Foster Youth Deliver Recommendations From First Statewide Career Development Summit...

Foster Youth Deliver Recommendations From First Statewide Career Development
Summit at Legislative Hearing

Tell of overcoming the incredible odds of abuse, neglect, gangs and drugs
through model programs; National experts offer foster care policy
recommendations

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Jan.9 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Over 300 representatives
of New Ways to Work, Casey Family Programs and The Child and Family Policy
Institute of California (CFPIC) capped a two-day Foster Youth Summit by
testifying at a Legislative Hearing chaired by Assembly Member Karen Bass
(D-Los Angeles) and Assembly Member Bill Maze (R-Barstow). The Summit focused
on overcoming barriers to foster youth career development. It is the first
ever statewide convening of foster youth with former foster youth, caretakers,
community-based organizations, employers and professionals from child welfare,
workforce development, education, and probation. Participants used a
cross-disciplinary approach to address employment and career development
issues for 85,000 youth in foster care in California.

"Foster Youth needs what every young person needs - support, connections, and
experiences that prepare them to be successful as adults," said Steve Trippe,
President and Executive Director, New Ways to Work. "While there are a wide
number of programs and initiatives in local communities that seek to address
their transition from care, California needs to step up and ensure that every
foster youth is prepared life as a working adult and contributing citizen when
they 'age out' of the system."

The dialogue among groups resulted in the following recommendations presented
today:

Priority Actions: What the Legislature can do:
-- Develop a consolidation bill that creates a unified vision for
transitioning foster youth, brings together the various pieces of existing law
that address one or more related foster youth transition issues, and
coordinates systems. A cross-disciplinary workgroup including youth should
work with the Legislature and create uniform policies and an efficient
coordinated service system in which foster youth receive priority for services
across departments.

-- Ensure that all existing laws directly related to transition issues, career
development, and/or employment preparation are fully implemented and resourced
appropriately.

-- Employ former foster youth as transition navigators in each county to link
foster youth to systems and services and ensure that when youth relocate their
services are maintained, (modeled after the current Disability Navigators
program).

Priority Actions-- What State Agencies and Departments can do

-- Support cross-program collaboration in order to leverage and link services
across systems for foster youth by addressing issues of resource sharing, data
alignment and reporting, program design, technical assistance, professional
development, oversight, and governance.

-- Bring together the multiple plans that guide a youth's transition by
creating a system for and requiring a common, youth-centered and youth-led
transition plan across all agencies, departments, and programs that work with
transitioning youth.

-- The Child Welfare Council should prioritize the creation of common
assessments and outcome measures in the areas of permanence, education, and
employment across all systems working with transitioning youth. The Council
should formalize Memoranda of Understanding among State Agencies and
Departments that define ways to allow for the sharing of data and information
about common program participants. Agencies and Departments should be charged
with implementing common data systems and reporting cycles to maximize
cross-program collaboration

Testifying at the hearing were foster youth from a wide array of foster
programs, regions and backgrounds. They joined foster care experts to discuss
the critical steps that ensured their successful transition from foster
programs to the workplace.

Nick Murrieta was removed from his mother's care when he was two years old and
has since lived with a number of foster families. Nick was arrested in 8th
grade, was involved in gangs, drugs and alcohol, and has been in a San
Francisco treatment facility. Nick earned his diploma in Juvenile Hall and was
hired by V.O.I.C.E.S. "It's hard, you know? Most kids have support from their
parents or guardians until they're 23, 24, 25. We're on our own after we turn
18- and it's up to us," he said.

"V.O.I.C.E.S. makes me want to take responsibility for my life and is always
pushing me to do better, whether it is getting my driver's license, holding a
job, or continuing my education. I want to make sure that more of these
programs, with real solutions, are available to kids like me across the state-
and I hope that the legislators across the street see the value in them too,"
Nick added. V.O.I.C.E.S. unites transitioning foster youth, social service
agencies, educational institutions and committed community members to help
young people become independent adults and engaged citizens.
According to a recent study conducted by the Pew Charitable Trust, success
like Nick's is quite rare. Of the more than 24,000 youth who leave foster care
each year without a permanent family: one in four is incarcerated within the
first two years, one in five becomes homeless at some time after the age of
18, only 58% complete high school (compared to 87% in the general population)
and only 3% earn college degrees (compared to 28% in the general
population).(1)

"Every day we see kids with real potential fall through the cracks. I am
convinced that there are services, supports, and opportunities in various
systems that can make a difference in success for foster youth. But because
systems don't work together, young people are deprived of opportunities to
which they are entitled. This summit's focus is to share approaches and
solutions and help communities build and strengthen networks of support that
can be counted on," said Miryam Choca of Casey Family Programs.

Janay Swain, a 23-year old young woman that has been a part of the Sacramento
County Independent Living Program (ILP), was also present at the summit today.
"I believe that it is key to engage foster youth in services such as ILP that
help them to create their own stability and provide a safety net to prevent
youth from emancipating and stepping out into the world alone," she said.

About Casey Family Programs: Casey Family Programs' mission is to provide and
improve--and ultimately to prevent the need for--foster care. Established by
United Parcel Service founder Jim Casey, the Seattle-based national operating
foundation has served children, youth, and families in the child welfare
system since 1966, by providing direct services, and promoting advances in
child-welfare practice and policy. Casey is currently working with partners to
safely reduce the number of children in foster care by 50% and to
significantly improve foster care outcomes in education, employment and mental
health by 2020. http://www.casey.org/Home

About New Ways to Work: New Ways to Work helps create powerful partnerships
among schools, community organizations, social service agencies, the private
sector, government, and community partners to ensure better access to quality
educational and career opportunities for youth. For the past 20 years, New
Ways has worked across the nation to ensure that public resources targeted to
prepare youth for their future are used effectively.http://www.nww.org/

About CFPIC: The Child and Family Policy Institute of California (CFPIC) is a
private non-profit organization incorporated in 2004 as a 501 c 3 entity under
the auspices of the County Welfare Directors Association (CWDA). The purpose
of the CFPIC is to "advance the development of sound public policy and promote
program excellence in county Human Services Agencies through research,
education, training and technical assistance."

(1) Pew Commission on Children in Foster Care (2004). Fostering the Future:
Safety, permanence and well-being for children in foster care. Washington:
Author. Available at: http://pewfostercare.org/research/docs/FinalReport.pdf

SOURCE Casey Family Programs

Vince Duffy, +1-916-281-6886, or Erin Saberi, +1-916-952-5080, both for Casey
Family Programs