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Creating Access to Opportunities for Youth in Transition from Foster Care

Creating Access to Opportunities for Youth in Transition from Foster Care. Erin Russ and Garet Fryar The American Youth Policy Forum. # aypfevents @ aypf_tweets. Overview. Over 26,000 youth turn18 and “age out” of foster care each year. Unique challenges:

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Creating Access to Opportunities for Youth in Transition from Foster Care

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  1. Creating Access to Opportunities for Youth in Transition from Foster Care Erin Russ and Garet Fryar The American Youth Policy Forum #aypfevents @aypf_tweets

  2. Overview • Over 26,000 youth turn18 and “age out” of foster care each year. • Unique challenges: • Less than 10% complete four year college education.1 • 40% experience homelessness or “couch surfing”.2 • More vulnerable to financial fraud. • Ongoing emotional turmoil. • 2008 Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act gave states added flexibility to address transitional youth. 1. Wolanin, Thomas.“HigherEducationOpportunitiesforFosterYouth:APrimerforPolicymakers.”The Institute for HigherEducationPolicy,2005. http://www.ihep.org/assets/files/publications/m--‐r/OpportunitiesFosterYouth.pdf. 2. Courtney, Mark and Dworsky, Amy.“Assessing the Impact of Extending Care beyond Age18 on Homelessness: Emerging Findings from the Midwest Study”, Chicago: Chapin Hall,2010 http://www.chapinhall.org/sites/default/files/publications/Midwest_IB2_Homelessness.pdf.

  3. Information Collection • How are states implementing policies that support youth in transition from foster care? • AYPF gathered information from: • Outside reports • Conversations with state- and local-level service providers • Interviews with policymakers and researchers • Site visits • Discussions with youth • Data synthesis • Feedback from other events such as webinars and discussion groups

  4. Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act • Also known as the Fostering Connections Act. • States can choose to provide Title IV-E payments to youth up to age 19, 20, or 21. • Title IV-E of the Social Security Act authorized Foster Care and Adoption Assistance programs to provide federal matching funds to states for directly administering these programs. • Youth must meet certain education, training, or work requirements to qualify for extended Title IV-E funds.

  5. Fostering Connections: Requirements to Extend Foster Care Title IV-E Payments Up to Age 21 • Completing secondary education or a program leading to an equivalent credential. • Enrolled in an institution which provides post-secondary or vocational education. • Participating in a program or activity designed to promote, or remove barriers to, employment. • Employed for at least 80 hours per month. • Incapable of doing any of the afore mentioned due to a medical condition.

  6. Image excerpted from AYPF’s Creating Access to Opportunities for Youth in Transition from Foster Care

  7. Examples of State Variation for Extending Foster Care Services Up to Age 21 • Youth has not completed high school. –SD • Youth who request from the court to retain jurisdiction to complete a course of treatment. –PA • Youth in special circumstances. –CO & MS • Youth may chose to stay in care up until 21 years of age. –KS • Youth who leave care at age 18 or older may voluntarily return to care at any time before their 21st birthday. –AZ • Youth in school or vocational training, or youth who suffer from a disabling condition that places youth at risk and remaining in care is in the youth's best interest. –SC

  8. Foster Care: "Different Things to Different People" “People think being in foster care is cut and dry, but that’s not really true.” A young college student from Youth Villages explained that she did not become involved with the child welfare system until her senior year of high school when she was unexpectedly left without parents. “People watch these movies and think that being in foster care means one thing, and only one thing, but it can mean a lot of different things to different people.” – Sherika, Youth Villages

  9. Challenges, Needs, and Opportunities • Three categories of need emerged: • Sustainable Social Capital • Permanency Supports • Postsecondary Opportunities • AYPF documented policies and programs across states to meets these needs. Image excerpted from AYPF’s Creating Access to Opportunities for Youth in Transition from Foster Care

  10. Youth Voice: Sustainable Social Capitol “It is the first time that I have experienced feeling whole-heartedly wanted, and not like I’m a burden or an obligation. I now recognize my own value and abilities more than I’ve allowed myself to in the past…I feel ‘a part’ of something instead of feeling like I’m being ‘taken from’ relationships.” – Angelica, 23, Foster Alumni Co-Mentoring Experience

  11. Youth Voice: Sustainable Social Capitol “Co-mentoring has allowed me to put trust in others again and to not be so critical about myself. I have accepted that there are some things that I can’t change, while working hard to modify other areas of my life. Since joining the group, I am less lonely. I feel like I have a voice that can and will be heard, and I feel more connected to the larger community.” – Bert, 21, Foster Alumni Co-Mentoring Experience

  12. Youth Voice: Permanency Supports “When I was 12 years old, I was taken away from my mom…After we were taken away, I lived in the group home for awhile and eventually in 3 different foster care homes. When I turned 18, my foster care ended and I had to figure things out for myself. I started asking friends or relatives if I could stay with them for awhile. I consider myself a hitchhiker, while I never actually lived on the streets, I didn’t have a real home either.” – DeAndrea, 18, Covenant House

  13. Youth Voice: Postsecondary Opportunities “Through this program I have been able to fully adopt the university as my home and have been able to become a staple on campus. Within the first few months I was introduced to the MYOI [Michigan Youth Opportunity Initiative] program. I have since matriculated to become the president of the Genesee County youth board. I owe the practice of my leadership skills and productivity to those that have given themselves fully to this program and students that it services.” – Ahliyah, 20, Mpowering My Success

  14. Recommendation Highlights • In order to address these challenges, AYPF made the following recommendations: • Highlight a range of postsecondary options • Coordinate systems and services • Develop professional capacity • Engage youth in decision-making • Change the Conversation: Transitioning to Opportunities

  15. Engage Youth • Provide opportunities for youth voice • Program feedback • Policy councils • Act on youth suggestions • Empower youth as leaders and self-advocates

  16. Develop Professional Capacity • What are the supports and resources that professionals who work with youth in foster care need? • Both direct service and program/systems managers • Capacity • Communication • Coordination

  17. Contact Information Erin Russ Program Associate eruss@aypf.org Garet Fryar Policy Research Assistant gfryar@aypf.org

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