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Narrow your list
Use the categories above to rule out anything that's a clear mismatch before you invest hours in calls.
Why this guide exists
The brochure isn't the decision
Every program's marketing material hits the same notes: caring staff, evidence-based treatment, a beautiful campus. None of that tells you what actually determines whether the next 30, 60, or 180 days go well — how the place actually communicates with families, how it actually handles a bad night, and what actually happens on the way out the door.
The families who navigate this well aren't the ones who found a "perfect" facility. They're the ones who asked sharper questions earlier, wrote the answers down, and kept a running list of exactly who to call when something changed. This guide is built around the questions that don't show up on a tour, because those are usually the ones that matter most later.
This decision moves fast
You're rarely choosing with a clear head
Most families aren't calmly comparison-shopping — they're deciding during a crisis, on a short timeline, with a caseworker, discharge planner, or insurer pushing toward an answer. That's exactly the condition under which the important-but-not-urgent questions get skipped.
This guide can't remove the time pressure. It can make sure the categories that matter most are already in front of you, so you're choosing from a real comparison instead of a gut feeling formed in a five-minute call.
What actually separates programs
Look past the brochure at these categories
Licensing & Track RecordConfirm the legal facility name, license type, accrediting body, and whether you can request its inspection/complaint history.
Who Else Is ThereWhat ages, diagnoses, and acuity levels are housed together — your child's peer group shapes daily life as much as staff do.
How Bad Nights Are HandledRestraint, seclusion, and elopement policies, and — critically — how and when you're notified when one happens.
Real Family AccessNot "family is welcome" — the actual call schedule, visiting hours, and whether you can join therapy sessions or discharge planning.
School ContinuityHow credits, IEP services, and re-entry to your home school district are actually handled, not just promised.
What Actually Triggers DischargeThe real criteria for ending treatment, and what step-down care is arranged before you arrive to pick up.
The non-obvious part
Questions that don't show up on the tour
These rarely get asked because they don't occur to anyone until they're already a problem. Ask them before you commit, not after:
- Who is my single point of contact, and what happens when that specific person is out for a week? Get a name, a direct line, and a backup — "call the front desk" is not a contact plan.
- What is the actual notification timeline if there's an incident, a medication change, or a change in level of care — hours, or "the next scheduled update call"?
- Who has authority to approve a medication change, and are you notified before it happens or after?
- What happens if you disagree with a clinical recommendation — is there an appeal process inside the facility, or only through your insurer?
- What does the facility need from you in the first 48 hours — records, forms, a specific person's signature — that isn't mentioned until it's urgent?
- Who coordinates with your insurance company directly, and do you need to also call your insurer yourself, or does the facility handle authorizations end-to-end?
- What's the plan if step-down care isn't ready on the discharge date — does your child wait at the facility, or come home without support in place?
- If a court, agency, or GAL is part of your situation, what happens to your access to information if that relationship changes — is there a backup way to get updates if your usual contact stops responding or is no longer able to?
Quick tip
Build the contact list before you need it
One page, every role, filled in on day one
Before you're a week in and improvising, get a name and direct contact for each of these roles: your primary clinical contact, the psychiatrist or prescriber, the discharge planner, your insurance care manager, the school liaison if education is involved, and — if legal or state agency involvement is part of your situation — your caseworker and Guardian ad Litem or court contact. Write it down in one place — a note on your phone works fine — and update it the moment anyone changes.
This guide's worksheet is fillable and printable, and it saves in your own browser as you go — no account, nothing sent anywhere. Once you've chosen a facility, move straight into the full due-diligence checklist and the Intake & Placement Tracker — this guide is for narrowing down where to look, those tools are for once you're comparing specific facilities and once you're in.
How to use this
Narrow, ask, confirm, decide
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Ask the non-obvious questions
Work through the list above with every facility you're seriously considering — not just the ones that seem promising.
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Build your contact list
Get a name and direct line for every role before you sign anything, not after you're already in.
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Move to the full checklist
Once you're comparing two or three real options, use the full due-diligence checklist to go deeper on each one.
Questions
Before you begin
Is this legal or medical advice?
No. This is general guidance based on lived experience and common patterns families run into — it is not legal or medical advice. Always confirm licensing, safety, and treatment specifics directly with the facility, your clinician, your insurer, and your state's licensing agency.
Is this the same as the full checklist?
No — this guide is for narrowing down which facilities to seriously consider. The Questions to Ask Before Any Placement checklist is the fillable, save-per-facility tool for once you're doing detailed due diligence on your short list.
What if I don't get to choose — a facility is assigned to me?
The categories and questions still apply. You may have less control over which facility, but you still have the right to ask about safety practices, family access, and discharge planning, and to document the answers.
Where is my information stored?
Everything you type stays in your own device's browser storage — nothing is sent to a server. Use "Download Backup" in the worksheet toolbar to save a copy you control.
Can I print it?
Yes. Use "Print / Save PDF" in the worksheet toolbar for a paper or PDF copy for your binder, with space to write in your own notes.
Free to use
Ask the questions that don't show up on the tour
Open the worksheet, build your contact list, and work through the non-obvious questions before you commit — then move into the full checklist once you're comparing real options.
This guide is general information based on lived experience, not legal or medical advice. Confirm all licensing, safety, and treatment specifics directly with the facility, your clinician, your insurer, and your state's licensing agency.