	Wilderness and Adventure-Based Therapeutic Outdoor Services

Introduction

Administration and Management

Service Delivery Administration Standards

Service Standards

WT 17: Transition to Independent Living

Youth transitioning to independence are prepared with positive experiences and skills to move successfully to living and managing on their own.

NA The organization has a contract that does not include independent living services or the organization does not serve youth transitioning to independence.

WT 17.01

The organization prepares youth for a successful transition by providing:

transfer or termination of custody information as applicable;
information about rights and services to which the person may have access due to income level or a disability;
information on availability of affordable community based healthcare and counseling;
court and welfare systems information;
child care services information; and
support through community volunteers or individuals who have made a successful transition, as appropriate.

Interpretation: When the organization serves young children, the parent or legal guardian is informed of and involved in the transition process.

WT 17.02

During the transition process, and prior to case closing, the organization works with youth to:

explore a range of housing options;
evaluate risks and benefits of various options; and
practice household management when possible.

Interpretation: Housing options may range from supported living to fully independent living environments.

NA The individual is not transitioning to an independent living situation.

WT 17.03

For every person transitioning to independence, the organization ensures that basic resources are in place, including:

a source of income;
affordable health care;
adequate living arrangements;
access to at least one committed, caring adult; and
access to positive peer support.

Research Note: A landmark longitudinal study following development of children from infancy to adulthood found that youth who made a successful transition to adulthood tended to seek out a caring adult, who could be a family or community member, or a substitute caregiver.

NA The individual is not transitioning to an independent living situation.

WT 17.04

The organization assists individuals in obtaining or compiling documents necessary to function as an independent adult, including:

an identification card;
a social security or social insurance number;
a resume, when work experience can be described;
a driver’s license, when the ability to drive is a goal;
medical records and documentation, including a Medicaid card or other health eligibility documentation;
an original copy of the youth’s birth certificate;
religious documents and information;
documentation of immigration, citizenship, or naturalization, when applicable;
death certificates when parents are deceased;
a list of known relatives with relationships, addresses, telephone numbers, and permission for contacting involved parties;
previous placement information; and
educational records, such as a high school diploma or general equivalency diploma, and a list of schools attended.

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	PURPOSE: Youth who participate in Wilderness and Adventure-based Therapeutic Outdoor Services expand individual capabilities, develop self-confidence and insight, ameliorate symptoms, and improve interpersonal skills and relationships.

RELATED FILES


	SERVICE One or more organization-operated programs or activities that have a common general objective and deploy the organization's material and human resources in a planned and systematic manner. An organization that publicly promotes or identifies itself in writing as offering a service, is licensed to deliver a service, assigns personnel and/or space to a service, or allocates financial resources to a service is considered to offer that service.


	CONTRACT A formal written agreement between two or more parties that specifies the services, space, or products to be provided in exchange for some form of compensation. Also known as "purchase of service arrangement."


	CUSTODY The care, control, and maintenance of a child. The court legally can award custody to an agency in abuse and neglect cases or to parents in divorce, separation, or adoption proceedings. Child welfare departments retain legal custody and control of major decisions for a child in foster care; foster parents do not have legal custody of the children for which they provide care.


	COMMUNITY A specific group of people living in the same locality and who may share a common culture, values, and norms. Communities can also be defined by race, religion, ethnicity, age, occupation, political status, tribal affiliation, interest in particular problems or outcomes, or other common bonds. The term "community" encompasses worksites, schools, tribes, residential neighborhoods, business districts, recreational areas, and health and human service sites.


	VOLUNTEER An individual who performs services for an organization for civic, charitable, or humanitarian reasons, without promise, expectation, or receipt of compensation for services rendered. Such service must be offered freely and without pressure or coercion, direct or implied, from an employer. If the individual is otherwise employed by the same employer for which s/he volunteers, the individual cannot volunteer to perform the same type of services that s/he is paid to perform as an employee.


	LEGAL GUARDIAN A person who has legal responsibility for the care and management of a person incapable of administering his/her own affairs. In the case of a minor child, the guardian is charged with the legal responsibility for the care and management of the child and of the minor child's estate.


	CASE CLOSING A voluntary or involuntary process which occurs when an organization no longer assumes responsibility for providing services to a particular individual, group, or family. Also known as "termination" or "discharge."


	PRACTICE Established actions or ways of proceeding in the regular performance of organizational duties. Policies and procedures often guide practice.


	FAMILY Two or more people who consider themselves family and who assume obligations, functions, and responsibilities generally essential to healthy family life. Child care and child socialization, income support, long-term care, and other caregiving are among the functions of family life. The definition of "family" will rest with an individual's indication of who plays a family member role, including current or former foster family, adoptive family, extended family members, fictive kin, or significant others. Organizations that believe family is the central constellation in a child's life, and that family attachments are of primary importance for human development, will strive to work with professional staff to develop a common understanding of "family."


	CAREGIVER The provider of physical, emotional, and social needs to another person, often dependent and unable to provide for his or her own needs. Caregiver is the generic term used for the direct service providers in Community Care and Support Services (CCS).


	TERMINATION See CASE CLOSING


	MANAGEMENT See ADMINISTRATION


	ELIGIBILITY The degree to which an individual, family, group, or community meets the specific criteria and qualifications required to receive goods, benefits, or services.


	PARENTS Parents can include: birth, foster, kinship, and adoptive parents. Please see service standards for more specific information about use of this term.