Opportunities for Youth in Transition from Foster Care: Youth Perspective An AYPF Capitol Hill Forum February 20 th, 2015

Overview Over 26,000 youth turn18 and “age out” of foster care each year. Unique challenges: Less than 10% complete four year college education. 1 40% experience homelessness or “couch surfing”. 2 More vulnerable to financial fraud. Ongoing emotional turmoil Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act gave states added flexibility to address transitional youth. 1. Wolanin, Thomas.“HigherEducationOpportunitiesforFosterYouth:APrimerforPolicymakers.”The Institute for HigherEducationPolicy, ‐ r/OpportunitiesFosterYouth.pdf. 2. Courtney, Mark and Dworsky, Amy.“Assessing the Impact of Extending Care beyond Age18 on Homelessness: Emerging Findings from the Midwest Study”, Chicago: Chapin Hall,2010

Information Collection How are states implementing policies that support youth in transition from foster care? AYPF gathered information from: Outside reports Conversations with state- and local-level service providers Interviews with policymakers and researchers Site visits Discussions with youth Data synthesis Feedback from other events such as webinars and discussion groups

Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act Also known as the Fostering Connections Act. States can choose to provide Title IV-E payments to youth up to age 19, 20, or 21. Title IV-E of the Social Security Act authorized Foster Care and Adoption Assistance programs to provide federal matching funds to states for directly administering these programs. Youth must meet certain education, training, or work requirements to qualify for extended Title IV-E funds.

Fostering Connections: Requirements to Extend Foster Care Title IV-E Payments Up to Age Completing secondary education or a program leading to an equivalent credential. 2. Enrolled in an institution which provides post-secondary or vocational education. 3. Participating in a program or activity designed to promote, or remove barriers to, employment. 4. Employed for at least 80 hours per month. 5. Incapable of doing any of the afore mentioned due to a medical condition.

Image excerpted from AYPF’s Creating Access to Opportunities for Youth in Transition from Foster Care

Examples of State Variation for Extending Foster Care Services Up to Age 21 Youth has not completed high school. –SD Youth who request from the court to retain jurisdiction to complete a course of treatment. –PA Youth in special circumstances. –CO & MS Youth may chose to stay in care up until 21 years of age. –KS Youth who leave care at age 18 or older may voluntarily return to care at any time before their 21st birthday. –AZ Youth in school or vocational training, or youth who suffer from a disabling condition that places youth at risk and remaining in care is in the youth's best interest. –SC

Challenges, Needs, and Opportunities Three categories of need emerged: 1. Sustainable Social Capital 2. Permanency Supports 3. Postsecondary Opportunities AYPF documented policies and programs across states to meets these needs. Image excerpted from AYPF’s Creating Access to Opportunities for Youth in Transition from Foster Care

Recommendation Highlights In order to address these challenges, AYPF made the following recommendations: Highlight a range of postsecondary options Coordinate systems and services Develop professional capacity Engage youth in decision-making Change the Conversation: Transitioning to Opportunities

Opportunities for Youth in Transition from Foster Care: Youth Perspective Panelists: Mary Lee, National Transitional Living Coordinator, Youth Villages Michelle Morgan, Student, University of Memphis Sheemeca Berkley, Great Expectations Advisor, Northern Virginia Community College Marianna Lagenbeck, Student, Northern Virginia Community College

February 20, 2015 All contents ©2015 by Youth Villages, Inc. with all rights reserved. TRANSITIONAL LIVING PROGRAM Helping young people live successfully as independent adults

ADDITIONAL SUBHEAD DATE TITLE SUBHEAD Place horizontal logo here  Created in 1999 with a grant from The Day Foundation  Designed to help youth between the ages of 17 and 22 who are making the transition out of state custody to an independent life  Systemic approach that incorporates multiple aspects of the youth’s natural ecology (community, peers, family, school in addition to their personal characteristics)  Strength-based approach to services Transitional Living Program History All contents ©2015 by Youth Villages, Inc. with all rights reserved

ADDITIONAL SUBHEAD DATE TITLE SUBHEAD Place horizontal logo here  Mission: We help young people live successfully as independent adults  Since 1999 we have served over 7,600 youth  Daily we serve approximately 830 youth in the TL program  Locations include: Florida Georgia Massachusetts Mississippi North Carolina Tennessee Quick Facts - Transitional Living Program All contents ©2015 by Youth Villages, Inc. with all rights reserved

Youth Villages Provides TL in Six States = YV provides TL in the state = YV provides other services in state, but not TL YV WORKS IN 11 STATES & DC AND PROVIDES TL IN 6 OF THOSE STATES MOST YOUNG PEOPLE SERVED ARE IN TENNESSEE Source: Youth Villages’ “Daily Service Capacity and Total Youth Served, By Program by State” as of 6/30/2014 In Tennessee, all young people aging out of care have access to TL. This has developed over the course of 10 years through a public- private partnership with the Day Foundation, the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services, and Youth Villages

ADDITIONAL SUBHEAD DATE TITLE SUBHEAD Place horizontal logo here The program focuses on the following areas:  Permanency  Education  Employment  Housing  Independent Living Skills  Youth Involvement Transitional Living Program Objectives All contents ©2015 by Youth Villages, Inc. with all rights reserved

ADDITIONAL SUBHEAD DATE TITLE SUBHEAD Place horizontal logo here All contents ©2015 by Youth Villages, Inc. with all rights reserved Key components of the Transitional Living Program that make it successful  Intensity of services: small caseloads of eight to ten youth per specialist with a minimum of one face-to-face session per week as well as other communication throughout the week  Comprehensive services: specialists help youth achieve their goals with education, employment, housing, permanency, basic independent living skills  Youth-driven: young adults in the TL program have input into their service plans, goal development, and the group activities. This input is vital to the program’s success because youth tend to be more successful when they are invested and actively involved  Staff training and supervision: Staff receive extensive on-the-job training as well as weekly group supervision and consultation with quarterly boosters and other training as needed  Formalized program model which uses evidence-based interventions as clinically necessary  Program evaluation: youth participating in the transitional living program are evaluated upon admission, throughout the service provision, at discharge and at six, 12, and 24 months post-discharge  YV culture: “We do whatever it takes”

ADDITIONAL SUBHEAD DATE TITLE SUBHEAD Place horizontal logo here All contents ©2015 by Youth Villages, Inc. with all rights reserved Transitional Living Program Outcomes and Randomized Control Trial To date: Strong outcomes demonstrated Outcomes at two-year follow up Living with family or independently 84% Reporting no trouble with the law 76% In school, graduated, or employed 84% Next phase: Adding a control group RCT launched by leading evaluators: TL program developed RCT implementation results in March 2014 Key findings: - Implemented in accordance with the model - Participation and engagement were high - Variation in local context shaped experience (e.g. access to transportation ) Report on RCT impacts expected

ADDITIONAL SUBHEAD DATE TITLE SUBHEAD Place horizontal logo here Randomized Clinical Evaluation  Random assignment evaluation conducted by an independent third party (scientific gold standard)  Largest random assignment study of program for transition- age youth – 1,322 youth  One year follow-ups completed by January 2014  Follow-up at years 2 – 5 will be completed with administrative records  Implementation evaluation due out this year  Impact analysis due in the fall of 2014/spring 2015 All contents ©2013 by Youth Villages, Inc. with all rights reserved

“This is one of the largest experimental evaluations ever conducted in the child welfare services field and the largest by far of a program focused on improving the transition to adulthood for foster youth. It will provide invaluable evidence to the field regarding ‘what works’ for foster youth.” Mark Courtney, Ph. D.

 Client satisfaction surveys are administered every 2 months  After discharge, follow-up surveys are conducted at 6,12, and 24 months to collect data in the following areas: Maintenance of stable housing Educational status Employment Criminal/legal involvement Pregnancy/parenting Program Evaluation and Outcome Data All contents ©2015 by Youth Villages, Inc. with all rights reserved

Transitional Living Program Information through December 2014 Founded in 1999 with a grant from The Day Foundation, the Transitional Living Program is still supported through private donations including continuing support from The Day Foundation, the employees of Youth Villages (through the Our Family Campaign), and grants from other generous supporters. In 2007, the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services partnered with Youth Villages and the Day Foundation to reach more youth across the state. We have expanded the program to serve youth in six states (Tennessee, Mississippi, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Florida and Georgia)

GenderRace/Ethnicity Transitional Living Program Demographics Through December 2014 N = 7,639 All contents ©2015 by Youth Villages, Inc. with all rights reserved

Transitional Living Program Age at Admission Through December 2014 N = 7,639 All contents ©2015 by Youth Villages, Inc. with all rights reserved

Youth may be served in multiple regions Transitional Living Program Youth Served by Region July 2000 through December 2014 * includes youth served in Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, Texas, Washington, DC, Georgia, and Massachusetts All contents ©2015 by Youth Villages, Inc. with all rights reserved

*Other includes placements such as group homes, runaway, foster care and rehab centers Only includes youth who received at least 60 days of service; 10.9% (782 out of 7,202) of admissions ended prior to 60 days. Transitional Living Program Discharge Location Youth discharged July 2002 through December 2014 N = 6,420 All contents ©2015 by Youth Villages, Inc. with all rights reserved

Only includes youth who received at least 60 days of service Transitional Living Program Satisfaction at Discharge Includes surveys conducted October 2009 through December 2014 All contents ©2015 by Youth Villages, Inc. with all rights reserved

Only includes youth who received at least 60 days of service Success is defined as living with family or independently at the time of follow-up Transitional Living Program Success at Follow-up Follow-ups conducted through December 2014 All contents ©2015 by Youth Villages, Inc. with all rights reserved

Only includes youth who received at least 60 days of service Transitional Living Program Youth reporting NO Trouble with the Law Follow-ups conducted through December 2014 By age 21, nearly half of former foster youth surveyed for the Midwest Study had been arrested as adults. By age 21, nearly half of former foster youth surveyed for the Midwest Study had been arrested as adults. All contents ©2015 by Youth Villages, Inc. with all rights reserved

Only includes youth who received at least 60 days of service Indicates the number in school, graduated from high school (diploma or GED) or employed at the time of follow-up Transitional Living Program In School, Graduated, or Employed Follow-ups conducted through December 2014 All contents ©2015 by Youth Villages, Inc. with all rights reserved

Only includes youth who received at least 60 days of service. Transitional Living Program School and Employment Status Follow-ups conducted through December 2014 At age 21, nearly a quarter of former foster youth do not have a high school diploma and almost half are unemployed according to the Midwest Study. Indicates the number in school only, in school and working, or working only at the time of follow-up

Only includes youth who received at least 60 days of service Transitional Living Program Correctional Facility Placements during Follow-up Period Follow-ups conducted through December 2014 Nearly a third of former foster youth had spent time in a correctional facility by age 21. Nearly a third of former foster youth had spent time in a correctional facility by age 21. All contents ©2015 by Youth Villages, Inc. with all rights reserved

Only includes youth who received at least 60 days of service Transitional Living Program Selected Outcomes at One Year Post-Discharge Follow-ups conducted through December 2014 All contents ©2015 by Youth Villages, Inc. with all rights reserved

Due to the number of youth served, beginning in 2010 youth are randomly selected at discharge for follow- up surveys. The sample has been found to accurately represent the population of youth served based on demographics, length of service, and outcome at discharge; figures presented here represent outcomes for the population of youth discharged from the program within +/- 3% at the 95% confidence level. Surveys are conducted by research staff via phone with letter surveys to non-respondents. Internet search of public records (Lexis-Nexis) is completed to locate accurate contact information Please note: Surveys are completed with youth/families who have discharged from YV services altogether. If a youth re-enters YV services, the survey cycle is reset and begins again at their discharge. While no consensus exists regarding adequate response rates, 40% - 60% has been identified as appropriate for surveys of this type and size 1. Rate of re-entry into YV services: 6-Month Follow-up – 3.9% (230 out of 5,867) 12-Month Follow-up – 5.6% (297 out of 5,302) 24-Month Follow-up – 6.7% (297 out of 4,449) About our Response Rates 1 PWGSC (Public Works and Government Services Canada). (2008). Advisory Panel on Telephone Public Opinion Survey Quality: Standards and Guidelines for Response Rate. All contents ©2015 by Youth Villages, Inc. with all rights reserved

All benchmarks on the previous slides come from the Chapin Hall study cited below. Courtney, M., Dworsky, A., Cusick, G., Havlicek, J., Perez, A., & Keller, T. (2007) Midwest evaluation of the adult functioning of former foster youth: Outcomes at age 21. Chicago: Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago. All contents ©2015 by Youth Villages, Inc. with all rights reserved

For additional information, please contact: Mary Lee, National Transitional Living Coordinator (901) 251 – 4934 or visit our website at All contents ©2013 by Youth Villages, Inc. with all rights reserved

About Great Expectations An initiative of the Virginia Foundation for Community College Education Launched in 2008 at 5 Virginia Community Colleges Offered at 18 colleges

About Great Expectations Current Great Expectations Virginia Community College locations Blue Ridge Central Virginia Danville Germanna Reynolds John Tyler Lord Fairfax Mountain Empire New River Northern Virginia Patrick Henry Piedmont Virginia Southside Virginia Southwest Virginia Thomas Nelson Tidewater Virginia Highlands Wytheville

About Great Expectations Helps Virginia’s current/former foster youth age gain access to community college education. Provides education and employment opportunities that will improve the likelihood of success for foster youth. Offers individual support for at-risk foster teens as they finish high school, leave their foster homes and transition to living on their own.

Great Expectations Offers Participation in workshops, college tours, community service, etc. Individualized tutoring Help with the college admissions/financial aid Career exploration and coaching Job preparation Life skills training Personalized counseling Help with transportation, housing, food, etc.

C Contact Information Sheemeca Berkley, MSW