THE STEPS IN TRANSITION PLANNING

This section suggests a series of steps to follow in getting the planning
process started. The steps include the following:

• Step 1: Create a Vision and Build the Profile;
• Step 2: Build the Team;
• Step 3: Set Goals;
• Step 4: Action Plan; and
• Step 5: Updating the Plan.

A number of steps are outlined below to help you get started
on your planning. The steps are sequentially numbered
but since it is your plan, you can carry them out in any
order that makes the most sense to you. For example,
you may want to build your transition team first and
then have the team help develop the profiles.

The worksheets identified in each of the following steps
have been adapted (with permission) from materials developed in British
Columbia by the Ministry of Children and Family Development “Your
Future Now. A Transition Planning & Resource Guide for Youth with Special
Needs and Their Families”. They are intended to guide you through the
development of your transition plan. Use the worksheets, reuse them, modify
them – they are meant to provide you with examples of the type of information
that may be helpful to you as you identify your specific path to the future.

If you do not find these exercises suit your needs, there are other examples
of transition planning guides identified in Part 2 under Transition Resources.
Take a look at these other on-line guides and find one that is a good fit
for you and your child. The important thing is that you do get started, and
not necessarily which tool is used.

When beginning the worksheets, encourage your child to be involved in
completing the exercises to the best of their ability. Support them and
have them seek assistance from you, their friends or other family members.
The more involved your child is the more likely the plan will reflect their
interests and preferences. Having helped in making these decisions will
give them a sense of accomplishment and confidence as they take a step
towards a life of more independence as an adult.

Step 1: Create a Vision and Build the Profile

Building the profile is about gathering information on your child, your
family and your family situation. You will need to share this information
with the transition planning team since not everyone will be as familiar
with your circumstances as you are. This will help the team in making
the right decisions throughout the transition planning process.

The first exercise is about creating a vision for your child. This is an exercise
that you may revisit several times as your child grows and their preferences
and interests change as they experience new and different things.

Tip #5

Tool 5 in Part 2: Tools & Resources provides a set of vision developing questions
that can be used at age nine and repeated as your child goes through
the adolescent years.

’’ONE PARENT’S ADVICE… ON A VISION ‘‘
“Develop a vision for the future for your child. Make it your own vision
and do not be limited by what others may say or what you think you
may get. Draw support for your vision from every possible direction
around you. Don’t be afraid to call upon others for help and input.
Secure the support you need for an ordinary life for your child. And
remember to get a network for yourself as a
parent - this is a difficult journey.”

You should consider developing a vision as early as possible. This vision,
when broken down into yearly goals, becomes very helpful in developing
the transition plan. Establishing a vision is a great opportunity to set
expectations for your child – realistic expectations based on their strengths,
interests and preferences.

The vision exercise is meant to find out what your child is interested in,
where their strengths and abilities lie and what they want to do in the
future. This exercise should clearly outline what your child can do, what
they are good at doing and what they like doing. Taking this approach
can help make the experience more positive and will likely result in having
your child perceived more positively as well.

‘‘ FROM A PARENT ’’
“When my daughter was a very young child we were focussed on her
problems and looking for the right “fixes”. We tried to get her into a
specialized school and she was not accepted. In retrospect, this was
the best thing that ever happened since it started us down a path
of inclusion.”

This early experience and others that followed really helped shape a change
in this family’s philosophy. Instead of continuing to see problems and
looking for fixes, they began to see gifts, what their daughter could bring
to others and looked for ways to include her in all activities. This is not
to say that your child’s challenges should be ignored – they should just
not be the focus of the plan nor the basis of its development. Rather,
they can be incorporated into expectations or identified as the needs to
be supported throughout the transition period.

Tip #6

More information on MAPS and PATH can
be accessed at www.inclusion.com
The vision information can be accessed at
www.pdd.org/docs/cent/PCP_811_Jan19.pdf. Further details on this and other
tools available from the Central Alberta Community Board can be found in Part 2:
Tools & Resources under Person-Centred Planning.

In establishing a vision for your child, there are other tools that can be
helpful as well. Both the MAPS and PATH activities are useful to identify
the unique preferences, experiences, skills and support needs of
your child. The Central Alberta Community Board tools may also be
helpful in identifying a vision and building a profile of your child.
Next, you will develop your child’s profile which builds on the
information identified in the vision. The list below identifies the
type of information you should be gathering about your child as
you develop their profile.

Gathering Information about Your Child

Identify people in your child’s life, such as family members,
friends, cultural associations, school personnel, social workers,
current service providers and community members.

• Discuss where your child spends his or her time.
  
• Identify things that others see as strengths that contribute to his
  or her positive characteristics.
  
• Identify things that people see as areas where growth is needed.
  
• Discuss the kinds of choices your child makes.
  
• Identify preferences, including things that motivate your child
  and create happiness, and non-preferences, including things that
  do not work for them, that create frustration and unhappiness.
  
• Discuss personal goals and dreams.
  
• Identify the most vital priorities to work on now (2-12 months)
  and in the future (1-5 years).
  
• Discuss opportunities, including things or people that can help
  your child achieve his or her personal goals and dreams.
  
• Discuss obstacles or barriers, including things or people that are
  getting in the way of your child achieving his or her personal
  goals and dreams.
  
• Identify strategies to help your child overcome obstacles or
  barriers and achieve personal goals and dreams.

Now, you will need to identify information about your family. This
information should include services that you currently use, what you
anticipate needing when your child reaches the end of school and the
ways you can help your child reach their goals for the future. The following
questions are things to consider in developing a family vision and
completing a family profile

Family Profile

• What supports and services do you use now and will they
  continue when your child reaches the age of 18 or 21?
  
• What additional or different supports and services do
  you anticipate needing in the future?
  
• Will your child continue to live at home and for how
  long? Will you require other living arrangements for
  your child?
  
• Do you have the means – financial and otherwise – to
  support your child in adulthood?
  
• What financial planning do you need to consider?

These are things you will need to include in your transition plan and are
as important as making arrangements for your child.

Tip #7

Your child, with
appropriate assistance, can complete his or her profile by using the
format provided in Tool 7 found in Part 2: Tools & Resources.
You can complete your family profile by using use the format provided in Tool 8
in Part 2: Tools & Resources.

Step 2: Build the Team

While you will be expected to be very involved in the development of
your child’s transition plan, you do not need to do it alone. Build a team
for your transition plan by seeking the support of people who can help
you to set your child’s goals for the future and then help in making those
goals a reality. Choose from people who are part of your network of supports
or circle of friends – people you are comfortable with. It is suggested
that your team have at least two members and no more than eight – any
more may be overwhelming.

Some individuals you may want to consider in addition to yourself and
your child can include the following:

• Other family members;
• Parents who have recently gone through a transition plan
• Themselves;
• Teachers;
• Community workers;
• Friends;
• Peers;
• Employers; or
• Other members from the community.

Some members of the team may be involved with the planning process
from the beginning. Others may be involved on a limited basis.

It may be helpful to ask yourself the following questions to identify the
most appropriate members of your network or team:

• Who knows your child best?
• Who does your child trust and feel comfortable around?
• Who does your child look to for advice and support?
• Who would your child like to help him or her with their
  transition from school to adulthood?
• How can these people best help?

It will be important for you to involve people that know your child well
and that may also have a vested interest in your child. You will want to
include people that have a positive outlook and can see the gifts and
strengths your child has to offer. Think about including those that will
network and advocate on your child’s behalf in much the same way as you
will yourself. Remember, creativity is going to be a key to the success of
your transition plan. The education system and the service system may
not be able to support you in the way that you expect. So it is important
to involve people on your team who can help develop innovative ways to
support your child as they make their way to adulthood.

Once you have established your team, you will need to think about who
could take on the role of coordinator. This person will be a key contact
for the team throughout the process and will take the lead in organizing
the activities of the team.

Tip #8

Tool 6 in Part 2: Tools & Resources section provides a template for keeping track
of your team members contact information.

You will likely be responsible for most of the work involved in the planning
process so surround yourself with the right people. Use your network
of supports most effectively and gain from the experience of others.
Seek out parents that have been through this process before and involve
them in your planning efforts. Find a mentor for your child – a peer that
has recently made the transition to adulthood who can support your
child as they go through the steps in developing their plan.

Tip #9

Tool 2 in Part 2: Tools & Resources provides a suggested list of roles
and responsibilities for members of the transition team.

Step 3: Set Goals

Once the profiles are completed for your child and your family, you will
need to consider developing goals. Goals are an important step in the
process since they will help identify the kinds of experiences your child
should pursue through their high school years and the skills they will
develop as a result.

There are a few things to consider in developing goals with your child.
Write them down so you can tell if your child has achieved the goal(s).
Goals should also be positive and possible. It may also be helpful to
separate them into short-term and longer-term timeframes. Examples for
each are identified below:

Short-term goal: Mary will find a volunteer position in the community by
the end of April.

Long-term goal: Mary will have a part-time paying job by the end of next
year.

Short-term goal: Adam will remain at Middletown Collegiate until age
21 to maximize learning of literacy, numeracy and life skills.

Long-term goal: Adam will continue to practise and maintain his
literacy and numeracy skills after leaving school and to further
develop life skills.

Establishing goals is a good way to address a fear your child may have
about the future and it will give them a chance to talk about it. They
can become more comfortable with something that they have concerns
about through a number of small but progressive steps.

Following is a list of questions you can use to consider as part of the goal
setting exercise.

Tip #9

Tool 9 in Part 2: Tools & Resources may help you to identify your child’s
goals for the future.

Step 4: Action Plan

Now that you have identified the pieces of the plan in the previous three
steps, the action plan will help you pull it all together.

Tip #10

Tool 10 in Part 2: Tools & Resources provides a sample template that you may
want to use in developing your transition plan. Other samples are available in
the guides listed in the Part 2: Tools & Resources under Transition Planning
Guides in Canada and United States.

First, your transition team will review the goals set in Step 3 and the
potential supports and services identified to help in achieving these goals.
In doing this, your team should consider the following questions:

• What are your child’s goals?
• What skills or behaviours does your child need to learn to
  achieve these goals?
• What local programs, services and supports are available to
  support your child’s goals?
• What responsibilities must you, the school, adult services,
  cultural and community agencies, and your family assume in
  order for your child to reach his or her goals?
• What are the gaps or barriers within current programs and
  services that must be addressed?

Then, the team is ready to identify the tasks that need to be completed
to achieve the goals. Members of the team will also need to assume
responsibility for these tasks to ensure that they are carried out. These


actions need to be fairly detailed so it is clear what needs to be done, by
when and by whom.

The next step will involve reviewing the tasks identified to make sure
that they are consistent with the vision developed for your child.

Tip # 12

Tool 11 in Part 2: Tools and Resources provides a chart to summarize the
actions and assigned responsibilities. It can then be used to review your progress
at the next transition planning meeting.

There are many activities that can be completed along the way, other
than those specifically identified in the transition plan that can be used
to help make progress towards your child’s goals. Many of these activities
are ways to establish and reinforce self-reliance skills for your child.
These activities will also be important to keep track of as you progress
through the adolescent years.

Not every item will be relevant to every individual. Use the checklist as a
guide to provide you with ideas and make adjustments to better fit your
circumstances.

Tip #13

Tool 4 in Part 2: Tools & Resources provides a checklist of items ranging from
birth through adolescence that can be helpful in moving your child towards
his or her vision of the future.

Step 5: Updating the Plan

One of the most important steps is reviewing and updating your plan on
a regular basis. One of the tasks of the transition coordinator is to schedule
meetings to keep track of tasks that have been assigned and progress
towards their completion. These meetings become an important opportunity
to review the goals and ensure that they continue to be consistent
with your child’s interests and preferences.

In reviewing the goals and the tasks assigned to each, it may be important
to revise the goals and make them more specific as needed. As your child
moves through their adolescence, their interests may become more
defined and so too should their goals. An opportunity
provided through a work experience program at school or
a volunteer position in the community may help them to
more clearly set the directions they want to take as an
adult. Use these times of review to ensure the direction in
the original transition plan is still consistent with your
child’s current interests and preferences.

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