1. Improving the Foster Care Experience TYMOTHY BELSETH DFPS ETV/YOUTH SPECIALIST

2. Overview  The Challenge  Brief Overview of Benefits Afforded to Foster Youth  Youth Specialists  Youth Leadership Councils/Youth Advisory Boards  Aligning interests of Youth and CPS  The Future

3. The Challenge  The nature of foster care is ambitious  Despite the services offered, outcomes tend to be poor  Children in foster care tend to:  Be prescribed psychotropic medication at higher rates than the general public  Underperform in school  Have behavioral & emotional problems  Run away from placements  Be at risk for human-trafficking

4. The Challenge (cont.)  Literature shows that children who “Age-Out” tend to:  Become homeless  Become incarcerated  Abuse substances  Have children at a young age  Struggle with employment

5. Benefits Afforded to Foster Youth  Free tuition and fees (unlimited & lifetime)*  Healthcare until age 26  The Education & Training Voucher  Employment preference in state government jobs (until 26)*  Independent classification from the US Dept. of Education  Extended foster care & Supervised Independent Living until age 21*  Other *in Texas and several other states

6. So why are youth NOT climbing the social ladder?

7. Youth Specialists  Bridge the gap between youth and CPS staff  Benefits of a consumer perspective  Provide insight on policy and practice  Offer opportunities to improve a youth’s foster care experience  Challenges:  Many find it difficult to work at CPS  Consistency & support  Reform efforts  Future hopes

8. Youth Leadership Councils  Councils are comprised of both current and former foster youth between the ages of 14-21.  Structure & organization: regional & statewide  Utility and value of the councils  Achievements and notable efforts  Youth in Action Day  SB 1210 (83 rd Session)  HB 843

9. Strengthening Youth Voice in Court Hearings  The importance of court hearings  Lack of youth participation  HB 843 (83 rd Session)  Youth’s opinions Youth’s opinions

10. Promoting Normalcy  The importance of normalization activities  H.R. 4980  SB 1407  Youth involvement Youth involvement  The importance of normalization activities  Impact on mental health Impact on mental health  Potential benefits  Increased well-being  Stability in care  Outcomes  CPS Operations  White House Convening White House Convening

11. Improving The Experience in the Future  Promoting on-campus Supervised Independent Living  Offering SIL to high-achieving youth under 18 (who do not want permanency)  SB 830 (84 th Session) Foster Care Ombudsman  Promoting normalcy

12. Questions? Tymothy Belseth Tymothy.Belseth@dfps.state.tx.us 512-438-3769