[ajmsw]

Hello. I wanted to bring up the important topic of our teens and young adults learning independent living and social skills in our communities. As adoptive families we need to educate ourselves in our states about the resources our children can and should be receiving as teens through the age of 21 years old.

Our children will need ongoing mental health services, medicaid, housing resources, vocational and career training past 18 years old.

Our youth who are in group homes or residential treatment are often returned to live with their adoptive families or reunified...but without any help for the parents to deal with the mental health system..and ongoing independent living skills problems we deal with our young adults who are chronologically older..but mentally still acting like a child or teen.

It is imperative that our children continue to receive an adoption subsidy and medicaid for those that qualify for a physical or emotional disability through the age of 21. If possible SSI needs to be iniated. We need to get all the information from our county SW on what independent living skills classes or transitional age youth services our communities can provide our young adults.

Please feel free to vent your thoughts or concerns on this site about having to deal with a beauracratic system and trying to help our teens and young adults face real life.

[lucyjoy]

Part of the problem is that the laws very from state to state and while a SW was suppose to have been assigned to my sons case when he entered residential, it didn't happen. Many times, one agency just wants to pass it all off to another one.