Developing a Comprehensive
Transition System of Care
for Older Youth
3rd Biennial Wisconsin Youth Services Conference:
Building a Framework for Youth
May 2, 2017
Presented by:
Mark J. Kroner LISW-S
Trainer & Consultant
Cincinnati, Ohio
513-284-7779
[email protected]
My Experience
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Ran the Lighthouse IL/TLP for 21 years in Cincinnati
Helped write the CWLA National IL Standards in 1987
Wrote the first book on youth housing for the field
Spoke at over 100 State and National Conferences
Helped pass the Chafee Bill in 1999
Taught life skills training classes for over 25 years
Trained IL/TL staff from all 50 States
Wrote numerous articles, books, studies and workbooks
on youth housing & IL prep. and a field curriculum.
Signing of the Chafee Bill
The Little Field that won’t go away!
• Permanency should always be the first
goal in planning for youth.
• Permanency is not always permanent!
Basic strategies for helping children & youth
achieve permanent connections
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Permanency roundtables; educating the system
Family reunification/family preservation/family conferences
Relative placement/kinship care/guardianship
Case-mining; often with the help of the youth
Intensive family finding
Concurrent planning
Adoption incentives/bonuses
Wrap around services
Independent Living skills training to increase the odds of
relationships lasting
• Creative housing solutions
• Foster parenting to adoption
Reasons for Discharge
Percent
Number
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Reunification with Parent(s) or Primary Caretaker(s)
51%
121,241
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Living with Other Relative(s)
7%
15,774
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Adoption
21%
49,693
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Emancipation
9%
22,392
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Guardianship
9%
21,055
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Transfer to Another Agency
2%
4,173
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Runaway
0%
1,138
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Death of Child
0%
326
2015 AFCARS Report
So who still needs Independent Living and
Transition Services?
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Youth who are ready to go out on their own
Youth who do not want to/cannot live with others
Youth who do not want to be adopted/were adopted
Youth who enter system as teens in states that end at 18
Youth with mental health/cd issues
Youth with criminal backgrounds/sex-offenses
Youth who want to/do not want to return to unstable families
Pregnant/parenting youth
Youth who do not want to leave foster care but need to
Youth kicked out of families for any number of reasons
The 10 Key Elements of a Comprehensive
Transition System of Care**
1. Education and development of entire system
2. Stable sources of funding
3. Training of direct service staff on needs of transition
age youth
4. Life Skills assessments and training
5. Social support development/permanency
6. Employment and Educational support
7. Real life experience
8. Most appropriate living arrangements
9. Addressing of special needs
10. Aftercare
**And a well-paid case-manager to make it all work!
1. Education and Development of Entire System
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Child welfare staff and administrators
State licensing
Juvenile Court personnel
Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASAs)
Guardians ad Litem (GALs)
Private agency care-providers
Education and Workforce development
Housing
Private donors/Civic organizations/United Way
Youth
Faith-based organizations
2. Stable Sources of Funding
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Purchase of service contracts; state or country
Shifting of funding from other placements
HUD-Set-asides
Grants
Donated buildings
McKinney Vento/supportive housing
Family Unification Program
Foundations
Chafee
Private donations of supplies/furnishings/cash
United Way
Medicaid
3. Training of Direct Service Staff on needs of
transition age youth
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The time frame we and youth have to work within
The transition realities of all youth
The research on homelessness
The research on trauma and brain development
The developmental needs of T.A.Y.
The current service system/lack of
Who is in charge of overseeing this process
The role of the case-manager/caseworker
Life skills assessment/training strategies
Community resources/national resources
Special needs youth
4. Life Skills Assessments and Training
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Sharing assessment results
Building life skills training from assessment results
Creating and using life skills workbooks
Using internet for life skills materials
Already developed curricula
Games, videos, former clients, guest speakers
Using Incentives
One-on-one training/groups
Weekly/monthly/weeklong/camps/retreats
5. Social Support Development/permanency
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Permanency efforts
Adoption of older youth
Family involvement/family finding
Kinship Care
Roommate search
Peer support
Crisis hotlines/community centers
Connections to adult services for MH/DD youth
Aftercare/re-entry strategies
Basic strategies for helping children & youth
achieve permanent connections
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Permanency roundtables; educating the system
Family reunification/family preservation/family conferences
Relative placement/kinship care/guardianship
Case-mining; often with the help of the youth
Intensive family finding
Concurrent planning
Adoption incentives/bonuses
Wrap around services
Independent Living skills training to increase the odds of
relationships lasting
• Creative housing solutions
• Foster parenting to adoption
Working with Families
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Permanency and Independent living preparation
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Who besides bio-parents can help?
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Creating healthy boundaries
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Making peace with the past
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Finding new sources of support
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Testing the waters for reunification
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Being prepared for disappointments
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Be ready to take back youth who return
6. Employment and Educational Support
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New options for high-school completion
Volunteer/internship opportunities
New GED
Work Readiness
Job seeding grants
WIA/workforce investment/OneStop Centers
Great idea: HEMI
ETVs
Guardian scholars
Overview of Employment Strategies
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Job readiness training
Personal connections with employers
Work within agency/program
Volunteer opportunities/linked learning/internships
Established employment programs; one stops, CAA
summer youth employment
Foundation funded programs; Jim Casey opportunities
Grant driven strategies; “seeding” employers
Private initiatives: “Cincinnati Works”
Federal initiatives; youth build, job corps, AmeriCorps,
military
Statewide initiatives; workforce investment boards
• Mentoring/tutoring-connections to education
Helpful Employment Activities
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Job Fairs
Job Shadowing opportunities
Mock interviews with real employers
Simulations: “Independence City”
Informational interviews with prospective
employers/tours
• Events with chamber of commerce, local civic
organizations
• Aptitude testing
• Ongoing life skills/aptitude assessments
First step: Assuring that all youth have the basics
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Dressing appropriately for interviews – this may necessitate assisting
youth with obtaining appropriate clothing; Appropriate personal hygiene – Does
the youth have and know how to use hygiene products?
Time-management skills – does the youth have and know how to use an
alarm clock, a phone, an appointment book? Are they on time for appointments?
Transportation skills – does the youth know how to get to job sites,
employment offices, etc.? Is public transportation available? Can the youth use
a map? Follow directions?
Literacy skills – can the young person read and complete an application?
Read a job description? Use a computer?
Documents – do they have a social security card and other documents
necessary for employment?
References -do they have references and know their contact information?
Have they consulted with their references to obtain permission to use them for
particular jobs?
Interpersonal skills – can they interact with a potential employer
appropriately in an interview? Do they establish eye contact? Is their demeanor
appropriate for the situation? How do they handle stress? Directions?
Feedback?
Google these Resources…
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AmeriCorps/city year
Building a Comprehensive Youth Employment Delivery System: CLASP
California One-Stop Centers
Cincinnati works
Linked learning
Employment of Former Foster Youth as Young Adults: Evidence from the Midwest
Study
First place for youth (oakland)
JOBS FOR AMERICA’S GRADUATES (JAG)
CORE COMPETENCIES
Larkin street (san francisco)
Project search (cincinnati)
Youthbuild
What We Know About Youth Employment: Research Summary and Best Practices
Work appreciation for youth
7. Real Life Experience
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Chances to put life skills to use
Practice apartments
“Independence City”
Cooking classes, shopping trips
Scavenger hunts
Increasing responsibility/freedom
“Normalcy” policies
8. Most Appropriate Living Arrangements
• Foster/relative homes
Group homes
• Individual apartments
Shared housing
• Supervised apartments
Host homes
• Roommates
Shelters
• Adoptive homes
Boarding homes
• Trailers
Adult/youth apartments
What are the advantages and disadvantages of each option?
Common Concerns
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Who signs the lease?
How can you tell if a youth is ready for IL housing?
What about liability? Damages?
What is the best housing option?
How often do you need to see a youth?
How do you find landlords willing to rent to youth?
Do youth have to contribute anything?
Can we place foster youth in TLP/HUD programs?
Shouldn’t we focus more on keeping youth with adults?
What about visitors/roommates?
What about after office hour crises?
9. Addressing of Special Needs
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Pregnant/parenting youth
Youth with MH/CD issues
Youth with developmental disabilities
Youth with criminal records/sex-offenders
Youth with unique cultural backgrounds
LGBTQI2-S youth
Youth involved with gangs
Immigrant/refugee/undocumented youth
Youth with chronic medical problems
Consider Cultural Issues
• How do they impact the transition process?
• How do they impact a youth’s expectations about the
future?
• How do they impact getting help for special needs?
• How do they impact perception of self-sufficeincy?
• How do they impact your thinking?
• How do they impact your staff-client relationships
10.Aftercare
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Emergency assistance
Non-emergency financial assistance
Provisional discharge
Allow for re-entry
Counseling/support
Involvement of former youth in training/policy
development
• Connections to adult services
• Referrals to needed resources
Talking Transition
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Help youth see problems/options
Help youth make decisions
Give youth responsibility to take action
Keep a future focus
Expect resistance
Process “mistakes”
Develop patience
Emphasize time frame/limits
Ways that Agencies Capture Outcomes
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Pre-post measurement of self-sufficiency skills
Achievement of client expressed goals
Progress in money-management
Progress toward educational goals
Referring agency surveys
Client satisfaction surveys
Global Assessment of Functioning/DLA20 scores
Movement to a more appropriate program/situation
Stable housing at discharge
Less involvement in criminal activity
Fewer hospitalizations
Reunification with family/significant others/permanency
Google these Resource Centers:
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Daniel Memorial Institute
National Resource Center for Youth Services
Independent Living Resources Inc.
Northwest Media Inc.
Chapin Hall
National Alliance to End Homelessness
Child Welfare League of America
National Foster Care Alumni Association
Casey Family Programs
Youth Communications
Foster Club
Chris Downs and Associates
Helpful Resources
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“A Path Near Me: Questions to guide a Young Native American Journey to the Future”
National Resource Center for Youth Services 918-660-3700 www.nrcys.ou.edu
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“Housing Options for Independent Living Programs”
Available at or 202-662-4278 or www.cwla.org
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“Moving In: Ten Successful IL/TL Program Models”
Available at Northwest Media 800-777-6636 or www.northwestmedia.org
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“My Next Best Move: Making the Right Moves toward Independence”
National Resource Center for Youth Services 918-660-3700 www.nrcys.org
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“Operation Independence: Individual and group life skills training activities”
National Resource Center 918-660-3700 www.nrcys.org
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“V.I.P. Becoming a Very Independent Person” 20 exercises designed to help young
adults succeed as they prepare to move out for the first time .
Daniel Memorial Institute (904) 296-1055
More Useful Publications
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CWLA “Standards of Excellence” – CWLA Standards of excellence for transition,
independent living and self-sufficiency services. www.cwla.org
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Housing Assistance for Youth Who Have Aged Out of Foster Care: The Role of
the Chafee Foster Care Independence Program
http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/12/chafeefostercare/rpt.shtml
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Housing for Youth Aging Out of Foster Care: A Review of the Literature and
Program Typology
http://www.huduser.org/portal/publications/interim/hsg_fter_care.html
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Kroner Mark J., & Mares Alvin S. Living arrangements and level of care among
clients discharged from a scattered-site housing-based independent living
program. Children and Youth Services Review 33 (2011) 405–415.
Even more Helpful Resources
• Achieving & Maintaining Permanency
https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/permanency/
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Ansell, Dorothy I. Permanency vs. Independent Living: The Dilemma of
Either/Or. NRCYD Update. National Resource Center for Youth
Development. Fall/Winter 2002 (nrcys.ou.edu).
• 2015 AFCARS Report
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/cb/afcarsreport22.pdf
• Working With Children, Youth, and Families in Permanency Planning
https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/permanency/planning/
• Enhancing Permanency for Youth in Out-of-Home Care
https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubPDFs/enhancing.pdf
Notes
Notes