Improving Services and Performance Toolkit for Effective Front-line Services to Youth

1. Improving Services andPerformanceToolkit for Effective Front-line Services to Youth Introduction-Preparing Youth in a Demand-Driven Economy

2. Preparing Youth for Employment in a Demand-Driven Economy: • ETA’s Strategic Vision for the Delivery ofYouth Services under the Workforce Investment Act is committed to implementing a system that reaches out to the neediest of our youth. • Organizations providing workforce development services to youth must employ strategies that assist these youth in developing the necessary skills required for success in the workplace.

3. Preparing Youth for Employment in a Demand-Driven Economy: • This toolkit will assist Front-line and administrative staff of youth-serving organizations to design and implement an efficient approach to service delivery. • Successful case management initiatives incorporate a number of fairly standard steps that allow the process to be orderly and structured.

4. The Manual & the Training Tools • Prepared by a national team of youth specialists, trainers, and program experts. • Focused on youth who have become disconnected from mainstream institutions and systems.

5. The Manual is intended to serve as a resource for: • Youth Assessment; • Development of Individual Service Strategies (ISS); • Integration of services; • Follow-up services; • Documentation of services and outcomes.

6. The Manual, continued • Terms used: case manager or youth advocate, youth development specialists, career advisor. • Case management system, case load. • Youth, young person (vs. customer, client, participant).

7. The Training Tools - Modules 1. Recruitment, Intake, and Enrollment – innovative strategies to engage, obtain information from, and enroll youth. 2. Assessment and Development of an Individual Service Strategy – discovering the strengths and weaknesses of youth through assessment with examples of proven approaches.

8. The Training Tools – the Modules, continued 3. Meeting the Needs of the Labor Market – the relevance of including Labor Market information in choosing career pathways and services strategies. 4. Implementing the Case Plan/ISS – how to turn the ISS into a living document.

9. The Training Tools – the Modules, continued 5.Follow-Up – emphasizes importance of providing follow-up services. 6. Documentation: Record-keeping and Case Notes – highlights the function of record keeping and practical solutions for ensuring information is captured.

10. The Training Tools – the Modules, continued 7.Evaluation/Measuring Outcomes – underscores the importance of measuring results. 8. Engaging Employers: Making the Connection- linking youth with future jobs.

11. The Training Tools – the Modules, continued • Approximately three hours per module. • Each topic of the Manual is designed to be a separate training module. • Most of the modules have exercises for experiential learning. • Each module is accompanied by a Training Guide and PowerPoint Slides.

12. Case Management Components • Recruiting, pre-screening, intake and enrollment; • Addressing skills, abilities and labor market needs; • Planning; • Implementing and monitoring; • Follow-up; • Evaluating.