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A Way Home?

Testimony to the Senate HHS Committee on Youth Aging Out of Foster Care, highlighting the need for support, resources, and opportunities for successful transition to adulthood for foster youth.

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A Way Home?

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  1. A Way Home? The Road to Permanency for Youth Who Age Out of Foster Care Testimony to the Senate HHS Committee Interim Charge on Youth Aging Out of Foster Care Katherine Barillas, Ph.D. Director of Child Welfare Policy Texas Network of Youth Services kbarillas@tnoys.org

  2. The mission of TNOYS is to strengthen, support, and protect critical services for Texas youth and their families in order to ensure their success.

  3. TNOYS members share a vision of Texas where all youth are valued, their strengths are recognized, and they have access to the resources, support, and opportunities they need to thrive.

  4. STRATEGIC PRIORITIES • Investment in Prevention and Early Intervention • A Full Continuum of High Quality Foster Care Services • Services and Supports for Young People who are Homeless • Support through the Transition to Adulthood • Trauma Informed Care • Collaboration with Youth

  5. TNOYS STRATEGIC PRIORITY AREAS AND GOALS

  6. TNOYS APPROACH Our work is guided by a comprehensive systems change approach:

  7. Take a Minute and Think… Who Taught You To: What Helped You Become an Adult? Good relationships with others Continuous education about life skills Opportunities to practice what you learned A place to return for help Employment training, career development & job opportunities Support and guidance • Cook • Write a resume • Apply for financial aid • Rent an apartment • Manage your money • Form healthy relationships

  8. What do We Want for our Youth in Foster Care? • opportunities, experiences, and activities for youth in foster care that are available to those not in foster care • preparation for adulthood

  9. Who is there to Prepare our Youth for Adulthood?

  10. Foster Parent • required to provide or help youth receive life skill/normalcy opportunities; encouraged to attend first PAL life skills class and do homework activities with youth; fill out the caregiver part of the life skills assessment Child Placing Agency • ensures caregiver teaches child basic life and social skills; offers a variety of experiential learning opportunities through the use of 2+ basic life skills activities every month; ensures child offered age-appropriate activities; gives child access to opportunities such as vocational or technical training programs, employment etc. PAL Contractor • conducts life skills assessment (and ensures youth and caregiver both fill out their sections and hold an in-person interpretation meeting) life skills classes (reaching out to youth and caregiver to encourage participation and providing experiential opportunities; often provides array of other services for youth in care and those who’ve aged out; will also distribute incentives including Aftercare Room and Board to 3rd party; must provide monthly reports to DFPS PAL staff; conduct knowledge assessment PAL Regional Staff • arrange for youth’s participation in services with PAL contractor and coordinate with CPS worker; approves youth eligible for services and sends form to contractor CPS Caseworker • tracking youth’s plan of service which now includes transition plan; arranges permanency meetings

  11. DFPS Transitional Living Services

  12. DFPS Transitional Living Services

  13. Additional Options that Exist for Youth Who Age Out Trial Independence – • 6 months after a youth leaves care is considered a “trial independence” period; • can be extended up to 1yr by a judge; • youth may live independently and receive CPS benefits (no court or case activity during this time) Extended care – • Voluntary return up until 21st birthday; • unless have documented medical condition must be obtaining education (minimum 6hrs/semester; high school or GED), engaging in preparation for employment (15hrs/wk) or working (@ least 80hrs/month). • option exists until 21st birthday

  14. Additional Options that Exist for Youth Who Age Out Transition Centers – • 1 center for every region of the state (one that serves Harris and surrounding counties); • available ages 15.5 to 25 who are aging or have aged out of foster care; • central location for services including assistance with basic needs, college enrollment and career counseling Supervised Independent Living (SIL) – • part of extend foster care that includes apartments, non-college dormitories, college dorms, shared housing or host homes

  15. A Closer Look at Supervised Independent Living SIL Rates SIL Challenges Few providers around the state Houston, Austin, Lubbock, Ft. Worth (2), Dallas (2), Liverpool, Beaumont, Converse, Wichita Falls Low reimbursement rates for providers Challenge for youth not practiced with this level of freedom Only through 21st birthday Youth still need level of case management that SIL doesn’t provide – CPS worker 1X a month • Host Home • $33.53 / $45.03 w/ child • Non-college Dorm • $43.02 / $54.52 w/ child • College Dorm • $41.49 / $49.35 w/ child • Apartment/shared housing • $43.02 / $54.52 w/ child

  16. With All That is in Place to Help Youth Prepare for Adulthood – What are Some of the Results?

  17. Youth in Care in Texas

  18. Youth Who Age Out of Foster Care • Tend to have longer stays in care and more placements • Have higher rates of and greater vulnerability to: • Homelessness • Trafficking • Unemployment • Mental health and substance use problems • Poor education outcomes • Post traumatic stress National Youth in Transition Database. 11/2016. “Highlights from the NYTD survey: outcomes reported by young people at ages 17, 19 and 21. Available at: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/cb/resource/nytd-data-brief-5. White, C., O’Brien, K., Pecora, P., Keller, R., Sampson, N., Hwang, I. 2012. Texas Foster Care Alumni Study Technical Report. Available at: http://www.casey.org/media/StateFosterCare_TX_fr.pdf.

  19. Results of NYTD Survey for Texas

  20. What Policies Have Attempted to Address These Issues? • Preparation for Adult Living (1986) to ensure youth transitioning out of foster care were prepared for adulthood; • college tuition and fee waivers and transitional Medicaid for former foster youth (1980s and 1990s); • $3,000 was the limit set for Aftercare Room and Board Assistance (2006) and it has not been adjusted since then

  21. What Policies Address These Issues?

  22. What Reports Examined These Issues?

  23. What more can we do to prepare our youth in foster care for adulthood?

  24. Establish a Continuum of Learning for Youth 14-21 • Youth ages 14 and 15 • Classes, one-on-one work and experiential opportunities • Social and emotional learning • Relationships • Communication • Youth ages 16-21 • Practical life skills through placements, classes, transition centers and case management • Support for post-secondary attainment (college & technical certifications) • Better accountability system of devising youth needs and progress

  25. Have Enough Staff to Provide More Individualized Attention to Youth 14-21 • foster youth have specialized needs • All youth need frequent and consistent reminders

  26. Fund PAL Services to Meet the Needs of Youth 14-25 Including Special Populations • Youth in / aging out of RTCs • Youth in juvenile detention facilities • Youth with developmental/intellectual challenges

  27. 2012-2017 averaged served went down by 5%Average expended has only increased by 2% There are not enough resources to serve the entire population of kids who are eligible for PAL services

  28. Federal & State ExpendituresPAL staff, purchased services & ETV 2016 2017 Federal Chafee $: State eligible for claims submitted up to a certain level

  29. FFA New Opportunities • Greater flexibility for use of IV-E Chafee dollars for career, education and other independence opportunities for youth aging out of the foster care system; • Dollars can be used for assistance and services to youth up until they turn 24 (raised from 22) and to access post-secondary opportunities through the Education and Training Voucher (ETV) until they turn 26 (raised from 23).

  30. Support Foster Parents, Caregivers and Staff in Meeting the Life Skill Needs of Youth • opportunities to learn & reinforce learning • opportunities that meet time constraints • effective coordination between CPS/contract staff

  31. Develop and Fund Graduated Housing Opportunities Provides youth the opportunity to gradually develop independent living skills in environments that support experiences • Transitional living community apartments or single family dwellings (16-17); part of independent living program • Community housing assistance such as SIL or other setting (18-25)

  32. Katherine Barillas, Ph.D.Director of Child Welfare Policykbarillas@tnoys.org713-480-3937

  33. JOIN OUR MAILING LIST! www.tnoys.org/subscribe/

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