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FOSTER CARE LIAISONS: ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIESDAVID RAY REGION 10 ESC [email protected] 972.348.1786
NON-AGENDA
We will not spend any time discussing the moral or ethical pros and cons with regards to providing services to students in foster care situations.
AGENDA
Foster Care liaison responsibilities Awareness, guidance and training
Determining eligibility and identification
Enrollment Procedures
Access to Services
Collaboration with TXDFPS and your community
Who should be the foster care liaison?
Managing the work of the foster care liaison
FEDERAL LAW (FOSTERING CONNECTIONS TO SUCCESS AND INCREASING ADOPTIONS ACT OF 2008, PUBLIC LAW 110-35I) SAYS…
Emphasis on the importance of school stability, maintaining the school in which the child was enrolled at the time of placement
The need for coordination between state and regional child welfare and state and local education agencies
Assurance that the placements take into account the appropriateness of the current education setting and proximity to the school in which the child is enrolled at the time of placement in foster care
Ensure immediate and appropriate enrollment by child welfare and local education agencies, and provide ALL of the child’s education records to the new school, if remaining in the same school is not in the child’s best interest
OTHER FEDERAL PROVISIONS
Nutrition Assistance
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) - Uninterrupted Scholars Act
STATE LAW (TEXAS EDUCATION CODE) SAYS…
Data sharing and data collection requirements in PEIMS
Immediate school enrollment without records
Attendance in the school the student was enrolled immediately before entering conservatorship even when placed outside of the district attendance zone, until the student successfully completes the highest grade level offered by the school
Excused absences for court-ordered appointments
11th or 12th grade student who transfers to a new school district and does not meet the graduation requirements of the new school district may request a diploma from the former school district, when on-track to graduate at the previous school
STATE LAW (TEXAS EDUCATION CODE) SAYS…
Free eligibility for Pre-K
Accelerated instruction (at-risk indicators and compensatory education)
Free lifetime college tuition and fees waiver. The waiver is activated when a student enrolls in dual credit or another course where a student may earn college credit.
School districts and open enrollment charter schools are required to appoint a Foster Care Liaison and notify TEA of their Foster Care Liaison appointment
Transition Assistance from one school to another of students in foster care
IN SUMMARY, THE LEA ROLE INCLUDES…
Awareness, Guidance and Training
Determining Eligibility and Identification in PEIMS
Enrollment
Records Sharing and Acquisition
Student Access to Services
Informing students and families about graduation and college tuition aides
Transition help from one school to the next
Collaboration with the Community
AWARENESS, GUIDANCE AND TRAINING
Does TEA have a record of your FoLi? (Register on the TEA website: http://tea.texas.gov/FosterCareStudentSuccess/liaisons/
Does the district know who the FoLi is? Campus Administrators
Special Education Department
Homeless Liaisons
Does the CPS Educational Specialists/ Caseworkers/ other agencies know who the FoLi is?
AWARENESS, GUIDANCE AND TRAINING
Become aware yourself Print and Read the Foster Care and Student Success Guide (TEA Website)
Confirm/correct information on AskTED directory
Attend new webinars and view previously recorded webinars at www.region10.org/mvh
Review the TEA’s website (fact sheets)
Call Region 10 or your own ESC
AWARENESS, GUIDANCE AND TRAINING
Within your district or charter school… Is it policy? If not, write it!
Turn policy into procedures...train staff on these procedures
Who needs to know about these procedures?
Schedule appropriate staff training
Staff work best following flow-chart or step-by-step type procedures
Begin to take ownership of procedures and have fun!
Evaluate procedures for continued efficacy
DETERMINING ELIGIBILITY AND IDENTIFICATION
Use available guidance from TEA on acceptable and unacceptable documentation
Review unacceptable documentation for possible homelessness and coordinate with LEA homeless liaison
Guidance from TEA on PEIMS coding for Students in Foster Care
Guidance from the THEO on determining status for students involved with CPS but not in Foster Care
ENROLLMENT
Create procedures and train enrollment staff on enrollment provisions Immediate enrollment
Acceptable Documentation
Create procedures for accessing previous school records TREX
Coordination with other HoLis
Student Survey’s to determine appropriate classes
ENROLLMENT
Create procedures to help clients consider available schools/ school selection
Create procedures for aiding in best interest school selection
RECORDS SHARING AND ACQUISITION
An amendment to the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), Uninterrupted Scholars Act (USA) (January 2013), allows educational agencies and institutions to disclose a student’s education records to child welfare case workers or other representatives of a state or local child welfare agency. An agency or organization legally responsible for the care and protection of the student is allowed access to education records. Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) staff, the child’s caregiver, attorney ad litem, Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA), and others identified by the court order are all examples. Additionally, USA permits educational agencies and institutions to disclose a student’s education records. Educational agencies and institutions would not be required to have parental consent because of a court order. The court would have given the parent notice in specific types of court proceedings. These changes also apply to the confidentiality provisions identified in Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). School staff must follow FERPA regulations when releasing school-related information.
ACCESS TO SERVICES
Nutrition Services Automatic eligibility (USDA)
Create procedures for communicating foster care status with nutrition department
ACCESS TO SERVICES
At-Risk Data collection of student need
Planning with Campus and District Improvement Committees
Data—Data—Data—Data
Student stories
ACCESS TO SERVICES
Access to Services or actual School Success?
Beyond the Basics: How Extracurricular Activities Can Benefit Foster Youth
Confronting Stereotypes of Youth in Foster Care (video), Catholic Family Center addresses school related stereotypes, 11:44 min.
Behavioral RTI? School-wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS)? Resiliency? Trauma Informed Care?
Overall school climate considered when creating policy and procedures?
INFORMING STUDENTS AND FAMILIES ABOUT GRADUATION AND COLLEGE
11th or 12th grade student who transfers to a new school district and does not meet the graduation requirements of the new school district may request a diploma from the former school district, when on-track to graduate at the previous school - TEC § 28.025
Procedures for assessing the graduation requirements for students in Foster Care
INFORMING STUDENTS AND FAMILIES ABOUT GRADUATION AND COLLEGE
Free lifetime college tuition and fees waiver. The waiver is activated when a student enrolls in dual credit or another course where a student may earn college credit- TEC § 54.366
Procedures for determining appropriateness of college level courses for students in high school
Procedures for informing students and families of their right
TRANSITION HELP FROM ONE SCHOOL TO THE NEXT
http://tea.texas.gov/FosterCareStudentSuccess/laws/
Scroll down to Supporting Successful Transitions
COLLABORATION WITH TXDFPS AND COMMUNITY
Caseworkers
Educational Specialists
Other LEA FoLis
Foster Parents
Possibly Biological Parents
Foster Support Groups in the Community
COLLABORATION WITH TXDFPS AND COMMUNITY
Be visible, create awareness and develop ownership of your program
Develop a positive working atmosphere
Listen to their concerns
Create written procedures when necessary
WHO SHOULD BE THE FOSTER CARE LIAISON?
Ability to look at policy and help guide procedure
Proper level of authority to communicate with campus administration and nutrition leaders
Proper level of authority to call and lead meetings with registrars, PEIMS and other enrollment staff
Understanding of trauma informed care
Ability to develop relationships with TXDFPS educational specialists and other welfare workers
Ability to develop relationships with parents and students in crisis
Has available time to fulfill duties
Ability to separate personal feelings from what maintains a professional atmosphere, client dignity and school compliance
MANAGING THE WORKLOAD
Hands on, Campus-Active Foster Care Liaisons
Delegator, Administrative Foster Care Liaisons
MANAGING THE WORKLOAD
Emphasis on policy turned into procedure
Train staff on appropriate procedures and provide with step-by-step, manualized, guidance
Refine procedures over time using data culled from multiple sources including incident reports and staff surveys
