Real Life 101

Preparing teens in foster care for living on

their own

Lisa DicksonCommunications ChairACTION OhioAlumni of Care Together Improving Outcomes Now

Two things our young people in and from foster care need the

most:1. Preparation (being informed,

prepared and empowered)

2. A Safety Net

Alumni of Care Together Improving Outcomes Now

We bring together the voices of foster care youth, alumni and allies, to create lasting change and generate hope for current and former foster youth, based on access to resources, ally support and alumni expertise.

Transition to Young Adulthood fora young person growing up with their

biological family

Challenges faced by a young personwho “ages out” of foster care

Point of Transition:Child Vs. Adult Systems

Disconnection

Child Mental Health

Adult Mental Health

Child WelfareSpecial EducationJuvenile Justice Criminal Justice

Substance AbuseVocational Rehabilitation

Housing

Root of the problem

FCAA Postcard Project

Foster Care Alumni of America’s“Culture of Foster Care” Postcard Project

12 years old

Enter foster care

14 years old

All-girls

group home

16 years old

Co-ed group home,

Miscarriage

17 years old:

college sophomore, evicted, homeless,

high-risk behaviors

19 years old college, broke,

no medical insurance

Wife and (step)mother

• When is the shift from statistic to survivor?

• Research tends to focus on teenagers and young people in their 20s...

Life’s Transitions Do Not Happen Overnight

Recommended Reading: Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute’s 2012 Foster Youth Internship Report

Young Adulthood

Statistics, while important:

• Don’t tell the whole story

• Promote low expectations

• Are perpetuated by systemic barriers

What’s an Exit Plan?

*a.k.a.

• “Discharge/Case-Closing Plan”• “Self-Sufficiency/Emancipation Plan”• “Transition Plan”• “Personalized Transition Plan”

Federal LegislationFostering Connections to Success and Increasing

Adoptions Act of 2008 Title II, Section 202

• Mandates that 90 days prior to emancipation from foster care, “a caseworker on the staff of the State agency, and, as appropriate, other representatives of the child provide the child with assistance and support in developing a transition plan that is personalized at the direction of the child, includes specific options on housing, health insurance, education, local opportunities for mentors and continuing support services, and work force supports and employment services, and is as detailed as the child may elect.”

Ohio Administrative Code

• Ninety days prior to the youth’s emancipation from the agency’s custody, the PCSA or PCPA shall work with the youth to develop a final transition plan.

• The plan shall be youth-driven and as detailed as the youth chooses.

Vital Documents:Prior to the youth’s emancipation from the agency’s custody, the PCSA or PCPA shall coordinate with the following agencies, to obtain necessary documents:

• an original birth certificate• an original social security card• a current state identification card

*OAC 5101:2-42-19: “Requirements for the provision of independent living services to youth in custody”

Essential Elements:

• Post-Emancipation Services (if available)

• Healthcare; insurance, power of attorney

• Higher Ed; secondary, post-secondary

• Housing; obtaining, paying for

• Budgeting; credit report

• Selective Services (males must register)

• Existing Court Fees (preexisting)

• Existing Benefits; i.e. Social Security

“Name That Logo”

Job Corps

• Job Corps is a great way to complete an education, learn a marketable trade, make friends and graduate with a good job in hand.

• Each Job Corps Center is unique, but they all feature campus-like settings with dormitories where students can live.

Higher Ed andEarning a Living Wage

• A bachelor's degree today is the equivalent of a high school degree in the 60s

• Two-thirds of all new jobs that will be created in the next 10 years will require post-secondary education

• Adults who have only a high school degree are twice as likely to be unemployed as those with a bachelor's degree

• A typical high school graduate, with no additional education, will earn over his/her lifetime half as much as a college graduate

Education Path

• 75% of foster youth express a desire to attend college

• Only 15% are enrolled in college prep courses in high school

• Only 20% of foster youth with a GED/high school diploma enroll in post-secondary education vs. 60% of the general population

School Transfer Issues

• How many school changes did you have?

• Did the schools use the same textbook?

• Did your credits transfer?

• Who was your education liaison?

Stats Tell A Story

• Attend five high schools on average

• With each transfer, lose 4-6 months of academic progress

• 65% change schools in the middle of the year

• Higher rates of absenteeism, grade retention, special education, dropping out before graduation

• 2008 Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act

Project iGRAD in Kansas

• Immediate enrollment

• Timely transfer of records

• Protection of grades and credits

Extra-curricular activities

Competencies:• Caregiver Related 994-01-006: Knows the

range of educational and vocational programs and schools available to children. Knows how to select the best school or school program based on the child’s abilities, talents or special interests.

• Caregiver Related 994-01-007: Knows why it is important that children in care have opportunities for involvement in school activities. Knows resources and how to advocate so children can obtain sports equipment, special clothing or other items needed for the child.

Roadmap to Higher Ed

College Bridge Programs:• GEAR UP: College Bridge program;

“Gaining early awareness for undergraduate programs”

• TRIO: First-generation college student

Money for College:• ETV funds: Foster Care to Success:

www.statevoucher.org (laptop, money/semester, v-mentoring)

Definition of an “Independent Student”

on the FAFSA

Three categories:• Student who is an orphan, in foster care, or a ward of the

court, at any time when the student was 13 years of age or older

• Student who is an emancipated minor or is in legal guardianship as determined by the court in their state of legal residence

• Applicant is verified as an unaccompanied youth who is homeless or at risk of homelessness and self-supporting

2007 College Cost Reduction and Access Act

• The purpose of Ohio Reach is to increase the number of foster care youth who enroll in and graduate from college.

• This includes working to establish Foster Care Liaisons at Ohio universities and community colleges.

• Ohio Reach improves post-secondary outcomes for foster care youth and alumni through leadership, empowerment, advocacy, research and networking (L.E.A.R.N.).

2009 Ohio Reach Summit

Improving Outcomes• 50% more likely to be out-of-work and out-

of-school

• 40% receive public assistance

• 62% unemployed for at least a year

• One-third – one-fifth don’t connect with workplace between ages 19-25

• At age 24, less likely to earn a “livable income” than the general population

Workforce path

Disconnect Between Systems

• Child welfare professionals aren’t always connected with local workforce development programs

• Youth employment experts are often unfamiliar with the child welfare system – and unaware of the unique challenges that foster care youth face when aging out of care

B-E-G-I-N

Early Employment Exposure

• Getting connected with the workplace

• Skills and interests, relating to jobs

• Hands-on work experience

• Engaged in the local community• NYTD requirement

What (Not) to Wear to Work?

• Over 30% of 19-year olds in Midwest study reported being unable to afford to buy clothing

• Dress for Success is only for women!!!

1998 Workforce Investment Act

WIA funds can be used for:

• One-Stop Centers

• Youth Service Programs (low-income, high risk)

• Residential Training Programs like Job Corps

Ladder to Success

Even if youth are sent back home

• It’s not permanency or IL – we need both

• Only 46%: 19 year old foster youth have savings account

• Vs. 82% of the general population

“Food Insecurity”

• Not knowing what you’re going to eat at the end of the day.

• 50% young woman in one state received food stamps by age 21

• Casey IDA Program (Individual Development Accounts)

Competencies

• Caseworker Specialized 202-05-001: Knows the range of skills necessary for independent living (such as financial management, household management, obtaining a job, etc.) and knows resources for training adolescents in these skills

Housing After Foster Care

• “Nowhere to go but back where I came from.”

• Youth don’t belong in adult homeless shelters

• Young people have unique developmental needs

Homeless Experience

• One in five former foster children will experience homelessness

• Invest: Young people have open minds, high energy and a future-focus

• Pay now or pay later: One in four homeless adults is a former foster child

Overcoming Barriers

• AFDC (welfare) replaced by TANF

• TANF: “Prevent and reduce out of wedlock pregnancies”

• Message: “No housing assistance unless you come back with a positive pregnancy test.”

Housing Options

• Dormitories• Scattered Site Apartments• Supervised Apartments• Boarding Houses • Host Homes / Adult Roommates • Shelters • Subsidized Housing

*Lighthouse Youth Services: giving today’s youth time to struggle and room to grow

Housing Outcomes – Without Support

Percentage of foster care youth who report experiencing homelessness after “aging out” of care: 20%

Percentage of homeless adults who spent time in foster care as children: 25%

Percentage of Chafee funds that counties can use for funds for housing for emancipated foster youth: 30%

Who are or were the top

three people in your personal Safety Net and

why?

Copyright Lisa Dickson

Permanency Pact:

What exactly can I rely on you for?

It is critical to the youth’s success to identify those adults who will continue to provide various supports through and beyond the transition from care.

Clarifying exactly what the various supports will include can help to avoid gaps in the youth’s safety net and misunderstandings between the youth and the supportive adult(s).

• A home for the holidays• A place to do laundry• An emergency place to stay• Care packages while in college• Storage• Someone to discuss problems with• A phone or computer to use

Please Involve Youth Voice in Plans for Their Future

Different Paths

Gang path

Gray… because the statistics are grim: 2005 study of 19 yr-olds:- 37% no GED or high school diploma- 60% unemployed - 53% no health insurance- 14% homeless since discharge- 32% of females unwed pregnancy- 68% of males and 46% of females arrested- 52% of males and 29% of females incarcerated

Military path

1. IDENTITY cards: Dealt to players at the beginning

2. CHANCE cards: When players land on purple squares

3. CHOICE cards: Players can choose to purchase throughout the game

Three Types of Cards

Teen ParentAthleteJuvenile JusticeMental Health IssuesPositive FC ExperienceHelpful IL ClassesReunificationSibling ContactMentor

Identity cards

Life isn’t always predictable.

One of the biggest challenges of facing the adult world alone is dealing with the unexpected.

Chance cards

MedicaidHeapFood StampsCar InsuranceWIC

Choice cards

1. Yellow: Education2. Green: Financial

independence3. Red: Relationships4. Blue: Health

Tokens to earn

Yellow token

for GED

Yellow token

for higher education

Green token for resume

Green token for work experience

Red token for relationships

Blue token for health

Decision points

Sometimes life deals out the unexpected

Chance squares

Investing the time to “purchase” pays off!

Choice squares

We define our own success!

Ultimate outcome

Interdependence

Recommended Reading: Transitioning Youth: Blending the Worlds of Permanency and Independent Living. The Casey Center for Effective Child Welfare Practice.

“The blending of the worlds of permanency and independent livingIs imperative if our youth are ever to be adequately prepared for life,love and work in adulthood.”