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