For most families, placing a grown child in a residence is a heart-wrenching decision which is not made lightly. No one is immune to getting older, not our children… And not us. When a child with special needs grows up, their needs tend to grow along with them, and simultaneously, almost like it’s joke (but not a funny one), the adrenaline which blessedly pumps through young parents begins to ebb.
It takes bravery to acknowledge that it’s time to place your child.
If you’ve come to this point, you may be overwhelmed by the process. You’ve heard from others that it’s complicated, and you feel unsure of where to start or what to expect. (Heads-up: you are normal!)
No two situations are the same. As such, it would be impossible and misleading for us to predict exactly how your family’s journey will look, but what we can do is demystify the process, helping you get from uncertain to empowered.
The CRO list
The prerequisite to getting your child placed in a residential facility is getting onto OPWDD’s Certified Residential Opportunities list, better known as simply “the CRO list”. Only individuals on the CRO list are considered for residential placement.
Many families will put their child on the CRO list when they become a young adult, at about age 18 to 21. There’s no official age. But – sorry for the brutal honesty – the wait can be looooong, so waking up one day and realizing that your child needs placement tomorrow is unfortunately just not an option.
Your care manager is the only one who can put your child on the CRO list. As with everything bureaucratic, you gotta be your own advocate if you want to get anywhere. Be proactive! Call up your care manager when you are ready — and follow up. Your care manager can’t submit a referral for you without your permission, so make sure that you are keeping the communication open and ongoing.
My kid is on the CRO list. Now what?
Patience:)
Unless your child got classified as having an Emergency need, which is unlikely, you have a long wait ahead of you. If your child gets classified as having Substantial need, then it should take quicker than Current, but you’ll still need to wait.
Here’s the process in simple: Agencies which operate certified IRAs (Individual Residential Alternatives), commonly called “residences” or “group homes”, are required to notify the CRO department when they have a vacancy. Because it is such a long and difficult process to open up new certified IRAs, and because once an individual is accepted to a residence, they generally remain there for life, there is a real shortage of available beds in IRAs in the frum community.
OPWDD will send a referral to one or more agencies with vacancies, and meetings will be arranged with the family.
Then comes the next hurdle: suitability. The agency will conduct their own screening to determine whether or not they can accept the individual in question. They take the responsibility seriously and will not accept someone who they don’t feel capable of servicing. Often, this will be due to severe behaviors or physical care which require 1:1 staffing, something which is difficult to accommodate.
If the agency determines the individual to be a good fit and the family and/or individual agrees, then the placement can be arranged.
So my kid, who needs more accommodations, is going to have a harder time getting placed.
Yup:(
Got it. Anything else to keep in mind?
Here’s a compilation of some of our pointers:
With appreciation to Surie Taub of HASC and Peri Fischer of HCS for sharing their knowledge with us.
Chananya, a yummy little boy with medical needs, has multiple insurances to cover the cost of his care. The premiums are expensive, so his father was trying to figure out how he could get assistance with coverage. He reached out to Ezreinu, where he received guidance for getting Chanaya’s insurance expenses covered without breaking the bank.⬛
Shira, a very sweet girl, was aging out of school and her family was struggling to find a dayhab that would be the right fit. They reached out to Ezreinu, and Shira got into a dayhab BH. Shira’s family can now breathe easy knowing that they have an excellent dayhab for their daughter for next year.⬛
Identifying details have been changed to protect client confidentiality.