For adults and support teams considering IHS with training
How do we prepare a useful IHS skill goal?
Begin with something the person wants to do, then describe the skill involved, their starting point, and what useful progress would look like to them. Bring that description to the support team. A goal worksheet helps the conversation; it does not decide eligibility, authorized hours, or a teaching method.
Translate a broad wish into an activity
“Be more independent” can mean very different things. Ask what the person would like to do differently next month: plan an outing, organize a routine or make a choice with less assistance. Keep their reason visible beside the activity. A goal selected only because it is easy to count may not matter to the person.
Write down what they already manage. This starting description can include chosen tools and support; independence does not have to mean doing everything without help.
Ask what will be practiced
Identify the part of the activity that needs learning, not simply the whole activity. Minnesota distinguishes IHS training from support with existing skills. Ask the team how the proposed goal fits that distinction and the person’s support plan. Do not choose an arbitrary daily training duration before the need is reviewed.
Agree how to review the goal
Ask the person what would make practice worthwhile and how they want to discuss progress. A useful review might include confidence, preference, consistency and the kind of support still wanted. Agree who records observations and when the team will revisit the goal. A difficult session should prompt a question about context, not an automatic judgment about motivation.
Skill-goal conversation worksheet
Download this editable worksheet, add your notes, and bring it to the relevant planning conversation. Leave unknown details blank and identify who can confirm them.
Download worksheet (.txt)- Person’s priority
- What do they want to do, in their own words?
- Starting point
- Which parts already work, and what support or tools are used?
- Learning focus
- Which specific part would they like to practice?
- Useful progress
- What change would the person notice and value?
- Review agreement
- Who will discuss progress with the person, using which observations?
An optional discussion tool, not an official assessment, authorization, service plan, or emergency plan. Keep completed copies private and share through an agreed channel.
Illustrative planning example
“Learn to cook” becomes “I want to choose one lunch and use a shopping checklist to prepare for it.” The team discusses which part needs teaching and how the person wants practice to feel. This is a proposed goal for review, not an approved service task.
This example is invented to explain the worksheet; it is not a client story or a promised outcome.
Your next step
Bring the goal to your case manager and IHS provider. Once the learning focus is agreed, use a separate practice-plan worksheet to discuss how it could work.
For a conversation with Clemens Health about your Twin Cities location, call (651) 354-1196 or send a referral. Service fit, authorization, and staffing need to be confirmed.
Minnesota resources
State resources explain program rules. The worksheet and examples are Clemens Health planning aids. Links were checked October 5, 2026; follow the current state guidance for eligibility and service questions.