Download or read book Effectiveness of the Independent Living Program Relating to Foster Youth Aging Out of the Foster Care System written by Andrew J. Dabbous and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 55 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Every year 20,000 youths 'age out' of the foster care system in the United States. Many lack the necessary skills to transition successfully from foster care to independent living. These unsuccessful transitions usually result in the individual experiencing barriers such as under-education, unemployment, lack of permanent housing, inadequate social support, and involvement with the criminal justice system. However, with the help of independent living programs these low rates of success can be reversed to reveal better outcomes for youths emancipating from care. Research has observed that participants involved with independent living programs have more successful rates in the areas of educational attainment, length of employment, stable housing, fewer encounters with justice system and better social support than those not participating in any types of services. The purpose of this study was to review the Independent Living Program and its mandates as well as the various independent living programs operating throughout the United States in an attempt to identify which program elements are effective in preparing youth to live successfully upon emancipation from the foster care system. The following study conducted is a review of the research literature on independent living services and programs for foster care youths. Existing studies were gathered to provide evidence about whether or not the independent living program and its services have been shown to be effective. Benefits of this literature review can provide information for future policy makers, social workers, and administrators. By knowing what appears to work and what has shown to produce positive results and outcomes, federal, state, and local legislators can use this information to adapt, revise existing laws or to create new laws for children and youth that are in the system to help them prepare for their future outside of the foster care system.
Download or read book It s Personal written by Chris Lee and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 121 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Close to 20,000 youth age out of foster care into early adulthood every year, hard pressed to achieve independence at an accelerated pace. Most current state policies require youth to leave foster care between ages 18 to 21, leading to considerably more compressed transition periods than what is typically found among the general population. Though not true of all youth who age out of care, low levels of educational attainment, great economic and housing instability, and generally poor adjustment is well documented among former foster youth in adulthood. In response, legislative efforts have targeted the needs of older youth in foster care for over three decades, primarily focused on teaching youth practical skills for independent living. However, the efficacy of existing independent living skills programs is unclear, resulting in a lack of clarity regarding "what works" in supporting youth during their transition to adulthood. "Soft" resources and skills, such as adult identity and level of personal agency, are also often missing from living skills programs and may be just as important in facilitating stable transitions and nurturing readiness to take on the challenges of adulthood. This study investigated transitions to adulthood among youth who aged out of foster care in California. The study sought to move beyond previous research by exploring the utility of a theoretical framework, Côté's identity capital model, for explaining differential pathways to adulthood among youth aging out of care. The first study question examined housing pathways taken by youth after aging out of care, following commonly used models in demographic analyses of pathways in transitions to adulthood. The three remaining research questions focused more specifically on the identity capital model, and explored constructs of adult identity and agency in relation to youth functioning after exiting the foster care system. Similar to patterns found among youth in the general population, more than a few youth in the study sample relied on supportive relatives or non-related adults for housing during their transition to adulthood. Many youth in the sample also lived in their own place, and in fact, this was the most common housing status observed among the study sample, by far. Furthermore, very few youth left and returned to a relative home or transitional housing, suggesting youth accessed these housing safety nets on a limited basis. Cronbach's alpha estimates and confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) indicated that previously validated scales used to measure adult identity and agency had low reliability and validity in use with the current study sample. Similarly, CFA goodness-of-fit tests indicated a poor fit of model constructs and indicators to data of the current study sample.
Download or read book Youth Transitioning from Foster Care written by Adrienne L. Fernandes and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Nearly half of states have laws that explicitly permit the state child welfare system to continue providing foster care for children beyond the age of majority (usually no later than 19). However, the number of states that actually facilitate youth remaining in care beyond their 18th or 19th birthdays is significantly smaller. Over 20,000 young people have been emancipated from foster care annually from FY2002 through FY2006. While most young people have access to emotional and financial support systems throughout their early adult years, older youth in care and those who age out of care often face obstacles to developing independent living skills and building supports that ease the transition to adulthood. Older foster youth who return to their parents or guardians may continue to experience poor family dynamics or a lack of emotional and financial supports, and studies have shown that recently emancipated foster youth fare poorly relative to their counterparts in the general population on several outcome measures. Recognising the difficulties faced by older youth in care and youth emancipating from foster care, Congress created a new Independent Living initiative (P.L. 99-272)in 1986 to assist certain older foster youth as they enter adulthood. The legislation authorised mandatory funding to states under a new Section 477 of the Social Security Act. In 1999, the John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence Act (P.L. 106-169) replaced the Independent Living Program with the Chafee Foster Care Independence Program (CFCIP) and doubled the total annual funds available to states from $70 million to $140 million. The law also expanded the population of youth eligible to receive independent living services - with no lower age limit - and gave states greater flexibility in designing independent living programs. Independent living services can refer to assistance in obtaining a high school diploma, training in daily living skills, and training in financial management, among other services. Amendments to the CFCIP in FY2002 (P.L. 107-133) authorised discretionary funding for states to provide education and training vouchers to eligible youth. Along with the CFCIP, federal child welfare law and other federal programs are intended to help older current youth in care and foster care alumni make the transition to adulthood. The federal foster care program has protections in place to ensure that older youth in care have a written case plan that addresses the programs and services that will assist in this transition, among other supports. Further, federal law authorises funding for states to provide workforce assistance and housing to older foster youth. Despite these efforts and the resilience displayed by current and former foster youth, policymakers and child welfare practitioners have suggested that at a minimum, young people need better support to build stronger connections with caring adults before leaving foster care and should have the option to remain in care upon reaching their 18th or 19th birthdays.
Download or read book Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 written by United States and published by . This book was released on 1999 with total page 14 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Achieving Permanence for Older Children and Youth in Foster Care written by Benjamin Kerman and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2009-05-18 with total page 416 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Through a novel integration of child welfare data, policy analysis, and evidence-informed youth permanency practice, the essays in this volume show how to achieve and sustain family permanence for older children and youth in foster care. Researchers examine what is known about permanency outcomes for youth in foster care, how the existing knowledge base can be applied to improve these outcomes, and the directions that future research should take to strengthen youth permanence practice and policy. Part 1 examines child welfare data concerning reunification, adoption, and relative custody and guardianship and the implications for practice and policy. Part 2 addresses law, regulation, court reform, and resource allocation as vital components in achieving and sustaining family permanence. Contributors examine the impact of policy change created by court reform and propose new federal and state policy directions. Part 3 outlines a range of practices designed to achieve family permanence for youth in foster care: preserving families through community-based services, reunification, adoption, and custody and guardianship arrangements with relatives. As growing numbers of youth continue to "age out" of foster care without permanent families, researchers, practitioners, and policymakers have increasingly focused on developing evidence-informed policies, practices, services and supports to improve outcomes for youth. Edited by leading professionals in the field, this text recommends the most relevant and effective methods for improving family permanency outcomes for older youth in foster care.
Download or read book Aging Out of Foster Care written by and published by . This book was released on 1988 with total page 138 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Youth Transitioning from Foster Care written by Congressional Research Service and published by CreateSpace. This book was released on 2014-10-08 with total page 50 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: While most young people have access to emotional and financial support systems throughout their early adult years, older youth in foster care and those who are emancipated from care often face obstacles to developing independent living skills and building supports that ease the transition to adulthood. Older foster youth who return to their parents or guardians may continue to experience poor family dynamics or a lack of emotional and financial supports, and studies have shown that recently emancipated foster youth fare poorly relative to their counterparts in the general population on several outcome measures. The federal government recognizes that older youth in foster care and those aging out are vulnerable to negative outcomes and may ultimately return to the care of the state as adults, either through the public welfare, criminal justice, or other systems. Under the federal foster care program, states may seek reimbursement for youth to remain in care up to the age of 21. In addition, the federal foster care program has certain protections for older youth. For example, states must annually obtain the credit report of each child in care who is age 16 or older (age 14 and older as of late 2015). States must also assist youth with developing what is known as a transition plan. The law requires that a youth's caseworker, and as appropriate, other representative(s) of the youth, assist and support him or her in developing the plan. The plan is to be directed by the youth, and is to include specific options on housing, health insurance, education, local opportunities for mentors, workforce supports, and employment services. Other protections will go into effect in late 2015 that will require states to ensure that youth age 14 and older are consulted about the development and revisions to their case plan and permanency plan, and that the case plan includes a document listing certain rights for these youth. Separately, the federal government provides funding for services to assist in the transition to adulthood through the John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence Program (CFCIP). The law enables states to provide these services to youth who are likely to age out of foster care (with no lower age limit), and youth age 16 or older who left foster care for kinship guardianship or adoption. Independent living services may include assistance in obtaining a high school diploma, career exploration, training in daily living skills, training in budgeting and financial management skills, and preventive health activities, among other services. The CFCIP requires that states ensure youth in independent living programs participate directly in designing their own program activities that prepare them for independent living, and further that they “accept personal responsibility for living up to their part of the program.” The Chafee Education and Training Voucher (ETV) program separately authorizes discretionary funding for education and training vouchers for eligible youth to cover their cost of postsecondary education (until age 23). A recent evaluation of independent living programs, such as those that provide mentoring and life skills, shows mixed results. One promising independent living program has social workers who oversee a small caseload and have regular, ongoing interactions with the youth. The youth in this program are more likely to attend college and stay enrolled than their peers not in the program. Along with the CFCIP, other federal programs are intended to help current and former youth in foster care make the transition to adulthood. Federal law authorizes funding for states and local jurisdictions to provide workforce support and housing to older foster youth and youth emancipating from care. Further, the law that established the CFCIP created an optional Medicaid eligibility pathway for youth who age out of foster care; this pathway is often called the “Chafee option.
Download or read book Risk and Protective Factors Associated with Successful Independent Living Outcomes in a National Sample of Youth Aging Out of Foster Care written by Chun Liu (Ph. D.) and published by . This book was released on 2021 with total page 190 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The transition from adolescence to adulthood is a crucial period in a young person’s life. Youth aging out of foster care normally face multiple disadvantages in terms of educational attainment, employment outcomes, housing, financial stability, and life skills compared with their peers in the general population. To overcome these challenges, the John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence Program (CFCIP) was established; it assists youth in making the transition from foster care to self-sufficiency by providing funding to states. This study aims to examine the risk and protective factors contributing to independent living outcomes using a national sample of youth aging out of the foster care system. By merging the National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD) and the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) datasets, this study provides an overview of independent living outcomes of youth aging out of foster care. By utilizing a growth curve modeling method, this study suggests there is a high prevalence of negative outcomes among this population as they transition from adolescence to adulthood. It shows that several risk factors are associated with key domains of independent living outcomes, including placement stability, current placement setting, and previous adverse experience. Having a connection between 17 and 21 with an adult and remaining in foster care after 18 are both substantial protective factors of successful life outcomes. The findings of this study also have implications for policy and practice. Policymakers and practitioners should work together to develop evidence-based, trauma-informed interventions that better help this vulnerable population, with an emphasis on achieving relational permanency. Future Independent Living Programs should be tailored to meet the specific needs of youth in foster care, and child welfare workers should be aware of the risks and protective factors that impact youth development
Download or read book Foster care effectiveness of independent living services unknown report to the Honorable Nancy L Johnson U S House of Representatives written by and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on with total page 37 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book On Your Own without a Net written by D. Wayne Osgood and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2008-09-15 with total page 416 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the decade after high school, young people continue to rely on their families in many ways-sometimes for financial support, sometimes for help with childcare, and sometimes for continued shelter. But what about those young people who confront special difficulties during this period, many of whom can count on little help from their families? On Your Own Without a Net documents the special challenges facing seven vulnerable populations during the transition to adulthood: former foster care youth, youth formerly involved in the juvenile justice system, youth in the criminal justice system, runaway and homeless youth, former special education students, young people in the mental health system, and youth with physical disabilities. During adolescence, government programs have been a major part of their lives, yet eligibility for most programs typically ends between the ages of eighteen and twenty-one. This critical volume shows the unfortunate repercussions of this termination of support and points out the issues that must be addressed to improve these young people's chances of becoming successful adults.
Download or read book The Impact of Independent Living Services on Education and Employment for Youth Aging Out of Foster Care written by Annika Olson and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page 86 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For youth aging-out of foster care, independent living services may serve as a useful tool in preparing them for future social, physical, and economic success. The current study aims to understand which independent living services provided to youth in foster care are associated with their educational and employment outcomes at age 19. Using the National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD), this study will attempt to understand how both the specific type of service, as well as the number of services youths receive, act as predictors of educational attainment and employment. This information would be helpful in identifying how independent living services are impacting the future success of foster youth in regard to academics and employment.
Download or read book Foster Youth Emancipation Implications of Resiliency Independence and Responsibility written by Deborah Harris-Sims and published by Universal-Publishers. This book was released on 2008-07-11 with total page 88 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study incorporated descriptive research methods and correlational research methods to explore possible relationships between independence-responsibility and resiliency. The researcher administered the Resiliency Scales for Adolescents (RSA) to foster
Download or read book DCF Has Improved Some Aspects of Independent Living Program Oversight Other Long standing Problems Remain written by Florida. Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 8 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book On Their Own written by Martha Shirk and published by Basic Books. This book was released on 2006-08-08 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Each year, as many as 25,000 teenagers "age out" of foster care, usually when they turn eighteen. For years, a government agency had made every important decision for them. Suddenly, they are on their own, with no one to count on. What does it mean to be eighteen and on your own, without the family support and personal connections that most young people rely on? For many youth raised in foster care, it means largely unhappy endings, including sudden homelessness, unemployment, dead-end jobs, loneliness, and despair. On Their Own tells the compelling stories of ten young people whose lives are full of promise, but who face economic and social barriers stemming from the disruptions of foster care. This book calls for action to provide youth in foster care the same opportunities on the road to adulthood that most of our youth take for granted-access to higher education, vocational training, medical care, housing, and relationships within their communities. On Their Own is meant to serve as a clarion call not only to policymakers, but to all Americans who care about the futures of our young people.
Download or read book Preparing Youth for Long term Success written by Kimberly Ann Nollan and published by CWLA Press (Child Welfare League of America). This book was released on 2001 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Research in recent years has pointed to chronic problems for youth aging out of foster care. To address these concerns and to increase communication and collaboration among researchers, practitioners, and policymakers, Casey Family Programs sponsored the Independent Living Forum in June 1999. This book captures the proceedings of that forum and presents chapters on policy, research, practice, and diversity, with a section highlighting programs and research from around the country.
Download or read book Children who Age Out of the Foster Care System written by United States. Congress. House. Committee on Ways and Means. Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Former Foster Care Youth Perceptions on the Effectiveness of Independent Living Program Service written by Sandra Lorena Guerrero and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 174 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The purpose of this study was to examine former foster care youth perceptions on the effectiveness of Independent Living Program (ILP) services in San Bernardino County.
