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 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 Employment Outcomes for Youth Aging Out of Foster Care written by and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 98 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 Youth Leaving Foster Care written by Wendy B. Smith and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2011-03-08 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Each year more than 25,000 youth age out of the American foster care system to face uncertain futures as young adults. Many of them have experienced the trauma of abuse, neglect, disrupted family relationships, and multiple foster care placements. The past two decades have seen increased funding and services in a society-wide attempt to mitigate the effects of such childhood adversity, but a consistent pattern of loss and broken attachments adds up. Development and education are severely compromised. A quarter of youth experience homelessness after exiting care; 25-50% will not complete high school, and only 3-6% will graduate college. Four years after leaving care, less than half are employed, and their earnings remain well below the poverty line. Rates of mental health disorders, early pregnancy and parenthood, and involvement in the criminal justice system are all heightened. Youth Leaving Foster Care is the first comprehensive text to focus on youth emerging from care, offering a new theoretical framework to guide programs, policies, and services. The book argues that understanding infant, child, and adolescent development; attachment experiences and disruptions; and the impacts of unresolved trauma and loss on development are critical to improving long-term outcomes. It provides an overview of the foster care context, detailed discussion of the effects of maltreatment on development from infancy through young adulthood, and common mental health problems and treatment recommendations. It includes a discussion of delinquency and the juvenile justice system, as well as issues facing pregnant and parenting youth, LGBT youth, and youth with disabilities. Presenting the best practices in transitional living programs and policy and research recommendations, this crucial guide also reviews and summarizes the latest research, which are enhanced with illustrative case vignettes. Each mental health and program chapter concludes with key practice principles reflecting the relationship-based approach. Presenting a multidimensional, integrated perspective that gives greater consideration to psychological and interpersonal needs, this vital guide offers an approach that will strengthen the capacity of youth leaving care to transition into successful adult lives.
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 Life after Foster Care written by Loring Paul Jones and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2018-08-17 with total page 238 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book apprises readers of the present conditions of former and emancipated foster youth, provides evidence-based best practices regarding their experiences, and proposes new policies for ensuring better outcomes for these children upon discharge from foster care. For most American youth, the transition to adulthood is gradual and aided by support from parents and others. In contrast, foster youth are expected to arrive at self-sufficiency abruptly and without the same level of support. Such an expectation may be due in part to what Loring Paul Jones has found in his research: that many of the studies conducted thus far have been fragmented and incomplete, often focusing on a particular state or agency that may follow policies not applicable nationwide. This book connects the dots between these disparate studies to provide child welfare practitioners, policy makers, and students with a broader picture of the state of American youth following discharge from foster care. It examines not only child welfare policies but also related policies in areas such as housing and education that may contribute to the success or failure of foster youth in society. It additionally draws lessons from successful programs to provide readers with the tools needed to develop foster and after-care systems that more closely mirror the support afforded to youth in the general population.
Download or read book Aged Out written by Dr. Lanetta N. Greer and published by Archway Publishing. This book was released on 2020-04-26 with total page 150 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Owning and operating a nonprofit, group home for teenage girls has given Dr. Lanetta N. Greer a keen understanding of the challenges that they face. Home 4 the Heart, her facility, has helped almost two hundred girls over ten years. But assisting, supporting, and advocating for the girls that live at its three facilities has required lots of creativity. While Child Protective Services wants children to do well, the youth that they place in out-of-home care often have negative life outcomes. The lack of daily intimate contact with a caregiver causes somewhat of a constant disconnect—and normal daily relationships and activities with supportive caregivers are not always possible for youth in out-of-home care. In this qualitative study of young women who aged out of out-of-home care, the author describes family life, growing up in out-of-home care, and life after aging out. The results of the study will better inform service providers working with youth in foster/group homes, schools, juvenile justice placements, and community programs. The study’s findings and insights offer more effective ways of assisting, supporting, and advocating for youth to ensure a more successful transition to independence after aging out.
Download or read book Uncertain Futures written by Edmund V. Mech and published by C W L A Press. This book was released on 2003 with total page 360 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Discusses the plight of youth who have aged out of the system. It provides meaningful, practical solutions for teaching youth to support themselves before they are forced out of care, and details programs that assist youth in becoming self-supporting once they do leave the foster care system.
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 Handbook of Foster Youth written by Elizabeth Trejos-Castillo and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2018-03-22 with total page 533 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Currently, there are over 400,000 youth living in foster care in the United States, with over 20,000 aging out of the child welfare system each year. Foster youth are more prone to experience short- and long-term adverse developmental outcomes including diminished academic achievement and career opportunities, poor mental and overall health, financial struggles, homelessness, early sexual intercourse, and substance abuse, many of these outcomes are risk factors for involvement in the juvenile justice system. Despite their challenges, foster youth have numerous strengths and positive assets that carry them through their journeys, helping them to overcome obstacles and build resilience. The Handbook of Foster Youth brings together a prominent group of multidisciplinary experts to provide nuanced insights on the complex dynamics of the foster care system, its impact on youth’s lives, and the roles of institutions and policies in the foster system. It discusses current gaps and future directions as well as recommendations to advance the field. This book provides an opportunity to reflect on the many challenges and strengths of foster youth and the child welfare system, and the combined efforts of caregivers, community volunteers, policy makers, and the professionals and researchers who work with them.
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 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 Foster Care Youth and the Role of the Independent Living Skills Program on the Propensity for Educational Human Capital Accumulation written by Toni Naccarato and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 420 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Challenges Confronting Older Children Leaving Foster Care written by United States. Congress. House. Committee on Ways and Means. Subcommittee on Human Resources and published by . This book was released on 2000 with total page 96 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Child Welfare Research written by Aron Shlonsky and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2008-04-25 with total page 416 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Research has already been a significant factor in child welfare policy in recent years, but this essential new volume demonstrates that it has taken a leading role in the field to spur and guide change. In the incisive chapters gathered here, some of the field's top investigators present their work and assess its effect on the full spectrum of child welfare services. Future generations of researchers, as well as students, practitioners, and service providers, will find the resulting text indispensable. Edited by Duncan Lindsey and Aron Shlonsky, two of the discipline's most articulate voices, the book covers every base. The opening chapters situate child welfare research in the modern context; they are followed by discussions of evidence-based practice in the field, arguably its most pressing concern now. Recent years have seen historic rises in the number of children adopted through public agencies and, accordingly, permanent placement and family ties are critical topics that occupy the book's core, along with chapters broaching the thorny questions that surround decision-making and risk assessment. The urgent need for a more effective use of research and evidence is highlighted again with looks at the future of child protection and how concrete data can influence policy and help children. Finally, in recognition of the growing importance of a global view, closing chapters address international issues in child welfare research, including an examination of policies from abroad and a multinational comparison of the economic challenges facing single mothers and their children. With its insightful treatment of child welfare services in terms of the broader welfare system and acknowledgment of the myriad problems child welfare agencies face, this exceptional compendium offers a rich understanding of the social conditions that influence contemporary child welfare and enables the field to move ahead without losing sight of valuable lessons that have been learned.
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:
