities, we’d love to hear from you.

For more information about the Transitions Alliance, please contact: [email protected]