|
| |
 |
| Listed below are the rights and responsibilities that you need to be aware of if you decide to receive services from the Department of Children’s Services until you are 21 years old. |
| |
- In order to assist you in meeting your educational and employment goals, DCS may provide residential services. These services may include a place to live, food and clothing for you until you are 21 years old.
- If you receive services beyond your 18th birthday, you are accepting these post custody services voluntarily. One service that you will always have while in care or voluntary care is case management. The case manager will act as a support person to you and will be expected to have contact with you at least twice a month.
- You can legally sign documents and enter into contracts for yourself. That means that you are responsible for what you agree to by signing the contract/document/ agreement. You must consent to your own medical care.
- Before you were 18, DCS entered into a plan with your parents to achieve certain goals. If you continue to receive services, you must enter into a plan with DCS to achieve your educational and employment goals.
- If you want to receive DCS services past your 18th birthday, you must have an education plan. This means you must be in high school, a GED program, college, a vocational or job training program. If you are not in a post secondary program, then you must be taking steps such as applying for admittance for the next start time (semester, quarter) and applying for financial assistance through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which includes the Pell Grant.
- If you continue to receive services, you must live in a family, group home, or some other place that DCS approves. Some independent living programs have supervised and supported apartment living programs for young adults. If you are going to a university that has dorms available, you will be expected to live on campus.
- As young adults living in a family, group home, dormitory, etc. you will be expected to live by the rules of the residence. Rules are established to ensure that there are mechanisms and courtesies in place to know if you are safe and a contributing adult member of the household. As with any family, the rules may be a curfew, no use of drugs or alcohol and any other guidelines for responsible adult behavior.
- If you choose to accept DCS services, you must be willing to work part-time. If you are a full-time student during the school year, you must work during the summer.
- If you continue to receive DCS services, you will be eligible for TennCare. However, you will have to reapply once you turn 18. Your case manager will assist you in applying for TennCare the month before you turn 18. Even after you are no longer receiving services, you still be eligible for TennCare depending on your income and if you have insurance through your employer. If your employer offers insurance benefits, you should sign up for those benefits once you are eligible.
- You may be eligible for post secondary educational assistance; that along with other financial aid resources will assist you in meeting your long-term educational goals up to the age of 21.
- Once you turn 18, you need to make sure that you have a copy of your birth certificate, details of previous work experience, and pertinent medical information. If you do not have a life book (a scrapbook of your life), you may want to ask your case manager to assist you with the details of your placement history
|
| |
|
|
|
|
