Guideposts

The Guideposts for Employer Success are organized with the explicit purpose of helping workforce development policy makers and program providers reduce identified barriers. There are two categories within the framework. The first focuses on what system designers (state and local) need to do. The second looks at what individual programs which include a wide array of education and training institutions such as community rehabilitation centers, secondary and post secondary institutions, apprenticeship programs, and One-Stop Centers need to do.

The transition from youth to adulthood is challenging for almost every young person. This is particularly true for young people with disabilities. Yet, it is in those crucial transition-age years that a young person's future can be determined. The Guideposts addresses what all youth, including youth with disabilities, need to successfully transition to adulthood. The Guideposts organizes developmental activivities into five areas: school preparation, youth development and leadership, career preparation, connecting activities, and family involvement.

The Guideposts for Success for Youth in Foster Care highlight specific experiences, supports, and services that are relevant to providing comprehensive transition services to all foster care youth, including those with disabilities, within the framework of the Guideposts for Success.

The Juvenile Justice Guideposts highlight specific experiences, supports, and services that are relevant to improving transition outcomes for youth with and without disabilities involved or at risk of becoming involved in the juvenile justice system within the framework of the Guideposts for Success.

The Guideposts for Success for Youth with Learning Disabilities provide guidance to caring adults and youth service professionals for improving services and outcomes for youth, ages 14 to 25, with diagnosed and undiagnosed learning disabilities.

The Guideposts for Success for Youth with Mental Health Needs are particularly helpful for youth service practitioners serving youth with MHN. Youth with mental health needs may not be properly diagnosed, if they are diagnosed at all, especially during the teenage years when it is sometimes difficult to distinguish between (1) a mental health issue; (2) typical anxiety experienced by youth, particularly if those feelings are not behaviorally expressed; and (3) substance abuse, which may be a secondary issue that many youth with mental health needs may experience.

The Guideposts for Success are based on several key principles.

This InfoBrief examines how the Guideposts for Success can be used as a framework from which families of youth with disabilities can consider the support needs of their youth during the transition planning process. It is based on information presented in the Family Guideposts, a National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (NCWD/Youth) publication that looks at the original Guideposts from the perspective of families, highlighting proactive roles families can play in the five Guidepost areas and offering examples of how families can become informed, supportive, and engaged in their youth’s transition. This information will also be helpful to professionals seeking strategies to effectively partner with families, and to advocates looking to empower families in the transition process.

The Guideposts for Success can be used by state policy makers, local administrators and policy makers, youth service professionals and youth and their families. Read about how these different stakeholders use the Guideposts.