Transitioning Back, Transitioning Forward Making Transition Services Relevant and Effective for...

Transitioning Back, Transitioning Forward

Making Transition Services Relevant and Effective for

Youth in the Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice Systems

Leigh Gallivan Mahoney, M.Ed.

Who and Why?

• Students involved with the child welfare system (in MA, DCF) or juvenile justice (in MA, DYS)– Abused or neglected

• Trauma, attachment issues

– In placement or community• Placement can mean foster care, congregate

care, residential treatment• Multiple placements is the norm, with each

usually comes 4-6 months loss of educational progress, plus the attendant struggles of continued disruptive attacments

High need, low resource• In MA, 55-60% of youth committed to DYS

were involved with DCF prior/during commitment1

– Number jumps to 75% for girls

• Nationally, approximately 37% of youth in juvenile justice systems have identified disabilities and special education involvement2

• Though their need is high, on the whole, these youth often have minimal individual advocacy

1 Massachusetts Department of Youth Services, 20142 State of Learning Disabilities Report, LD.org

High need includes…

• Students from this cohort generally exhibit– Poor physical and emotional self-

regulation– Poor social interpretation/interaction– Academic delays– Developmental delays– Compromised executive functions

Good transition planning…

• assesses strengths and needs

• develops skills• is collaborative• identifies existing

supports/creates new ones

• fosters self-determination• is comprehensive• is person-centered• contain both plans and

follow-up

Less like following a

detailed map than it is

developing a student’s

inner compass and

removing obstacles

What’s in their wallet?

Three predictors:

• Human Capital– Education and skills

• Social Capital– Access to personal

relationships that can assist in both growth and opportunity

• Personal Capital– Behavioral

characteristics/circumstances that affect students’ ability to be independent and maintain post-secondary education or employment

• Delinquency• Mental health issues• Parenthood

Policy connections between child welfare and education

Fostering Connections Act transition planning:

An individualized plan must be finalized no less than 90 days before a child ages out of care, and include specific options regarding:•housing•health insurance•health care proxy•education•local opportunities for mentors and continuing support services•work force supports and employment services.

www.childwelfare.gov

IDEA transition planning:An individual plan taking into consideration the child’s needs, strengths, preferences, and interests; focused on improving the academic and functional achievement of a child with a disability, including:•postsecondary education/training•vocational education•integrated employment (including supported employment)•self-determination•adult services, independent living, or community participation;•community experiences•if appropriate, acquisition of daily living skills and functional vocational evaluation.

www.idea.ed.gov

Policy and programming connections between juvenile justice and education

Not as robust, but no less necessary:

Re-entry and transitional independent living needs for juvenile justice youth•housing•health care proxy•education•local opportunities for mentors and continuing support services•work force supports and employment services•Behavioral health services/supports•Legal challenges to education and employment post-adjudication

Systemic Challenges:

• Lack of coordination between youth-serving agencies

• Shortage of resources in transition services

• Shortage of advocacy/funding

• Challenges of information-sharing and systems-integration

Orange & Van Slyke (2006)

Strategies

• Identify your students who fit in this category • Identify relevant team members and communicate early

– Case workers– DYS ed liaisons– Educational advocates/educational surrogate parents/GAL’s

• Identify compliance levers to gain support/collaboration of state/federal entities– Indicator 13 (and other indices)– WIA (has child welfare students/foster care as a target

population)– Fostering Connections Act

• Actively participate in collaborative systemic change for systems integration and information sharing

• Incorporate this thinking into transitional services model development– Goals, forums, participants, activities

Yoda on execution

Additional ResourcesHelping Youth Transition to Adulthood: Guidance for Foster Parentshttps://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/youth_transition.pdf

What is Child Welfare? A Guide for Educatorshttp://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/cw_educators.pdf

Working With Youth to Develop a Transition Planhttps://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/transitional_plan.pdf

Coming of Age: Employment Outcomes for Youth Who Age Out of Foster Care Through Their Middle Twentieshttp://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/08/fosteremp/

Transition Planning With Adolescents: A Review of Principles and Practices Across Systemshttp://www.nrcyd.ou.edu/publication-db/documents/transition-planning-with-adolescents.pdf

FosterClub’s Transition Toolkithttp://www.fosterclub.com/files/transition_toolkit_v3.pdf

Employment of Former Foster Youth as Young Adults: Evidence from the Midwest Studyhttp://www.chapinhall.org/sites/default/files/publications/Midwest_IB3_Employment.pdf

Things People Never Told Mewww.pathwaysrtc.pdx.edu/pdf/proj2-ThingsNoOneToldMe.pdf

Models for Change-system reform for juvenile justicehttp://www.modelsforchange.net/index.html