Community Transition
Community transition programs provide services that focus on the identified preferences, goals, and needs of youth transitioning from service systems designed for children and adolescents to adulthood. The program utilizes a collaborative approach to individualized planning and decision making that includes the persons served and, in accordance with the preferences of the persons served, members of their families/support systems.
Recognizing that many of the persons served have experienced traumatic events that have impacted their relationships, the program emphasizes the importance of developing and maintaining healthy relationships of all types for successful transition to adulthood. The development of services and supports for each person is guided by an inventory of skills and interests and identification of the goals and priorities of life skills needed by the person for successful transition to adulthood. Persons served are involved in the assessment of risks and consequences related to various behaviors in which they may choose to engage.
Community transition programs provide the persons served with opportunities to explore and understand how their lives will change as recognized adults in areas including, but not limited to, access to service systems and funding; living options; and educational, social, and vocational opportunities.
Community transition programs may be facility or community based and offered in outpatient or residential types of settings. The programs may be comprehensive in scope and provide a wide range of services or specialize in a single or multiple areas of services such as independent living and/or vocational skills.