Transitioning Vulnerable Youth in the Foster Care System to Responsible Adulthood

1. Transitioning Vulnerable Youth in the Foster Care System to Responsible Adulthood Joint Center for Political & Economic Studies Health Policy Institute Black Administrators in Child Welfare Stakeholders Meeting Washington, DC January 11, 2007

2. Purpose of the meeting • Share preliminary data and findings • Elicit from you, the stakeholders, input on our project • Elicit your suggestions for the next steps

3. Overview Of The Presentation • Purpose of the project • Project activities • What we know • What we don’t know • How you can help us • Next steps

4. Purpose of the Project • Identify and examine the issues that have an impact on youth who are transitioning out of foster care • Find out who these youth are and what their needs are • Look at the responses of the federal and state governments – what is being done to achieve positive outcomes, and what barriers there are to achieving these outcomes • Offer recommendations based on our analyses

5. Project Activities • Conduct literature review • Listen to the issues and concerns expressed by the consumers, service providers, and stakeholders (survey and listening sessions) • Identify the gaps in services to this population • Prepare a report that summarizes our work to disseminate to the field

6. What We Know Statistics • 513,000 children were in the foster care system (AFCARS Report – September 2005). • 52% (or 269,036) were males. • 48% (or 243,964) were females. • 32% (or 166,482) are African American. • 41% (or 208,537) are White.

7. What We Know (Cont’d) • 21% (or 100,393) were 16 -20 years of age. • 56% (or 286,621) of children in foster care were more than 10 years of age. • 28% (or 148,730) are in the system for three years or more.

8. What We Know (Cont’d) • 2% (or 10,560) were runaways. • 1% (or 5,570) were in supervised independent living. • 20,000 youth age out of the system each year without adoption, reunification, or guardianship.

9. What We Know (Cont’d) Federal Programs • Independent Living Initiative (Public Law 99-272)- Title IV-E of the Social Security Act (SSA) • John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence Program of 1999 (CFCIP) – Title IV-E of the SSA • Education and Training Voucher Program (ETV) - Promoting Safe and Stable Families Amendments of 2001

10. What We Know (Cont’d) Federal Programs (cont’d) • Transitional Living Program ( Family and Youth Services Bureau – Runaway and Homeless Youth Program - Public Law 106-71) • Medicaid Amendment (Foster Care Independence Act 1999; requires a state match)

11. What We Know (Cont’d) Examples of State Programs Florida • Road-to-Independence Scholarship • Transitional Funding • After care Funding Texas • Preparation for Adult Living Program (PAL) • Transitional Medicaid • ETV Program • Transitional Resource Action Center (TRAC)-Dallas • DFPS /Texas Workforce Commission Partnership

12. What We Know (Cont’d) Examples of State Programs Illinois • Chafee Independence Program • Education and Training Voucher (ETV) • Educational Access Project • Alternative Schools Network (ASN) • Jane Adams Hull House

13. What We Know (Cont’d) Other State Programs New York Section 8 Priority Code Program North Carolina Links The Achievement Independence Center of Philadelphia (AIC)

14. What We Know (Cont’d) In spite of federal and state programs, many vulnerable youth do not transition to healthy and productive adulthood because they…. • Do not complete high school or GED. • Suffer from physical health problems. • Suffer from chronic mental health problems. • Are involved in crime. • Are frequently homeless. • Are More likely to live in poverty. • Are Less likely to be employed. • Are More socially isolated.

15. What We Don’t Know • What are the barriers to effective transitioning to adulthood for vulnerable youth in foster care? Do these barriers relate primarily to service delivery? • Are any of the barriers to the effective delivery of services to vulnerable youth in foster care unique to them as a group? If so, how and why? • Does the form of service delivery affect the type and quality of services received by vulnerable youth in foster care?

16. What We Don’t Know (Cont’d) • Does guardianship pose a barrier to receipt of services by vulnerable youth in foster care, more often than for other youth in the system? • What features of the promising programs identified are responsible for helping vulnerable youth in foster care reach responsible adulthood? • How does the foster care experience differ for male and female vulnerable youth?

17. How You Can Help Us With This Work • Share what you know (for example, promising practices) • Give us your advice about special concerns or issues that should be considered • Provide feedback on the project tasks • Suggest methodologies to employ or programs to assess

18. Our Next Steps • Conduct listening sessions with stakeholder groups, including youth, service providers, advocates and others • Design survey questionnaire and conduct poll to assess service delivery systems and effectiveness • Integrate, analyze, and disseminate the findings