 |
National
Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement A service of the Children's Bureau, US Department of Health and Human Services |
||||||
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Many people have contributed generously to this publication. First and foremost we would like to thank the Annie E. Casey Foundation and Talmira Hill, Program Associate at the Casey Foundation for making this research and publication possible. In addition, the contribution of other collaborating organizations such as the Casey Family Program and Casey Family Services is appreciated for providing ongoing feedback throughout the project.
The early research and literature review of graduate assistants Diane Hogle and Denise Riebman proved to be instrumental to the completion of this work.
Thanks to our Administrative Assistant, Julie Atkins who assisted greatly with editing and layout of the publication.
Finally, much credit and thanks needs to be given to the numerous youth that participated in focus groups during our site visits. As always, their insight, honesty and expertise were very valuable to us and this publication.
We gratefully acknowledge these contributions.
Since 1997, funding from the Annie E. Casey Foundation to the National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement (NCWRCOI) at the University of Southern Maine, and the National Resource Center for Youth Services (NRCYS) at the University of Oklahoma, has enabled us to increase our knowledge and understanding of: (1) the numbers and characteristics of youth and young adults "aging out" of public and private child welfare systems annually; (2) the needs, barriers and strengths, resources that confront youth; (3) characteristics of successful programs and practices; and (4) recommendations for improving policy, public child welfare systems, and community-based responsiveness as young adults make a transition into independent adulthood. In 1999, the primary purpose of our work was to continue advancing our understanding of promising practices across public, private and nonprofit child welfare agencies to improve youth transition to adulthood.
In 1999, the goals of proposed work to be were twofold:
The target population for this study is agencies that provide services contributing to the economic and educational preparation of youth raised in foster care. This includes public and private agencies serving youth currently in care as well as those community based organizations serving adults who were raised in care. We contacted the Independent Living Coordinators in all 50 states and asked them to suggest three or four programs in their state that they felt did a good job with one or more of the criteria we outlined.
We constructed a survey that focused on the delivery of a series of services associated with the eleven criteria we identified. We compiled a list of three hundred and eleven programs and sent surveys to these programs. Ninety-nine surveys were returned a for a response rate of 32 percent.
The surveys were entered into a database and we conducted a preliminary analysis. This level of analysis included examining how many programs delivered certain services associated with the eleven criteria of successful programs.
In addition to the preliminary analysis, we divided the surveys among four project team members and culled the surveys by hand, looking for programs that appeared to be strong in the areas of education and employment. We identified 30 programs and attempted to contact the 30 programs to conduct 45-90 minute semi-structured telephone interviews. We were able to complete the interviews with 22 programs.
After reviewing the interviews we selected ten programs for site visits. Site visits concentrated on gaining a "hands-on" sense of how the program functions. We interviewed a range of people involved with the program including program administrators, caseworkers and youth involved with the program. We have also attempted to interview community members who interact with the programs, including landlords and employers.
OBSERVATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The eleven criteria and the recommendations that emerged from our work reflect the current trends in the literature, survey data and the thoughts and experiences of "experts" in the field. The experts include youth in care, emancipated young adults, direct service providers, policy makers, program administrators and advocates. This project was somewhat limited in its scope and did not survey foster parents or examine the foster family models that exist in preparing youth for young adulthood.
It remains clear that the Foster Care Independent Living field is still quite young. Very little research and program evaluation has been conducted. To date, the Westat study remains one of the most frequently cited studies but was conducted some ten years ago, while the Title IV-E IL field was only in its third year. We rely significantly on a few research studies, many anecdotal stories (which do provide us with valuable information) and finally information from field experts. Because of these factors, we are not even sure we are able to suggest that these eleven criteria should be recommended as "promising practices" but more as "suggested practices" to assist youth in their transition out of care and into healthy young adulthood. Until these suggested practices have been tested and evaluated through research then they remain just suggestions or guidelines for programs, administrators and policy makers that are assisting youth in their transition.
From the observations coming out of this study we make recommendations in these two areas:
I. Programming/ Services
II. Evaluation and Data Collection/Reporting
This project is the result of collaboration between several groups. The primary project partners are the National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement located in the Institute For Child and Family Policy of the Edmund S. Muskie School of Public Service at the University of Southern Maine in Portland, ME and the National Resource Center for Youth Services located at the University of Oklahoma in Tulsa, OK. Other Project Partners include Workforce Strategy Center in Brooklyn, NY and the Child Welfare League of America in Washington, DC. The two resource centers are partners under a single grant from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The Workforce Strategy Center and the Child Welfare League of America hold separate Annie E. Casey Foundation grants.
The two primary partners were responsible for all of the project tasks including the survey of programs, in-depth telephone interviews, and site visits. We held monthly telephone meetings with CWLA and the Workforce Strategy Center to share information and keep each other up to date on project progress. Our collaboration with the Workforce Strategy Center also entailed the mutual sharing of information regarding programs with innovative educational and/or employment components.
The project design included a national survey, in-depth telephone interviews and site visits with Independent Living Programs across the United States. The National Survey of Independent Living Programs focused on the design and delivery of independent living services and supports. We outlined a series of criteria that our research team believed were necessary in order to fully prepare youth for a successful transition out of foster care. The promising practices criteria are listed below.
In order to identify any potentially effective independent living programs, we contacted the Independent Living Coordinators in all 50 states, and asked them to suggest three or four programs in their state that they felt did a good job with one or more of the promising practices criteria we outlined. We then cross-checked the resulting list of programs with the Child Welfare League of America's Resource Directory: Community Based Organizations Serving Former Foster Care Youth and Adults. (CWLA, 1998) as well as with experts in the field. A list of 311 programs was compiled.
The survey we constructed focused on whether IL programs incorporated the 12 outlined criteria into their programs. In addition, we left space on the survey for the programs to self-identify components of their program that they felt contributed to the development of the youth in their programs. Surveys were distributed to the 311 programs; 98 surveys were returned a for a response rate of 32 percent.
The data from the surveys were entered into a database, enabling us to examine the number of programs that delivered directly, or indirectly through referrals, important services for youth in foster care. We were also able to identify those programs that were conducting evaluations of their services.
For the second phase of the study, the in-depth interviews, we identified programs that appeared to either be especially strong in one or more areas (e.g. mentoring) or demonstrated that their overall program provided comprehensive services. We identified 30 programs which were then contacted to conduct 45-90 minute, semi-structured telephone interviews. We were able to complete interviews with 20 programs. We were unable to complete interviews with 10 programs as a result of time constraints.
We transcribed the interviews and selected seven programs for site visits. Based on the interviews and the criteria stated below, we completed seven site visits. Site visits concentrated on gaining a "hands-on" sense of how the program functions. We interviewed a range of people involved with the programs including program administrators, caseworkers and youth involved with the programs. We conducted site visits with the following programs:
There are a number of limitations to our sample and our findings. First, the sample was gathered through a subjective process. We asked the state Independent Living Coordinators to list programs they "felt" were successful, providing only the stated promising practices criteria. Second, we only conducted interviews and site visits with those programs that responded to the survey. Thus, programs not responding to the survey were not considered for further investigation. We were also interested in identifying successful programs that were "off the map," i.e. programs that were not already nationally known as successful models. Finally, we concentrated our research on programs; therefore, our study is very limited in the area of older teenage youth living in foster family homes.
We have identified five key areas that are critical issues to youth transitioning out of foster care. These issues taken together, as described in the last section, present a challenge to those assisting the youth and to the youth themselves.
Early Discharge
Discharging youth from care at a particular age, usually 18 or 21, means that some youth will have to leave before they are emotionally, educationally or financially ready. We review the issue of early care discharge below. Depending on their state of residence, older youth are required to leave state care between the ages of 18 and 21. There are a number of ways for youth to extend the time they remain in care, in the majority of these cases youth are required to:
Iowa is an example of a state that allows youth to extend their stay in care beyond 18 in order to complete their high school education.
The importance of completing high school or obtaining a GED has been documented by a number of studies. Data from the 1995 Current Population Survey revealed that 24%-36% of high school dropouts were employed full-time while 87% of college graduates were employed full-time.
Youth who grow up in state care face a series of challenges that may be exacerbated by the need to leave care early. Many youth growing up in care lag behind their peers academically, often due to multiple changes in placements, which result in disruptions in their educational progress. There is a good chance that youth who have grown up in care will not have completed high school by age 18, and expecting these youth to complete their secondary education while living on their own is naive. Courtney et al.2 reported that 37% of sample youth who had left foster care had not completed high school after being out of care for 12 to 18 months. Fortunately, the trend in recent years has been for states to extend the upper age limit for youth to remain in care, creating needed opportunities for youth to complete secondary education and, in many cases, move on to post-secondary education.
Congress addressed the issue of early discharge in the Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 (P. L. 106-169, hereafter referred to as the Chafee Act)3. The act specifically stipulates that:
These changes will directly impact states' ability to continue to serve 18-21 year- old youth. The ability to use Federal funds to serve these older youth should result in more states expanding their services to the 18-21 age group.
Housing
The biggest step youth will make in the transition from state care to living independently is assuming the responsibility for their own housing. Housing options for former foster youth are limited by a number of different factors including:
Among the life skills youth learn, the ability to obtain and maintain housing ranks among the most important. Without the ability to find and maintain suitable housing, all of the other skills youth have acquired become compromised. Ansell4, cited in Cook (1988), described four stages on a continuum to independent living:
Although this continuum is presented in the context of an overall strategy to achieve self-sufficiency, it is easily adapted to describe an effective continuum of housing options. Informal and formal learning can take place in highly supervised contexts such as a group home or a cluster-site apartment environment. Supervised practice living describes the situation youth face in scattered-site apartment living situations; the youth are nearing independence but still have the supports and resources of the IL program to fall back on in times of need. Ideally, self-sufficiency is reached at the point when youth are discharged from the IL program; in practice, self-sufficiency is often forced on youth when they age out of the IL program.
Changes introduced through the Chafee Act5 will allow states to address the issue of youth aging out of their IL program by allowing states to continue to provide room and board support to youth through age 21. In the instance of states where room and support to youth aged 18-21 is provided through state funds, the Chafee Act provision will allow states to expand this support with Federal funds.
Health and Medical Care
Health and medical care presents one of the most difficult problems for youth making the transition to adulthood. Most youth in care receive health insurance and mental and physical health care through the Medicaid program in their state. The transition from state care generally means that eligibility for care in this system is lost, especially if the youth is employed full-time. Most youth leaving state custody and entering the work force are employed in jobs that neither provide health insurance nor pay a wage sufficient to allow the youth to be able to buy health insurance. According to the US Census Bureau,6 "about one half, (47.5%) of poor full-time workers did not have health insurance in 1998."
Lack of access to health insurance and mental and physical health care is one of the cruelest unintended consequences that accompany youth in a transition from care to the work force. In the absence of employer provided insurance, the successful graduate of an IL program who moves into full-time employment may lose all access to health care.
The Chafee Act directly addresses this issue as well. The Chafee Act establishes a new Medicaid eligibility group for children who are in foster care under the responsibility of the state on their 18th birthday. States can provide any of the following options:
The Healthy Care Financing Administration Letter also includes the following paragraph emphasizing the intention of the Chafee Act in this Area:
Please note that the Congress and the President worked to ensure that these children receive the full Medicaid benefits package. All services, including Early and Periodic screening, Diagnostic and Treatment Services must be provided to all children whom you cover under the new optional group.8(p.1)
Education
Relationships between education, skill training, job acquisition and income have been well documented. An economy saturated with low-paying, part-time, service jobs together with the changing nature of employment structure in the United States holds important implications for the world-of-work preparation of foster system graduates. Possessing less than a high school diploma is a serious, perhaps insurmountable barrier. A GED only is insufficient and may be a deterrent to stable employment, and by itself, a high school diploma no longer assures employment beyond a poverty level wage.9(p.614)
When we compare the above statement with the stated educational goals put forward by many IL programs of supporting youth through high school graduation or attainment of a GED, we can begin to understand the employment and self-sufficiency problems many youth face as they attempt to make the transition to adulthood. Blome10(1997) reported the following educational deficits of foster care youth in comparison to non-foster youth.
States that allow youth to stay in care beyond age 18 provide an extended opportunity for youth to finish high school or GED programs and in many cases to begin post-secondary educational or vocational programs. Continuing to support youth in care to age 21 or beyond will result in improved educational outcomes for youth in care.
The Workforce Strategy Center (WSC)11 describes today's economy as characterized by a "dumbbell," or "hourglass," phenomenon, with jobs clustering into two categories:
WSC emphasizes:
Given the structure of today's economy, the WSC believes that effective school to career strategies will require a pathway to high-wage, high-skill jobs. This pathway calls for some form of post-secondary education and training as well as a direct connection to high-wage, high-demand skill sectors.12 (WSC, 2000,p. 2)
Employment
North, Mallabar and Desrochers13 describe four skill areas essential to employability:
Work experience reinforces the basic skills training that youth receive in IL programs. Iglehart14 examined the experiences of 152 randomly selected youth in foster care in Los Angeles County. Iglehart found that youth that had experiential employment opportunities also exhibited better self-care abilities.
Successful adult employment experiences for youth leaving care are predicated on the quality of skills training and experience obtained while in care. A number of authors15,16,17 have emphasized the need for employment programs to build collaborative relationships in the community. North, Mallabar and Desrochers18 provide the following recommendations to agencies caring for older youth:
The Workforce Strategy Center19 makes the following recommendation concerning the introduction of career and educational options for youth:
Programs should incorporate a clearly defined educational and career counseling element, developed either internally or in partnership with an educational institution such as a local community college that offers basic labor market and educational information tied to the regional economy. Programs should also seek to work with youth to develop an individual educational and career plan to ensure participants understand the range of opportunities available and are moving forward to meet them. (p. 10)
Integrated Nature of the Key Issues
Each of the key issues; early discharge, housing, health and mental health care, education and employment, were considered individually. A comprehensive focus integrating each of these areas into a related set of skills and abilities will translate into successful preparation for adulthood. None of these areas can exist in a vacuum, a lack of basic competency (or availability in the area of health care) in any of these areas is likely to hasten failure in all of the key areas.
The inter-relatedness of the key issues points toward the need for comprehensive preparation for the transition to independence. The Westat20 study provided the following findings related to successful transitions:
While the provision of integrated services is the ideal, two recent reports have identified barriers that exist in the field. The General Accounting Office (GAO)21, through interviews with state and local program administrators, reported some of the following shortcomings in state Independent Living Services that detract from states' ability to provide integrated services:
...some programs do not sufficiently seek out employment opportunities in the community and offer few opportunities for youth to participate in real-life practice opportunities or esteem-building experiences. Moreover, some programs could not provide enough housing or other transitional assistance to both youths still in care and those who have left care. (p. 6)
Caliber Associates22, in their review of 10 years of State Independent Living Reports, found that the three most commonly reported barriers to successful ILP implementation were:
Additional barriers included:
We found that these issues were raised repeatedly throughout our survey, interviews and site visits as critical components in the lives of youth transitioning out of foster care.
A comprehensive review of the literature on independent living for older adolescents was conducted. The following pages provide a review of the literature supporting the four core principles and eleven suggested practice criteria identified for independent living/self sufficiency.
Core Principle: Youth Development Philosophy
Although the idea of youth development has been around for several years, we have just begun to see consistent movement of agencies involving youth in the development, implementation, and evaluation of their programs. This is done by creating an environment and opportunities where young people feel supported and safe in practicing skills, learning about relationships and connecting with their communities.
Westat23 found that independent living services targeted toward specified youth needs and outcomes achieve the best results. Based upon results from a pilot study, Nollan, Downs, Wolf and Lamont24 recommend that life skills assessment tools be designed for youth across an age continuum and structured to involve participation from both the youth and their caregiver. Two recommendations were made by Caliber25 relevant to further engaging youth in helping to shape independent living program activities.
First, states should be encouraged to embrace a youth development approach that moves beyond occasional youth involvement to ongoing engagement of youth in the planning, development, and delivery of ILP services. Second, training and technical assistance (including peer-to-peer TA) should be provided. This training and technical assistance should focus on integrating youth development approaches, emphasizing youth strengths rather than deficits, and keeping youth engaged. (p. VI-12)
Successful transition to adulthood to a large degree depends on the youth's ability to make appropriate decisions regarding his or her case plan. Youth who have a sense of self-esteem and who feel empowered are often better equipped to deal with the barriers as well as the opportunities that arise during and after care. By encouraging youth and adults to become partners in making decisions, youth learn to take responsibility for themselves and thus feel empowered. This philosophy lies at the core of the youth development movement. Therefore, in order to provide effective services and achieve positive, desired outcomes for older foster youth, it is imperative that both public and private independent living/transitional living providers embrace the youth development philosophy and incorporate youth into aspects of not only their own case assessment and planning, but overall independent living policy and program development, implementation, and evaluation.
Core Principle: Collaboration
Preparing a young person to take his/her place in the community as a young adult is the community's responsibility. Independent living/transitional living programs should be proactive in seeking community involvement/collaboration. When programs reach out to community organizations and individuals, they create linkages that will benefit youth while they are in the program and after they leave it. Community involvement can lead to additional financial resources, in-kind contributions, and support. Community members can be helpful to youth who are looking for housing, seeking employment, and finding ways to fill their free time. Collaborations with community organizations can lead to job shadowing experiences, mentoring opportunities and long-term personal connections.
Collaboration also involves working with other agencies to secure the myriad of services necessary to prepare youth for adulthood. For example: integrated service delivery is described as procedures and structures that help service agencies coordinate their efforts to address the wide range of needs in a holistic manner.(Burt, Resnick and Matheson)26 The researchers offer the following recommendations for inter-agency collaboration; long-term commitment, identification of needed services, common goals and objectives, flexible funding, minimization of administrative barriers, effectively designed and implemented evaluations, and institutionalizing change.
The importance of integrated service delivery is reinforced by the American Youth Policy Forum's 27(1997) comprehensive evaluation of youth programs. They found that unsuccessful programs are generally ones that only provide a single focus for intervention rather than addressing all the dimensions of a youth's developmental needs. While some programs are able to provide the full range of services solely through their agency, most need to work collaboratively with other agencies in order to offer a complete continuum of youth services.
In examining literature specifically focused on foster youth, there is strong implied support for the concepts of both inter-agency collaboration and agency-to-school collaboration.(Westat28,; Barth29, Mech,30; Kazis and Kopp31, CWLA interim report32) One component that Cook33 refers to as essential to the operation of integrated service delivery is the inclusion of inter-agency training. Training needs to incorporate all of the involved parties, including the administrators, caseworkers, foster parents, school personnel, and other outside service providers. This process facilitates the flow of information, builds both formal and informal relationships and creates a foundation of trust and cooperation between agencies.
Caliber Associates34 made three recommendations concerning promoting increased collaboration for independent living agencies with other agencies and community services. They included:
When young people move out on their own, they need to be well connected with community resources and individuals. Programs that promote community interactions and interagency collaboration are modeling for the youth the importance of networking and community support systems. Therefore, collaboration is offered as a core principle, which must be at the foundation of any effective independent/transitional living programs. Administrators and staff in these agencies should embrace the value of interagency and community collaboration and seek to make the necessary linkages that will help youth as they prepare to leave and after they leave care.
Core Principle: Cultural Competency
Public and private child welfare agencies across the country are increasing their attention to the issue of diversity and cultural competence. Culture is a constantly changing, learned pattern of customs, beliefs, values and behaviors, which are socially acquired and transmitted through symbols, rituals and events, and convey widely shared meanings among its members. Culture includes gender, age, sexual orientation, urban, rural, ethnicity, values, personalities, marital status, and job position.
According to the statistics cited earlier, the following percentages were reported for children in care: 34 percent African-American, 13 percent Hispanic, 2 percent American Indian, 1 percent Asian/Pacific Islander, and 5 percent Unknown/Unable to Determine. While there is a disproportionately large number of children of color in the child welfare system, professionals of color appear to be under-represented in the fields of social work and psychology. (Gilbelman and Schervish35, Lennon36)
This influx of children and youth of color into the child welfare system has contributed to the need to provide services that are more compatible with the cultural needs of the youth and families served. Many agencies have embraced this challenge by developing approaches to provide more acceptable and useful services to these populations. Changing demographics have also contributed to the need to recruit and retain workers knowledgeable about providing services to individuals and families from different cultures.
Leigh and Green37 (1989) define cultural competency as "the ability of the service provider to give assistance to clients in ways that are acceptable and useful to them." Culturally competent agencies and staff are able to view a young person's strengths and needs within the cultural context and integrate what they know in helping the youth develop a meaningful plan of action. Every agency should strive to meet this definition of competency. This is a skill learned by the individual and the organization. It does not occur merely out of good intentions. It is fostered out of the commitment to provide services that are culturally appropriate and that make a difference in the lives of individuals and families.
The concept of developing culturally competent agencies is similar to the teaching of youth to appreciate and value differences. If agencies do not create an atmosphere that values and appreciates cultural differences, how can they expect to develop awareness in youth with whom they work, Staff who value diversity are more apt to move beyond the comfortable and familiar to seek out services, essential connections, and role models that are meaningful to their young people. As staff grow to appreciate the additional tasks faced by these adolescents, viewing the world from another's perspective enriches their own lives. Cultural competence is offered as the third core principle or value that should underscore the work of child welfare agencies providing independent living/self-sufficiency services.
Core Principle: Relationship Permanency
Assisting youth to successfully sustain life-long emotional relationships with adults is essential to their successful transition to adulthood. Former youth in care have reported that they seek out relatives as well as other adults they met while in care for emotional connections after they have left the system. These relationships have an enormous impact on the young person's ability to succeed in making the difficult transitions from youth to adulthood.
Programs that focus on youth-defined family connections by working with the youth and those people whom the youth has relationships with are more likely to successfully establish relationship permanency. Youth may be the best resource in identifying people in their life or from their past that can serve as their permanent family connection. The permanency planning process should also include relatives, foster parents, group home staff, school personnel and other professionals to assist caseworkers in establishing placement options, as well as defining what problems may exist to establishing permanent, healthy relationships with adults.
Youth who learn life skills that address issues of self-esteem, self-determination, loyalty and loss, and how to safely relate with their relatives will be better able to reconcile their feelings with the past and build healthy permanent relationships. Agencies that assist youth to address their needs for independent living skills while also assisting their needs for permanent family connections are more likely to help youth achieve self-sufficiency.
Note on Survey Findings
We report the findings from our survey, the interviews we conducted and the site visits we made in the following sections. We refer to programs as "directly providing," services to youth or "referring" youth to services. Services that are "directly provided" are provided to youth by the program and represent an element of the program. "Referring," youth to services implies that the program is acting as a broker of services, connecting youth to services they need that the program does not provide. For example, if a program employs a mental health counselor and program youth receive mental health services through this counselor, then the program is "directly," providing this service. On the other hand, if a program arranges for program-youth to receive mental health services from a resource that is not affiliated with the program, then the program is "referring" youth to this service.
It is important to emphasize that while we asked programs to tell us whether they directly provide or refer youth to a given service this distinction does not infer any judgment of the quality of the service. Whether a program directly delivers a service or refers youth to other resources to access a service may be a function of a number of factors, including program size and the availability of resources within the community where the program is located.
LIFE SKILLS
Summary
Dorothy Ansell38 describes a four-stage continuum that enables youth in Independent Living Programs to move through a series of phases to acquire tangible and intangible skills. The four stages are Informal Learning, Formal Learning, Supervised Practice and Self-sufficiency. Delivering Life Skills Training throughout the four-stage continuum gives youth the flexibility to move through the continuum based on their own developmental needs and individualized independent living goals.
Caliber Associates39 reported that between FY's 1987 and 1996, state ILPs provided services that addressed both tangible and intangible skills. They defined educational, vocational, money management, home management and the use of community resources as tangible skills. Intangible skills included decision making, problem solving, communication, time management, conflict resolution and social skills, following the typology established in the Westat40 evaluation.
The Westat41 national evaluation of outcomes for former foster youth identified five specific skill areas associated with improved outcomes for youth. The areas are money management, credit, consumer skills, education and employment. The authors also identified that a combination of skills training including the five identified skills was associated with better youth outcomes.
The General Accounting Office42 reported that opportunities to practice daily life skills and to develop self-esteem were limited in some of the locations they visited. GAO reports that program officials in two locations and youth in three locations reported that issues such as safety regulations for group homes inhibit or prevent activities such as cooking. Additionally, GAO officials found that:
...esteem-building activities are often limited to a small number of youth. For example, local officials in Texas reported that opportunities for foster care youths to participate in post-secondary school conferences or extended outdoor activities were limited.(p. 10)
Suggested Promising Practices Criteria
Programs should include a clearly defined life skills instruction component that provides youth with...
Learning life skills is a life time proposition. For most young Americans, the process happens gradually. For youth in out-of-home care, life skills instruction efforts need to be both specific and intentional because most have not had consistent parenting or education and will not be able to gradually assume responsibility for themselves as they move into their mid-20's. For these youth, "childhood" will abruptly end at age 18 or 21. When programs have a clearly defined life skills instruction component, it is more likely that essential life skills will not be overlooked.
When programs provide real-world practice experiences, youth have the opportunity to internalize and personalize what they have learned about a skill and feel confident in the ability to use this skill in the future.
Survey findings
In our survey, we found that over 90 percent of programs indicated they directly deliver services in the following life skills areas:
Fewer than 30 percent of responding programs directly provided services in the following life skills areas:
These last three items are of particular importance to the future of youth today as Barth recently noted at a Casey Family Services Conference in Burlington, MA.43 While many programs are unable to provide these services directly, many programs refer out for the provision of these services. For example, 92 percent of the responding programs either provide or refer youth to vocational training. Seventy-nine percent of responding programs provide or refer youth to driver's education programs, and only 74 percent of programs provide or refer youth to computer/internet training. Given the stated ILP goal of independence and self-sufficiency, less than 100% compliance in these areas may be insufficient.
What are some notable programs and resources?
Casey Family Program San Antonio Division, TX
Good Will-Hinckley Independent Living Program, ME
Rhode Island Foster Parents Association, RI
Quakerdale Independent Living-Cluster and Scattered Site, IA
The King's Ranch/Hannah Homes Transitional Living Program, AL
Where can I find more information?
Child Welfare League of America (1990) Child Welfare League of America: Standards for Independents Living Services. Washington, Child Welfare League of America
Colca, L., Colca. C. (1996) "Transitional independent living foster homes: a step toward independence." Children Today v24 n1 p7(5).
Cook, R. (1991) A National Evaluation of Title IV-E Foster Care Independent Living Programs for Youth, Phase 2, Final Report. Rockville, MD: Westat, Inc.
Courtney, M. E., Barth, R. P. (1996) "Pathways of Older Adolescents Out of Foster Care: Implications for Independent Living Services." Social Work 41(1), 75-83.
---------. (1999) Foster Care: Effectiveness of Independent Living Services Unknown. (GAO/HEHS 00-13 November 1999).
EDUCATION
Summary
Coordinating educational services for foster youth is one of the most important practices for an independent living program. Coordinating educational services helps youth to prepare for independent living in the short-term and for improved overall life outcomes in the long-term.44,45 Multiple studies, even those controlling for the youth's abilities, have found discrepant educational outcomes for youth in foster care46. Youth in foster care are more likely to have dropped out of school, less likely to have received a high school diploma or a GED and less likely to participate in post-secondary education. A recent follow-up study out of Wisconsin47 found that 12 to 18 months after discharge from the foster care system, 37% of youth had not yet completed their high school education.
Services that may contribute to the youth's positive educational outcomes include: 48,49,50,51,52
Programs that promote educational stability and approach education in a comprehensive, integrated manner are most likely to promote the completion of high school and encourage enrollment in post-secondary education.53,54
Despite the continued advocacy of researchers urging programs to approach education in a comprehensive and integrated manner, the Workforce Strategy Center (WSC)55 found that among the programs they reviewed:
...virtually without exception, that programs educational preparation focused on achievement of the GED as the educational outcome for foster care youth. (p. 10)
Supporting the WSC findings, the GAO56 reported that:
41 states reported assisting youth with preparing for, or completing education or vocational training. Of these 41 states, 26 offered assistance such as tutoring or remedial training to help youth graduate from high school or receive a GED; 28 states helped youth prepare for vocational school... and 33 states helped youth pursue post-secondary education, such as through educational planning or assessments, assistance in applying for financial aid or college admission, or campus tours. Further, 21 states awarded some tuition aid or scholarships for college or vocational schools, and 20 helped to pay for other educational expenses such as books, training materials, uniforms, college entrance exam fees, or college application fees. (p. 7)
The GAO findings offer evidence of a more comprehensive approach to education of older foster youth on the part of some states. However, the most compelling fact in the above quotation is that only 33 of the 50 states (66%) report providing any form of support for post-secondary education for IL program youth.
In light of their finding and similar findings from other sources the Workforce Strategy Center57 recommends that:
Programs for foster care youth should incorporate a clearly defined college preparation component that would ensure youth meet prevailing skills standards for success in postsecondary education and training. This component could be delivered through enhanced or enriched GED programs, or maybe preferably, as a separate educational in initiative developed with local community colleges or other educational institutions. (p. 10)
Suggested Promising Practices Criteria
Programs should include educational supports aimed at helping youth...
Because of the disruptions in their lives, youth in out-of-home care are often one or more grade levels behind. Many youth need special education services to catch up with their peers or to cope with a learning disability. Often youth are not placed their home school jurisdiction. The transfer of files and funds, which can be cumbersome and time consuming, creates additional delays for youth who are already behind.
In order for youth to be able to obtain and maintain employment they must have some ability to read and write. Because of academic disruptions, many youth are reading one or two grade levels below where they should be. Some youth are well below grade level and have difficulty completing even the most basic job application. In our survey of older youth in foster care58 we found that one-quarter of youth reported being involved with special education classes in the last five years, while only one-third reported being enrolled in college preparatory classes.
Every young person needs an academic plan that includes information on course-taking, assessments, extracurricular activities, career aspirations and other life goals relevant for adulthood. The plan should include information on a young person's interests, strengths in school, visions for career and personal life and opportunities for career and work experience.
Beginning a post-secondary educational/ vocational program may involve the completion of complicated applications and financial aid forms. It may also involve writing an essay, or taking a qualifying test like the ACT. Special equipment or uniforms may be required. Programs can assist students with all of these entry activities and help youth secure the financial aid needed to pay for the program.
Once youth are enrolled in an educational/ vocational program, they continue to need both emotional and financial support. If the student is living on campus, programs can provide places for youth to spend holidays and summer vacations when college housing is not available.
Survey Summary
In our survey of 98 programs, we found that while support through high school is common, support for post-secondary education are only happening in states that support youth through age 21 or in programs with private endowments. When we asked the programs what educational services they are currently providing, we found that 70 percent or more (71%-87%) of the programs provide the following educational supports:
We found that from one-third to more than one-half of programs (36%-57%) provide:
Our in-depth interviews revealed that programs that provided financial aid or assistance are a combination of public and private programs. These programs provide support to supplement grant and scholarship money youth have been awarded. We also found that most programs depend on local schools to provide post-secondary educational counseling and services to increase literacy.
What are some notable programs and resources?
Casey Family Program, San Antonio Division, TX
Youth receive support to complete high school through Project Quest, a collaborative project involving two other organizations. Youth involvement lasts one to two years and involves an educational/ apprenticeship track. The program also employs a part-time vocational consultant. Youth are assessed using the "Discovery Program" assessment tool. Youth follow either a career plan or a post-secondary educational plan. The program also participates in a partnership with the community college district. Community College representatives come to the Casey offices 2-3 times per month to help youth with financial aid (FAF) forms, admissions and enrollment.
Franklin County Children's Services Emancipation Department, OH
Franklin County depends heavily on the local schools to provide most educational supports. Franklin County makes a grant of $500 per youth to cover graduation and yearbook expenses. The Program assists youth in completing financial aid forms and provides set-up expenses and personal items to cover youths' first six months in post-secondary programs. The program has supplied youth with items like word-processors and microwave ovens to assist their transition to post-secondary education.
Denver Dept of Human Services, Alive-E Youth in Transition, CO
Alive-E focuses educational supports on preparing youth for post-secondary education. GED support is provided, but youth are required to make a commitment to pursue post-secondary education. Post-secondary supports encompass both college and vocational/technical foci. Colorado does not provide post-secondary educational funding (as of a 1999 interview). Alive-E directs youth to the Orphan Foundation of America for scholarships and to the Governors Opportunity Scholarship, a Colorado-based scholarship available for youth who are or have been in foster care.
Casey Family Services, ME
The program provides individual educational assessments, tutors and active advocacy for youth in the schools. The program will continue to provide support to foster parents for completion of high school education after youth have turned eighteen. Casey Family Services will provide financial support for post-secondary education including financial support and providing mentoring homes for post-secondary students.
Oklahoma Department of Human Services, Independent Living Program
The program provides educational advocates through both the ILP and Citizens Caring for Children, a contracted service provider. Program youth have access to two scholarship programs through the Youth with Promise Foundation. Citizens Caring for Children (an independent contractor) provides support for youth in post-secondary educational settings including care packages sent to youth during exam weeks. In addition, IL youth in post-secondary educational programs receive an allowance based on their performance.
Crawford County IL Program: Hermitage House Youth Services, PA
Program youth are encouraged to participate in the Shadow Project, a collaboration with the local School-to-Work Program. Youth participate in job shadowing experiences in areas of possible career interest.
Massachusetts Departments of Social Services and Education
Cross-disciplinary training is provided for care-providers and education personnel. The training enhances the understanding of school staff regarding how to respond to the unique needs of children in care.
Quakerdale Independent Living -Cluster & Scattered Site, IA
Quakerdale connects youth to area community colleges for employment-focused post-secondary education. Quakerdale establishes program youth in scattered-site apartments located in the community college towns.
United Friends of the Children - Bridges to Independence, CA
The Bridges Career Center actively advocates and develops links between youth and entry-level jobs with benefits. They provide extensive supports (e.g., coaches in the workplace) to ensure that the employment experience is positive and that the youth remains in the job as long as possible.
Where can I find more information?
Mech, E. V., Che-man Fung, C. (1999) "Placement Restrictiveness and educational achievement among emancipated foster youth." Research on Social Work Practice v9, i2 p213(6).
Lindsey, E.W., Fashih, U. A. (1999) "The North Carolina Independent Living Program: a comparison of outcomes for participants and nonparticipants." Children and Youth Services Review v21, i5 p389(24).
Blome, W.W. (1997) "What happens to foster kids: Educational experiences of a random sample of foster care youth and a matched group of non-foster care youth." Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal 14(1),41-53.
Courtney, M.E., Piliavin, I., Grogan-Kaylor, A. & Nesmith, A. (1998) Foster Youth Transitions to Adulthood: Outcomes 12 to 18 Months After Leaving Out-of-Home Care. Madison, Wisconsin: School of Social Work and Institute for Research on Poverty.
Kochanek, T. (1998) The school and community support project: Creating the context for opportunities and success for foster and adoptive children. Massachusetts: Department of Social Services and Education.
EMPLOYMENT
Summary
Existing research on youth employment opportunities illustrates a system that has progressed over time in terms of connecting older foster care youth to employment opportunities. However, the existing research points to a series of current shortfalls but also makes a number of recommendations designed to strengthen the ability of programs to enhance the creation of employment opportunities for youth.
The Workforce Strategy Center59 describes today's economy as resembling a dumbbell or hourglass with jobs falling into two categories. The categories are:
This description of the economy paints a bleak picture for youth entering the job market with low educational attainment and poor job-readiness skills. WSC identifies five successful elements of a pathway that will support the successful transition of foster care youth to the world of work. These five elements are:
The WSC presents an approach to preparing young adults for the workforce that recognizes that successful competition in the labor market for jobs earning family-supporting wages will require earning at least a high school diploma or GED. Earning these credentials should be considered an essential outcome for all young people, but getting and keeping high-wage, high-skill jobs will likely require additional skills and knowledge. In contrast, Caliber Associates60 report that from FY 1989 through FY 1996, states gradually increased the depth and scope of employment support services provided to youth in IL programs. The following table, excerpted from their report, displays the increase in support in three specific areas of employment support services between FY 1989 and FY 1986.
Table 1
FY 1989 (%)
FY 1996 (%)
Career Planning and Employment Services
92
98
Job Search and Preparation
73
89
Job Maintenance
45
70
Purchase of Career Resources
8
37
*These data represent the proportion of states that reported providing these services to at least one youth in their state. More states may have provided such services but it was not clearly evident in the review process.
Caliber Associates report that state ILPs have increasingly implemented collaborations with outside organizations such as JPTA, Job Corps, and Offices of Employment Training. Among the examples they cite are summer employment and training programs in Maryland, Virginia, New York State, and Michigan. These examples all consisted of collaborations between the state ILPs and other public sector initiatives. They also provide examples of collaborations with private employers, community agencies, nonprofits and social service agencies. IL programs in Virginia, California, Washington, DC and New Jersey were cited in reference to these types of collaborative initiatives. Interestingly, these collaborations focus on more traditional employment development paths, with more stress on job readiness and preparation than education.
Ansell et al.61 list the following activities as necessary elements of an effective IL Program employment component:
While the focus of this list is primarily in the area of job attainment, the inclusion of career exploration points to the authors' emphasis on a comprehensive approach to employment. This approach includes both job acquisition skills and a focus on future goals through career exploration.
DeJesus62 interviewed a sample of youth employment program graduates who had been continually employed for at least one year. His research identified a change in mentality, attitude or outlook on life as a critical element in the successes of sample youth. He listed several activities that youth cited as contributing to these changes:
DeJesus findings again emphasize the relationship of educational attainment and successful employment outcomes.
The GAO63 reported that 40 of the 50 states (80%) responding to their survey stated that they provide employment services to youth. States reported providing job readiness (28 states), job search (24 states) and job placement activities (18 states). However, in relation to the site visits they performed during their study, GAO reported:
Although all four areas we visited provided assistance with education and employment, we found that ILPs did not provide services that fully matched youth to appropriate employment pathways. (p. 7)
Among the problems programs reported to GAO were a lack of vocational and apprenticeship opportunities, and a lack of sufficient ILP funds to pay for available vocational programs. GAO reported that of the four sites they visited (programs were located in Maryland, Massachusetts, Texas and California) only Texas offers statewide tuition waivers to IL youth for all state-supported vocational, technical and postsecondary schools.
The GAO's findings illustrate that while the states are making progress toward better employment support programs there is room for improvement.
Echoing the GAO finding, Workforce Strategy Center64 reported that:
Relatively few of the programs interviewed have formal employment training programs. Most of the employment training is focused on immediate employment open to students with relatively little skills training as opposed to longer-term and more intensive career training... (p. 6)
The Workforce Strategy Center65 speaks directly to the need to link career and educational options. They assert:
Programs should incorporate a clearly defined educational and career counseling element, developed either internally or in partnership with an educational institution such as a local community college that offers basic labor market and educational information tied to the regional economy. Programs should also seek to work with youth to develop an individual educational and career plan to ensure participants understand the range of opportunities available and are moving forward to achieve them. (p. 10)
Our research confirmed that many programs have difficulty providing a comprehensive employment component. Programs described a number of factors that impeded the establishment of a comprehensive employment component. Among these factors programs listed:
Programs report that they compensate for these difficulties by focusing on job readiness and job skills acquisition. Programs reason that if youth gain basic employment skills, these skills can be built upon when the youth moves to locations with better employment opportunities. All of the programs we interviewed require youth to be employed part-time while enrolled in the program.
Our findings, and the findings and recommendations outlined above, lend weight to our assertion that programs need to include a comprehensive employment component that includes all aspects of employment preparation.
Suggested Promising Practices Criteria
Programs should include an employment component that...
All youth need opportunities to explore the career and educational options available to them. Such opportunities might include career days, job shadowing, job mentors, and internships. Career exploration can being as early as age eight and may continue with more substantive experiences during the high school years. Visits to college campuses to learn about courses of study help youth in grades 9-11 explore their career choices.
Every young person needs an academic plan that includes information on course taking, assessments, extracurricular activities, career aspirations, and other life goals relevant to adulthood. The plan should include information on a young person's interests, strengths in school, visions for career and personal life, and opportunities for career and work experience.
Youth who have the opportunity to earn money while working in a field of interest are more likely to pursue their educational and career goals. Recent studies suggest that "education works best and is most useful for future careers when students apply what they learn to real-life, real-work situations."66
Youth need help in keeping track of their academic credits and their work experiences. Some agencies have developed internal tools like portfolios to help youth document their school and work activities and to record progress toward their personal and professional goals.
Effective youth initiatives connect young people with adults who care about them and who can serve as role models for them. These adults serve as advisors, mentors, coaches, and advocates. They offer wisdom, encouragement, praise, and support. "Committed and skilled adults are essential to guide young people and help them navigate the world on their own."66
Regular discussions with local community college and university faculty and staff can help youth prepare for postsecondary education. These sessions can begin with youth as young as 13 or 14 thus providing them with information about academic requirements before they enter high school. Partnerships with local industries can produce career mentors and lead to career related work experiences for youth. Partnerships with employment programs can create opportunities for youth to obtain specialized supports and services that the child welfare agency may not be able to provide.
Even youth who are successfully employed need opportunities to explore possible careers. Such opportunities might include career days, job shadowing, job mentors and internships. Career exploration can begin as early as grades 6 or 8 and may continue with more substantive experiences during the high school years. Visits to college campuses to learn about courses of study are an example of career exploration for young adults in grades 9-11.
Survey Findings
Our survey of 98 programs found that 95 percent of programs report providing and/or referring youth to the following employment services:
Additionally, over 80 percent of programs report providing or referring youth to these employment services:
Programs reported a number of different collaborative relationships designed to expose youth to work and career opportunities. Examples of collaborative relationships include:
What are some notable programs and resources?
Brighton Center Independent Living Program, KY
The program has relationships with several local businesses who employ IL youth. They bring in employment consultants and also have a relationship with the local university to assist youth with career assessments.
Child and Family Tennessee, Transitional Living Program, TN
The agency operates an economic development program that works closely with area businesses. Transitional Living youth can choose to participate in this program. Youth will be united with an adult who works with various industries. The industries hire the youth and the adult serves a job coach.
The King's Ranch/Hannah Homes Transitional Living Program, AL
The program uses the Career Pathways tool to help youth identify vocational/career interests. They work closely with First Jobs and WorkShops, two area agencies that provide employment opportunities for youth with specific diagnoses. The program also collaborates with the local JTPA program.
The Casey Family Program, San Antonio Division, TX
The program retains a part-time vocational/educational consultant who helps youth complete the Discovery Program assessment tool. Youth work on either a career path or a secondary educational plan. Program youth are able to participate in Project Quest, a 1-2 year program that works with youth in an educational advocacy/career development case management role. The program also has a relationship with the local Community College District. Representative from the Community College District visit the program office 2-3 times per month to assist youth with financial aid forms, admissions and enrollment. San Antonio is a regional health care center, the Community College District focuses on training students for jobs in the health care field.
Where can I find more information?
Wagner, C. G. (1999) "Young poor, and forgotten: undereducated youths struggle to survive in a booming economy." The Futurist 33(4) p. 14(2)
Lewis, T., Stone J., Shipley, W., Madzar, S. (1998) "The transition from school to work: An examination of the literature." Youth and Society 29(3) p259(34).
DeJesus, E. (1997) "Tales from the bright side: Conversations with graduates of youth employment programs." In Sum, A. et al. (Eds.) A Generation of Challenge: Pathways to Success for Urban Youth. Sar Levitan Center for Social Policy Studies: Baltimore. MD
Search Institute (1997). The Asset Approach: Giving Kids What They Need to Succeed. Search Institute: Minneapolis, MN
Sandler, L. Vandegrift, J. A., VerBrugghen, C. (1995) "From desert to garden: reconnecting disconnected youth." Educational Leadership, 52(8) p14(3).
Community Linkages
Summary
Community linkages refer to the ability of youth to be aware of and gain access to community resources. These resources include health and mental health care, job and career opportunities, community leadership opportunities, and opportunities to establish connections to adult mentors. While each of these community resources is important in its own right, the literature increasingly points toward the importance of a significant adult relationship in supporting youth during the transition to adulthood.
Ansell et al. 67 focus on the findings of the resiliency research68,69 that focuses on adolescents who are moving from foster care. This research examines the ability of young people exiting foster care to develop a support network and the influence of informal role models and mentors as members of this support network. Mech70, in a survey of three different groups of adolescents in foster care, found that mentoring is increasingly being used as a support service to assist older foster youth to make the transition to adulthood. Noble71 found that one of the key factors of why some foster children succeed when others do not is the presence of a significant adult in the lives of youth who succeed.
Caliber Associates72 note that over two-thirds of the reporting states indicated that they attempt to help youth form mentoring relationships. The states listed the following sources for youth mentors:
However, despite the states' recognition of the importance of mentoring, many states also reported difficulties in finding enough mentors to serve their eligible populations.
The six sources of mentors mentioned cited in the Caliber Associates report suggest the wide variety of sources states utilize to attempt to connect youth with adults. This reflects the findings of our earlier research73 reflecting the shortage of available mentors. In this study, only 18 percent of youth indicated they talked to a mentor about what they wanted to be when they grew up. Our current survey of programs also reflects the difficulty of finding a sufficient number of community volunteers to enable programs to help youth establish mentoring relationships. Programs overwhelmingly indicated their desire to access mentoring resources, however, the programs we interviewed repeatedly mentioned the difficulty of attracting sufficient numbers of suitable adult volunteers.
Community linkages for youth must focus on a larger target than the establishment of mentoring relationships. Caliber Associates74 list the following community resources that state IL programs reported referring youth to:
The inclusion of faith-based organizations reflects our current finding of the importance this link can play for youth. The programs we interviewed who mentioned faith-based organizations emphasized several valuable aspects of these resources, including the opportunity to develop peer and adult relationships and the opportunity to participate in community service work.
Suggested Promising Practices Criteria
Programs should establish community linkages that...
In order for youth to be able to live on their own in the community, they need to know the resources available and how to access them. Prior to leaving foster care, youth should know where they will be addressing their financial and medical needs. Creating community linkages becomes even more challenging when the youth's plan is to return to a home community many miles away.
Community linkages need to extend beyond connecting with businesses and organizations. It must also include personal connections. Each youth needs someone he/she can contact for support and guidance. This person might be a biological family member, an adopted family, a guardian, a former schoolteacher, a former counselor, or a mentor.
When programs reach out to the professional and business community, they often create job and career opportunities for youth. These linkages are created by making program presentations at local business and civic meetings, opening board membership to community leaders, inviting business and professional leaders to meet with youth, and seeking opportunities for youth to spend time with local community leaders.
Youth can benefit from giving back to their communities through participating in volunteer activities, completing community improvement projects, and serving on community committees.
Survey Findings
Our survey asked programs which of the following community links they provide for youth:
We found that all of the responding programs connect youth with community resources. This is the only one of the four community links that is directly provided by the majority (92%) of the programs. We also found that in the majority of the programs we interviewed, this connection involved connecting youth with physical and mental health resources in the community. The linking consisted of placing the responsibility for making and keeping appointments with the youth. Seventy-seven programs, (77%) indicated that they create job and career opportunities for youth either directly through the program or via referral to other programs or resources in the community. Seventy-three programs, (75%) attempt to connect youth with adult mentors either as a component of their program or through referral to other resources. Sixty-eight programs (69%) create community leadership opportunities for youth.
Several themes emerged from our interviews. First, we found an extremely high level of interest in mentoring, nearly three-fourths of the programs attempt to connect youth with mentors. However, we found that in almost every case mentoring connections are created informally and occur in a haphazard manner. The primary reason that programs have difficulty in formalizing mentoring programs and relationships is the shortage of adult volunteers.
The second theme that emerged is the role that the faith community plays in helping youth establish community links. Several programs reported actively connecting youth to the faith community. Theses links serve as volunteer opportunities, spiritual connections and a route to establish roots within the community.
What are some notable programs and resources?
The King's Ranch/Hannah Homes Transitional Living Program, AL
Mentoring relationships are established in instances when program volunteers and program youth can be matched in terms of interests. Youth do church-based community service.
Supervised Apartments and Independent Living (S.A.I.L.), CT
Youth are referred to community mental health resources in order to help youth establish a community link. The S.A.I.L. Program also has links with employers in the community who hire youth involved in the program.
Denver Department of Human Services Alive-E Youth in Transition, CO
The program connects youth with spiritual community, program graduates serve as Life Skill instructors, informal mentors. The program director noted that these mentoring relationships occur as an informal outgrowth of the Life Skills instruction. Additionally, the program encourages youth to transition from care to college, reflecting the program's belief that "Education is the best community link."
Volunteer Mobile, Inc. Connections Mentor Program, AL
The mentor program provides mentors to youth "living in and preparing to leave," foster care. The program contact states, "The mentors can provide friendship, support and modeling that will help youth take charge of their own life and become integrated in the community." The mentors are volunteers who are required to commit to a minimum of four hours per month with their mentee. Additionally, mentors are required to submit monthly progress reports, have contact with the youth's case manager and social worker, and attend quarterly meetings. The program asks mentors to recommit to the program on a yearly basis. At the time of the interview, the program had connected 23 youth with mentors, with approximately 45 youth waiting to be matched with a mentor.
Valley Youth House Independent Living Program, PA
The program connects youth to the community based on their needs and interests. The program has established connections with 4H, local employers, and community service projects. Additionally, the program reports occasional successes in linking youth with local contractors/tradesmen to mentor youth and teach them employment skills.
Where can I find more information?
Finn, J. L., Checkoway, B. (1998) "Young people as competent community builders: a challenge to social work." Social Work 43(4) p. 335(11).
Royse, D. (1998) "Mentoring High-Risk Minority Youth: Evaluation of the Brothers Project" Adolescence v33 n129 p145 (14).
Guetzloe, E. (1997) "The Power of Positive Relationships: Mentoring Programs in the School and Community." Preventing School Failure v41 i3 p100 (1).
Dendero, G.M., (1997) "Mentors: Beacons of Hope." Adolescence v32 n128 p881 (6).
Supervising Independent Living
Summary
A supervised independent living experience provides youth with an opportunity to live independently while still being able maintaining contact with the supports the child welfare system provides. Supervised independent living arrangements allow youth to make a gradual progression toward full independence. Referring again to Ansell's continuum to independent living75, (cited in Cook [1988]) supervised independent living experiences occur when youth have progressed to the third level of the continuum. The continuum of skills acquisition includes:
The importance of a supervised independent living experience is demonstrated by examining the outcomes of foster youth without supervised independent living experiences to those of a group of youth who participated in a supervised independent living situation. Courtney et al.76 reported on the post-care living arrangements of a group of former foster youth 12 to 18 months after they left care. Twelve percent of the youth reported being homeless at least once since discharge. While 37 percent of the youth reported living in the same place since discharge, 22 percent of the youth reported living in four or more places since discharge. In contrast, Mech et al.77 found that supplementing basic placement settings with apartment experiences helps to increase a youth's life skills.
The GAO78 reported that their survey revealed that more than 80 percent of the states provided transitional practice living arrangements to some (our emphasis) youth while they are still in foster care to allow them an opportunity to experience independent living for a period of time. However, the GAO also found:
Officials in the four areas we visited confirmed that the number of supervised transitional housing sites is very limited and that they could not provided adequate housing for both youths in care and those who have left the system. One transitional housing provider in Texas indicated that the program has space for only six youths, while an additional 80 to 100 youths with no place to live upon exiting the foster care system could benefit from this type of housing. (p. 12)
Caliber Associates79 reported that states increasingly reported supervised living activities supported by both state and federal dollars. States reported that they were severely constrained in these activities by the ILP restrictions prohibiting the use of federal ILP funds for room and board. The report makes the following recommendations to promote "Experiential Learning in Supervised Environments."
The Chafee Act80 explicitly addresses the first of the Caliber Associates recommendations. One of the major changes of the Chafee Act is a provision that reads:
States may use up to 30 percent of their allocation of Federal funds to provide room and board for youth up to age 21 who aged out of foster care.81 (p. 2)
This change will enable states to expand supervised independent living services without increasing state spending.
Ansell et al.82 emphasize that when youth complete "the program," they should be established in a safe and affordable living arrangement that they can continue to occupy if they choose.
Suggested Promising Practices Criteria
Programs should provide a supervised independent living component that allows youth to...
Living in a supervised independent living arrangement is challenging for most youth. When the location of the housing unit is in a different school district or away from familiar community resources, it can be even more difficult. Youth who select their own housing are also likely to be proud of it and to maintain it.
Programs must provide youth with the opportunity to practice budgeting and bill paying while they are living in a less supervised and more private setting even though it is likely that they will make mistakes.
Programs must anticipate the eventual landlord and roommate problem and have a policy for dealing with both.
When youth complete "the program," they should be established in a safe and affordable living arrangement that they can continue if they so chose. The program should "walk away" from the youth instead of the youth walking away from the program.
Survey Findings
Our survey found that 76 of our responding programs (78%) include one or more of the criteria Ansell et al.83 list as integral pieces of an effective supervised independent living program. Program responses are summarized below:
Overall, we found that:
Our telephone interviews revealed that while 40 programs currently own housing resources used for supervised independent living placements, a number of programs plan to try to expand in this area. Our interviews also revealed that agencies struggle with the need to allow youths to make their own mistakes. While agency support and understanding of this need is nearly universal, the practical realties of community impacts can constrain the relationship between the agency and the surrounding community. One rural program noted:
There are occasionally difficulties in knowing how to balance room for youth to make mistakes but still provide sufficient structure. Walking the line of failure-safety can be difficult in a small town and can result in over-parenting.84
Our interviews and open-ended comments contained in the surveys both illustrate that agencies are very aware of housing needs of youth. There appears to be a move toward creative housing solutions including:
What are some notable programs and resources?
Denver Dept. of Human Services Alive-E Youth in Transition, CO
The Program works with two agencies recruited to provide supervised apartment living situations for program youth. Three Residential Treatment Centers support youth in supervised apartment living settings.
Casey Family Services, CT
The agency has developed working relationships with landlords who will rent to program youth. The program helps youth to find suitable housing options, (YMCA, YWCA, rooming houses, apartments) and helps youth develop budgets and helps youth furnish their apartments to get started.
Valley Youth House Independent Living Program, PA
Offers program leased apartments, youth rented and program supported apartments along with youth-tailored counseling and support provided in apartment settings.
Supervised Apartments and Independent Living (SAIL), CT
Offers a continuum of housing options along with intensive supervision and continuous support offered in relation to youth needs.
Kenosha Human Development Services Independent Living, WI
The agency administers two short-term group homes for younger (16-16 1/2) youth and an array of non-agency owned scattered site locations including boarding houses, and a network of landlords. Youth find their own housing and maintain their own budgets.
Child and Family Tennessee, Transitional Living Program, TN
The agency owns two apartment buildings and is a community housing agent. This allows the program to provide a continuum of housing resources and supports, including both agency owned housing and agency assistance in helping youth establish their own living situations upon program completion.
GAO85 cites two examples of supervised independent living programs that provide residential services to youth after they leave foster care.
Challengers Independent Living Program, MD
Foster care youth can reside for 18-24 months in apartments furnished and supervised by the service provider and receive a weekly stipend to purchase clothing, food and household supplies.
Real Solutions Transitional Living Program, TX
This privately funded program provides youth with a group living arrangement for up to three years, normally from ages 18-21 while youth adjust to self-sufficiency.
Where can I find more information?
Kroner, M. J. (1999) "Housing Options for Independent Living Programs." CWLA Press, Washington, DC
Cook, R. (1994) "Are we helping foster youth prepare for their future, " Special Issue: Preparing foster youth for Adulthood. Children and Youth Services Review 16(3-4) 213-229.
English, D.J., Kouidou-Giles, S., Plocke, M. (1994) "Readiness for independence: A study of youth in foster care." Children and Youth Services Review 16(3-4) 213-229.
Kroner, M. J. (1988) "Living arrangement options for young people preparing for independent living." Child Welfare 67(6), 547-562.
Health
Summary
Our survey identified two major health services issues that youth need to be able to understand and manage prior to making the transition out of the foster care system. First, youth must be prepared to understand and manage their own physical, dental and mental health needs. Second, prior to leaving care, programs must help youth to connect with appropriate health care resources in their own community. This is especially important given that studies have identified foster youth as having more health and mental health care needs than non-foster youth. Rosenfeld86 estimated that foster youth have three to seven times as many health, developmental and emotional problems as non-foster youth from similar socioeconomic backgrounds. Halfon87 reported that while children in out-of-home care make up only 4% of the Medicaid eligible population in California, they consumed 41% of the Medicaid mental health services delivered during the study period.
Youth in Independent Living programs receive health insurance through their state Medicaid programs. While youth are in foster care the arrangements for their health care are handled through the programs the youth are involved with. This creates a two-part dilemma. First, unless youth are deliberately taught to understand their health care needs and how to make and keep appointments they will be unable to mange their own health care needs after leaving care. Second, as a result of established relationships, agencies and programs are able to find physical/mental and dental health providers who are willing to work with Medicaid enrollees. Youth are insulated from understanding how difficult it can be to gain access to the healthcare system as a Medicaid insurance beneficiary.
Ansell et al.88 assert that the literature on health related outcomes for former foster youth indicate that programs are not adequately preparing youth to access physical, mental and dental health services on their own. The authors emphasize that it is imperative that youth be connected to physical, mental and dental health services in the community where the youth will be living after leaving care, regardless of where that community is located. The authors also place specific emphasis on the need to help youth address substance abuse issues, both while in care and after making the transition from care. The authors cite a General Accounting Office Study89 of foster care placements in three major cities that found that 78 percent of the children in foster care in these cites had at least one drug or alcohol abusing parent. The Westat90 study reported illegal drug taking in 50 percent of the foster youth population. Ansell et al.91 point out that although this rate of substance abuse parallels that of the general population for this age group, the additional risk factors foster youth are exposed to make substance abuse a potentially more acute issue for youth in care.
Courtney et al.92 found that only 21 percent of sample youth reported receiving mental health services after leaving care, compared to 47 percent of sample youth who were receiving mental health services while in care. The youth reported that access to care was difficult due to lack of insurance and the inability to pay for care out of pocket.
We considered both the physical, dental and mental health needs of youth in foster care. Physical and mental health needs must be met for youth to succeed in other realms. Not only are foster youth more likely to have health and mental health problems than the general population93,94,95,96,97 but problems also exist in youth trying to access appropriate medical care.98,99,100 Youth are generally eligible for Medicaid while they are in care, however extension of Medicaid benefits after youth leave care is at the discretion of the individual states. Depending on their state of residence, youth may or may not have health insurance after leaving care. In the absence of Medicaid coverage, youth have limited access to health care. This problem is exacerbated by employment that typically does not provide medical, dental or mental health benefits. Given these possibilities, it is extremely important that youth be connected to physical, mental and dental health care in the community they will live in after leaving care. The existence of established relationships with health care providers can be extremely important to youth being able to maintain health care relationships in the face of their potentially changing insurance status.
The Chafee Act101 authorizes states to establish a new Medicaid eligibility group for children who are in foster care under the responsibility of the state on their 18th birthday. A letter from the Health Care Financing Administration to state Medicaid Directors explains the Medicaid options states may choose to enact:
These options will enable states to recoup the Federal Medicaid contribution while they provide Medicaid coverage for independent living program graduates.
Suggested Promising Practices and Criteria
Programs should include health services that...
While youth are in care, their medical, dental and mental health needs are the responsibility of their caregivers. Licensing regulations require that preventative health services be provided on a regular basis and often there are standards regarding how needed treatment is administered and by whom. These regulations and standards are a necessary protection while a child is in care but can become a barrier when young people prepare to leave care to live on their own. Programs must help youth to understand the importance of continuing their medical/dental/mental health care, learn how assess their on-going health needs and learn how to administer their own medication.
When youth leave care, they should already be connected with the health care resources they will be using in the community where they will be living, regardless of where that community is located.
Survey Findings
In our survey, we found that the majority of programs (96%) connect youth with health resources in the community and that the majority state that they prepare youth for dealing with their health needs (93%). In addition, nearly half (47%) of the programs have a therapist on staff, while the remainder of programs connect youth to mental health resources in the community. Programs listed several other health care resources including:
Programs that participated in telephone interviews emphasized that the loss of health insurance coverage is a critical difficulty during the youth transition to adulthood.
What are some notable programs and resources?
Casey Family Services, Hartford, CT
The program will purchase health insurance for program graduates (through age 25) in order to assure health care coverage. The program noted that Connecticut continues Medicaid benefits for IL youth through age 21 if their case remains open.
Child and Family Tennessee, Transitional Living Program, TN
Provides access to substance abuse and mental health treatment. They have a full-service clinic and a separate substance abuse program.
Oklahoma Dept. of Human Services, Independent Living Program, OK
Youth are provided with a "Medical Lifeline" when they leave care. The "Medical Lifeline' lists their doctor, dentist, therapist, medical information and immunization history.
Where can I find more information?
Courtney, M.E., Piliavin, I., Grogan-Kaylor, A. (1999). The Wisconsin Study of Youth Aging out of Out-of-Home Care: A portrait of children about to leave care. Madison, Wisconsin: Institute for Research on Poverty.
Simms, M. D., Freundlich, M., Battiselli, E. S., Kaufman, N. D. (1999) "Delivering Health and Mental Health Care to Children in Foster Family Care After Welfare and Health Care Reform." Child Welfare 78(1) 166(18).
Fanshel, D., Finch, S. J., & Grundy, J. F., (1990). Foster children in a life course perspective. New York: Columbia University Press.
Preparation for Adulthood Counseling Activities
Summary
Youth are required to face a number of difficult issues during the transition from care to independence. Some of these issues include developing personal support systems to replace the supports provided by the child welfare system, working through the emotional stages of the transition process, returning to their home communities and preparing to reunite with family members. Nollan et al.103 document that the disruptions and traumas suffered by youth in out-of-home care can result in delays or interruptions in the development of life skills. The effects of these disruptions and traumas to the emotional well-being of youth must be addressed by programs.
Ansell et al.104 place special emphasis on helping youth reunite with family members. The authors cite a number of studies that found a positive relationship between youth in care who have contact with their birth parents and positive post-care outcomes.105,106,107 Fanshel et al.108 reported that over 20 percent of the foster children discharged from a program designed for children in "permanent foster care" returned to their biological or adoptive families after discharge from care. Ansell et al.109 quote Landsman et al.:110
...the process of reconnecting with a family or significant other represents an important step toward emancipation and healthy functioning in the community, solidifying the adolescent's identity, affirming family connections, clarifying personal history, and re-integrating past trauma. (p.2)
Focusing on a different set of transition needs, Caliber Associates111 emphasize the importance of helping youth develop/expand personal support systems and the need for programs to help youth promote cultural identity development. Caliber Associates makes the following recommendations in these areas:
Suggested Promising Practices and Criteria
Programs should include preparation for adulthood counseling activities that help youth...
Many youth lack information or have inaccurate information about why they were removed from their families and came into care. Preparing to transition out of care often brings these unresolved issues to the surface and youth are often receptive to counseling at this time.
Many youth will return to their families regardless of whether the plan is to return home or not. Without preparation, re-uniting with family can be disappointing and even dangerous.
Without preparation, going back to the "old neighborhood" can also be disappointing and difficult for youth. Expectations of "things being the way they were" can make it hard for youth to adjust. Ideally, counseling activities would include return visits and opportunities to make new community connections.
Many older youth who have wanted to have a family do not realize that adoption is still an option that is available to them.
Developing and maintaining a personal support system is an essential life skill. Some youth may need assistance beyond what is provided in basic life skill instruction.
Many youth experience the stages of reactive depression as they leave what is familiar and move to the unknown.
Some youth experience conflict between how they define themselves and how the family, community or cultural group defines them.
Some youth have difficulty resolving substance abuse issues while in care and need on-going counseling. Some youth will use alcohol and other substances to deal with loneliness and other emotional issues when they move out on their own.
Survey Findings
In our survey of 98 programs, we found that 87 or more of the programs (_89%) provide or refer youth to the following counseling activities:
Fifty-three programs, (54%) reported providing or referring youth to counseling to help youth consider and prepare for adoption. Additional counseling activities that programs described include:
What are some notable programs and resources?
Home-to-Home Aftercare Program, KY
The program includes the "Cornerstone" therapeutic support group. The program is facilitated by two therapists but the focus of the program is that "the older girls take the younger ones under their wing." The group focuses on providing older youth with an opportunity to educate the younger youth about what lies ahead.
Oklahoma Dept. of Human Services, Independent Living Program, OK
Oklahoma ILP youth participate in "Making peace with the past," a program designed by an IL graduate. Program graduates will also provide support to program youth having difficulties.
Quakerdale Independent Living Cluster and Scattered Site, IA
Youth living in scattered-site apartments are generally paired up for mutual support. The cluster site program has a weekly two-hour meeting in which program youth help each other with life skills and problem solving.
Caliber Associates112 cites the following states for including culturally-specific programming in their IL Programs:
Michigan
The Higher Heights Opportunity Project, a culturally specific program designed to empower African-American adolescent males between the ages of 18 and 22. The Project includes three components - 'Rites of Passage' curriculum (cited in connection with Youth development), mentorship, and job training - combined with a supervised ILP.
Ohio
Ohio's ILP has held culturally specific programs for African-American, Appalachian and Hispanic young men and women since FY 1992. The programs emphasize self-development, mentoring, career development, community/volunteer services and employment readiness.
Where can I find more information?
Simms, M. D., Freundlich, M., Battiselli, E. S., Kaufman, N. D. (1999) "Delivering Health and Mental Health Services to Children in Family Foster Care After Welfare and Health Care Reform." Child Welfare 78(1) 166-183.
Blatt, S. D., Saletsky, R. D., meguid, V., Critz, C., O'Hara, M. T., Haller-Peck, S. M., Anderson, J. M. (1997) "A comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to providing health care for children in out-of-home care." Child Welfare 76(2) 331-348.
Youth Development
Summary
At its most basic level, a youth development philosophy implies that youth are involved in the development, implementation and evaluation of their programs. Ansell, Charles and Copeland113 consider youth development philosophy as a core principal for programs serving older youth in foster care. Ansell et al. go on to assert, "This is done by creating an environment where young people feel supported and safe in practicing skills, learning about relationships and connecting with their communities."(p. 31) Nixon114, commenting on youth development, refers to "...programs that promote development by building on strengths, creating opportunities to learn and practice real life skills and facilitating mutually beneficial participation in programs and communities."(pp. 571-572) Caliber Associates,115 in a review of 10 years of independent living programs, makes the following recommendations for involving youth in helping to shape program activities:
First, states should be encouraged to embrace a youth development approach that moves beyond occasional youth involvement to ongoing engagement of youth in planning, development, and delivery of ILP services. Second, training and technical assistance (including peer-to-peer TA) should be provided. This training and technical assistance should focus on integrating youth development approaches, emphasizing youth strengths rather than deficits, and keeping youth engaged. (p. VI - 12)
Focusing on the state level, Caliber Associates116 found:
Over the decade, ILP staff steadily increased their efforts to involve and engage youth in multiple ways....This trend coincided with the increased focus on youth development in the youth services field, and with child welfare reform which has underscored the need to involve service recipients in the service delivery process. (p. IV - 20)
Caliber Associates examined the following youth involvement activities and traced the changes that have occurred in these areas between fiscal years 1989 and 1996. The authors developed the following table to display these changes. (p. IV-21)
FY 1989 (%)
FY 1996 (%)
Youth Involvement
84
96
Youth Conferences
59
81
Youth Advisory Boards
12
49
Youth Newsletters
18
53
Cultural Awareness Programs
16
36
Mentoring Programs
47
70
Recreational Activities
67
83
General Youth Development and Empowerment Activities
63
77
*These data represent the proportion of states that reported providing these services to at least one youth in their state. More states may have provided such services but it was not clearly evident in the review process.
The increases in youth development activities illustrated in this table are generally reflective of what we found through our survey of programs and our interviews with a subset of programs. The process of incorporating youth development philosophy and activities into programs has been confusing due to the lack of a generally accepted definition of youth development. 117
Suggested Promising Practices and Criteria
Programs should include youth development activities that...
Adolescence is a time when young people are exploring their world and developing a sense of self. Part of the exploration process can include learning about one's culture or "tribe of origin." Participation in rites of passage programs, spending time with elders, learning about one's native music, dance, food, and history are ways for youth to increase cultural awareness.
Activities that challenge youth to use newly learned skills and to demonstrate knowledge and abilities can increase self-confidence.
There are a variety of ways that programs have found for youth to contribute to their communities. For example, youth are involved in peer mentoring programs, serve as big brother or big sisters to younger children, serve on youth advisory boards, serve on agency boards, meet with administrators to recommend program changes, advocate for legislative change, co-facilitate staff and youth training sessions, and make panel presentations at conferences and meetings.
Survey Findings
With these perspectives in mind, we can move to examining what our research revealed about the concept of a youth development philosophy and program level activities that demonstrate a programmatic commitment to a youth development philosophy.
We found a certain level of confusion about "youth development philosophy," among our survey respondents. Sixty-five programs (66%) indicated that their program includes a "youth development philosophy," five programs, (5%) answered " No," and 17 programs, (17%) indicated they were "Not sure." Eleven programs (10%) chose not to answer the question at all. The programs that participated in in-depth telephone interviews further reinforced the confusion. Five of the 20 interviewed programs answered the youth development question "Not sure," or "No", while it became clear during the phone interview that each of these programs included one or more elements that are consistent with a youth development philosophy.
Over 85 percent of the programs that responded to our survey provide or refer youth to youth development activities that:
Additionally, many programs involve youth in their own case planning and encourage youth to play a role at the agency/program. We asked programs to provide a brief description of their youth development philosophy. Fifty-nine programs, 60.2 percent of survey respondents, provided a description. The following are a sample of the descriptions provided.
Youth establish their own plans for independence, participate in their program and take a leadership role in the agency and the program. (Child and Family Services Transitional Living Program, NH);
Youth design and implement their programs, provide input on day to day issues, input on programmatic changes and participate in the hiring of new staff. (Oasis Center, Inc. TN)
Clients participate in developing their own goals as well as goals for the Program. Youth are responsible for their own space and also for contributing to the development of the agency and the program. (Tumbleweed Young Adult Program, AZ)
We found that many programs do not incorporate a formal youth development model, however, almost all programs incorporate some elements of youth development philosophy. The process of reviewing the surveys, conducting telephone interviews and visiting programs made it clear that programs want to provide a strong youth development focus but need direction and assistance to help fully incorporate a youth development philosophy into their programs.
What are some notable programs and resources?
Home-to-Home Aftercare Program, KY
The program includes the "Cornerstone" therapeutic support group. The program is facilitated by two therapists but the focus of the program is "the older girls take the younger ones under their wing." The group focuses on providing older youth with an opportunity to educate the younger youth about what lies ahead.
Denver Dept. of Human Services, Alive-E Youth in Transition, CO
Alumni youth return as volunteers to teach IL skills to current program youth. This program was initiated at the request of youth enrolled in the program. The program also established a youth advisory board in 1997.
Epworth Child and Family Services Independent Living Program, MO
"We believe our role is to allow each kid to find his/her strengths and abilities and build on those while being aware of weaknesses. Our job is to fade out of these kids lives and that they are successful when we do." Program staff also indicated that they plan to incorporate the CWLA Positive Youth Development Model during the year 2000.
Brighton Center Independent Living Program, KY
Choice Theory (empower youth, youth decide their own consequences).
Oklahoma Dept. of Human Services, Independent Living Program, OK
"Making peace with the past," a program designed by youth.
Baltimore County Dept. of Social Services Independent Living Program, MD
"We have a Youth Advisory Board active in every local jurisdiction. Two representatives from each board attend a state Youth Advisory Board to discuss issues for the entire Maryland IL Program."
Preparation for Adult Living(PAL), TX
The Youth Leadership Committee encourages young people to take ownership in developing a better program to meet their needs.
Kenosha Human Development Services Independent Living Program, WI
One board position is reserved for a youth being served by the agency.
Lutheran Social Services Transitional Living Cooperative, WI
Program utilizes graduates as experts in training new participants.
Thames Valley Council on Community Action, Inc., CT
Youth guide the program development and invite youth back as role models and mentors.
Where can I find more information?
Training Resources
Literature Resources
Aftercare
Summary
Irvine118 defines aftercare services as "a system of services for youth (age 16-21) in the post-placement phase who are living in an independent arrangement." Important aftercare components include assistance in providing basic needs such as housing, financial assistance, and employment services and supports. Other important aftercare components are community connections, social service support systems, a continuum of housing options, and an open-door policy. Limited after cares studies119,120,121have demonstrated that adolescents who receive follow up services were statistically better than comparison groups in terms of lower educational drop out rates and higher employment stability. Burell et al.122 recommend that aftercare programs offer services to youth on an "as-needed" basis. Often, after an initial period of being on their own, many youth want to take advantage of aftercare services. Several authors123,124 recommend that aftercare programs maintain an "open-door" policy so youth can feel comfortable requesting these services after they have formally left care.
The GAO125 report states that the 30 states responding to their survey reported providing formal services for a period of time after foster care, serving a total of 7,830 youth during FY 1998. The majority of the responding states indicated that they provide a full range of services including education and employment assistance, training in daily living skills and individual or group counseling. Additionally, GAO noted that 21 states mentioned providing additional services such as mentoring, transportation assistance, medical coverage and clothing.
Caliber Associates126 note that, "Aftercare services typically refer to those resources provided to youth under 21 who have been discharged from a foster care setting." (p IV-28) The authors also noted that, "In many cases, aftercare was provided on an informal, individualized basis, but increasingly, states were moving toward more formalized, broader-based aftercare programs. Among the examples of state aftercare programs Caliber Associates cite are:
Connecticut
Formal aftercare activities include alumni newsletters and surveys, mentor networks, support groups, workshops and special events to keep the ILP connected to their program graduates.
Ohio
Five providers were contracted to provide the following array of services:
Employment training programs;
Life skills and college bound services;
Case management, day care and Head Start services, transportation allowances, legal assistance for youth enrolled in job readiness or educational enhancement programs;
A network of support for youth lacking in necessary environmental and personal systems to overcome the barriers to completing education or gaining and maintaining employment.
Nevada
The ILP developed an aftercare medical program, which provided primary healthcare services to youth for up to one year post-discharge.
Despite these examples, Caliber Associates observed that states continue to advocate for more extensive and formalized aftercare programs for youth who have emancipated from care.
Suggested Promising Practices and Criteria
Programs should include aftercare services that provide...
For most youth, medical coverage ends when they leave foster care. Their jobs often do not offer medical benefits or they are ineligible for these benefits because they are not employed on a full-time basis.
Most young adults have financial management problems in the first few months on their own, particularly when they experience unexpected expenses.
Many youth experience at least one period of homelessness, either because of a living arrangement that did not work out or because of a loss of income.
In many communities, safe and affordable housing is hard to find. Landlords may be reluctant to rent to a young person without a co-signer on the lease. Youth who have not lived in a supervised independent living program may not be sufficiently skilled to maintain their living arrangement without assistance.
Trying to live on your own with usually little more than a minimum wage salary can be frustrating and depressing. Peer support groups provide opportunities for youth to talk to others who can understand what they are going through.
Dealing with problems can be overwhelming. Sometimes youth need someone to advocate on their behalf with health care systems, legal systems, housing authorities, etc.
Some youth have difficulty coping with life on their own and find themselves in serious life-threatening situations. Having someone to call in times like these is essential.
Sometimes a youth may just need to know where to go to get the help he/she needs. With the right information, he/she can handle a situation alone.
Being able to talk about the transition experience can be both therapeutic for the young adult and educational for the younger youth who is listening. Many programs provide opportunities for program "graduates" to come back and share their life lessons with current program participants.
Young adults need emotional support as they make the transition out on their own or back to their families. Having a personal connection with someone who knows them and cares about them is important. This person is the young adult's lifeline as they go about making new friends and re-establishing family connections.
Survey Findings
We asked programs to describe their aftercare services from two perspectives. First, we asked programs what aftercare services they provide to youth that have made the transition from foster care to adulthood. Eighty-four or more programs, (_86%) report providing or referring youth to the following aftercare services:
Sixty-six or fewer programs (_77%) provide or refer youth to the following aftercare services:
Second, we asked programs to report how long they provide aftercare services to youth after they leave care. The program responses are summarized in the following table.
Length of Aftercare Services
Number of Programs
Percentage of Programs
No aftercare services
17
17%
Less than 3 months
16
16%
3-6 months
12
12%
6-12 months
22
22%
Greater than 12 months
31
32%
TOTAL
98
100%
Further analysis revealed that two-thirds of the programs that provide more than 12 months of aftercare services provide services until youth reach age 21. We also found that 15 of the programs (48%) providing aftercare services for more that 12 months were able to do so utilizing federal or state funding streams. Eleven of the programs providing more than 12 months of aftercare services relied on private funding to supply these services. Additionally, eight programs (8%) indicated providing aftercare services to youth after youth reach age 21. All of these programs provided these extended services through private funding.
What are some notable programs and resources?
Casey Family Services, ME
Youth are eligible for aftercare services until age 23. After youth reach age 23 they are invited to Casey alumni functions.
The King's Ranch/Hannah Homes Transitional Living Program, AL
Aftercare services are funded by donations. Services are available as long as youth remain connected to the program and may include financial/housing support.
Rhode Island Foster Parents Association Life Skills Program, RI
Service lasts "as long as needed." The Department of Children, Youth and Family Services funds the Alumni Aftercare Program. Former youth meet every 6-8 weeks for peer support and to re-connect with friends. The Program also provides recreational activities, and is trying to fund and create an alumni newsletter.
Lutheran Social Services Transitional Living Cooperative, WI
Program aftercare services are funded through foundation dollars and private donations. Services are ongoing. The program conducts home visits to provide support and needs assessments. The program continues to try to find ways to plug program graduates in as teachers, leaders and peer supports resources as part of their aftercare supports. The program hopes to receive federal money to expand the aftercare program.
Casey Family Services, Hartford, CT
The program privately funds aftercare services for youth through the age of 24. In addition to a comprehensive array of services, the program maintains an open-door policy allowing youth to return and access aftercare services despite prior separation from the program. The program also utilizes alumni life skills training facilitators.
Where can I find more information?
Stoner, M. R. (1999) Life after foster care: services and policies for former foster youth. Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare 26(4) p159(16).
Child Welfare League of America. (1998). Improving Economic Opportunity for Youth Formerly Served by the Foster Care System: Identifying the Support Network's Strength and Needs. Washington, D.C.
Training
Summary
Cook127 suggests that an essential element of the operation of integrated service delivery is the inclusion of inter-agency training. She asserts that that needs to encompass all involved parties including administrators, caseworkers, foster parents, and all outside service providers. Many of the programs that responded to our survey utilize integrated service delivery models, that is, the program provides some services directly, while referring youth to other services outside of the program. Caliber Associates128 found that in FY 1996, 45 states reported providing some training to ILP staff and also to foster parents. States encouraged foster parents to attend formalized foster parent trainings, youth conferences, and ILP youth service sessions. The authors also report that 38 states provided some training to non-State service providers/contractors, and 15 states provided training to youth mentors. Some states also reported training child welfare and other public agency staff, juvenile corrections/probation staff, school counselors and community volunteers. Among the training topics reported were examples such as:
Ansell et al.129 specifies the following requirements for a comprehensive independent living program staff training component.
...Organizations must develop an ongoing training plan for new and experienced staff at all levels of the organization. In particular, training should cover but not be limited to independent living/life skills, youth development, cultural diversity, permanency and special needs of adolescents. (pp. 35-36)
Suggested Promising Practices and Criteria
Programs should include an on-going training component that...
In order for new staff & care providers to carry out the mission of the program/agency, they need to know and understand the program/agency's IL and youth development philosophy. Without a clear understanding of the intent of the program, personal values and biases may get in the way of helping a youth successfully prepare for adulthood.
All staff and care providers need periodic refreshers to learn about new approaches in working with youth and the promising practices demonstrated by other programs. Because the work is very demanding, continuing education can also serve as an energizer for staff who are experiencing burn out symptoms.
With the right knowledge and skills, staff and care providers can initiate program changes and assume responsibilities for program expansion.
Keeping the community informed about the needs of youth in your program is an on-going responsibility. Business and professional leaders can be called on to help the youth achieve their goals if they are aware of the youth, the program and what both are trying accomplish.
Survey Findings
We focused on three areas of training in our survey. We asked programs to indicate what specific training components they provide to staff, foster parents, or the community. The percentages of programs offering each training component are exhibited in Table 4 below. Ninety-two or more programs, (_94%), indicated offering the following training components:
Nearly three-quarters of programs (74%), reported educating the community. This was the least commonly provided training. This is an interesting finding in light of the fact that a number of programs mentioned community acceptance of their youth as problematic. Table 4 illustrates the proportion of programs that provide these different training components.
Training Component that…
Program Provides
Program Refers Out
% of Total Programs
Encourages staff and care providers to develop new knowledge and skills regarding IL
82
15
99%
Orients new staff and care providers to Independent Living/Youth Development philosophy
83
10
95%
Provides continuing education regarding IL for experienced staff and care providers
68
24
94%
Educates the community, e.g. schools, employers, about the needs of youth while in transition
70
4
76%
The survey asked programs to list any other training components they provide to program staff, foster parents or the community. Other training components programs reported include:
Finally, we asked programs to tell us if they used a specific Independent Living staff and provider-training curriculum. Their responses are summarized below.
What are some notable programs and resources?
Department of Child and Family Services, Independent Living, FL
The program plans to improve training for staff and foster parents through working with Florida's Professional Development Center.
Where can I find more information?
Child Welfare League of America (2000) Positive Youth Development and Independent Living: Building Staff Competency and System Capacity. http://www.cwla.org/posyouth/positiveyouthdevelopment.html
National Resource Center for Youth Services, University of Oklahoma, College of Continuing Education, 700 North Greenwood, Tulsa, OK 74106; http://www.nrcys.ou.edu/
daniel, 4203 Southpoint Blvd, Jacksonville, FL 32216; http://www.danielmemorial.org/
Evaluation
Summary
Lindsey and Ahmed131 reported several shortcomings with prior evaluation studies of Independent Living program outcomes. The authors focused on three studies; the Westat evaluation,132 an evaluation of the Pennsylvania Independent Living Program133 and an evaluation of the Nebraska Independent Living Program.134 The authors cited problems with the structure of the three studies which made comparison of the outcomes difficult. The problems include:
Ansell et al.135 suggest that ongoing program evaluation measures should include:
Examining youth outcomes at various periods after program completion will give a more accurate picture of youth outcomes.
Reflecting on their review of state Independent Living programs, Caliber Associates136 lists the following data limitations in connection to Independent Living programs research and reporting:
Caliber Associates make the following recommendations to improve program effectiveness and youth outcomes reporting:
Although the Caliber Associates recommendations are targeted toward state-level as opposed to individual program level reporting, it is clear that in order for states to be able to report clear and consistent data, individual programs will also be required to fulfill these reporting requirements.
Suggested Promising Practices and Criteria
Programs should include an on-going evaluation component that measures...
In order to determine program effectiveness, documentation at different points in time are needed. Each program component should be described in terms of the immediate, short-term, and long-term expected outcome.
Survey Findings
In our survey of 98 programs, we found:
Programs listed a number of evaluation activities. These activities include:
Our in depth interviews indicated that programs are interested in measuring and evaluating youth outcomes. Our interview respondents indicated a number of barriers including:
What are some notable programs and resources?
Casey Family Services
The administrative arm of Casey Family Services completed a comprehensive outcome evaluation of Casey Family Services program graduates137
The King's Ranch/Hannah Homes Transitional Living Program, AL
The program is affiliated with Boys Town and is evaluated by Boys Town annually.
Where can I find more information?
McMillan, C. J., Tucker, J. (1999) "The Status of Older Adolescents at Exit form Out-of-Home Care" Child Welfare 78(3) p339-359.
Linsdsey, E. W., Ahmed, F. U. (1999) "The North Carolina independent living program: a comparison of outcomes for participants and non-participants" Children and Youth Services Review. 21(5) p389(4).
________ (1993) An Evaluation of Pennsylvania's Independent Living Program for Youth. Shippensburg University Center for Juvenile Justice Training and Research, Shippensburg. PA.
________ (1994) Center on Children, Families and the Law. Independent living skills evaluation: Former state ward - baseline report. Lincoln, NE.
Cook R. (1991) A National Evaluation of Title IV-E Foster Care Independent Living Programs for Youth, Phase 2, Final Report. Rockville, MD. Westat, Inc
Observations/Recommendations
This study was limited in its focus to IL programs and their practices in helping youth make the transition to adulthood. Nationally, approximately 160,000 adolescents live in out-of-home care.
The study identified eleven criteria that may affect the outcomes for youth. Although none of the programs surveyed met all of the suggested criteria, many of them had one or more of the elements present.
During the study, the following observations were made.
A. Programming/ Services:
1. Observation: Youth made it very clear that one of the most important things to them prior to discharge is that they have a relationship with a caring person that they can rely on after they have been discharged from a program or from care.
Recommendation: Assist youth in identifying a mentor, relative, or staff member who can provide on-going support after discharge.
2. Observation: Previous studies along with personal reporting by youth expressed that maintaining a connection with birth family/family of origin remains a priority and may actually influence where the youth may ultimately reside.
Recommendation: Assist youth in establishing/re-establishing or working through redefining their relationships with family of origin prior to discharge.
3. Observation: A high percent (67%) of programs identified in the survey that they have a youth development philosophy. We found that although programs as a whole are committed to YD approach many have difficulty identifying what that YD approach is and how to implement and manage it. This is indicated by the fact that 17 programs (18%) indicated they were "not sure" whether they have a YD philosophy.
Recommendation: Assist programs in operationalizing the youth development philosophy in agencies and programs.
4. Observation: Life skills education may need to focus more on helping youth acquire actual work skills through vocational training, computer training and post-secondary education upon completion of a high school diploma or a GED. In addition, programs need to help youth complete driver's education training so that they may obtain driver's licenses, often a key to employment. Only 44 programs (44%) are currently providing or referring youth to other sources to provide these three services.
Recommendation: Expand life skills training to provide greater focus on vocational training, computer training and driver's education.
5. Observation: In a number of programs we found that there was more educational support for youth planning on pursuing post-secondary education than for those youth struggling to complete high school or obtain a GED.
Recommendation: Provide youth who are struggling educationally and who do not plan to pursue post-secondary education with the educational support necessary to complete a high school degree or GED.
6. Observation: When formal life skills assessment information is shared with youth, they seem more confident in their ability to succeed.
Recommendation: Complete and review life skill assessments with youth.
7. Observation: Youth who are involved in "hands-on" daily life skills work seem more confident in their ability to succeed.
Recommendation: Provide "real world" opportunities for youth to practice life skills.
B. Evaluation and Data Collection/Reporting
1. Observation: Program documentation is not complete in some of the programs we visited. It would be hard to replicate the level of effort if key staff were to leave.
Recommendation: Encourage programs to document their activities.
2. Observation: Data collection and evaluation is not a priority or strength of programs.
Recommendation: Assist programs in identifying and utilizing those data collection and evaluation tools that do exist.
3. Observation: Programs report having a difficult time communicating with state and local child welfare agencies about what they do. This affects referrals, funding, and collaborative efforts.
Recommendation: Develop a common language to define the services provided and create uniformity of reporting.
4. Observation: 71 programs reported that they track immediate youth outcomes (at end of program). 48 programs track short- term outcomes for youth (6-12 months after program completion). 22 programs track long-term outcomes for youth (over one year after program completion). Programs identified lack of resources as one of the primary barriers to tracking youth outcomes.
Recommendation: Assist programs in developing and using a standardized reporting tool that measures short-term and long-term outcomes for youth.
5. Observation: Programs related that participation in this study helped them reflect on their program. Staff reported that the process of completing the paper survey, discussing program elements in the phone survey, and participating in the site visits provided good insight into the programs strengths and needs.
Recommendation: Utilize the study instruments to create an assessment tool for programs.
Appendices
Three hundred eleven surveys were mailed to programs identified by state Independent Living Coordinators and key informants. We cross-checked our list with the Child Welfare League of America Resource Directory: Community Based Organizations Serving Former Foster Care Youth and Adults. (CWLA, 1998). Ninety-eight of the surveys were returned a response rate of 32 percent. This report summarizes the responses furnished by the 98 programs.
The survey is divided into four sections. The summary follows this format. The sections focus in the following areas:
Section 1: Program information, including Program address information, and program contact person(s).
Section 2: The number, gender and racial/ethnic composition of the youth the program serves, program contract structure and program funding sources.
Section 3: This section focuses on services the program provides and includes the following focus areas:
Section 4: The focus is on staff training and community education, program evaluation program future plans and additional information programs chose to furnish.
Section 1
Program information provided by the responding programs include address corrections and any changes that may have occurred regarding contact people. Appendix A contains a list of the responding programs.
Section 2
The 98 programs that responded to the survey provided services to 11,870 youth during 1998. Table 1 presents data on the total number of youth served by age group.
Totals of youth served by Age
Number of youth
% of Total
>13 Years old
14
0%
13-15 Years old
1,015
9%
16-18 Years old
9,197
77%
>18 Years old
1,644
14%
Total served
11,870
100%
The majority of programs concentrate their services on youth age 16-18, in keeping with Federal Title IV-E Independent Living Funding guidelines prior to the enactment of the Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 (the Chafee Program.)
The number of youth served by the program covers a very broad range from one youth served to 2,500 youth served per year. The programs serve an average of 121 youth. The median service number is 24 meaning that half of the responding programs serve 24 or more youth per year and half of the programs serve 24 or fewer youth per year.
The survey asked programs to provide breakdowns of their service population by both gender and race/ethnicity. The percentages are presented in Table 2 and Table 3 below. Five programs serve only males, while eight programs serve only females.
Gender
Percent
Female
59%
Male
41%
The proportion of racial/ethnic groups served by the reporting programs are contrasted with the U.S. Census breakdown of the representation of these different racial/ethnic groups. The racial/ethnic breakdown of youth served by the responding programs is in keeping with the long-established patterns of minority youth being over represented in the foster care population, especially apparent for black youth in this sample.
Race/Ethnicity
Sample
National
Percent White
55
72
Percent Black
27
12
Percent Asian/Pacific Islander
1
4
Percent Nat American
3
1
Percent Hispanic
9
12
Percent Other
2
-
The final two items in Section 2 examine programmatic structure from the perspective of contracting relationships and program funding streams. We asked programs if they had formal, informal or no relationship with a series of agencies and funding sources. The results are presented in Table 4 below.
Program Contracting Relationships
Formal
Formal %
Informal
Informal %
State Department of Human Services
66
66%
20
21%
Private social service agencies
24
25%
57
58%
Community non-profits
24
25%
58
59%
State Department of Corrections
23
24%
31
32%
Local Public/Private Schools
19
20%
60
62%
Other independent living programs
14
15%
66
69%
State Mental Health Agency
13
14%
43
45%
State Department of Education
12
13%
37
39%
Other relationships
10
10%
11
12%
Employment/Labor agencies
7
7%
63
66%
Private sector businesses
5
5%
57
59%
The only state agency a majority of programs have a formal contractual relationship with is the state Departments of Human Services, the agency generally responsible for Child Welfare Services. Sixty-six of the 98 programs, (66%) have a formal relationship with the Child Welfare Agency in their state. Interestingly, the second most common formal contracting relationships reported are with private social service agencies and community non-profits, with 24 (25%) programs reporting formal relationships in each of these areas. Twenty-one programs (32%) of the sample reported formal or informal relationships with other organizations. Some of the other organizations listed include:
Program funding sources are listed in Table 5. The funding sources listed are not mutually exclusive; many programs receive funding from multiple sources. The majority of programs 58 programs, (59%) receive Title IV-E Independent Living Funds. Fifty programs (51%) indicated receiving state funding. The third largest funding source "Other funding sources," (27%) includes the following examples:
Program Funding Sources
# Funded
% of all programs
Title IV-E Federal Independent Living Funds
58
59%
State funds
50
51%
Other funding sources
26
27%
Private contributions
22
22%
Private grants from foundations/corporations
23
24%
Transitional Living Program for Homeless Youth
17
18%
County funds
18
18%
Fee for services
15
15%
Other federal funds
13
14%
Local funds
8
8%
Section 3
The third section of the survey focuses on the different services the programs provide and how these services are provided. The survey directed programs to address service delivery from the perspectives of "Program provides," which assumes that the program is the direct provider of the service in question; or, "Program refers out," which assumes that the program serves as a referral broker for the service. Section three focuses on nine service areas identified in the literature (need citations here) as critical components of successful independent living programs. These components include:
Section three focuses on service provision in each of these areas. It should be noted that the responses "Program provides, " and "Program Refers Out," are not mutually exclusive, it is possible for a program to have indicated that it provides services both directly and through referral.
The life skills component includes 23 skill areas. Table 6 below summarizes how many programs provide each of these services and how they provide the service. Five life skill components are directly provided by 90 percent or more of the programs, these components are:
Computer/internet, vocational training and driver's education are the life skills components least likely to be directly provided by the responding programs.
Life Skill Area (sorted by program provision)
Program Provides
Program Refers Out
Employment skills (i.e. how to dress for work)
92
13
Money management (budgeting, banking)s
91
12
Communication
91
5
Decision making
90
5
Locating housing (how to find an apartment)
90
11
Community resources
90
17
Maintaining housing (how to take care of your apartment)
88
10
Socialization
88
9
Healthy relationships
88
19
Self-esteem building
87
10
Basic hygiene and nutrition
85
11
Education (i.e. study skills, college applications)
84
22
Consumer skills (how to buy a car and obtain car insurance)
82
9
Career planning (i.e. career assessments, internships)
82
21
Credit (how to obtain and use a credit card)
75
14
Legal rights
74
22
Financial aid
73
31
Health related (medical care, health insurance)
71
29
Family planning/Sexual education
69
47
Parent education
62
40
Vocational training
25
65
21
52
11
67
Eighty-nine programs, (91%) indicated that youth are provided with the opportunity to practice life skills in a "real world environment." We asked the programs what format(s) were used to teach life skills. Fifty-seven programs, (58%) indicated life skills are taught in a group format. Fifty-four programs, (55%) teach life skills individually, while 71 programs, (72%) indicated that life skills are taught in both group and individual formats. Forty-eight programs, (49%) indicated that life skills are taught "at home," 34 programs, (35%) responded that life skills are taught in other formats. Examples of other teaching formats include:
Table 7 examines program service patterns in the area of educational services. The three educational services programs provide most frequently are:
The three educational services least likely to be directly provided are:
Educational services (sorted by frequency of provision)
Program Provides
Program Refers Out
Help youth access necessary educational resources
85
18
Provide assistance with necessary forms for financial aid
81
27
Help youth to select a career
71
37
Provide assistance in beginning an educational/ vocational program
70
32
Provide assistance in completing an educational/ vocational program
56
39
Provide tutors to assist with education
55
43
Provide educational advocates
51
28
Provide post-secondary education preparation
49
47
Provide post-secondary education counseling
46
51
Provide financial aid and/or assistance
40
52
Increase literacy
35
54
Other
7
0
Seven programs indicated that they provide other educational services. Examples of the other services provided include:
Program service practices in the area of employment are presented in Table 8. The most frequent employment services programs provide directly are:
The employment services that are least likely to be provided directly are:
Other employment services that are available to youth include:
Employment services
Program Provides
Program Refers Out
Introduce youth to career opportunities
84
26
Provide job search training
84
24
Introduce youth to post-secondary opportunities
72
27
Provide job skills training
64
37
Provide career exploration
64
29
Provide job development (e.g., creating employment opportunities)
42
37
Provide job coaching
41
39
36
45
Provide job placement
24
56
Seventy-seven programs, (79%) indicated that their employment component collaborates with community businesses or employment agencies. Examples of the collaborations include:
The survey asked programs to report on four community linkage services. Interestingly, in three of the four services we asked about the service was provided by only some of the reporting programs. Ninety-two agencies (94%) reported they connect youth with community resources. Fewer than 50 percent of the responding programs directly provide the following links:
Table 9 summarizes community linkage service provision.
| Community linkages that... | Program Provides | Program Refers Out |
| Connect youth with community resources | 92 | 7 |
| Connect youth with adult mentors | 44 | 29 |
|
37 | 40 |
|
36 | 32 |
Four organizations identified other community linkage mechanisms. They are:
The survey polled programs to discover what kind of supervised independent living arrangements exist in the field. Table 10 displays the responses to the five supervised independent living arrangements listed in the survey. Our telephone interviews revealed that while only 40 programs (41%) currently provide housing opportunities in apartments they own, a number of programs are considering moving in this direction.
Housing Arrangements/Practices
Program Provides
Program Refers Out
Program assists youth in working out landlord/ roommate disputes
62
8
Youth pay own bills and maintain their own budget
59
10
Youth finds own housing (someone else is landlord)
56
20
Youth can assume the lease at program completion
47
16
Program provides housing (Agency is landlord)
40
22
A number of programs provide other forms of supervised independent living arrangements. Examples include:
*Youth who receive a stipend are generally required to gradually assume responsibility for all of their living expenses.
Programs were asked to describe how they prepare youth to manage their own health care needs. The responses are tabulated in Table 11.
| Health services that... | Program Provides | Program Refers Out |
| Connect youth with appropriate health resources in their own community. | 86 | 8 |
| Prepare youth to manage their own medical, dental, or mental health needs | 81 | 10 |
Other health services that programs provide include:
We asked programs to tell us if they have a therapist on their staff. Forty-four programs, (45%) responded that they employ a therapist on their staff. The survey then asks programs to describe their provision of a series of counseling activities designed to help youth make the transition to independent living. Table 12 describes the responses of the programs.
| Counseling Activities that... | Program Provides | Program Refers Out |
| Help youth to develop/expand personal support systems | 85 | 16 |
| Help youth work through the emotional stages of transition | 82 | 26 |
| Help youth promote cultural identity development | 69 | 22 |
| Prepare youth to return to their home communities | 65 | 22 |
| Help youth address substance abuse issues | 63 | 58 |
| Help youth re-uniting with family members | 60 | 34 |
| Address trauma counseling - "helping youth make peace with the past" | 51 | 53 |
|
23 | 30 |
Other counseling activities programs provide include:
The survey asked programs about youth development activities in two ways. First, we asked programs: Does the fundamental basis of your program include a "youth development philosophy",
Sixty five programs, (66%) indicated that their program includes a "youth development philosophy." Five programs (5%) responded that their program does not have a "youth development philosophy," while 17 programs, (17%) indicated that they were unsure. Eleven programs (10%) chose not to answer this question. Our telephone interviews revealed that programs are unsure about the definition of "Youth Development," and that the degree of youth development activities varied widely across programs. Next, we asked programs to describe the "youth development philosophy." Summaries of the descriptions are contained in Appendix B.
Second, we asked programs how they provide a number of specific youth development services. Their responses are summarized in Table 13 below.
| Youth development activities that... | Program Provides | Program Refers Out |
| Increase personal confidence | 90 | 13 |
| Provide opportunities for youth to advocate for themselves and other youth | 77 | 11 |
| Increase cultural awareness | 74 | 17 |
|
74 | 14 |
| Provide opportunities for youth to advise and educate others | 69 | 17 |
Other youth development activities programs listed include:
The survey asked programs to describe the aftercare services they provide from four perspectives. First, the programs were whether they provide specific services or refer youth to those services. These responses are summarized in Table 14.
| Aftercare services that: | Program Provides | Program Refers Out |
| Provide emotional support for youth during the transition to permanency | 84 | 5 |
| Provide information and referral | 78 | 7 |
| Provide advocacy for youth | 74 | 10 |
| Help in establishing/maintaining own living arrangements | 65 | 10 |
| Provide opportunities to share transition experiences with younger youth | 63 | 7 |
| Provide peer support | 58 | 8 |
| Provide crisis counseling | 60 | 36 |
|
30 | 37 |
| Provide temporary housing | 22 | 41 |
| Provide temporary medical coverage/health care | 24 | 56 |
Other aftercare services programs described include:
Second, we asked programs how long they continue to provide aftercare services. Their responses are shown in Table 15.
| Length of Aftercare Services | Number of Programs | Pct of Programs |
| no aftercare services | 17 | 17% |
| less than 3 months | 16 | 16% |
| 3-6 months | 12 | 12% |
| 6-12 months | 22 | 22% |
| Greater than 12 months | 31 | 31% |
Third, we asked programs that provide aftercare services for longer than 12 months how long their aftercare services continued. The services range from 18 months until the youth reaches age 24. The majority of programs with extended aftercare, eight programs, (8%) continued aftercare services until age 21. One program responded, "In practice, as long as needed," another characterized their after care services as, "Indefinite."
Finally, we asked programs how their extended aftercare services are funded. Eleven programs (11%) fund their aftercare services with Title IV-E funds. Nine programs, (9%) indicated that aftercare services are funded through either foundation/grant funding or private donations. Four programs, (4%) reported that they use Federal Transitional Living Program (TLP) funds.
Section 4
Section 4 focuses on three areas, training, evaluation and future plans. We asked programs to describe their training and evaluation processes, and gave programs an opportunity to inform us about their plans for the future.
The survey asked programs to describe their ongoing training programs. The results a contained in Table 16.
Training Component that...
Program Provides
Program Refers Out
Total
Orients new staff and care providers to Independent Living/Youth Development philosophy
83
10
93
Encourages staff and care providers to develop new knowledge and skills regarding IL
82
15
97
Educates community, e.g. schools, employers, about needs of youth while in transition
70
4
74
Provides continuing education regarding IL for experienced staff and care providers
68
24
92
Other training components listed include:
We also asked programs to tell us if they used a specific Independent Living staff and provider-training curriculum. The responses are summarized below.
We sought to learn the extent of program evaluation that occurs in the Independent Living Provider field. We asked programs to describe the extent of their evaluation activities based on immediate youth outcomes, short-term youth outcomes (6-12 months from program graduation) and long-term youth outcomes (over a year after program completion.) The responses are displayed in Table 17.
| Evaluation component that... | Program Provides | Program Refers Out | Total |
| Tracks immediate youth outcomes (at the end of the program) | 71 | 3 | 74 |
| Tracks short term outcomes for youth (6-12 months ) | 51 | 2 | 53 |
| Tracks long term outcomes for youth (>12 months) | 25 | 3 | 28 |
Other evaluation components programs listed include:
We asked programs to briefly describe their future plans. A summary of their responses is presented in Appendix C. Programs were also asked to give us any additional information they would like to share. A summary of these responses are contained in Appendix D.
Appendix A
Programs Responding to 1999 Casey Survey
Appendix B
Description of Youth Development Philosophy
"Youth Development Philosophy" described
Appendix C
Description of Future Plans
Do you have plans to do anything different or new regarding your independent living program in the future?
Appendix D
Additional Program Information
Do you have any other information about your program you would like to share with us?
NOTES
1 We treat criteria 1 Youth Development Philosophy and 9 Youth Development activities as a single item in our report summation.
2 Courtney, M. E., Piliavin, I., Gorogan-Taylor, A., Nesmith, A. (1998) Foster Youth Transitions to Adulthood: Outcomes 12 to 18 Months After Leaving Out-of-Home Care. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin-Madison.
3 ACYF-CB-IM-00-03: Information on Public Law (P. L.) 106-109, the Foster Care Independence Act of 1999. March 16, 2000. http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/cb/policy/imooo3.htm. (Chafee Act)
4 Cook, R. (1988) "Trends and needs in programming for independent living." Child Welfare V. LXVII, n. 6.
5 Chafee Act, op Cit.
6 Http://www.census.gov/Press Release/www/1999/cb99-189.html
7 US Dept of Health and Human Services Health Care Financing Administration Center for Medicaid and State Operations, http://www.hcfa.gov/medicaid.smd121499.htm (December 14, 1999).
8 ibid.
9 Mech, E. V. (1994) "Foster Youths in Transition: Research Perspectives on Preparation for Independent Living" Child Welfare 73(5), 606-623.
10 Blome, W., W. (1997) "What happens to foster kids: Educational experiences of a random sample of foster care youth and a matched group of non-foster care youth." Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal 14(1), 41-53.
11 Alssid, J. L., Gruber, D. (2000) Workforce Strategy Center, Promising Practices: School to Career and Postsecondary Education for Foster Care Youth. Workforce Strategy Center, Brooklyn, NY.
12 ibid.
13 North, J., Mallabar, M., Desrochers, R. (1988) "Vocational preparation and employability development." Child Welfare 67(6), 573-585.
14 Iglehart, A. P. (1994) "Adolescents in foster care: Predicting readiness for independent living." Special Issue: Preparing foster youth for adulthood. Children and Youth Services Review 16(3-4), 159-169.
15 Child Welfare League of America (1998) Improving Economic Opportunity for Youth Formerly Served by the Foster Care System: Identifying the Support Network's Strengths and Needs: Interim Report. Washington, Child Welfare League of America.
16 Child Welfare League of America (1990) Child Welfare league of America: Standards for Independent Living Services. Washington, Child Welfare League of America.
17 North, J., Malabar, M., Desrochers, R. (1988) op. cit.
18 North, J., Malabar, M., Desrochers, R. (1988) op. cit.
19 Workforce Strategy Center, op cit.
20 Westat, (1991) A National Evaluation of Title IV-E Foster Care Independent Living Programs for Youth: Final report. Department of Health and Human Services: Washington, D.C.
21 GAO/HEHS-00-13 Foster Care: Effectiveness of Independent Living Services Unknown (November 1999).
22 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families. Title IV-E Independent Living Programs: A Decade in Review. (Washington, DC: U. S. Government Printing Office, 1999).
23 Westat (1991) A National Evaluation of Title IV-E Foster Care and Independent Living Programs for Youth: Final Report. Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC.
24 Nollan, K., Downs, A. C., Wolf, M., Lamont, E. (1996) Mastery of Life Skills Among Young Adolescents in Long-term Foster Care. Paper presented at the Society for Research and Development, April 3-6, 1996. Washington, D.C.
25 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Children, Youth and Families. (1999) Title IV-E Independent Living Programs: A Decade in Review. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
26 Burt, M. R., Resnick, G., Matheson. (1992) Comprehensive Service Integration Programs for At Risk Youth: Final Report. Urban Institute, Washington, DC.
27 James, D. W., Donahue, C. (1997) Some Things DO Make a Difference for Youth. American Youth Policy Forum, Washington, D.C.
28 Westat. (1991). Op Cit.
29 Barth, R. P. (1986) Emancipation Services for Children in Foster Care. Social Work, May-June, 165-171.
30 Mech, E. V. (1994) Foster Youth in Transition: Research Perspectives on Preparation for Independent Living. Child Welfare 73(5) 603-623.
31 Kazis, R., Kopp, H. (1997) Both Sides now: New Directions in promoting work and learning for disadvantaged youth, a report to the Annie E. Casey Foundation (Executive Summary). Jobs for the future: Boston, MA
32 Child Welfare League of America (1998). Improving Economic Opportunity for Youth Formerly Served by the Foster Care System: Identifying the Support Network's Strengths and Needs Interim Report Washington, DC: Child Welfare League of America.
33 Cook, R. (1988) Trends and needs in programming for independent living. Child Welfare 67(6), 497-514.
34 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Children, Youth and Families (1999). Title IV-E Independent Living Programs: A Decade in Review. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
35 Gilbelman, M., Schervish, P. H. (1993) Who we are: The social work labor force as reflected in NASW membership. Washington: NASW.
36 Lennon, T. M. (1993) Statistics of social work education in the United States: 1992. Alexandria, VA: Council on Social Work Education.
37 Green, J. S., Leigh, J. W. (1989) Teaching Ethnographic Methods to Social Service Workers. Practicing Anthropology 11(3): 8-10.
38 Cook, R. (1988) "Trends and needs in programming for independent living." Child Welfare 67(6) 497-514.
39 U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Children, Youth and Families. Title IV-E Independent Living Programs: A Decade in Review. (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1999).
40 Cook, R. (1991) A National Evaluation of Title IV-E Foster Care Independent Living Programs for Youth, Phase 2, Final Report. Rockville, MD: Westat, Inc.
41 ibid.
42 GAO (1999) Foster Care: Effectiveness of Independent Living Services Unknown. GAO/HEHS-00-13.
43 Barth, R.D. (1999) "Transitions from Out-of-Home Care: A Researcher's Perspective." Presented at: Transitioning Youth in Foster Care to Independence. Burlington, MA. (December 1, 1999)
44Mech, E. V. (1994) "Foster Youths in Transition: Research Perspectives on Preparation for Independent Living." Child Welfare 73(5), 606-623.
45 Westat (1991) A National Evaluation of Title IV-E Foster Care Independent Living Programs for Youth: Final Report. Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC.
46 Blome, W.W. (1997) "What happens to foster kids: Educational experiences of a random sample of foster care youth and a matched group of non-foster care youth." Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal 14(1),41-53.
47 Courtney, M., Paliavin, I., Grogan-Taylor, A., Nesmith, A. (1998) Foster Youth Transitions to Adulthood: Outcomes 12-18 Months After Leaving Out-of -Home Care. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin-Madison.
48 Ayasse, R. H. 1995. "Addressing the needs of foster children: The Foster Youth Services Program" Social Work in Education 17(4), 207-216.
49 Horn, L. J., Chen, X (1998) Office of Educational Research and Improvement Toward Resiliency: At Risk Students Who make It To College. Washington, DC. US Department of Education.
50 Kochanek, T. (1998) The School and Community Support Project: Creating the Context for Opportunities and Success for Foster and Adoptive Children. Departments of Social Services and Education. Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
51 Mech, E. V. (1994) op cit.
52 Westat, op cit.
53 Ayasse, R. H.(1995) op cit.
54 Mech, E. V. (1994) op cit.
55 -------. (2000) Workforce Strategy Center. Promising Practices: School to Career and Postsecondary Education for Foster Care Youth. Workforce Strategy Center, Brooklyn, NY.
56 GAO (1999) op. Cit.
57 Workforce Strategy Center (2000) op Cit.
58 Jones, E. D., Zanghi, M., St. Onge, A., Sheehy, A., Oldham, E., Richards, T. (1998) Improving Economic Opportunities for Young People Served by the Foster Care System: Three Views of the Path to Independent Living: Phase 2: Survey. National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement, Edmund S. Muskie School of Public Service, University of Southern Maine, Portland, ME.
59 Alssid, J. L., Gruber, D. (2000) Promising Practices: School to Career and Postsecondary Education for Foster Care Youth. Workforce Strategy Center.
60 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, op Cit.
61 Ansell et al, op Cit.
62 Dejesus, E. (1997) Tales from the bright side: Conversations with graduates of youth employment programs. In Sum, A. et al (Eds.) A Generation of Challenge: Pathways to Success for Urban Youth. Sar Levitan Center for Social Policy Studies: Baltimore. MD
63 GAO (1999) op Cit.
64 Alssid, J. l., Gruber, D. (2000) op Cit.
65 Ibid.
66 Brown, David E., "Preparing Youth for the Workforce under Welfare Reform," http://www.nga.org/Pubs/IssueBriefs/1998/980728Youth.asp
67 Ansell, et al. (1999) op Cit.
68 Mech, E.V., Pryde, J. A., Rycraft, J. R. (1995) "Mentors for Adolescents in Foster Care." Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal 12(4) 317-328.
69 Rhodes, J. E., Contreras, J. M., Mangelsdorf, S. C. "Natural mentor relationships among Latina adolescent mothers." American Journal of Community Psychology 22:211-227.
70 Mech, E.V., Lucy-Dobson, C., Hulseman, F. (1994) "Life skills knowledge A survey of foster adolescents in three placement settings." Special Issue: Preparing foster youth for adulthood. Children and Youth Services Review 16(3-4) 181-200.
71 Noble, L. S. (1997) "The face of foster care." Educational Leadership 54(7): 26-29.
72 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, op. Cit.
73 Jones, E., et Al. Improving Economic Opportunities for Young People Served by the Foster Care System: Three Views of the Path to Independent Living: Phase 2: Survey. Edmund S Muskie School of Public Service, University of Southern Maine, National Child Welfare Resource Center for Organizational Improvement Portland, ME
74 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, op. Cit.
75 Cook. R. (1988) "Trends and needs in programming for independent living." Child Welfare V. LXVII, n. 6.
76 Courtney, M., Piliavin ,I., Grogan-Taylor, A., Nesmith, A. (1998) Foster Youth Transitions to Adulthood: Outcomes 12 to 18 Months After Leaving Out-of-Home Care. Madison: University of Wisconsin-Madison.
77 Mech, E. V., Ludy-Dobson, C. Hulseman, F. (1994) "Foster Youths in transition: Research Perspectives on Preparation for Independent Living." Child Welfare 73(5) 603-623.
78 GAO (1999) op Cit.
79 U.S. DHHS (1999) op Cit.
80 ACYF-CB-IM-00-03: Information on Public Law (P. L.) 106-109, the Foster Care Independence Act of 1999. March 16, 2000. http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/cb/policy/imooo3.htm. (Chafee Act).
81 U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services Administration for Children, Youth and Families http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/cb/policy/IM003.htm.
82 Ansell, D., Charles, K., Copeland, R. (1999) Promising Practices, Models, and Policies in the Area of Independent Living/Self-Sufficiency: A Review of the Casey Family Program Documents The University of Oklahoma, National Resource Center for Youth Services, Tulsa, OK
83 Ibid.
84 Tanis, Cheryl, personal communication (January 20, 2000).
85 GAO (1999) op cit.
86 Rosenfeld, A. (1997) "Foster Care: An Update." Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 36(4) 448-458.
87Halfon, N., Berkowitz, G., Klee, L(1995). "Mental health service utilization by children in out-of-home care in California." Pediatrics 89, 1238-1244.
88 Ansell, et al (1999) op cit.
89 --------. (1994) Foster Care: Parental Drug Abuse Has Alarming Impact on Young Children GAO/HEHS-94-89, Apr. 4, 1994.
90 Westat (1991). A National Evaluation of Title IV-E Foster Care Independent Living Programs for Youth: Final Report. Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC.
91 Ansell, et al (1999) op cit
92 Courtney, M., Paliavin, I., Grogan-Taylor, A., Nesmith, A. (1998) Foster Youth Transitions to Adulthood: Outcomes 12-18 Months After Leaving Out-of -Home Care. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin-Madison.
93 Courtney, M., Pilaivin, I., Grogan-Taylor, A. (1995). The Wisconsin Study of Youth Aging Out of Out-of-Home Care: A Portrait Children About to leave Care. Institute for Research on Poverty: Madison, WI.
94 Chernoff, R. Combs-Orme, T., Risley-Curtis, C., Heisler, A. (1994). "Assessing the health status of children entering foster care." Pediatrics 93(4) April, 1994, p 549(8).
95 Fanshel, D., Finch, S. J., Grundy, J. F. (1990) Foster children in a life course perspective. New York, NY: Columbia University Press.
96 Iglehart A. P. (1994) "Adolescents in foster care: Predicting readiness for independent living." Special Issue: Preparing foster youth for adulthood. Children and Youth Services Review 16(3-4), 159-169.
97 Mech, E.V., Lucy-Dobson, C., Hulseman, F. (1994) "Life skills knowledge A survey of foster adolescents in three placement settings." Special Issue: Preparing foster youth for adulthood. Children and Youth Services Review 16(3-4) 181-200.
98 Dubowitz, et al (1990). The physical and mental health and educational status of children placed with relatives: Final Report. Baltimore, MD: University of Maryland at Baltimore, Department of Pediatrics.
99 Moffat, M. E. K., Peddie, M., Stulginskas, Pless, I. B., Stienmetz, N. (1985) "Health care delivery to foster children: a study." Health Social Work 10: 129-137.
100 Risley-Curtiss, C. (1996). Child Protective Services: The Health Status and Care of Children in Out-of-Home Care. ASPAC Advisor, 9(4), 1-7.
101 Chafee Act, op Cit.
102 Department of Health and Human Services, Health Care Financing Administration. Medicaid Director Letter: Foster Care Independence Act of 1999. December 14, 1999.
103 Nollan, K., Austin, J., Choca, M., Pesce, M. Stern, E (1999) Tuscon Division: Self-Sufficiency Initiative Summary 1996-1997 Seattle: The Casey Family Program.
104 Ansell, et al, op Cit.
105 Fanshel, D., Finch, S. J., & Grundy, J. F., (1990). Foster children in a life course perspective. Columbia University Press: New York.
106 Courtney, M. E., Barth, R. P. (1996) "Pathways of Older Adolescents Out of Foster Care: Implications for Independent Living Services." Social Work 1 (1) 75-83.
107 Iglehart, A. P. (1994) "Adolescents in foster care: Predicting readiness for independent living." Special Issue: Preparing foster youth for adulthood. Children and Youth Services Review 16(3-4), 159-169.
108 Fanshel, D., Finch, S. J., & Grundy, J. F., (1990). Foster children in a life course perspective. Columbia University Press: New York.
109 Ansell, et al, op Cit
110 Landsman, M. J., Malone, K., Tyler, M., Black, J., Groza,V. (1999) "Achieving permanency for teens: lessons learned from a demonstration project." Prevention Report 2: 14-21. Iowa City: The National Resource Center for Family-Centered Practice.
111 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Children, Youth and Families. Title IV-E Independent Living Programs A Decade in Review. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1999.
112 ibid.
113 Ansell, D., Charles, K., Copeland, R. (1999) Promising Practices, Models, and Policies in the Area of Independent Living/Self-Sufficiency: A Review of Casey Family Program Documents. University of Oklahoma, National Resource Center for Youth Services.
114 Nixon, R., ed. (1997) "Introduction" Child Welfare 76(5).
115 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Children, Youth and Families. Title IV-E Independent Living Programs A Decade in Review. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1999.
116 Ibid.
117 Ansell, Et al. OpCit.
118 Irvine, J. (1988) Aftercare Services Child Welfare, 67(6) 587-594.
119 Wetzstein, C. (1999) Orphans Get the Boot. Insight on the News, 14(44) p28.
120 Burrell, K.. Perez-Fereiro, V. (1995) A national review of management of the federally funded Independent Living Program. US Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC
121 Wedeven, T., Pecora, P., Hurwitz, M. Howell, R., Newell, D. (1994) The Boise Division Alumni Survey: A Summary Report. Boise, ID The Casey Family Program.
122 Burrell, K., Perez-Feirrero, V. (1995) op Cit.
123 Child Welfare League of America (1998) Improving Economic Opportunity for Youth Formerly Served by the Foster Care System: Identifying the Support Network's Strengths and Needs: Interim Report. Washington, DC, Child Welfare League of America.
124 Irvine, J. (1988) op Cit.
125 GAO (1999) op Cit.
126 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Children, Youth and Families. Title IV-E Independent Living Programs A Decade in Review. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1999.
127 Cook, R. (1988) Trends and Needs in programming for independent living. Child Welfare 67(6), 497-514/
128 USDHHS, ACYF. (1999) op Cit
129 Ansell, D. et al (1999) op Cit
130 Child Welfare League of America (2000) Positive Youth Development and Independent Living: Building Staff Competency and System Capacity. http://www.cwla.org/posyouth/positiveyouthdevelopment.html
131 Lindsey, E. W., Ahmed, F. U. (1999) The North Carolina Independent Living Program: A Comparison of Outcomes for Participants and Nonparticipants Children and Youth Services Review 21(5) 389-412.
132 Westat (1991) A National Evaluation of Title IV-E Foster Care Independent Living Programs for Youth: Final Report. Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC
133 ________ (1993) An Evaluation of Pennsylvania's Independent Living Program for Youth. Shippensburg University Center for Juvenile Justice Training and Research , Shippensburg. PA.
134 ________ (1994) Center on Children, Families and the Law. Independent living skills evaluation: Former state ward - baseline report. Lincoln, NE.
135 Ansell, D. et al (1999) op cit.
136 US DHHS ACYF (1999) op cit.
137 Kerman, B. (1999) Transitions from Foster Care to Adulthood; The 1998 Foster Care Follow-up Project. Casey Family Services, Shelton, CT
[an error occurred while processing this directive]