How do I Find a Good Group Home?

A good group home can be found very easily. There are many different ways that they can select a group home. I know a lot of group home workers in Iowa and they told me that parents can interview the workers in the home. Interviews can be helpful because you can get to know who you work with. You can also get to know what your child will be doing there and get a feel for how they will be treated.

Parents always hear those scary stories about how people get mistreated in group homes and how they are all run horribly. That is not true there are good ones out there, but there are some bad ones. That is why there are interviews done. They can help make the process a lot smoother and better.

Kids can also visit the group home before they actually live there every day. This is a nice thing for them to do to make the transition from the old home to the new one. You might even find out that the home is not what you thought and not have them go there anymore. This is a great safety net and way to check everything out.

There are a lot of bad stories, but parents need to get over the fear and know they will find a good group home. There are great ones all over run by compassionate caring people. The kids will get better care at the home than they would with their parents. Sometimes it is some give and take and also some heartache, before you find the right situation. Sometimes it is also trial and error. You might think a home is good until you realize it was not the best fit. You cannot get discouraged though, you will find the right one.

Parents of other kids who have intellectual and developmental disabilities are other good resources to ask. They know the homes and know who is good and bad.  They might also show their kids group home to you and show you how great it is. If you don’t like that one they are always good at telling you what kind of questions to ask.

If you try there are a lot of different group homes you can get into that actually have a good reputation and will be good and helpful for your child. This can be a very good thing if you ask the right questions and meet the right home. It might take a while, but it will be worth the wait.