Addressing the Non-Academic Needs of College Students that have Experienced Foster Care

1. Addressing the Non-Academic Needs of College Students that have Experienced Foster Care February 19, 2014 – 10:50-11:50am Sarah B. Greenblatt, ACSW, Sr. Associate Director Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative sgreenblatt@jimcaseyyouth.org – www.jimcaseyyouth.org • College Connections for Student Success: A Focus on Foster Care, Homeless & Other Disconnected Youth

2. Goals for Our Discussion • Build awareness of the non-academic developmental needs of college students with foster care experience • Deepen understanding of strategies that can work to integrate and support college students who may lack family and adult supporters • Have opportunities to learn from the strides and struggles we have all experienced in identifying and addressing the non-academic needs of this sub-population of college students • College Connections for Student Success: A Focus on Foster Care, Homeless & Other Disconnected Youth

3. Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative Our Focus Young people ages 14 - 26

4. Jim Casey Initiative Site Locations GA

5. Outcome Areas • Permanence • Education • Employment • Housing • Health and Mental Health • Financial Capability • Social Capital 5

6. Core Strategies Public will and policy Research, evaluation, & communications Youth Engagement Partnerships and resources Increased Opportunities

7. Adolescent Growth and Development • Emerging Adulthood • Gradual Brain Development • Protective Factors to Mitigate Risks • Capacity to Build Resilience • Normative Risk-Taking • Experiences and Relationships Matter • College Connections for Student Success: A Focus on Foster Care, Homeless & Other Disconnected Youth

8. What Happens? • Multi-generational poverty & persistent discrimination • Abuse & Neglect • Separation from family, friends, school & community • Multiple moves and relationship disruptions • Educational instability: school changes; lost records & delayed transfers; limited individualized planning & supports; limited parental involvement & advocacy • The Foster Care Experience

9. What is the Impact? • Ambiguous losses • Confusion, uncertainty, mistrust • Social and emotional challenges: Externalized responses, e.g. anger, fearful, anxiety; Internalized responses, e.g. sadness, self-blame; depression • Developmental delays • Academic struggles • Academic disengagement • The Foster Care Experience

10. Barriers to Academic Success • After-effects of trauma • Lack of consistent supportive adults • Frequent school transfers • Disproportionate contact with exclusionary discipline • Disproportionate enrollment in so-called alternative schools with low standards and unaddressed special needs CT Voices for Children, 1.16.14 • The Foster Care Experience

11. What are the Worries of College Students that have Experienced Foster Care? • College Connections for Student Success: A Focus on Foster Care, Homeless & Other Disconnected Youth

12. Youth in Foster Care • Fewer than 20% of youth in care go on to higher education compared to 60% of youth in the general population • For those that do attend, specialized non-academic supports to are emerging 2012, ABA Center on Children and the Law, Education Law Center • Post-Secondary Educational Experiences

13. Supports for Youth in Foster Care • CA, WA, MI, CO • Campus-based support programs to provide assistance to students formerly in foster care with financial aid, mental health services, housing issues, and other supports • Check with a college’s financial aid or student affairs office to find out what types of assistance they provide • Post Secondary Education

14. ABA Center on Children and the LawEducation Law Center – www.ambar.org/LegalCenter • California College Pathways: www.cacollegepathways.org • Western Michigan University News: http://www.wmich.edul/wmu/news/2008/041.html • Colorado State University, Fostering Success Scholarship: http://sfs.colostate.edu/csu-scholarship-application-csusa • Supporting Success: Improving Higher Education Outcomes for Students from Foster Care: http//www.casey.org/Resources/Publications/pdf/SupportingSuccess.pdf • Resources

15. Social Capital Relationships for a Reason, a Season, a Lifetime • Quantity • Quality • Value 15

16. Youth-Engagement in Case Planning for Transitions • Youth are engaged as partners in their own case planning • Youth identify team members who know and care about them • Youth are supported to guide content of their case plans • Youth practice life skills of team planning and decision-making • Youth are guided to become more autonomous • Youth learn to have increasing levels of new relationships, life responsibilities and leadership roles • Youth are supported through an identity development process • College Connections for Student Success: A Focus on Foster Care, Homeless & Other Disconnected Youth

17. Benefits of Youth Engagement in Planning for Transitions • Builds “buy-in” • Stimulates brain development • Promotes open communication • Enhances doing with – not for or to • Supports self-determination, empowerment, and autonomy • Supports self-learning • Allows for “teachable moments" • College Connections for Student Success: A Focus on Foster Care, Homeless & Other Disconnected Youth

18. Courageous Conversations … Doing With, Not For or To • Assess youth’s developmental phase and impact of any trauma • Listen for strengths, needs, fears, worries - get behind the “no” • Ask who they want on their planning and decision-making team • Prepare youth and team members for their roles and responsibilities • Be honest • Validate the youth and their life story • Create a safe space to do the work • Support youth’s gradual leadership in the case planning process • Empower through options & choices, expectations & responsibilities • Allow that it is never too late to change - go back to move forward • Acknowledge that pain may be part of the processAdapted from 3.5.7 Model, Darla Henry (2005) • College Connections for Student Success: A Focus on Foster Care, Homeless & Other Disconnected Youth

19. Help them to have answers to 6 key questions • Who am I? • What happened to me? • Where am I going? • How will I get there? • Who will support me along the way? • How and when will I know I belong? Adapted from 3.5.7 Model, Darla Henry (2005) • College Connections for Student Success: A Focus on Foster Care, Homeless & Other Disconnected Youth

20. Going Back to Go Forward Confront the dark parts of yourself, and work to banish them with illuminations and forgiveness. Your willingness to wrestle with your demons will cause your angels to sing. Use the pain as fuel, as a reminder of your strength. August Wilson • Opportunity Momemts

21. OUTCOMES for YOUNG ADULTS in COLLEGE • Young people safely make sense of their story, make peace with their past, and make realistic plans for their future • Young people are “connected by 25” to the relationships, knowledge, skills and resources needed for a successful transition to adulthood – and beyond! • Young people have supportive relationships for a reason, a season and a lifetime …. • College Connections for Student Success: A Focus on Foster Care, Homeless & Other Disconnected Youth

22. Social Capital Relationships for a Reason … a Season … a Lifetime … 22