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Parenting an Adult Child with Disabilities: Referral Packet for Group Homes

 


If you've landed on this page, you're deep into research about group home placement. By this point, you've found a few agencies with group homes and you want to take the next step and send in an application and referral packet.

I can tell you what I did with our son, Ben. It may be different for your family, based on your comfort level with sharing information with others.

Most agencies will have an application to complete. Some will ask a lot of questions and some won't. No two are alike – I've completed more than 10. I wish they had a Common App for group homes. 

Always include the contact information for your child's care or case manager.

I sent a copy of the most recent document with every application:
  1. Budget for services, if your child has one 
  2. IEP - Individual Education Plan 
  3. ISP - Individual Service Plan 
  4. Legal Guardianship document 
  5. Medicaid Card 
  6. Medication list
  7. Photo of Ben - I use every opportunity to make the process about a person and not some unknown entity.
  8. Psychological evaluation 
  9.  SIS - Supports Intensity Scale
  10. Social Security Card
TIMESAVER: I made a folder on my computer with each of these items labeled clearly. When I needed to send the referral documents, I pulled them from the folder. 



"Parenting an Adult Child with Disabilities" is a series on eSpeciallyBen. As Ben approached 18, it was clear our role changed as parents. We needed to help Ben transition into adulthood. These stories are meant to assist other families who face, or will face, some of the same challenges.

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