1. Moving to Action: National Trends and Emerging Best Practices to Achieve Greater Permanence and Stability with Older Youth in Foster Care
Nebraska Summit on Youth Permanence June 22, Sarah B. Greenblatt - 1

2. The Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative was created in 2001 to improve outcomes for the young people who are at risk of “aging out” of foster care
Youth who age out without support of family experience a high rate of negative outcomes
The Initiative’s Vision is for all young people leaving foster care to make successful transitions to adulthood – with committed and enduring family and community supports
As a national foundation, the Initiative’s Mission is to bring together the people, systems and resources necessary to assist youth leaving foster care in making successful transitions to adulthood.
The Initiative provides “value added” by testing and developing promising approaches that are developmentally appropriate for adolescents and emerging adults.

3. Examples of Key Strategies and Activities
● Youth Leadership Boards
● Youth Leadership Institute
● Opportunity Passport™
● Door Openers
● Community Partnership Boards
● Youth-Adult Partnerships
● Public-Private Partnership
● Youth Advocacy
● National Partnerships
● Self-Evaluation Team
● Data-driven Decision Making
All five strategies working together lead to improved outcomes and systems for youth leaving foster care.
Simplified graphic of our strategies and outcomes we are trying to achieve.

4. Older Youth Experiences in Out-of-Home Care
THE TOTAL NUMBER IN FOSTER CARE HAS DECREASED by 23% SINCE 2000
THE NUMBER OF YOUTH AGING OUT OF FOSTER CARE HAS INCREASED BY CLOSE TO 50% SINCE 2001
Source: Kids are Waiting and the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative (2007); Time for Reform: Aging Out and On Their Own. Philadelphia, PA: Pew Charitable Trust. US Department of Health and Human Services, AFCARS Report: Preliminary FY 2009. 4

5. What We Know About Youth in Care
Many enter as teens due to complex family circumstances
Disproportionately poor youth of color
Likely to stay longer than younger counter-parts
More likely to be living in group or institutional care (27-36%)
Experience multiple moves and relationship disruptions, unresolved grief related to ambiguous losses, and loyalties to biological family, even when not living with them
Resilience in the face of severe adversity: trauma survivors

6. A New Permanency Paradigm for Older Youth: Stepping Stones to Enduring and Committed Relationships
Research* shows that young people in out-of-home care
Have key relationships for a “reason, a season and a lifetime”
May be conflicted about legal permanence as they may already have family – even if they can’t live with them
May not trust that family can be there for them and/or they may fear being hurt or rejected again.
Know they need and want supportive family relationships as they define them – to provide the stepping stones to a successful transition to adulthood , rather than the slippery slope to poor outcomes associated with “aging out” of care alone
* Samuels, G.M (2008). A Reason, a Season or a Lifetime: Relational Permanence Among Young Adults with Foster Care Backgrounds. Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago 6

7. When asked*, young people do want the things that supportive, enduring and committed families can provide , including:
Physical safety
Psychological safety and emotional security
Unconditional love, support and acceptance
A message that this family will always be there no matter what
A sense of belonging with this family, and with safe connections to past meaningful relationships
Belief in youth, is committed to his or her success, and holds his or her best interest at heart
Grandparents for their children
Help with or access to current and future financial support such as paying for college, assisting with security deposits, rent, food, support for children, etc
* Source: Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative (2010). Conversations with young people about the meaning of family and permanence during Jim Casey Opportunities Initiative sponsored meetings held between July and December, 2010.

8. Families Matter to Older Youth
It is our job to have “courageous conversations” with older youth and families about what it will mean to build enduring and committed family relationships to support a successful transition to adulthood – and beyond!

9. Stepping Stones to Greater Permanence and Stability for Older Youth in Care
Administrative Planning & Preparation
Articulated definition of permanence for youth
Data driven review of which youth need greater opportunities for permanence
Key Messages from research about why families matter for older youth
Leadership and line staff preparation & buy-in – belief in the process!
Inclusive and Collaborative Practice
Youth-driven team planning and decision-making
Youth-driven, trauma-informed clinical case management
Preparation and support to clarify life events and build plans for the future
Who am I?
What Happened to me?
Where and I Going?
How will I get there?
Who will support me along the say?

10. Stepping Stones to Greater Permanence and Stability for Older Youth in Care
Collaborative Community Partnerships
Youth-adult partnerships to support collaborative case planning and case advocacy within health, mental health, educational, and courts systems
Specialized outreach and recruitment within youth’s natural network of adults who know and care about them
Specialized family finding, engagement, preparation and support strategies
Strategic targeted and general outreach and recruitment
Increased Opportunities for Success
Door openers: outreach and linkages to supportive adults for employment, housing, education and other supports
A chance to give back within the community
Building Public Will & Advocacy for Change
Strategic preparation and support
Youth as advocates and trainers around permanence, transition planning, educational stability, sibling connections, health/mental health needs

11. Selected Emerging Practices as States Implement “Fostering Connections Act”
Transitions planning for supportive family relationships and preparation for adulthood
Team planning and decision-making with youth and families throughout the child welfare continuum
Life Book work : Going back to move forward
“Extreme Recruitment” strategies to find, engage and re-engage disconnected parents and family members
Re-instating parental rights when safe and in the best interests of young people to do so
Defining “reasonable efforts” to place siblings together and maintain their connections
Right-sizing group and congregate care – financing and practice strategies
Family-centered clinical interventions to promote healthy relationships and healing through evidence-based treatments and permanency planning strategies
Cross-systems partnerships to improve legal representation & youth voice in court hearings
Forging cross-systems partnerships to keep youth in schools of origin and maintain educational stability 11

12. Permanence and stability for youth in out-of-home care …
Possible …
Powerful ….
A priority!

13. It’s up to us … we can accomplish so much more together than any one of us can accomplish alone …
Thank you!