Transition-Age Youth

Transition-age youth are adolescents and young adults (ages 14-25) who have a diagnosable mental illness that has led to impaired functioning in one or more life domains. Examples of life domains include housing, education and employment, quality of life and functioning and life skills.

Developmentally, transition-age youth are interdependent, seeking their own identity and independence while still partially dependent on the support of family members, caregivers and service providers. Best practices for serving transition-age youth incorporate the principles of recovery, resiliency and cultural competence. In addition, the overall care must be youth-guided and family-driven.

Youth and Young Adults in Transition Links

The Youth and Young Adults in Transition links page provides access to related resource documents, publications and articles, grant/funding information and reports.

TSIG Access to Better Care/System of Care Workgroup

The TSIG Access to Better Care/System of Care workgroup supported various activities focused on gathering feedback and advice from youth, young adults in transition, their families and caregivers, community providers, statewide organizations, and other stakeholders from throughout Ohio. View the TSIG Stakeholder Membership Team list...

Various meetings and events were focused on identifying supports and linkages, developing useful products, and improving service delivery and support options. This work was guided by the Transition to Independence Process (TIP) System developed by Hewitt B. "Rusty" Clark, Ph.D., National Network on Youth Transition for Behavioral Health. Read the National Network on Youth Transition for Behavioral Health report...   

The workgroup focused on promoting the benefits of youth inclusion, and youth involvement in all of the systems that they intersect. Below are some of the guidelines and related documents that were developed.

Documents

• Protocols for Supporting Youth and Young Adults Participating in Boards and Committees
  Provide guidance for involving youth in meaningful ways on boards, in meetings and other activities. 
• Transfer Protocols and Guidelines
  Intended to enhance the continuity of care from the child to adult mental health systems.
• Tracking Expectations and Monitoring Protocols 
  For use at local Boards and agency levels to monitor transitions between child and adult mental health systems.
• Provider Program Descriptions
  Developed by providers who identify services and programs for youth and young adults. These documents are intended to provide a resource for agencies, boards, youth, their families and others seeking information.      

Youth and Young Adults in Transition (Y/YAT) Policy Team

The Youth and Young Adults in Transition (Y/YAT) Policy Team was developed when Ohio was chosen to participant in the Georgetown University National Policy Academy grant sponsored by SAMHSA (2008). View the Youth/Young Adults in Transition Policy Team Membership list... 

Documents

• Shared vision, mission and action plan
  Includes goals and priorities developed by the Y/YAT Policy Team as well as a summary of the team's work.
• “What Youth are Saying” document 
  Developed by the youth participating in the policy team work.
• Snapshot of Transition Age Youth Served by Public Mental Health Providers in Ohio in State Fiscal Year 2008

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