Creating a Forever Home: Planning for Your Child’s Future

Welcome to Forever Home for Our Kids with Disabilities! I’m Valerie, a mom, life coach, and author passionate about helping parents create secure futures for their children with disabilities.

Key Topics:

1.        Understanding Your Child’s Needs

• Conduct a needs assessment covering physical, emotional, and social needs.
• Maintain a Comprehensive Child Profile to ensure consistent care.
• Visualize their future in 5, 10, and 20 years.

2.        Financial Planning

• Budget for daily expenses, home modifications, and long-term care.
• Leverage government benefits (SSI, Medicaid, AISH, PDD, RDSP).
• Secure private funding (trusts, grants, ABLE accounts).
• Protect your family with life, health, and disability insurance.
• Financial Vision Statement Example:
  “Our goal is to build a secure financial foundation for [child’s name]’s lifelong care and opportunities.”

3.        Legal Considerations

• Set up a Special Needs Trust (US) / Henson Trust (Canada) to maintain benefits.
• Identify key legal roles: Trustee, Financial & Healthcare POA, Guardianship.

Real-Life Housing Models: Our Experience

• Eden House (Supported Living Arrangement): Family-owned, personalized support, community integration.
• Legal Suite Model: Independent living with oversight, future rental income potential.

Take Action & Dream Big!

• Envision your ideal future for your child—what would it look like without barriers?

Quote: “The best way to predict the future is to invent it.” ~ Alan Kay

Subscribe & Connect:

• Follow the podcast for more insights.
• Contact me at hello@hello.coachingwithvalerieanne.com 

Keep building your child’s future

Live with Intention – Embrace the Journey

Transcript available.

Connect with me:

Valerie's Contact Links:

Music Acknowledgement: Audio Coffee - Denys Kyshchuk

Editor: Scott Arbeau

Link for book: The S.H.I.N.E. Principle: The special needs mom's path to strength, hope and happiness by Valerie Arbeau

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0CW18ZXGX (Canada)

https://a.co/d/03hFdZI4 (United States)

Learn more about your host at:
https://coachingwithvalerieanne.com/

Transcript

Hello and welcome to Forever Home for our kids with disabilities. I'm your host Valerie, mum to two with disabilities, one visible, one invisible.

Is that thought of wondering what’s going to happen to your child when you can no longer care for them on repeat in your brain? 

If so, you are in the right place!

Just wondering…

Are you in the:

Curious phase – you’re wondering what this forever home business is all about. Or are you seeking to gather information about options – this is something you would like to gain more knowledge about. Or are you seeking to create and implement a plan imminently – you have taken some steps to make a forever home a reality.

I’m Valerie, as I said. I’m a wife to Scott for 32 years, mum to our first-born Melody-Anne who has Cerebral Palsy and presents with Autism, though not officially diagnosed, and who is totally dependent for all care. Melody-Anne is wheelchair bound, g-tube fed and uses a communication device.

Then we have our youngest Ebony, but prefers to go by August who has ADHD, diagnosed at the end of grade 5, and received a diagnosis of high functioning autism 2 years ago. 

Like many of you, I wear a multitude of hats…

I have been a Physical Therapist for too many years to count!

I obtained my life and health coaching certification four years ago, I became a podcaster just over a year ago and I published my first book early last year.

Ever since Melody-Anne survived the one-year prognosis she was given, my husband and I have been on a mission to allow her to experience the best life possible.

Because Melody-Anne is living her best life, and we are working on that for our youngest, I'm passionate about other parents having the opportunity to allow their children to live their best life.

Melody-Anne has grown into a beautiful young lady, who calls meetings with the house co-ordinator, tries to schedule staff for her advantage and advocates for herself. She gets out and about and has visited places in our city than I have. 

What qualifies me to share with you today is my children have challenged Scott and I, in that they have made us think outside the box, draw on resources we didn’t know existed and put plans in place to create the future WE WANT for them.

This is why I do what I do. I want other parents to dare to dream and know it is possible to give their child the gift of being as independent as they can be of their parents.

I love quotes:

“The most reliable way to predict the future is to create it” ~ Abraham Lincoln

So, I'm gonna be chatting today and covering three main points and they will be:

1) Understanding Your Child's Needs when it comes to creating their ‘forever home’

2) Financial Planning for a ‘forever home’

3) Legal Considerations 

And if you’re doubting that’s possible, I want you to borrow my belief that it totally is.

My intention for today is for you to dream big and start the process of making that dream a reality. My hope for you is to be think bigger and dig deeper into what it is you want to create for your child’s future living arrangements.

1)  Understanding Your Child's Needs 

Conducting a Needs Assessment: 

Parents, I’m just saying, it is worth considering how to systematically assess your child’s current needs and identify future needs by using a comprehensive checklist. 

 Now this checklist should include things like include physical needs, emotional needs, social needs, educational needs, healthcare needs, skill development, and social integration aspects. 

This will become part of a Comprehensive Child Profile.

So, what is a ‘Comprehensive Child Profile?” Glad you asked! 

A comprehensive child profile is designed to be a living document that evolves over time, reflecting the child's growth and changing needs. 

It can be used by parents, caregivers, educators, and professionals to ensure consistent and informed support across all areas of the child's life.

Email me at hello.hellocoachingwithvalerieanne.com if you’d like a copy of a needs assessment checklist.

I would encourage you to review this checklist periodically as your child matures and as their need may change.

If you’ve got a minute, take out a pen and some paper or open up your device and type.

Visualizing is a very important part of planning your child’s forever home.

Writing down the vision helps you to better organize your thoughts.

I invite you to Create a Personal Vision Statement:

Write a vision statement detailing where you see your child in 5, 10, and 20 years from now.

Think about different aspects like, medical/health care needs, education, career, social life, personal independence and living arrangements.

 A 5-Year Vision Statement can look like this:

"In five years, I envision my child living at home while attending a specialized educational program that caters to their unique learning needs. They will be participating in social activities with peers in our community, fostering friendships and developing social skills. My child will gain greater independence through learning daily living skills, with our support and guidance, to prepare them for future transitions."

Now, if you want to look at a 10-Year Vision Statement, it could look something like this :

"By the time we reach the ten-year mark, I see my child thriving in a semi-independent living situation, perhaps with light supervision, where they can experience a balance of independence and security. They will have completed vocational training and be employed in a job that they enjoy and that brings them fulfilment. Socially, my child will maintain a close-knit group of friends and participate in community events or hobby clubs that align with their interests. Our goal is for them to feel self-confident and valued in their contributions."

A 20-Year Vision Statement can look like this:

"In twenty years, my vision is for my child to fully embrace an independent lifestyle, living in their own home or in a community setting that feels like home. They will engage in a meaningful career or volunteer work that aligns with their strengths and passions. My child will have a strong network of friends and participate in regular social and recreational activities that bring them joy. We hope they will manage daily responsibilities with confidence and have a sense of pride in their accomplishments, enjoying a vibrant and self-sufficient life."

Understanding Financial Needs:

Determine short-term and long-term financial requirements for setting up a ‘forever home.’

Consider both everyday expenses in the ‘forever home’ and future needs for instance renovations, modifications, repairs, maintenance.

Budgeting and Expense Tracking:

Create a family budget tailored to offsetting those needs that have been identified due to your child’s disabilities.

Implement effective expense-tracking methods because you are going to need to…

Identify areas for potential savings.

Government Benefits and Programs:

Be aware of available government benefits for your child (SSI, Medicaid. For those in Canada AISH, PPD funding [persons with developmental disabilities])

Understand the eligibility criteria and application processes.

Explore strategies for maximizing benefits.

You may want to look at:

Private Support and Funding Options:

Explore private grants and scholarships.

Set up a special needs trust in the US or Henson Trust in Canada

Understanding ABLE accounts and their benefits. For Canada RDSP accounts.

Insurance and Financial Protection:

Important to have life and health insurance for parents and children.

Explore eligibility for Disability Insurance for yourself. This type of insurance is designed to help cover living expenses, medical bills, and ongoing financial commitments when an individual’s earning capacity is compromised due to health issues. This way you can still provide for your family in the event your health is challenged.

I would strongly encourage you to seriously do this financial evaluation step and to seek the assistance of a financial advisor if you don’t already have one. It may be that you have one, but ask yourself, are they knowledgeable about our world as parents of children with disabilities and what different considerations we need.

My husband and I did not financial planning as we were thrown into creating a forever home. I believe it would of alleviated a whole heap of stress it we had.

I want you to take a minute and write a Financial Vision Statement that encapsulates your financial goals and aspirations for your child's future.

An example of a statement could be: "Our financial vision is to build a secure and sustainable financial foundation that supports [insert your child's name]'s lifelong care and opportunities."

I want you to think about what that looks like. Add some details. Flush it out.

My child will be financially self-sufficient with all the benefits they are entitled to.

My child will receive monthly deposits in their account from a trust fund or some other type of fund when they reach 18 or 21.

Legal Considerations:

As pertaining to your child with disabilities:

-              A trustee, this is something we are looking into now for our child’s Henson Trust. A Trustee manages a trust, which provides structured financial support for a child with disabilities by handling financial management, asset distribution, and legal compliance. Special Needs Trusts (what it is called in the States, or Henson’s Trust (which is what it is called in Canada), allows your child to maintain government benefits while supplementing with trust resources. 

-              A Financial POA manages finances on behalf of the principal (you), overseeing bank accounts, legal transactions, and benefits applications. 

-              A Healthcare POA makes healthcare decisions if the principal (you) is incapacitated, ensuring medical needs align with the child's interests. 

-              Guardians, appointed by the court, handle broader responsibilities, including financial, educational, and personal decisions. 

In season 1 episode 1 under the new podcast name (the episode that dropped March 5th 2025. I shared the housing solutions Scott and I created for our children.

Eden House where Melody-Anne lives is a model that provides a Supported Living Arrangement that is family owned, where professional support is provided in a more personalized setting, whether in shared housing or individual homes. At Eden House we have shared housing.

Benefits include:           

1.        Personalized environment: The way Eden House is set up, it allows for a personalized living environment tailored to our child's specific preferences

and for her needs. And this can be difficult to achieve in a traditional group home setting.

2. Selective Housemates: In the case at Eden House, we had the ability to choose housemates who complemented our child's personality and needs,     fostering a supportive household dynamic.

3. Agile Support System: By contracting an agency for the care, we have input into the support being tailored and it's flexible, adjusting to our child’s evolving needs without the bureaucratic constraints that sometimes come with larger group home settings. 

4. Empowerment and Autonomy: This is really important for us. Our arrangement has fostered greater autonomy and independence for our child. Perhaps more so than a traditional group home setting could offer. We have input into ensuring there is alignment with life skills development and individual growth.

5. Community Integration: This setup encourages active participation in the wider community, promoting social inclusion and a sense of belonging, which      can be more challenging in some group home scenarios.

For the legal suite in our basement for our youngest, the model is family-owned Independent Living with support: I encourage you to explore the possibility of independent living arrangements for your child, with necessary supports, to encourage autonomy as far as possible. We did explore purchasing another home for our youngest but felt the legal suite would suit our purpose as our child developed more independence, because we would then be able to kind of oversee.  The bonus is we will always have a rental that will provide income to supplement our pensions when we get to that stage of life.

So now I invite you to take a few minutes to dream a little….

·       When you think of the living arrangements you are wanting for your child, get specific…. 

·       If there were no barriers, what would you want for your child?

There is nothing wrong with dreaming big, that way you open yourself up to possibilities. So think about it. What do you want if there were no barriers for your child?

I’m going to leave you with this quote, I love quotes!!

“The best way to predict the future is to invent it” ~ Alan Kay

So, keep building your child’s future

Live with Intention – Embrace the Future