This Issue:
Preparing for
Independence - Unapproved Draft May 30, 2001
1. GAO Says Programs Are Little Evaluated top
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Children, Youth and Families (1999). Title IV-E Independent Living Programs: A Decade in Review. Executive Summary. [Caliber Associates] 17P. Available on the Web at http://www.calib.com/nccanch/pubs/otherpubs/il/index.cfm
U.S. Government Accounting Office (GAO) (1999). Foster Care: Effectiveness of Independent Living Services Unknown. GAO/HEHS-00-13. 37P. Available on the Web at http://www.nrcys.ou.edu/gao11599.pdf
These federal reports reviewed the status of state independent living programs in 1999 and helped lead to passage of the Foster Care Independence Act of 1999. See Article #12
Services Expanded
During 1987-1996
The Federal Independent Living Program was first established
in 1985. During the decade of 1987-1996, state programs:
State Reports are
Inconsistent and Incomplete
The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is responsible for monitoring the state programs, but it has not taken the lead in helping states report reliable data. Because the data reported by the states is inconsistent among them, and because many states are lacking data about the number of youth served and their outcomes, we have little information about the effectiveness of the programs. The GAO recommends that DHHS develop a set of data elements, a report format, and concrete measures of effectiveness for states to use in reporting about their programs.
(See Web Resources for a related report on the incompleteness of state information collected on youth exiting care.)In 1999 GAO
Surveyed 50 States
In 1999, the GAO surveyed all 50 states about their
programs.The number of states offering each of the following
services to foster care youth are listed below:
Programs Not
Helpful Enough for Employment
The GAO also visited programs in San Antonio, Texas,
Baltimore, Maryland, New York City, and Contra Costa County,
California. The GAO found that the programs "did not
provide services that fully matched foster care youth to
appropriate employment pathways." The providers agreed
that their programs were deficient in:
In addition, the providers reported that it is very difficult to locate youth after discharge in order to track outcomes.
Special MD and TX
Programs
Special programs have been developed to remedy these
deficiencies. For example:
2. California: Unsuccessful Exits top
Courtney, Mark E. and Richard P. Barth (1996). "Pathways of Older Adolescents Out of Foster Care: Implications for Independent Living." Social Work v41 n1 p75-83.
Too Many
Unsuccessful Exits
The authors studied the types of exits experienced in 1991
and 1992 by 2,653 California foster care youth:
Many Youth Return
to Families
A significant number of youth (16.8%) returned directly to
their families. Also, a significant number of youth who ran away
from placement or were emancipated returned to their families.
Perhaps not all these youth should have been removed from their
families, or perhaps they could have been reunified earlier.
Because youth are likely to return to their famlies, independent
living programs should assess how families can help youth when
they exit .
Predicting
Unsuccessful Exits
Several factors predicted which youth would have unsuccessful
exits:
Predicting
Successful Exits
The following factors predicted which youth would have successful
exits:
3. Illinois: Predicting Educational Success top
Mech, Edmund V. and Carrie Che-Man Fung (1999). "Placement Restrictiveness and Educational Achievement Among Emancipated Foster Youth." Research on Social Work Practice v9 n2 p213-228.
Turner, Trina L. (1998). Independent Living Arrangements: Characteristics Identifying Success in Adolescent Wards. Abstract, Ph.D. Dissertation. Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago IL.
The authors studied two populations of Illinois foster care youth.
Restrictive
Placements Reduce Educational Success
Mech and Fung collected data about 171 Illinois foster care youth
at age 18 and at age 21. The youth in less restrictive
placements, such as foster homes and transitional apartments, had
much better educational success than youth in more restrictive
placements. Most (85%) of the youth with postsecondary
educational experience by age 21 were from less restrictive
placements; only 15% were from highly restrictive placements.
Starting a With
Job and Education Predicts Success
Turner studied Chicago area youth age 18-21 participating in
Independent Living Arrangement programs where they lived in
subsidized apartments and were monitored by a private agency.
Youth who had a job when they entered the program were the ones
most likely to succeed at keeping a job during the program. The
youth who were in school or had a high school degree when they
started the program were the ones mostly likely to stay in school
or graduate during the program. According to this study, previous
success with school and work are the best predictors of school
and work success in the program.
4. Illinois: Barriers for Disabled Youth top
Mech, Edmund V. and Carrie Che-Man Fung (1998). Preparing Foster Adolescents for Independent Living: A Comparison of Disabled and Non-Disabled Youth. Children and Family Research Center, School of Social Work, University of Illinois. Urbana, IL.
The authors studied 18,984 cases of youth age 13 and above in custody of the Illinois DCFS during the year 1996.
20% Have
Disabilities
Twenty percent of the youth were classified as disabled,
including:
Significantly more white (35%) than non-white (13%) children were classed as disabled.
Most Youth Were
Behind in School
Unfortunately, a high percentage of all the youth were behind in
school (working at a lower grade level than their chronological
age). Between 80% and 90% of non-white youth were below grade
level and between 61% and 77% of white youth were below grade
level.
Placement Type
Affects School Progress
Youth in more restrictive placements were more likely to be
working below grade level, with the surprising exception that
youth in kinship homes were the most likely to be behind in
school.
The percentage of youth age 17-21 working below grade level is listed below by type of placement:
| Disabled | Non-disabled | |
| Apartment | 65% | 54% |
| Foster Home | 73% | 72% |
| Residential Home | 81% | 82% |
| Relative Home | 89% | 84% |
Disabled Face
Greater Barriers to Independence:
Non-disabled youth had experienced a mean of 5.9 placements but
disabled youth had experienced a mean of 10.1 placements, almost
twice as many. In addition, each change of placement had a 35%
chance of leading to a more restrictive placement, and
restrictive placements are associated with impeding the
development of self-sufficiency. Thus, disabled foster youth
experience greater barriers to independence due to:
Scannapieco, Maria (1996). "An Independent Living Program: Characteristics, outcomes, and Indicators for the Future of Foster Care Services." Community Alternatives: International Journal of Family Care v8 n2 p19-25.
The author studied outcomes for 44 youth who had participated in a Baltimore Independent Living Program and a control group of 46 youth who had remained in regular foster care, during 1988-1993.
The Independent Living Program services included:
Good Results With
Education, Employment
The program youth had significantly better success with
education, employment, and self sufficiency than the non program
group. Because the characteristics and reason for placement of
the program youth as compared to the nonparticipants did not
differ significantly, it may be the Indpendent Living Program
that produced these positive results.
| Outcomes | Program | Nonparticipants | |
| High school completed | 50% | 13% | |
| History of employment | 100% | 72% | |
| Living independently at case closing | 36% | 4% | |
| Self supporting at case closing | 48% | 17% | |
| Employed at case closing | 52% |
|
6. Missouri: Exit Outcomes top
McMillen, J. Curtis and Jayne Tucker (1999). "The Status of Older Adolescents at Exit from Out-Of-Home Care." Child Welfare v78 n3 p339-362.
The authors studied a random sample of 252 youth exiting from care in Missouri during one year in 1992/1993. About 29% of the youth were from urban areas; the rest were from rural areas.
Youth Were
Troubled
Many of the youth had experienced multiple, restrictive
placements:
Missouri has since developed new placement programs for teens and a psychiatric hospital diversion program.
Exit Outcomes Are
Not Positive
At the time they left care:
Some Outcomes
Could Be Predicted
The study also analyzed which youth experiences predicted some of
the key outcomes:
A High Rate of
Unplanned Exits
The group had a high rate (63%) of unplanned exits from care.
These include refusing service, unplanned reunification with
family, unplanned court release, running away, and jail. Some
(9%) left directly from a group care placement with no
transition, and were very likely poorly prepared.
Make Care Less
Intrusive for Teens
Some of these unplanned exits could be due to youthful
impulsivity, or wanting to live with family or a
boyfriend/girlfriend. The controlling nature of care at a time
when youth want to assert their independence may encourage youth
to leave. There should be some way to make care less intrusive
for youth, perhaps by planning exit at age 18 with voluntary
aftercare services provided to age 21.
Are Youth Safe
Returning to Families?
About one-quarter (26%) of the youth left to live with relatives,
and many of these exits were unplanned. It appears that either
the agency could not find other placements, or the youth ran
away. Since youth may return to their families without agency
approval, we should wonder if they are safe with their families
as they age.
Help Youth
Connect to Their Families
Agencies should continue to reassess families to see if they
could become safe placements as youth mature and gain more
skills. Also, agencies should do a better job of helping youth
learn the skills needed to live with their families and deal with
family problems such as substance abuse. Even while youth are in
Independent Living Programs, agencies need to continue family
visiting and promoting family connections.
Exit Data for
Youth is Important
Child welfare programs must continue to gather data about youth
when they exit from care. This is not only for program
evaluation, but to keep up with how the population of youth is
changing. It is possible that permanency efforts are finding more
homes for younger children so that teens who stay in care until
they 'age out' may be the most troubled part of the foster care
population.
7. Missouri: Youth Offer Feedback top
McMillen, J. Curtis, Gregory B. Rideout, H. Fisher, and Jayne Tucker (1997). "Independent-Living Services: The Views of Former Foster Youth." Families in Society v78 p471-479.
The authors held focus groups with 25 Missouri youth formerly in foster care. The youth had participated in weekly independent living skills classes for at least six months and may also have participated in other services such as subsidized living arrangements, wilderness trips or after care groups.
Financial Skills
Training Especially Valued
The youth had these reactions to the program:
8. New York: The Green Chimneys Program top
Mallon, Gerald P. (1998). "After Care, Then Where? Outcomes of an Independent Living Program." Child Welfare v77 n1 p61-78.
The author studied outcome data from the Green Chimneys Children's Services, a private agency in New York City. The study included 46 youth who left care during 1987-1994. All were male, 67% were African American and 20% were Latino. The average age at exit was 21, older than in other studies.
All Received Same
Curriculum
Green Chimneys operates the Gramercy Life Skills Residence
Program and the Supervised Independent Living Apartment Program.
All the youth had weekly individual counseling and completed a
structured life skills curriculum prepared by the author. No
aftercare services were provided. The youth were assessed at
intake and exit, and followup interviews were conducted in 1995.
At Exit, The Program Showed Positive Outcomes:
Money Management
Emphasized
The program emphasized budgeting and saving. Only 4% of the youth
had savings accounts at intake, but at exit 65% had savings
accounts. However, at followup, this had dropped to 39%. When
asked what they wished they had learned more about before leaving
care, 90% said budgeting and saving their money.
9. New York: The WAY Program Works top
Baker, Amy J. L., David Olson, Carolyn Mincer (2000). "Executive Summary" in The WAY to Work: An Independent Living/Aftercare Program for High-Risk Youth: A 15-Year Longitudinal Study. Child Welfare League of America Press. 133P.
WAY Has Private
Funding
The Work Appreciation for Youth (WAY) Program was established in
1984 by the Children's Village Residential Treatment Center in
New York City. The program provides independent living
preparation and aftercare for very high risk youth with
behavioral or emotional problems. WAY is a comprehensive,
individualized, developmental, long-term approach that helps
youth reclaim a healthy identity and choose a positive future.
WAY is sustained by private donors who are committed to long-term
funding and good quality research data.
Youth Need Strong
Adult Relationships
The only solid evidence for what works in youth intervention is
that youth must have strong, positive relationships with healthy
adults. The core of the WAY program are the paid, professional
counselors. They are expected to make substantial, long term
commitments to the youth and follow them 'no matter what,' even
when youth move to different agencies or communities.
Four Work Levels
WAY is organized around five levels. In the first four levels,
youth learn work ethics in graduated stages:
Five Years of
Aftercare
Level 5 is called the "WAY Scholarship" to set a tone
of high expectations, and provides aftercare services for 5
years. The core elements of the program are:
Low Attrition
Rate
A review of outcome data for the 155 youth who entered the
program during 1984-1994 shows that the program works. The
program had a low attrition rate, starting with 29% in the first
five years, then dropping to 16%.
Outcomes Are
Positive
For those in the program at least 2.5 years (76% of the total)
the outcomes are positive.
Services Should
Be Intensive
Youth leaving residential treatment need very intensive aftercare
services, and they need them for years not for months. The WAY
Scholarship program costs about $3,000 per youth per year, which
is minimal when it ensures that residential treatment - an
investment costing $50,000 per year per youth - leads to positive
outcomes.
Program Recommendations
Help Available to
Replicate the Program
Although WAY was developed for high risk youth, the directors
believe that interventions similar to WAY can and should be used
with any youth intervention programs. Children's Village now has
a WAY Replication Unit dedicated to helping other organizations
replicate the program.
10. North Carolina: Outcomes Mixed top
Lindsey, Elizabeth W. and Fasih U. Ahmed (1999). "The North Carolina Independent Living Program: a Comparison of Outcomes for Participants and Nonparticipants." Children and Youth Services Review v21 n5 p389-412.
The authors interviewed foster care youth in North Carolina, including 44 who had participated in Independent Living programs and a control group of 32 who had not participated. The youth had left care during 1992-1995 and were interviewed in 1996. It was very difficult to locate and make contact with the youth (as others have discovered), so the sample size was small, and may not have been representative.
Program Youth Did Well in Education
| Program Results | Program | Nonparticipants |
| Employed full or part time | 59% | 44% |
| Said did not receive help with jobs | 57% | 78% |
| No high school degree | 42% | 82% |
| Had high school or GED | 58% | 18% |
| Had some postsecondary education | 21% | 0% |
| Living independently | 68% | 41% |
| Was homeless at least once since exit | 52% | 53% |
| Financially self-sufficient | 20% | 16% |
| Received money from family/friends | 49% | 41% |
| Used Public Assistance | 38% | 29% |
| Housing subsidy | 12% | 3% |
| Food stamps | 30% | 38% |
| General assistance | 7% | 0% |
| ADFC | 28% | 19% |
11. Wisconsin:Outcomes and Recommendations top
Courtney, Mark E. and Irving Piliavin (1998). Foster Youth Transitions to Adulthood: Outcomes 12 to 18 Months After Leaving Out-Of-Home Care. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin. Available on the Web at http://polyglot.lss.wisc.edu/socwork/foster/wave2.pdf
Independent Living Advisory Committee (2000). Independent Living for Children in Out-Of-Home Care. Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services, Division of Children and Family Services. Available on the Web at http://www.dhfs.state.wi.us/Children/Independent%20Living/IndepLivingindex.htm
Outcome Study and
Recommendations
Courtney and Piliavin interviewed 113 Wisconsin foster care youth
12-18 months after they left care. The Wisconsin Division of
Children and Family Services then formed the Independent Living
Advisory Committee which studied the outcomes report and made
recommendations about what the Division should do to better
prepare youth for independence.
Mostly Good But
Some Poor Outcomes
Although some of the youth had moved successfully to
independence, the committee was very concerned that others
experienced the distress of homelessness, violence or
incarceration.
Living Skills Preparation Incomplete
Lacks in School, Work, and Housing
Difficulty Obtaining Health Care
Some Jailed or Assaulted
Family/Foster Support Continues
Researchers'
Suggestions
The researchers believe their study suggests the following:
Committee
Recommendations
The Independent Living Advisory Committee made up of foster
parents, policy makers, service providers and professionals met
for one year and made the following recommendations:
A. Pursue Excellence in Child Welfare Services to reduce the number of youth needing independent living services. Develop quality in foster parents, strengthen bonds between children and their families, promote cultural competency, and achieve permanency for all youth.
B. Normalize Life Skills Development Within the Child Welfare System by making better use of foster parents and other caregivers to train children for independence. Provide mandatory training to foster parents and staff in life skills development. Use assessment to make life skills training for youth individualized and strengths-based. Involve youth in planning their programs. Involve youth in relationships with caring adults and community youth programs.
C. Recognize Older Adolescence as a Crucial Transition Phase Toward Self-Sufficiency. Help youth form and continue relationships with caregivers and peers using peer and adult mentoring programs. Offer transitional and supervised living arrangements. Engage youth in all decisions affecting them. Provide information about community resources to both youth and their service providers.
D. Create Bridges to Self-Sufficiency for 18 to 21 Year Olds. Even youth who grow up with their families do not become completely independent at age 18. Support foster parents who keep youth in care until 21. Promote outreach to and flexible aftercare options for youth age 18-21 after they exit care.
E. Recognize the Role of All Social Institutions in Helping Youth Achieve Self-Sufficiency. Help youth transition to the adult services system to meet their continuing needs regarding mental health, substance abuse, or disabilities. Help youth avoid stigmatization and become established as normal members of the community. Promote multi-disciplinary teams and cross-system training to improve collaboration between child welfare and other community services. Work to promote paternity determinations, to maximize collection of child support payments, and to allow youth to receive the child support payments collected for them. Work closely with schools and universities to share information about youth, and help youth get GEDs, admission to postsecondary programs, scholarships, and driver's education. Use the new federally approved option to extend Medical Assistance eligibility to age 21, help youth get their medical records, and identify youth to the public health system. Collaborate with employers and job service agencies to create job training and employment options for youth.
12. Chafee Act Increases Funding top
Frequently Asked Questions About the Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 and the John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence Program. 2000. Prepared by Members of the National Foster Care Awareness Project. Available on the Web at http://www.nfpainc.org/FAQsbooklet.pdf
The Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 was passed December 14, 1999. It establishes the John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence Program and replaces the former Independent Living Initiative of 1985. The Act increases funding for independent living services significantly, from $70 million to $140 million, gives states more flexibility in using the funds, and requires that outcomes data be reported according to new federal standards. The main provisions of the Act are listed below.
Additional information for policy makers is found in Frequently Asked Questions II About the Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 and the John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence Program. 2000. Prepared by Members of the National Foster Care Awareness Project. Available on the Web at http://www.nfpainc.org/FAQ2_FINAL.pdf
13. Four Stages of the Service Continuum top
Ansell, Dorothy (2001). "Where Are We Going Tomorrow: Independent Living Practice." Pages 35-43 in Preparing Youth for Long-Term Success: Proceedings From the Casey Family Program National Independent Living Forum. Child Welfare League of America Press.
Independent living services should be seen on a continuum of services, from informal to self sufficiency.
Informal Services can be provided by foster families through family o