College Success After Foster Care

Speaking as a former foster child myself, there are many myths, misconceptions and misinformation regarding former foster youth and our pursuit of college.

Myth #1: Former foster youth can afford any college we want.

FALSE. Enrolling in college and succeeding in college are two different things.

In order to actually graduate from college, we've got to think about the cost of college textbooks, transportation, and where we are going to live.

It's important for every emancipated foster care youth to know how to apply for ETV funds, and how to fill out the FAFSA as an independent student.

But the journey doesn't end there. It's only just beginning...

There is rent to pay and there are textbooks to purchase. There can be unexpected crises, like health problems, and delays in receiving ETV funds. If you decide to invest in a car, you'll have to worry about insurance, gas and, sooner or later, car repair.

Here are some things that worked for me when I was in college:

• Applying for grants and scholarships, but trying to avoid loans

• When I received my refund check, I immediately used the money to pay for books and, whenever possible, I paid my rent three months ahead of time

• I didn't own a car during college and grad school, because it's tough to afford both a car and an apartment at the same time when you lack family support. Many of the young people I know have been forced to choose between one or the other.

• Building a relationship with Financial Aid staff so that they knew me by name.

Additional Resources:

• Reduced price textbooks available at half.com

• Contacting the county you "aged out" of to see if they offer any aftercare services

• Emancipated foster care youth in Ohio are eligible for Medicaid until age 21 (but it's a battle to actually access it)

I think there's room to partner with the faith community on this issue:

• UK Wesley Foundation: A Methodist dorm that waited until I was able to pay rent, rather than kicking me out when I had a rough semester and lots of medical issues (and yes, I paid all my rent as soon as I could)

• FCAA Ohio chapter met with the Cincinnati faith community in March 2010, to ask if churches might be willing to invest in helping emancipated foster care youth in pursuit of college with the cost of textbooks (no progress in moving this forward yet...)

Here in Ohio, we have a statewide initiative to increase the number of foster care youth who enroll in and graduate from college, called Ohio Reach: http://ohioreach.wikispaces.com/

Inviting YOU to share YOUR insights about this issue....

2025 Vision for African American Males

The 2025 Campaign for Black Men and Boys today has released a new report, We Dream A World: The 2025 Vision for Black Men and Boys with recommendations aimed at drastically altering life outcomes for black men and boys.

Among this report's fundings...

• African  American men are less likely to be working than any other demographic in the United States
• African American men between ages 16-24 fare the worst
• The time between ages 16-24 often established a person's earning trajectory for a lifetime.

 Barriers to Attaining Employment:

• At every educational level, African American males are less likely to be employed and earn less than their Caucasian peers.
• Caucasians with comparable  credentials were 50% more likely to receive calls from prospective employers.
• Research by the University of Chicago indicates that having an ethnic-sounding name is a job interview deterrent.

Multi-State Study on Psychotropic Medication in Foster Care

According to the Tufts Clinical and Translational Science Institute:

• Psychotropic medication use in youth has increased significantly over the past decade
• Rates of use are much higher for youth in foster care (estimated between 13 and 52 percent) than for youth in the general population (4 percent).

In an effort to address this trend, Tufts researchers surveyed key staff in State child welfare and affiliated agencies between March 2009 and January 2010 to gather current policies and guidelines on psychotropic medication use in foster care and examine challenges and innovative solutions implemented by States.

The results have been published in a new report,Multi-State Study on Psychotropic Medication Oversight in Foster Care.

Upside Down: 53% of Tax Benefits Go to Most Wealthy

The federal government spent nearly $400 billion in 2009 on policies that help our nation's wealthiest individuals buy homes, save money, start businesses, pay for college and retire comfortably, while doing little to help working families who most need the financial cushion.

According to Upside Down: The $400 Billion Dollar Asset-Building Budget, a report by the Corporation for Enterprise Development and the Annie E. Casey Foundation:

• 53 percent of American tax benefits went to the top 5 percent of earners: households making over $160,000.

• The wealthiest Americans (those earning over $1 million annually) receive more than $95,000 in tax benefits while middle income families receive a few hundred dollars and poor families relying on public benefits actually face penalties for saving.

• Eight out of 10 of the wealthiest families saved approximately one-third of their household income in 2009, while one-third of low-income households earned too little to make ends meet, much less save for the future.

• About 80 percent of the value for mortgage and property tax deductions accrued to the top 20 percent of taxpayers. In fact, many homeowners don’t take the mortgage deduction because they do not earn enough income or incur enough of a tax liability to warrant itemizing their deductions.

The report details these specific tax policies and asks Congress to pursue more equitable ways of delivering assistance to low and middle income families.

2010 Central Ohio FCAA Thanksgiving

The Central Ohio FCAA Thanksgiving was made possible by:

• Capital University ROTC Crusader Battalion
• Kappa Sigma Upsilon
• Franklin County Department of Children and Family Services
• Starr Commonwealth
• Village Network
• Columbus Jewish Foundation

Many thanks goes to Ohio CASA for assistance with decorations, NYAP, and several individuals who volunteered their time and/or financial assistance.

2010 Northeast Ohio FCAA Thanksgiving

 

The Northeast Ohio FCAA Thanksgiving was made possible by:

• Cuyahoga County Department of Children and Family Services
• Village Network
• Antioch Baptist Church

State Senator Shirley Smith, Judge Michael J. Ryan, and Judge Patrician Ann Blackmon were in attendance.

Danny Taylor shared his Thanksgiving poem.

Many thanks goes to Zelma Brown, Joe Jackson and Adoption Network Cleveland.

2010 Southwest Ohio FCAA Thanksgiving

The Southwest Ohio FCAA Thanksgiving was made possible by:

• Cincinnati Works
• Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption
• Richter and Phillips Jewelers

Decorations were donated by Kroger, and the beautiful table arrangements made possible by Val Bairnsfather.

Channel 12 and Fox News stopped by to capture some of the excitement.

Protect Your Personal Information Online

Halloween is over, but if you want to feel scared, just do this:


Go to http://www.spokeo.com/
Search for yourself (by personal email address OR name OR phone)

They will list your name, age, home address and a map to your house, if you own a house. They will list any blogs you have written and any social networks that you are a part of… including your Amazon wish list.

If you are uncomfortable with having that information available online, they will take it down, but you have to submit the request three times:

Go to: http://www.spokeo.com/privacy - you’ll want to keep this page open, because you are submitting all three requests via this form.

Then, open a separate browser and go back into http://www.spokeo.com/

1. Search for yourself by email. Copy that URL into the privacy page and follow the instructions, including checking your email to confirm the request

2. Search for yourself by name. You can scroll down to your state and if you own a house, they will list your address. Copy that URL into the privacy page and follow the instructions.

3. Search for yourself by phone. Cell phones are still relatively anonymous, but if you have a home phone, see how much information about people can pull up. If you want that info taken down, then Copy that URL into the privacy page and follow the instructions.

The fact that this level of information about us is just out there on the internet is S-P-O-O-K-Y….

If you are "jealous" of emancipating foster care youth, then maybe you need a heart transplant

I am currently wrestling with an issue regarding how to respond to the "But I had it harder" attitude -- which I believe is inaccurate, and stands in the way of helpfulness to today's foster care youth.

During a recent college event for foster care youth, an adult presenter from an outside agency, who came from an impoverished background, commented on about how much she wished that she had access to the resources available to emancipated foster care youth (in terms of filling out the FAFSA as an independent and ETV funds).

However, that doesn't take into account:

• the value that "family privilege" brings to youth from intact families
• the accrued knowledge, information and love that adds up over the years (aka: "common sense")
• the value of actually having a place to go to on the holidays, and having someone miss you when you aren't there.

I'm not only a former foster child, I'm also a college-and-grad school graduate, wife and stepmom to two beautiful daughters who are now in college.

My husband and I view parenting as an honor, a privilege and a charge. This means that our daughters will NEVER need to worry about:

• Whether or not they are lovable and precious to us.
• Whether or not we will protect them and provide for them.
• Whether or not they can call when they are struggling, or stay with us during college breaks.
• Whether or not, on holidays, we would miss them if they weren't there.

Such is not the same for foster children.

Such was not the case for me. I remember, so clearly, what it felt like to be a young person in college, and facing that existential crisis of wondering why I was here on earth if there isn't going to be someone to love me.

But, at the end of the day, it is not about me. It is about each and every one of these young people who are "aging out" of foster care in the midst of A RECESSION and trying to survive.


And that's the cause that I am dedicating my heart to...

Litmus Test for Child Welfare

One of the litmus tests of child welfare agencies regarding how much they truly care about the clients they serve and lifelong outcomes for youth is how they respond to alumni of the foster care system.  

I've seen the good.... the bad... and the ugly.

85% of College Students Move Back Home After Graduation

CNN recently reported that the number of college seniors who plan to move back home with their parents after graduation has risen from 67% in 2006 to 85% in 2010.

Reasons?

• A 15% unemployment rate for young people ages 20-24

• An average of $24,000 in student loan debt 

• The highest unemployment rate for college graduates on record

Increasing Access to Higher Education for Unaccompanied Youth

The National Center for Homeless Education has developed an issue brief: Increasing Access to Higher Education for Unaccompanied Youth: Information for Colleges and Universities.

This publication exists to inform postsecondary educators and education administrators about the struggles of homeless youth and possible solutions that can help these youth achieve a college education.

2010 NE Ohio Independent Living Summit

The 2010 Northeast Ohio Independent Living Summit, sponsored by Stark County Children Services, took place on Friday, October 29, 2010, from 9:00 am-4:00 pm at First Christian Church, 6900 Market Avenue North, Canton, OH, 44721.

This event was dedicated to “Supporting Success for Youth Transitioning From Foster Care.”

Supporting Organizations included: Stark County Children Services, OACCA, Foster Care Alumni of America Ohio chapter, Adoption Network Cleveland, Community Care Network, Cuyahoga County Department of Children and Family Services, Family and Community Services of Portage County, Institute for Human Services, Lorain County Children Services, Lowery Training Associates, Lucas County Children Services, Mahoning County Children Services, Montgomery County Department of Job and Familiy Services, Pressley Ridge, Starr Commonwealth, and Voices for Ohio’s Children.

Young Adults Are the New Face of Homelessness

Quotes from article referenced below:

• "Young adults are the new face of homelessness."

• "It's a group driven by two large converging forces: an economy that has been especially brutal on young people, and the large numbers currently exiting foster care."

• "Precise numbers are difficult to pin down. But based on a study done before the economy collapsed, an estimated 2 million young people age 18 to 24 will be homeless nationwide this year."

• "The largest driver of the young adult homeless population is the foster-care system."

Source: Generation Homeless: The New Faces of an Old Problem by InvestigateWest, a nonprofit investigative journalism center based in Seattle.

Challenges faced by LGBTQ youth in foster care

The Family Acceptance Project, a comprehensive study of LGBT youth and their families discovered that nearly half of the foster care youth in their study had been removed from their homes, run away or were thrown out of their homes because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

A 2001 study by the Urban Justice Center found that:

• Once placed in a foster care setting, 78 percent of LGBTQ foster youth were forced to leave their foster placements due to anti-LGBT violence and harassment.

• Fifty-six percent of LGBTQ youth interviewed in the study had spent time living on the streets because they felt safer there than they did living in their group or foster homes.

Feinstein, R., Greenblatt, A., Hass, L., Kohn, S., Rana, J. (2001). Justice for all? A report on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered youth in the New York juvenile justice system. New York: Lesbian and Gay Project of the Urban Justice Center. Ryan, C., Diaz, C. (2005). Family responses as a source of risk and resiliency for LGBT youth. Paper presented at the Preconference Institute on LGBTQ Youth, Child Welfare League of America 2005 National Conference, Washington, DC.

No Extended Health Coverage Until Age 26 for Former Foster Youth until 2014

Have you ever wondered 

how emancipated foster care youth cope 

when their wisdom teeth come in 

and they have NO medical insurance?

Health Care Reform for Emancipated Foster Youth


Section 2004 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act which expands Medicaid coverage to former foster children up to age 26.  However, this provision will not be implemented until January 2014.

After January 1, 2014, all states will be required to extend Medicaid coverage to youth who have "aged out" of foster care. To qualify, individuals must have been enrolled in Medicaid while in foster care.

Health Legislation Related to the Fostering Connections Act

The Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act previously gave states the option to expand coverage to youth who have aged out of the foster care system up to age 21.

In response, some states have introduced healthcare legislation related to the Fostering Connections act:

• California: SB 597, Chapter 339 (enacted)
• Oklahoma: HB 1734, Chapter 338 (enacted)
• Oregon: HB 3664 (enacted)
• Minnesota: HB 934 and SB 665 (pending-carryover)

Additional Health Tools, Analyses and Research are available at the Fostering Connections Resource Center.

It's Not Too Late to Apply for HUD's Family Unification Program

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has given public housing authorities nationwide until December 1, 2010 to apply for Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers through the Family Unification Program (FUP).

• FUP vouchers can be used to help foster youth with their housing needs in transitioning from foster care to adulthood.

• For FUP vouchers to be successful, and for youth to actually receive this assistance, child welfare organizations must build a strong partnership with their local housing authorities.

Learn more at the National Center for Housing and Child Welfare.

Finishing the First Lap: The Cost of College Dropouts

Finishing the First Lap: The Cost of First-Year Student Attrition in America’s Four-Year Colleges and Universities revealed that, over the past five years:

• States appropriated almost $6.2 billion to colleges and universities to help pay for the education of students who did not return to school for a second year.

• States gave over $1.4 billion to support students who did not return to their college or university for a second year.

• The Federal government provided over $1.5 billion in grants to support students who did not return for a second year.

• In Ohio, the cost for college freshmen who dropped out after their first year in college was $300 million.

Chancellor Eric Fingerhut, of the Ohio Board of Regents, views this issue as top priority:

“The goal is not to enroll people. The goal is to graduate them. Freshman to sophomore retention is key to the graduation rate. We are totally committed to it.”

Sexual Abuse in Foster Care

Have you ever wondered about the rate of sexual abuse experienced by foster care survivors?

• As many as 75 percent of all children in foster care, upon leaving the system, will have experienced sexual abuse. 
• One study by Johns Hopkins University found that the rate of sexual abuse within the foster-care system is more than four times as high as in the general population
• In group homes, the rate of sexual abuse is more than 28 times that of the general population.
• Foster children who suffer sexual abuse tend to be those who live with those caregivers who have the least verbal contact with child-welfare workers. 

Sources:
Benedict, M., Zuravin, S., Brandt, D. and Abbey, H. (1994). Types and frequency of child maltreatment by family foster care providers in an urban population. Child Abuse & Neglect,18 (7): 577-585.
Child Welfare League of America. (2003). Child maltreatment in foster care: CWLA best practice guidelines. CWLA, Inc.: Washington, D.C.
Poertner, J., Bussey, M., & Fluke, J. (1999). How safe are out-of-home placements? Children and Youth Services Review, 21(7): 549-563.
Rosenthal, J., Motz J., Edmondson, D., and Groze, V. (1991). A descriptive study of abuse and neglect in out-of-home placement. Child Abuse and Neglect 15(1): 47-49.
Tittle, G., Poertner, J., Garnier, P. Child maltreatment in out-of-home care: What do we know now? Accessed online at: http://cfrcwww.social.uiuc.edu/pubs/Pdf.files/knownow.pdf
Zuravin, S., Benedict, M., and Somerfield, M. (1993). Child maltreatment in family foster care. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 63(4): 589-596.

Kids' Share 2010: Report on Federal Expenditures on Children

Kids' Share 2010: Report on Federal Expenditures on Children through 2009 is an annual report that looks comprehensively at long-time and recent trends in federal spending and tax expenditures on children.

• Findings suggest that historically children have not been a budget priority. 
• In 2009, this trend continued, as children's spending accounted for less than one-tenth of federal outlays. 
• Even though the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 provided a temporary boost, children's spending will continue to be squeezed in the next decade:

Latest Children’s Budget: http://www.childrensbudget.org/

Too Many Children Die in America as a Result of Abuse and Neglect. We Can Do Better.

Every Child Matters has released the second edition of  We Can Do Better: Child Abuse and Neglect Deaths in America, a compelling report that explores the crisis of child maltreatment fatalities in the United States.

A weak economy and resulting state budget cuts are putting even more children at risk, leading to a Growing Crisis in Child Protection.

A series of recommendations were previously proposed during the 2009 Summit to End Child Abuse Deaths in America. Included among them is the observation that "Current levels of federal spending are far below the level needed to protect all children at imminent risk of harm."

The National  Coalition to End Child Abuse Deaths has launched a campaign urging Congress and the Administration to:

1. To conduct Congressional hearings on child abuse deaths
2. To provide emergency funds to stop state cuts in child protective services
3. To adopt a national strategy to prevent child abuse and stop child deaths

This Coalition includes the following partners:

• Every Child Matters 
• National Center for Child Death Review
• National Children's Alliance
• National Association of Social Workers
• National District Attorney's Association

More information about the Coalition, including how YOU can advocate to support their efforts is available at: http://everychildmatters.org/resources/reports/child-abuse-and-neglect

Young Lives On Hold: The College Dreams of Undocumented Students

The United States and Immigration: 

• The United States is in the midst of the largest migratory wave in history: 
• Since the 1990s, more than 1 million new immigrants have arrived each year.
• A total of approximately 38 million immigrants live in the U.S. — about three times the number of transnational immigrants in the world’s second-largest country of immigration, the Russian Federation.

Unauthorized Immigration

• Nearly one-third of the immigrant population of the United States is now undocumented, by far the largest number (and proportion) in U.S. immigration history.
• In total, the number is approximately 12 million unauthorized persons.

Children of Immigrants:

• More than 70 million people in the United States are immigrants, or the children of immigrants. 
• Children of immigrants are now the fastest-growing sector of the child population in the United States.
• Approximately 2 million children are in the United States as undocumented immigrants. 

Undocumented Students:

• About 65,000 undocumented children who have lived in the United States for five years or longer graduate from high school each year. 
• Although they can legally attend most colleges, they are not eligible for most forms of financial aid. 
• Given the opportunity to receive additional education and move into better-paying jobs, undocumented
  students could pay more in taxes and have more money to spend and invest in the U.S. economy.

Learn more by reading Young Lives On Hold: The College Dreams of Undocumented Students.

Generation Why

• There are over 1.6 million homeless youth living in America every year (1 in 50 American children)

• Over 50% of youth in shelters and on the streets report that their parents told them to leave or knew they were leaving and did not care. 

• 1 in 4 homeless youth come from the foster care system

• 33% of heterosexual homeless youth have been sexually abused

• Around 400,000 homeless youth are gay, lesbian, bi-sexual or transgender, in which 58% have been sexually abused

• 1 in 7 homeless children have moderate to severe heath conditions

• Less than 1 in 4 homeless children will graduate from high school

• Every day 12 kids die on the streets of America

Learn how YOU can make a difference at  http://genwhymovie.com/

Number of Youth Aging out of Foster Care Continues to Rise; Increasing 64 percent since 1999

The Fostering Connections Resource Center serves as a library of child welfare information and resources to help states and tribes in their efforts to implement the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008.

By encouraging states to invest more resources in supporting foster youth’s transition to adulthood, federal lawmakers hope that the new law will help more youth leaving foster care have independent and productive lives.

Roth, M.M., et al (2010). Excerpts from Number of Youth Aging out of Foster Care Continues to Rise; Increasing 64 percent since 1999

• During the past 10 years, the number of children who age out of the foster care system has increased steadily, with a nearly 64 percent increase. 
• Since 1999, approximately 228,000 youth have "aged out" of foster care nationally.
• The percentage of the total foster care caseload over the age of 14 has increased steadily since 1998.
• The percentage of children and youth in foster care who are 14 through 18 has continued to grow while financial resources to serve this population through the Chafee Foster Care Independence Act has remained the same each year.

U.S. Government Sets Goal to End Youth Homelessness in 10 Years

On June 22, 2010, the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness released the nation’s first comprehensive strategy to prevent and end homelessness: Opening Doors: The Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness.

One of the objectives in the plan is to advance health and housing stability for youth exiting foster care and juvenile justice systems. 

The Interagency Working Group on Youth Programs’ Solutions Desk for Helping Youth Transition will continue to publish best practices for homelessness prevention, rapid re-housing, and service provision for homeless youth.

Find Youth Info

Map My Community is a tool designed to assist in locating resources in your community to help you build and strengthen your youth program. It's a great way to brainstorm regarding building new partnerships, identify gaps in your community, and learn about existing resources, in order to avoid duplication of effort.

The Program Directory is a searchable database of evidence-based, federally-funded youth programs. You can search for programs by risk factor, protective factor, or keyword.

College Completion Crisis

The College Board has recently released its College Completion Agenda 2010 Progress Report.

The 2008 report Coming to Our Senses: Education and the American Future by the Commission on Access, Admissions and Success in Higher Education revealed that the number of students who completed college and high school in the United States had dropped dramatically,

In response, a set of 10 recommendations were made, in order to help boost the graduation rate.

Additionally, the State Policy Guide created by the College Board and National Conference of State Legislatures. This resource includes a variety of recommendations, including the College Completion Agenda.

The commission’s goal, to achieve a rate of 55 percent of young adults receiving a postsecondary credential by 2025, will continue to be measured on a regular basis.

Ohio Workforce Coalition's 2010-2012 Public Policy Platform

The Ohio Workforce Coalition has been working over the past year on a public policy platform, with the goal of:

• Reducing barriers for adults pursuing education and training.
• Meeting the workforce needs of Ohio employers.
• Improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the state workforce development system.

The Ohio Workforce Coalition's 2010-2012 Public Policy Platform includes the goal of 'Improving the efficiency  and effectiveness of  the state workforce development system' by making these three recommendations:

A. Leadership. Appoint a cabinet-level workforce official to lead Ohio’s workforce development activities across all state agencies, and establish workforce committees in the Ohio legislature.

B. Coordination. Adopt a policy to assure that all available federal workforce education and training funds are fully used, and work with local agencies to establish a baseline level of consistent Workforce Investment Act (WIA) services that will be provided throughout the state.

C. Data. Establish cross-agency performance measures and issue an annual workforce education and training report card with county-level data.

Their 2010-2012 Public Policy Platform makes recommendations regarding coordination of funding streams and calculation financial aid as well...

Regarding funding, they are concerned that, "There are multiple federal funding streams that can be used for workforce training and supportive services for people in training, but Ohio does not have policies in place to assure that these resources are fully accessed and effectively used statewide."

 Therefore, their recommendation is:

1. The Governor’s office should issue state policy to assure that all state agencies, counties, regions, or districts are using available federal workforce education and training funds. Funding streams include Federal Transportation Funds, the SNAP10 Employment and Training Program, and Temporary Assistance to Needy Families.

2. The Governor’s Workforce Policy Board, in collaboration with local WIB directors and the Department of Job and Family Services, should develop a set of key statewide WIA policies. These policies should assure that workers, job-seekers, and employers have access to a baseline level of consistent WIA services everywhere in the state and that WIA implementation is not subject to more restrictive local policies and practices.

Regarding financial aid, they write that, "Because Ohio’s FY 2010-2011 budget cut the Ohio College Opportunity Grant (OCOG) by over 57%, the Ohio Board of Regents implemented a policy that eliminated access to OCOG for students at community colleges and regional branch campuses—many of whom used this need-based financial aid to cover living expenses while they were in school."

Therefore, the Ohio Workforce Coalition recommends that:

1. The Ohio Board of Regents’ calculation of the cost of attendance at public two-year colleges, which is used to determine OCOG availability, should be modified to include living expenses for the most disadvantaged students.

2. The Ohio Board of Regents should permit OCOG funds to be used at all USO institutions for non-credit and occupational certificate programs that prepare students for strategically targeted, in-demand occupations.

• Adjusting the Ohio College Opportunity Grant formula to include living expenses for students at two-year colleges.
• Improving awareness of and access to programs and resources that can help adult students succeed in postsecondary education and training.

2010 Ohio Medicaid Atlas

The 2010 Ohio Medicaid Atlas contains amazing maps and detailed demographics regarding various populations - but emancipated foster youth are not among them.

Despite the fact that current and former foster successfully advocated to extend Medicaid coverage for foster care youth until age 21, there remain barriers to access regarding these benefits that still need to be overcome.

When Ohio foster care youth between the ages of 18-21 go to their local Medicaid office to apply for benefits, they have run into the following challenges:

• The staff person they speak to is unaware that emancipated foster care youth are eligible for Ohio Medicaid until age 21
• The young person is told that their card is "in the mail," and six months or more go by without the young person ever receiving it
• The young person does initially receive Medicaid, but services are dropped before the young person reaches age 21

As I mentioned in a previous blog post:

"The Fostering Connections Act of 2008 requires States to create and maintain a health oversight and coordination plan for each young person in foster care, in order to ensure that each child receives regular and comprehensive care, access to services beyond his or her 18th birthday, and a medical passport."

My hope is that Ohio foster care youth, alumni and allies can continue to work together towards this goal.

Report Finds That Fewer Than Half of African American Males Graduate On Time

A new report from the Schott Foundation for Public Education reveals that the overall graduation rate for African America males attending U.S. public schools during the 2007-2008 was 47%.

According to the 2010 Schott State Report on Black Males in Public Education, half of the states in the county have graduation rates for African American males below the national average for students.

To find out how your state is doing, please visit the national map of Individual State Report Cards.

In Ohio, for example, African American male youth are:

• Six times more likely to be expelled
• Twice as likely to be diagnosed with mental retardation
• Half as likely to be entered into gifted/talented programs

The overall opportunities to learn provided for African American male youth in Ohio were determined to be 21% that of other students.

This is a percentage that needs to change.

The Report Summary contains a helpful chart on page 9 that maps out the Conditions for Success vs. Conditions for Failure.

2010 Top Fostering Blog

SunshineGirlOnARainyDay was recently awarded the Top Fostering Blog Award by Online Schools. The award winners for this category were announced on August 12, 2010.

This award highlights the very best blogs to learn about foster care and child welfare. 

Recipients are nominated by the internet community. The list of candidates is scored based upon twenty attributes, including content, frequency of updates, length of posts and readability. The top 1% of nominated blogs receive awards.

New HHS Regulations on Title IV-E IL Programs for Youth 18 and Older

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has released regulations on how states may extend their Title IV-E foster care programs for foster youth between the ages of 18 and 21.

These regulations provide flexibility to states to serve these youth in virtually any type of placement setting – foster homes, a semi-supervised apartment, host home, college dorms, and other less formal settings.

Furthermore, the regulations state that HHS has “no forthcoming regulations that will prescribe the kinds of living arrangements considered a supervised setting, the parameters of supervision, or any other conditions for youth living independently.”

This is great news for two reasons:

a.) HHS is permitting states to have flexibility to use creative and innovative programs to serve these 18, 19, and 20 year-old youth.

b.) It does not set precedent that would interfere with a state’s ability to draw down IV-E for the placement of teenage foster youth, under age 18, in supervised or semi-supervised apartment settings.

Three Research Briefs re: Foster Care & Educational Outcomes

 Opening Doors to Higher Education for Youth in Foster Care
The Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy Policy Brief (March 2010) discusses the difficulty for youth in care in going to college. This brief outlines financial aid reforms that are necessary to help as these youth attempt to get a postsecondary education.

http://www.scaany.org/documents/cpa_policybrief_highereduc2_may2010.pdf

Foster Youth Education Initiative Releases Report on Improving Opportunities for Foster Youth
Foster youth lack parental advocates to monitor their academic progress, attend parent-teacher conferences, enroll them in appropriate classes, and ensure they receive a quality education. As a consequence, they often fail to receive the opportunities necessary to succeed in school.

NCYL’s Foster Youth Education Initiative (http://www.fosteredconnect.org/) has released its long-awaited report on how California is ensuring that foster children receive academic opportunities by creating educational advocacy systems for youth. This report includes overviews of 11 models, and concrete recommendations to improve outcomes.

http://www.youthlaw.org/fileadmin/ncyl/youthlaw/education/CA_Education_Advocacy_Systems_1_.pdf

Addressing the Unmet Educational Needs of Children and Youth in the Juvenile Justice and Child Welfare Systems
This report, published by Georgetown Public Policy Institute’s Center for Juvenile Justice Reform, discusses the poor educational outcomes that many child welfare and juvenile justice involved youth face:

http://cjjr.georgetown.edu/pdfs/ed/edpaper.pdf

Healthcare for Transitional Foster Care Youth

Every year, 26,000 youth emancipate from foster care on their 18th birthday - many of whom immediately lose vital medical coverage as a result.

At this point, only 32 states extend Medicaid coverage to foster care youth beyond age 18.

Even when states do extend Medicaid coverage for foster care youth until age 21, actually being able to access that coverage has been a major challenge for many transitional foster care youth. In Ohio, for example, many transitional foster care youth have waited months to receive their card, only to then have their Medicaid services dropped prematurely.

The National Association of Public Child Welfare Administrators has authored an issue brief, Addressing the Health Care Needs of Transitioning Youth, that describes how some States are working to provide health care to youth who are transitioning out of foster care and into independence.

The Fostering Connections Act of 2008 requires States to create and maintain a health oversight and coordination plan for each young person in foster care, in order to ensure that each child receives regular and comprehensive care, access to services beyond his or her 18th birthday, and a medical passport.



InsureKidsNow.gov, a website that offers State-specific information on health insurance coverage for children through Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, now offers an online toolkit for professionals.

The National Children's Healthcare Toolkit, designed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services contains a variety of information, materials, tools, and tactics to assist in education and outreach efforts.

Ohio's Budget: Steady Fiscal Control in Turbulent Times

According to OBM Director Pari Sabety's presentation:

• The United States is recovering from the deepest recession in 50 years
• Economic recovery will be slow
• States and local governments continue to need federal assistance and fiscal relief
• Current projections from Moody’s show that key economic indicators will not recover to pre-2007 levels until 2013-2016

One of the main issues in crafting the 2012-2013 budget is how to fill the projected gap from one-time funding sources -which is between 6-8 billion dollars.

Wisconsin invests federal stimulus dollars in Transitional Jobs Project

Kudos to Governor Jim Doyle for investing $34 of million of federal recovery funds in transitional jobs to help thousands of people across the state of Wisconsin gain skills and re-enter the workforce - including emancipated foster care youth.

In his latest state budget, Governor Doyle directed the Department of Children and Families (DCF) to create the Transitional Jobs program. The Transitional Jobs  Project targets Wisconsin residents who are not eligible for working family assistance through the state’s W-2 program, including young adults exiting the foster care system.

It's estimated that this project will help create jobs for 4,000 people across the state.

The Department of Children and Families will work closely with 17 local organizations to carry out the pilot project in 38 counties, with the possibility of future expansion throughout the state:

• Goodwill Industries of Southeastern WI, Inc.
• Policy Studies, Inc. 
• Milwaukee Careers Cooperative  
• UMOS
• Milwaukee Area Workforce Investment Board
• Silver Spring Neighborhood Center
• Step Industries
• Racine County Human Services Department
• Forward Service Corporation
• Workforce Development Board of South Central WI
• Community Action Inc.  
• Workforce Connections, Inc.  
• Workforce Resource, Inc.
• Sheboygan County Health and Human Services
• WOW Workforce Development Board
• Northwest WI Concentrated Employment Program
• Indianhead Community Action Agency

  

Permanent Supportive Housing and Evidence-Based Practice

After many years of development, the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Center for Mental Health Services has finalized and posted a Supportive Housing Toolkit.

While this kit was developed specifically to assist individuals with mental health needs in attaining supportive housing, my hope is that some of the research and best practices found in this toolkit might be applicable to transitional youth, particularly emancipated foster care youth, as well...

• How to Use the Evidence-Based Practices KITs 
• Getting Started with Evidence-Based Practices
• Building Your Program
• Training Frontline Staff
• Evaluating Your Program
• Using Multimedia to Introduce Your EBP
• Tools for Tenants
• Brochure
• Introductory Powerpoint - available for free download at SAMHSA
• The Evidence

Recession has impacted over half of American adults in the workforce

According to a new Pew Research Center survey, more than half (55%) of all adults in the labor force say they have suffered a spell of unemployment, a cut in pay, a reduction in hours or have become involuntary part-time workers since the Great Recession began 30 months ago.

When Helping You Is Hurting Me

When helping you is hurting me

View more presentations from Lisa Dickson.

Resources available through the Better Care Network

The Better Care Network is a free, online resource that exists to aid social work and child care practitioners and policy makers around the world in planning and providing better care for children— including out of home placement.

This Toolkit contains a selection of practical guides and manuals to support a quality care system and the delivery of alternative care.

Resources are divided into five categories:

1. Developing an Informed National Care Strategy
2. Standards and Policies for Quality Alternative Care
3. Individual Assessments, Care Planning and Family Reunification
4. Supporting Children in Care, Their Families and Alternative Caregivers
5. Protection and Care in Emergencies

2010 Ohio Budget Planning and Management Commission

*Figures 1-3 from Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

Ohio will be facing a budget deficit of approximately $6-8 billion dollars in the next biennium.

In order to begin exploring ways to address the shortfall, the Ohio General Assembly has appointed a group of legislators to serve on a Budget Planning and Management Commission.

The work of the commission will be to identify a menu of options to address the big picture structural changes that must occur in the budget in order to achieve long-term sustainability.

The commission met for the first time on Tuesday and began with a presentation from the Ohio Legislative Service Commission (LSC) that provided legislators with a big picture overview of key revenue and expenditure data.

To view the LSC power point, please visit: www.lsc.state.oh.us/research/bpmc062910.pdf

Last month, the Center for Community Solutions released a report entitled, Thinking the Unthinkable, Finding Common Ground for Resolving Ohio’s Fiscal Crisis.

It explores a host of very difficult options in order to address Ohio’s impending budget shortfall, including a model which contains a possible 10%-20% reduction in most human services in the next biennium:

http://www.communitysolutions.com/assets/1/AssetManager/Thinking_the_Unthinkable_Begala_WEB.pdf