That’s basically it. The group home’s goal is to get you independent and stable enough to live back at home. So you have to show them you are responsible, stable, and independent. You also have to show your parents, because they are the ones who have to accept you as ready to live at home again.
This means absolutely NO threats. NO hitting. NO aggression. If you make a mistake, own your responsibility for your mistake and apologize correctly. A correct apology looks like “I am sorry that i did X and it hurt you. I will try not to do it again.” It does not look like “Sorry you got hurt but if you hadn’t done X I would never have reacted.” That isn’t an apology, that is blaming someone else for your actions.
Oh, another way a lot of kids apologize that is incorrect is “I’m sorry, I’m just worthless, I’m the worst person in the world.” That is also not an apology. That is manipulating the conversation so it stops being about what you did wrong and starts being about reassuring you that you don’t suck.
You are going to see other kids getting away with a lot of behaviors… Other kids will hit, punch, steal, scream, and just really act out. Don’t use them as role models. You can get away with doing a lot of stuff at a group home, but if you do, you’ll stay in one for life. If your goal is to get out, you need to show them you don’t need to be there. Be aware it will take a minimum of 6 months. Don’t get discouraged if it doesn’t happen quickly.
When I was in a crisis center for teens even my underwear was under lock and key. It was like that for all of us. In the hospitals, they take your phone and limit contact with family to certain times. But it was with their community phone, not our cell phones. I live in Michigan