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Youth in Transition Toolkit:

4

Activate families

Envisioning a best life

Use Charting the LifeCourse tools to activate families and gather their perspectives.

The Charting the LifeCourse tools help families think about their child's life and become partners in the transition process. Take time to discover a family's thoughts about their child, their vision for their child's life, and the resources and supports they believe their child needs.

For more information about introducing the Charting the LifeCourse framework to families, see Charting the LifeCourse framework in the Educate families section of this toolkit.

LEARN: Develop your knowledge

Learn how to use the Charting the LifeCourse tools with families.

Charting the LifeCourse Framework - Communicating, Connecting and Creating a Vision
My favorite Charting the LifeCourse tools

 

DO: Work with families

Help families envision their child's best life.

The Charting the LifeCourse one-page profile prompts families to tell others what they think matters to their child and how to best support them. Ask the family to complete the one-page profile (PDF) or use the tool as a discussion aid while you complete it together. The profile can be a great way to get to know the family and the student, as well as start the conversation about how to work together. 

The Charting the LifeCourse life trajectory (PDF) is a tool to envision a youth's best life and identify the steps or experiences needed to get there. The trajectory tool can be brought to school meetings, medical appointments and planning sessions with case managers or other providers. It can also be used to set goals and next steps.

The Charting the LifeCourse integrated supports star (PDF) prompts families to consider various types of supports: personal strengths and assets, relationships, technology, community-based supports and eligibility-based supports. Use the tool with families to highlight where supports are strong and where more attention might be needed.

Life domains include daily life and employment, community living, healthy living, safety and security, advocacy and engagement, and more. Use the Charting the LifeCourse life domain vision tool (PDF) to help families identify a vision for specific life domains. 

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