Questions to ask a potential provider:

 

• How does your agency promote family involvement?
   

• Who is involved in the interview process?
   

• Find out who does the training for the direct service staff in how to best support your son/daughter. If you aren’t one of those people, you need to retrain them!
   

• How long is the training? How many hours?
   

• What is the longest shift people work?
   

• What is your protocol when a scheduled staff calls in sick or is on vacation?

  • Describe plan

  • Expand on how their clients are prepared for this change 

  • Will they advise you? Will they offer to let you cover if you desire?

 

• What is the most successful way they have seen to transition a person from mom’s/dad’s back to their own home after a visit?

  • How can they incorporate naturally occurring transitions? Suggestion: if Sunday nights are a hard return, maybe they should stay Sunday and go to their program, returning to their home following program that day; offer a stop to a favorite place on the way; a stop at the ATM for a $20; etc.

  • Use what works; Not just what is done because it’s the way they do it!

  •  

• The more questions and agency about your son/daughter, the more likely they are to be a “learning” organization.
   

• How often do they evaluate what is “Important To” and “How to best support” each individual client?
   

• How curious are they about your son or daughter?
   

• Be curious about their agency and their staff.
   

• Remember that challenging questions cause us to think and learn.
   

• Test your assumptions.
   

• Ask them to summarize what they understand about your child.
   

• Request a “Discovery Meeting” with your child’s team when you feel it necessary.
   

• Offer to learn together, attend conferences and workshops. Offer to pay for the staff to attend learning opportunities.

 

 

 

 

Interviewing a Supported Living or Other Agency © 2015
Journey of Choice, Inc. Created by Trudy@journeyofchoice.com
Permission to copy and share granted.