One agency or school is identified for the youth that will ensure that at least once per year, transition planning occurs and that the plan is documented. Together the agency, youth and family will determine who should be invited to the planning meetings. Youth will have one coordinated plan that is updated at least once a year or when there are significant changes in the youth’s situation.
Each agency has their own transition planning process but generally, the process involves the following:
What is important to you? What do you like? What do you want to learn? What goals do you have? Sometimes, finding the answers to these types of questions can be challenging. Please click on the links below for some helpful resources that can help you get started thinking about your future:
We are also very pleased to offer a link to the Partners for Planning resource. Partners for Planning is a non-profit organization started by and for families caring for a relative with a disability. They developed the Resources Network to help families plan for a good life and a secure future for their loved ones. Focused on future planning, the P4P Resource Network provides free tools, presentations and strategies to help families:
The transition plan belongs to the youth and family and therefore they are provided with a copy of the plan. Everyone involved in the planning process gets a copy of the plan and any updates.
Beginning at age 16, with your permission, Contact Hamilton will refer the youth to Developmental Services Ontario Hamilton-Niagara Region (DSO HNR). In preparation for the youth’s 18th birthday, the DSO HNR can help youth and families plan for their adult service needs when the youth is 16 and 17 by:
Many children’s services end at age 18 (some end at age 21). If you are interested in adult developmental services, you will need to apply for them. Contact Hamilton will help you by referring you to the DSO HNR.
With your permission, to assist the referral to the DSO HNR, Contact Hamilton will include as much eligibility information as possible. Contact Hamilton will check their files to see what information is already available. If we have some/all of it, with your permission, we will send it to the DSO HNR.
If we do not have the information or only have some of it, we will send the DSO HNR what we have and we will let you know what you need to provide and you can send it directly to the DSO HNR.
This is what the DSO will need in order to determine if you are eligible for adult developmental services and supports:
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**if you do not have a psychological assessment, the DSO HNR will accept any reports that you may have. The DSO HNR will review all of the information you provide in order to determine if we can confirm eligibility. If eligibility cannot be confirmed with the documents that you have provided, the DSO HNR will let you know what the next steps are.
When the DSO HNR receives the referral, an Intake Coordinator from the DSO HNR will call you and:
If you are confirmed to be eligible for adult developmental services, you will be assigned a DSO HNR Access Coordinator. The Access Coordinator who will call you to schedule the application appointments; at that time, the Access Coordinator will share with you information about who needs to be part of the application process and how you can prepare for the meetings.
How to Reach Us:
140 King Street East, Suite 4
Hamilton, ON, L8N 1B2
Phone: 905-570-8888
Email: info@contacthamilton.ca