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Youth in Transition Toolkit:

Youth in Transition Toolkit

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Action steps for leadership and staff

For staff

A circular graphic depicting the Minnesota Youth In Transition Framework. The words 'Youth in transition' are in the center, surrounded by four overlapping circles. The four circles contain the words: Best Life, Outcomes: Use skills to envision and advocate for their best life. Independent Living, Outcomes: Successfully live as independently as possible. Employment, Outcomes: Find competitive, integrated work they enjoy. Postsecondary Education and Training, Outcomes: Obtain industry-recognized credentials. Surrounding the four circles are the words: learning expectations, guiding principles, and shared practices.

Special education teachers / coordinators, vocational rehabilitation staff, and case managers have an important role in aligning their work to Minnesota’s Youth in Transition Framework. Learn about key responsibilities and actions steps you and your team can take to improve outcomes for youth and their families.

Action steps:

1. Understand the Framework and its three key elements

2. Assess alignment and outcomes

  • Assess your team’s alignment with the Framework: To do this, you and your team can take Minnesota’s Youth in Transition Framework Assessment.
  • Build a collaborative, cross-agency team: Build a team with those you collaborate with across schools, VRS/SSB and county lead agencies/tribal nations to support youth. Collaborative partnerships and teams support efficient and effective work by professionals, a more streamlined process for families, and better outcomes for youth. For a resource to help you do this, check out the Building Your Regional/Local Transition Planning Team activity.
  • Review youth outcomes: Use data and metrics to assess current youth outcomes in your area. For a resource to help you do this, check out the Reviewing Youth Outcome Data activity.

3. Promote the Framework and support change

1. Contribute to the development of your team's goals and plans

  • Based on your self and team assessments, and in collaboration with local/regional leaders and team, determine your team's goals and make plans for how you will make changes or strengthen what you are already doing to align your work to the Framework.

2. Integrate the Framework’s key elements into your work

  • Implement your team’s plans to integrate the Guiding Principles, Learning Expectations and Shared Practices into the way the work is done. Check out the Support Youth and Engage Families sections of this toolkit for tools and resources to help you do this. Additional information and professional resources can be found in the Educate Yourself section of the toolkit.
  • Lead with, strive for and promote coordinated services and supports. For more information, check out the transition services and roles pages of this toolkit.

3. Learn about what others are doing

  • Learn about the successes and innovations of your statewide colleagues—check out these success stories.

1. Assess implementation

2. Share promising practices and successes

  • As you track and see where ways of working are making a difference in the lives of youth and their families, share those insights with with agency leaders and others you work with.

3. Respond and adjust as needed

  • Go back to your plan to identify where to focus and strengthen.
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