I guess I was naive for thinking there were options out there for families with difficult children...
I've done everything I've been asked to do...
Kept all the records...
Filled out all the forms...
Gotten on the waiting lists...
Followed all the rules...
And it comes down to this:
Nothing.
When Ms Ally quit her job, she did a little CYA and reported to her superiors that she had "completed" my family's case. difficult child was now stable - exhibiting absolutely no signs of aggression in any form (neither physical, nor verbal) and parents are now fully "trained" as to how to handle any troubling behaviors.
This report from the MST program was forwarded to Medicaid.
Medicaid is now questioning why a "stable, well-adjusted and non-aggressive child" would need any more services. Medicaid wants to stop funding any more programs for difficult child.
Meanwhile, Idiot Caseworker finally found a "Behavior Modification" specialist to work with difficult child. It was explained to me that the Behavior Spec will take difficult child out several times a week and do fun things with her. We (the parents) are expected to send cash every time Behavior Spec comes over....which is several times a week.
This didn't sound right to me....especially as this could add up to serious $$$ in a very short period of time. (And hey, if I had that kind of money to send difficult child to baseball games and county fairs three nights a week - we wouldn't have qualified for this Medicaid-funded program in the first place.)
I tried to talk to Idiot Caseworker about my concerns...but she had no information about anything. I ended up speaking to someone else in her office who finally transferred me to the Regional Supervisor (FINALLY!)
Spoke to Regional Supervisor for over an hour. Found out that because MST reported such progress, it's going to be a problem trying to justify any more services for difficult child.
As far as Behavior Specialist goes? No - she is NOT supposed to be acting like a mentor from a Big Brother-Big Sister type program...she is supposed to be doing intensive therapy with difficult child. However, because funding has been slashed across the board....the Behavior Specs are no longer the therapists they used to be....and there really is nothing that can be done about that. If I want...we can have Idiot Caseworker try and find a different person and see if she might be less "Big Sisterish"....but there is nothing more that difficult child can be referred to....no programs, no RTCs, no therapies, nothing.
So Idiot Caseworker's Supervisor wants us to make a decision:
Do we want to try the Behavior Spec and see whether a lot of social activities will make a big difference for difficult child?
Or do we want to withdraw from the program?
IOW - do we want to try something else that doesn't sound like it has a snowball's chance in h*ll of working?
or just quit altogether?
So that's it.
Frankly, I don't feel as though it's a choice at all...
I've done everything I've been asked to do...
Kept all the records...
Filled out all the forms...
Gotten on the waiting lists...
Followed all the rules...
And it comes down to this:
Nothing.
When Ms Ally quit her job, she did a little CYA and reported to her superiors that she had "completed" my family's case. difficult child was now stable - exhibiting absolutely no signs of aggression in any form (neither physical, nor verbal) and parents are now fully "trained" as to how to handle any troubling behaviors.
This report from the MST program was forwarded to Medicaid.
Medicaid is now questioning why a "stable, well-adjusted and non-aggressive child" would need any more services. Medicaid wants to stop funding any more programs for difficult child.
Meanwhile, Idiot Caseworker finally found a "Behavior Modification" specialist to work with difficult child. It was explained to me that the Behavior Spec will take difficult child out several times a week and do fun things with her. We (the parents) are expected to send cash every time Behavior Spec comes over....which is several times a week.
This didn't sound right to me....especially as this could add up to serious $$$ in a very short period of time. (And hey, if I had that kind of money to send difficult child to baseball games and county fairs three nights a week - we wouldn't have qualified for this Medicaid-funded program in the first place.)
I tried to talk to Idiot Caseworker about my concerns...but she had no information about anything. I ended up speaking to someone else in her office who finally transferred me to the Regional Supervisor (FINALLY!)
Spoke to Regional Supervisor for over an hour. Found out that because MST reported such progress, it's going to be a problem trying to justify any more services for difficult child.
As far as Behavior Specialist goes? No - she is NOT supposed to be acting like a mentor from a Big Brother-Big Sister type program...she is supposed to be doing intensive therapy with difficult child. However, because funding has been slashed across the board....the Behavior Specs are no longer the therapists they used to be....and there really is nothing that can be done about that. If I want...we can have Idiot Caseworker try and find a different person and see if she might be less "Big Sisterish"....but there is nothing more that difficult child can be referred to....no programs, no RTCs, no therapies, nothing.
So Idiot Caseworker's Supervisor wants us to make a decision:
Do we want to try the Behavior Spec and see whether a lot of social activities will make a big difference for difficult child?
Or do we want to withdraw from the program?
IOW - do we want to try something else that doesn't sound like it has a snowball's chance in h*ll of working?
or just quit altogether?
So that's it.
Frankly, I don't feel as though it's a choice at all...