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Foster Youth Pathways to Employment Home Local, State, and National Employment Preparation Opportunities Promising Practices Legislative Links YTAT Archive |
Publications Table of Contents
Understanding the Child Welfare System in California: A Primer for Service Providers and Policymakers (2nd edition) is one in a series of primers offered to assist practitioners and policy leaders in advancing their basic knowledge of complex social service systems. Originally published in 2002, this 2nd edition of the CWS primer was made possible due to support from the Zellerbach Family Foundation. In addition to providing a resource for local and state policy leaders and providers, this primer and a companion publication on CalWORKs support Linkages, a statewide effort to coordinate welfare and child welfare programs in California. Linkages is now directed by the Child and Family Policy Institute of California (CFPIC). CCRWF designed and directed the first phase of Linkages. Primer Addendum: Summary of Federal & State Child Welfare Laws Fostering Connections to Success & Increasing Adoptions Act-HR 6893 On October 7, 2008, President Bush signed into law the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act (H.R. 6893). The act will help hundreds of thousands of children and youth in foster care by promoting permanent families for them through relative guardianship and adoption and improving education and health care. Additionally, it will extend federal support for youth to age 21. H.R. 6893 also will offer for the first time many American Indian children important federal protections and support. http://www.newwaystowork.org/documents/ytatdocuments/FCSAIAAct.pdf Choosing the Path Less Traveled: Strengthening California Families Through Differential Response (PDF 1.4 Mb) By Patricia Shene, Ph.D. and Stuart Oppenheim. Edited by Cathy Senderling. July 2004 The Child Welfare System Improvement and Accountability Act (AB 636): Improving Results for Children and Youth in California (PDF 1.4 mb) By Barbara Needell and Ken Patterson. August 2004 Frequently Asked Questions and Answers About AB 490 (PDF 199 kb) By California Foster Youth Education Task Force 2006 Frequently Asked Questions about the Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 and the John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence Program (PDF 625 kb) Prepared by members of the National Foster Care Awareness Project (NFCAP) Frequently Asked Questions II about the Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 and the John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence Program (PDF 515 kb) Prepared by members of the National Foster Care Awareness Project (NFCAP) Foster Youth Legal Issues and Legislation (PDF 196 kb) Prepared by New Ways to Work Back to Top Community Services and Support California State Government Youth Services Matrix A comprehensive listing of state government funded youth programs, target populations, services provided, funding source, and who is eligible for funding. This matrix was developed by the California Workforce Investment Board, State Youth Vision Team. The Youth Transition Action Team Guidebook The YTAT Guidebook: Leveraging Community Resources to Ensure Successful Transitions for Foster Youth is the product of the hard work and dedication of many involved in the creation and implementation of this initiative since 2004, This book serves as a guide for systems change in counties across the state of California. It contains information and guidance intended to help Youth Transition Action Teams in California establish practices to better serve foster youth, and to support their successful transition as they move from the foster care system to adult life. This how-to guide brings frameworks, tools, materials, strategies, and approaches to communities as they pursue the development of comprehensive, local youth transition system. Community Partnerships: The Living Legacy of Healthy Start (PDF 633 kb) By Lisa Villarreal with Joanne Bookmyer. April 2004 Making a Difference for Children and Families: The Community Approach (PDF 325 kb) By Tia Melaville. November 1999 Back to Top Educational Options A Guide to Career Development Opportunities in California's High Schools The Guide to Career Development Opportunities offered in California’s High Schools provides information about the range of career development opportunities that may exist at any given school site. The guide is aimed specifically at foster youth, caregivers, ILP Coordinators, Social Workers, and others who advocate on behalf of foster youth and their need to be more fully prepared for a positive transition to adulthood. The guidebook offers suggestions about questions to ask and provides useful tools for mapping the career development program offerings in any school or district as well as a Career Goal Worksheet to be used with foster youth in developing a plan for achieving their goals. California Foster Youth Education Task Force: Fact Sheets Fact sheets include information on AB490, Education Rights, Special Education, Non-public schools, AB3632, Functional Behavioral Assessments, Behavioral Intervention Plans, School Discipline, and Special Education Discipline. Identifying Special Education Decision Makers for Children in Foster Care: State Law Questions This article can be useful to anyone who: has struggled with understanding how various states have different processes and procedures for determining who is the special education decision maker for a child; wants to identify what areas of state law or policy may need to be clarified to more effectively implement the federal law; and wants to engage in discussions in states and jurisdictions about what would be the right policy and practice for their state. Special Education Decisions: Factsheets by State A series of factsheets to address the issues of special education decision making geared to different audiences. Factsheet:"Federal Laws that Increase Educational Opportunities for Older Youth in Out-of-Home Care" In 2008, three significant federal laws passed that impact the educational opportunities for older youth in the foster care system. View the Factsheet from the Legal Center for Foster Care and Education: "Federal Laws that Increase Educational Opportunities for Older Youth in Out-of-Home Care" for key provisions from the Fostering Connections Act, the College Cost Reduction Act and the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. You can also visit their website at www.abanet.org/child/education. Ready to Succeed: Changing Systems to Give California’s Foster Children the Opportunities to be Ready for and to Succeed in School A publication of the Stuart Foundation’s Ready to Succeed Initiative, launched in 2008. Second Edition of the Blueprint for Change The Legal Center for Foster Care and Education has just released the Second Edition of the Blueprint for Change, an important framework of Goals and Benchmarks that can be used to guide education improvements for children in foster care. The Second Edition mirrors the Goals and Benchmarks from the first addition, but now provides over 100 new Examples as well as a new "All Goals" section. The McKinney-Vento Act and Children and Youth Awaiting Foster Care Placement Strategies for Improving Educational Outcomes Through School Stability A report of the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth (NAEHCY), made possible with support from Casey Family Programs, describes how eight jurisdictions are defining awaiting foster care placement and how they are implementing the McKinney-Vento Act for youth in out-of-home care. It offers concrete strategies for building and maintaining effective collaborations between child welfare and education agencies and supporting the educational success of youth in care. Hopes & Hurdles: California Foster Youth and College Financial Aid (Oct. 2009) In California and nationally, very few former foster youth make it to or through college, and cost is a major obstacle. A new report shows that despite federal and state programs and policies intended to help them afford college, surprisingly few California foster youth who apply for student aid receive all the grants they should. Providing Effective Financial Aid Assistance to Students from Foster Care and Unaccompanied Homeless Youth This guide provides important information for anyone who helps youth from foster care and unaccompanied homeless youth complete their FAFSA which now has new questions (55-60) pertaining to students in or from foster care and unaccompanied homeless youth. The guide:
For foster-care youth, the road to higher education is often the road less traveled. Seven percent to 13 percent of foster-care students enroll in college; about 2 percent obtain bachelor's degrees, compared to 24 percent of adults in the general population. Supporting Success: Improving Higher Education Outcomes for Students from Foster Care by Casey Family Programs provides a framework to develop programs and practices that encourage foster-care students to prepare for, attend, and complete college. 2007-08 Annual Report: California College Pathways Helping California’s Foster Youth Access Higher Education and Reach Their Educational Goals A report developed by the John Burton Foundation, the California State University Office of the Chancellor and the California Community College System Office highlights the progress campus support programs have made statewide in their effort to increase access to higher education for California’s former foster youth. Serving Former Foster Youth in California Community Colleges: Success, Challenges and Recommendations (October 2008) In an effort to provide an overview of how community colleges in California are currently meeting the needs of current and former foster youth, the Walter S. Johnson Foundation commissioned the Research and Planning Group's Center for Student Success, with assistance and support from the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office Foster Youth Success Initiative, to prepare a report that would:
Higher Education Opportunities for Foster Youth: A Primer for Policymakers by Thomas R. Wolanin for the Institute for Higher Education Policy, December, 2005 Helping Your Child Succeed In School An Education Handbook for Parents and Caregivers of Children and Youth in the Foster Care System, by Nancy M. Shea, J.D. , Lois A. Weinberg, Ph.D. , Andrea Zetlin, Ed.D. May 2006 (PDF 246 kb) Summaries of Model Education Projects for Foster Youth by Youth Law Center January 2006 (PDF 68 kb) Back to Top Evaluation and Data Collection Getting to Results: Data-Driven Decision-Making for Children, Youth, Families and Communities (PDF 234 kb) By Jacqueline McCroskey. March 1999 Results for Children Initiative Evaluation 2000-2002 (PDF 1.1 mb) Back to Top Funding Strategies Capturing Cash for Kids (PDF 704 kb) Reforming Finance/Financing Reform (PDF 372 kb) By Mark Freidman, Fiscal Policies Studies Institute. January 2000 Smart Cuts or Dumb Cuts: Family Support Programs in Tight Budget Times (PDF 234 kb) By Sid Gardner. March 2003 Back to Top Governance Citizens Making Decisions: Local Governance Making Change (PDF 250 kb) By Frank Farrow and Sid Gardner. March 1999 Inclusive Governance: A Call to Action (PDF 1.2 mb) By Hedy Nai-Lin Chang and Judy Chynoweth. September 2000 Framework for Integrating Inclusive Governance & RBA into Prop. 10 Process [PDF 153 kb] Building Blocks to Community Inclusion: A Facilitator's Guide to Community Conversations [PDF 277 kb] Inclusive Governance Continuum: From Exclusion to Inclusion [PDF 195 kb] Results and Performance Accountability - Cheat Sheet [PDF 120 kb] Are we Practicing Inclusive Governance? A Tool for Dialogue and Reflection (PDF 364 kb) Back to Top Initiatives Focused on Transition Foster Youth Success Initiative The California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office (CCCCO) has recognized that there is a significant deficit regarding youth from foster care attending higher education. Acknowledging this need, they are sponsoring a concerted effort called the Foster Youth Success Initiative (FYSI) to bring issues affecting these youth to the forefront and to improve the ability of these youth to access postsecondary education and benefit from the support services that are available but are often unknown to them. Go to the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office website to access to following resources:
The Youth Transition Action Team Initiative The YTAT Initiative is an effort launched in the summer of 2004 that seeks to address the issue of transition for youth aging out of foster care by working with California County Child Welfare Agencies engaged in system improvement activities. California Independent Living Program Transformation Breakthrough Series Collaborative The ILP Breakthrough Series Collaborative Framework highlights a comprehensive set of changes that when packaged together will result in a system that achieves dramatically improved outcomes for the youth being served. Ready to Succeed Ready to Succeed, launched in three California counties in 2008, is a bold, comprehensive and multi-component initiative, designed to improve education outcomes for California’s foster children and youth. Connected by 25: A Plan for Investing in Successful Futures for Foster Youth (PDF 648 kb) Youth Transition Funders Foster Care Work Group with the Finance Project: 2004 This document is an investment plan that calls for government, foundations, community organizations, and individuals to mobilize their energy and resources with a greater focus on the future of foster youth and those aging out of foster care. This is not to deny the urgent need to provide basic protections for those in care. Rather, it is to emphatically assert that it is not enough to address risks and remediate problems; it is also essential to build on individual strengths and develop personal assets in order to help young people acquire the motivation and the means to be successful throughout their lives. Accordingly, this plan outlines five strategies aimed at helping foster youth to achieve economic success, which is a critical building block for future success in a number of fundamental aspects of adult life, including housing, family stability, safety, health, and social well-being. California Connected by 25: Efforts to Address the Permanency Needs of Transitioning Foster Youth. (Sept. 2009) This report is the latest addition to a series documenting the challenges, accomplishments and lessons learned thus far among the Initiative's early implementing counties in California. Fostering the Future: Safety, Permanence and Well-Being for Children in Foster Care PDF 272 kb) By the Pew Commission on Children in Foster Care. 2004 Results for Children Initiative-Overview (PDF 344 kb) Medicaid Access for Youth Aging Out of Foster Care (PDF 1.2 mb) By The American Public Human Services Association. 2007 Back to Top Transitions to Adulthood A Caregivers’ Guide To Helping Youth Develop Independent Living Skills The BSC on ILP has identified education and employment resources to which every caregiver and youth should have access. This document has been prepared for individuals, families and organizations. They are encouraged to explore these resources themselves, discover their power, then share them with their youth and families, and incorporate them into staff and caregiver training. National Review of Policies and Programs Supporting Youth Transitioning Out of Foster Care A comprehensive review of policies and programs designed to support youth transitioning out of foster care spans all 50 states and the District of Columbia. As part of the review, Chapin Hall administered a web-based survey of state independent living services coordinators to collect up-to-date information about their state’s policies and programs. Fostering Connections After Age 18: Report of a convening to address housing, health care, education and other transition to adulthood issues. Supporting Youth in Transition to Adulthood: Lessons Learned from Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice This paper discusses the successes and challenges that juvenile justice and child welfare agencies face in preparing the youth they serve for a successful adulthood. The paper describes assessment, case management, and other practices implemented in either system that have shown promise in improving outcomes for the transition age population. Emancipating Foster Youth Literature Review (PDF 665 kb) Prepared by: Karissa Erbes, MSW August 2007 Big Ideas for Children: Investing in Our Nation's Future This journal is a compilation of twenty-two large-scale policy proposals from respected thought leaders from across the country, in an effort to find innovative solutions for dramatically improving the lives of America's children. A publication by First Focus. Back to Top Workforce and Career Development Workforce Investment Act-Youth Services The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998 enacted a formula-funded youth program serving eligible low-income youth, ages 14-21, who face barriers to employment. Funds for youth services are allocated to state and local areas based on a formula distribution. Service strategies, developed by workforce providers, prepare youth for employment and/or post-secondary education through strong linkages between academic and occupational learning. Local communities provide youth activities and services in partnership with the WIA One-Stop System and under the direction of local Workforce Investment Boards. For funding assistance and additional information, contact your local workforce investment area office. Finding Your Local Workforce Investment Act Provider If you are trying to locate a WIA Service Provider in your area, you can always start with the local Workforce Investment Board. A directory by county is available through the California Workforce Association website at: http://www.calworkforce.org/LWIADir.html Foster Youth Summer JobsPlus Through a grant from the Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles, New Ways to Work, in partnership with the LA YTAT, will assist 100 foster youth in connecting their 2009 summer jobs experience to their career and educational goals as part of Foster Youth Summer Jobs Plus. Emancipating foster youth who live in the city of Los Angeles will augment their summer employment experience through the development of work-based learning contracts that clearly identify the skills they will develop during their summer employment experience. Youth and their supervisors will also document the skills acquired through the experience with a goal of preparing youth for future career and educational options. New Ways and the LA YTAT partners will design and implement the work-based learning contract, develop training materials, and work with case managers, youth, and worksite supervisors to ensure that the summer experiences are learning rich, and connected to the next step in the workplace or school. New Ways and the LA YTAT will also engage youth in the months following the summer experience to track progress against their career and educational goals. Foster Youth Career Development Access and Success Through a grant from the San Francisco Foundation, New Ways to Work will work with county teams in the Bay Area including County Office of Education staff, District Career/Technical Education leaders, Social Workers, Independent Living Skills Program staff, and others from Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo counties to improve foster youth access to the educational offerings referenced above. Anticipated outcomes of this project include increased collaboration between child welfare, education, and workforce development staff and programs, increased awareness among foster youth, caregivers, and CWS staff, of the range of available educational options and programs available to foster youth at the county, district, and school levels, and increased outreach to foster youth by teachers, academy directors, and career technical education professionals. Supporting Foster Youth in Connecting to Workforce Development Programs A content call hosted by New Ways to Work and the California Child Welfare Co-Investment Partnership in April, 2009 designed to inform individuals working with foster youth about the potential summer opportunities that were made available as a result of President Obama’s stimulus package. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act allocated 1.2 billion dollars to support youth workforce programs under the Workforce Investment Act, including summer employment. Preparing Foster Youth for Summer Jobs Factsheet: http://www.newwaystowork.org/documents/ytatdocuments/SummerJobs2009Update.pdf Questions and Answers: http://www.newwaystowork.org/documents/ytatdocuments/YTATConferenceCallQAAPRIL2009.pdf PowerPoint Presentation on Preparing Foster Youth for Summer Jobs: http://www.newwaystowork.org/documents/ytatdocuments/ConnectingFYtoSummerEmployment.pdf Career Development and Employment Preparation, A Policy Framework for California’s Foster Youth 2008 Foster Youth Career Development and Employment Summit Recommended Priority Actions Foster Youth Employment Forum Impact Report In the fall of 2006, with the generous support of Casey Family Programs, New Ways to Work partnered with the Child and Family Policy Institute of California to create cross-system awareness and improve local collaboration between county child welfare agencies and local workforce investment areas through a series of forums conducted across the state. Foster Youth Employment Forums Summary Report http://www.newwaystowork.org/documents/ytatdocuments/FYSummaryReport.pdf Foster Youth Employment Forums Full Report (with appendixes) http://www.newwaystowork.org/documents/ytatdocuments/FYForumsFullReport.pdf Getting the Job Done: Effectively Preparing Foster Youth for Employment (PDF 400 kb) By Linda Lewis. October 2004 Back to Top Youth Leadership FosterClub Media Guide: 10 Recommendations for Journalists Interviewing Young People from Foster Care (PDF 400 kb) By The Foster Club |
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