Running Head: YOUTH AGING OUT OF FOSTER CARE

Youth Aging out of Foster Care: Tying it All Together Capstone Paper 1 Katherine E. Kutzli Michigan State University

YOUTH IN FOSTER CARE Abstract In 2010, there were approximately 408,000 youth in foster care, more than 20,000 of

whom age out of the system each year (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2012). For a variety of reasons, youth are removed from their homes and placed in the foster care system where they are shuffled through until they age out and are left to fend for themselves in a world in which they are ill prepared. By providing youth with the opportunities, tools, and skills necessary to thrive, we are providing them with the chance to succeed. Throughout this paper, you will read about four projects that have been completed as course requirements for The Great Plains Interactive Distance Education Alliance (Great Plains IDEA), Youth Development Master of Arts degree program. With a focus on youth aging out of foster care, this paper aims to provide a discussion of the four projects, their purpose, importance, and implications for youth development professionals, in addition to program reflections and future developments.

YOUTH IN FOSTER CARE Introduction Approximately 24,000 youth age out of foster care each year in the United States (Gardner, 2008). Foster care youth who reach the age of majority (18 in many states) are forced into a world in which they are ill prepared and are failing to thrive. It is essential that we as youth development professionals provide this group of youth with the skills and knowledge they need to become successful, contributing citizens. In Michigan, Act 225 of 2011, the Young Adult Voluntary Foster Care Act (State of Michigan) that extends benefits to youth through age 21 if certain conditions are met, was signed into law in 2011 (Monson, 2011). Since the federal Fostering Connections Act of 2008, the number of states providing assistance through age 21 has increased, but over half of the states have yet to make that change; 25 states have submitted plans that are subject to approval, but only 22 extend care through age 21 (Hegseth, 2011). For many young adults, turning 18 is an occasion to celebrate. At 18 you have

reached the age of majority; you are able to vote, buy a house, and drive a vehicle. Many young adults achieve these milestones with the emotional backing of your family, friends, and loved ones. The attitudes, behaviors, traditions, values, languages, beliefs etc. of some cultures provide continued support to young adults, after they have reached the age of majority. Those who are fortunate to have this support may still be living with their parents or guardians, following their rules, and succumbing to their parents financial allowance for payment of bills, groceries, and materialistic items. For foster youth who age out of the foster care system and do not have positive relationships with their foster parents, turning 18 or 21 depending on state services means youre on your own, with no safety net to fall back on.

YOUTH IN FOSTER CARE This vulnerable population of youth is challenged with a myriad of potential social, economical, emotional, psychological, and developmental barriers, in addition to

numerous obstacles associated with a chaotic foster care system (Atkinson, 2008). Being forced out of the foster care system with no housing, financial stability, employment, healthcare, family support, and knowledge of available services are just a few of the challenges this group of youth may face. Youth who age out are more likely than their peers to suffer from homelessness, be involved in criminal activity, be uneducated, be unemployed, experience poverty, and lack proper healthcare. Youths receive little to no formal preparation from the state (Atkinson, 2008, p. 183). Foster care youth are left without a back up plan, a luxury that many of us take for granted. Something so simple as a solid support system has the potential to be life altering for youth in foster care. While there are a few federal/state programs and policies aimed at assisting youth who age out of the foster care system, for countless reasons they are not enough to reach everyone. The following paragraphs will provide a glimpse into four projects that have been completed throughout the course of this Youth Development, Master of Arts degree program. The four projects consist of a policy analysis, scholarly paper, book review, and program designed to support youth aging out of foster care. Policy Analysis: Reconnecting Homeless Youth Act of 2008 This policy analysis was completed in the fall of 2011 for a Youth Policy course, taught through Michigan State University. This assignment required us to think critically about youth policy and the potential applications to youth development professionals. An extensive amount of reading went into learning as much as possible about the chosen

YOUTH IN FOSTER CARE policy (Reconnecting Homeless Youth Act of 2008) before creating the PowerPoint presentation. The Reconnecting Homeless Youth Act of 2008 amended the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act of 1974 which, serves homeless, street, and runway youth, while providing home-based, street-based, and drug abuse and prevention services to these targeted groups. The Reconnecting Homeless Youth Act of 2008 aims to ameliorate the requirements stated in the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act of 1974, that served runaway and homeless youth who are at risk for participation in hazardous behaviors. Approximately 1.6 billion youth are considered runaways each year (Walsh & Donaldson, 2010). These runaway and homeless youth are susceptible to violent acts, substance abuse, drug abuse, criminal behaviors, sexually transmitted diseases, unplanned pregnancies, and poor health and overall wellness. The Reconnecting Homeless Youth Act of 2008 reauthorized program funding, increased funding where

necessary, and habituates the policy to support the changing culture of youth. Without the Reconnecting Homeless Youth Act of 2008, the funding allotted through the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act of 1974 would have run out resulting in eventual program closures. There are several strengths and weaknesses of the policy. The reauthorization of the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act provides additional funding, access to various shelters, and a system of support for runaway and homeless youth and clarification of crucial terms. While certain terms were redefined, the policy is vague in some areas, for example, definitions are not uniform throughout the document, and sufficient healthcare services are not provided to all.

YOUTH IN FOSTER CARE Recommendations for the Reconnecting Homeless Youth Act of 2008 included providing runaway and homeless youth with more opportunities to build the skills and become competent in the areas required for a favorable outcome as an adult. This policy gives youth development professionals a glimpse into some of the services provided, but also provides a very realistic view into some of the very prevalent issues that are dealt with on a daily basis. It is necessary for youth development professionals to understand what factors contribute to homelessness, what the effects are on this population, what can happen when runaway and homeless youth are not supported, but importantly what can happen when they are.

This extent and depth of information required to complete this project has proven to be irreplaceable in thinking critically about youth in foster care and how to best support them. Youth aging out of foster care are susceptible to the same dangers as runaway and homeless youth. A drive to focus on a particular area in the foster care system led to the topic for the next project described in the following paragraphs. Youth Aging Out of the Foster Care System This comprehensive paper was completed in the spring of 2012 for a course on Adolescents and Their Families, taught through Kansas State University. This assignment required students to choose a topic that related to adolescents and their families, research, provide our motivation for topic choice, use a minimum of 8 scholarly articles, consider numerous questions pertaining to our topic in correlation to adolescents and their families, and produce a comprehensive paper. Research done for this project was helpful in providing a base of knowledge of youth aging out of the foster care system, the

YOUTH IN FOSTER CARE obstacles they face, and what can be done to support them during this time. Four major challenges for youth aging out of foster care include achieving a high school diploma or general equivalency degree (GED), attaining suitable housing, employment, and access to health care (Dworsky, Dillman, Dion, Coffee-Borden, &

Rosenau, 2012). Youth who reach the age of majority often have the additional challenge of working towards these goals with little to no help. A lack of a solid support system for youth may contribute to a failure to achieve and thrive in todays society. Educational attainment is an issue for foster youth for many reasons. Youth are often shuffled from house to house which may result in numerous school changes and the loss of time spent in the classroom. Youth experience an estimated seven school changes beginning in elementary school (Atkinson, 2008). School changes may result in academic loss. Often, foster youth fall behind and are not given the support they need to catch up. They are also lacking in home support, encouragement, and motivation to continue their education. Regrettably, many youth who age out of foster care do not graduate from high school or earn the GED. Housing and life skills present more challenges for youth aging out of foster care. They are not being prepared with the vast amount of skills needed to live independently. Many of the skills are taken for granted by those not in foster care, as they are guided through each process by their support system and already have access to many of the documents needed. Getting a drivers license, a copy of a social security card and birth certificate, searching for an apartment, filling out and signing a lease, finding a job, filling out a job application, dressing appropriately, grocery shopping, finding health insurance and a doctor, getting a bank account, writing a check, creating a budget,

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accessing government options, using the transportation system, how to apply for college, filling out the appropriate forms, applying for scholarships etc. are all areas in which youth should be competent in before they age out of foster care. Youth who age out of foster care are set up to fail if they are not fully prepared. They are aging out of the system without the tools and skills needed to be successful and thrive in society. Foster youth require stability in their lives. Many foster care youth are lacking in secure, reliable, adult mentor and role model relationships (Rhodes, 2005). Attempts should be made to create opportunities for a stable mentorship, someone who could serve as a role model, friend, and resource throughout their experience in foster care, and as they age out and become independent. Attempts should also be made to better place youth in homes in an effort to alleviate high amounts of placement changes. There are certain unforeseen circumstances that may require a placement change, but having a safe, stable home environment and in turn a stable school environment would be invaluable. They may be able to begin forming healthy relationships with classmates, staff within the school, coaches, and their foster parents. As youth development professionals, we need to continue learning and researching this group of youth to better understand how we can best promote a healthy youth development. There needs to be a strong, working relationship among the child welfare agency, school, and foster family. Better independent living programs, support services that address more than just the nuts and bolts of living on your own, mentoring, ensuring access to funds provided by a wide variety of state and federal programs, universally extend the aging-out age to 21, providing as much placement and

YOUTH IN FOSTER CARE school stability as possible, and offering access to other youth aging out are all suggestions that would have a positive impact on youth aging out of the foster care system. (Kutzli, 2012, p. 12) This comprehensive paper served as a base of information. Through reading and further

investigation I have been able to build my knowledge to expand my awareness and create an understanding of youth who age out of foster care. The next project provides a review of a book, which highlights the real life experiences and personal stories of youth who have aged out of the foster care system. On Their Own: What Happens to Kids When They Age Out of the Foster Care System Book Review This book review was also completed in the spring of 2012 for Adolescents and Their Families, taught through Kansas State University. This review of On Their Own: What Happens to Kids When They Age Out of the Foster Care system, provides an eye opening account of the positive and negative aspects of aging out of foster care. Through the stories of six young men and four young women, we are given a look into the grave difficulties that they experience, but also the success, and resiliency of these young people to make it on their own. On Their Own highlights the importance of a secure, caring adult relationship. No matter the challenges experienced in familiar situations, it has been discovered that with a strong, supportive adult relationship, many of these youth succeed (Shirk & Stangler, 2004, p. 221). Through reading the experiences of Jeffrey, Lamar, Jermaine, Reggie, Giselle, Raquel, Casey-Jack, Monica, Patty and Alfonso, we can see how a sturdy system of support can impact their transition into adulthood, and potentially result in favorable

YOUTH IN FOSTER CARE outcomes. Three brothers, a year apart in age, Jermaine, Jeffrey, and Lamar had three different outcomes and three different experiences in the foster care system. All three brothers were sent to the same location of the Childrens Village. Jermaine and Jeffery

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ran away several times and began a life living on the streets. Both brothers were involved in drugs and spent significant time in prison. Jermaine died at the age of 28, in a car accident during a drug run. Jeffery spent a total of 12 years in prison where he chose to turn his life around. Through the various programs and counseling services offered in prison, Jeffery became educated, earning several different degrees. Unlike his brothers, Lamar flourished in the Childrens Village. This organization had several incentives programs in place along with several opportunities to learn different skills and earn an allowance. With some difficulty, Lamars choice to stay in the Childrens Village gave him the support system he needed to graduate from high school. Lamar now owns a restaurant and is living in Georgia with his wife and son. Jeffery was reported to be living with his brother Lamar, working in the restaurant, and is drug-free. Giselle, like Lamar experienced a favorable outcome. She experienced numerous challenges throughout her life and time in the foster care system. Sexually abused at a young age, she was sent by her mother to live in New York, a long ways away from the Republic of Trinidad where she was born. Becoming a maid in the home where she was living, Giselle quickly began to deteriorate, not having enough energy and time to complete her schoolwork. She moved to the foster care system, which proved to provide its own set of challenges. Her first foster placement was detrimental to her health. Giselles foster mother

YOUTH IN FOSTER CARE regulated her consumption of food to the point when she barely survived by consuming

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gum and water. After being hospitalized for anorexia and bulimia, Giselle relearned how to allow consume food, and be healthy again. Through the support of Giselles teacher, who took a special in her, she began to form healthy adult relationships where she found motivation and felt cared about. She participated in swim team where she had great relationships with friends who served as a vital part of her support team. After high school, Giselle became involved with Youth Communications, an organization that focuses on journalism in New York. She found further social, emotional, and psychological support and encouragement through a woman at this organization. She later landed an apprenticeship and is now working full time after receiving her bachelors degree. Reggies experiences in the foster care system were not pleasant to say the least. Entering the system and the age of 14, Reggie was promptly labeled mentally retarded, a term that followed him for the rest of his life. Reggie was pegged as having Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD), Depression, and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Reggie felt a lot of stress concerning turning 18. He mentioned at one point to a social worker that he contemplated killing a person because in jail he would have a place to sleep and food to eat, but no one seemed to address Reggies feelings (Shirk & Stangler, 2004). On Reggies 18th birthday, he was tossed out of his foster care placement and taken to a shelter. He qualified for numerous governmental services, but did not have a social security card or birth certificate required to apply for them. This simple task of providing foster care youth with the proper documents they need when they become

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independent is a crucial step in their success. Reggie spent most of his time on the streets, in shelters, and sleeping in warehouses or under a bridge. Approximately three months after being tossed out of the foster care system, he was found floating in the Des Moines River. His death created a lot of hype and interest which made some impact on requiring independent living services to begin at a younger age (16), but there is still so much room for improvement. Young adults in the foster care system continue to fall through the cracks, and are left behind. Homelessness, poverty, a lack of education, poor relationships, malnourishment, unemployment, poor health, criminal behavior and wellness are all areas that can be ameliorated through the combined efforts and work of all who work with youth, come in contact with youth, and youth themselves. Its necessary to give youth a voice in their lives. They serve as essential components to creating programs and services that best support them. H.E.L.P. A Program to Support Youth Aging Out of Foster Care This program design was completed for a Program Design, Implementation, and Evaluation course in the spring of 2012, taught through University of Nebraska-Lincoln. This project was completed in four steps throughout the course of the semester. Through this project, we learned about creating a statement of need, program theory, needs assessment, goals and outcome objectives, summary of services, staffing, needs, an action team, budget including revenue and expenditures, a budget narrative, fundraising plan, evaluation tools, questions, data collection, data analysis, results, and reporting. Detailed information about each section of the project can be found on the website listed under H.E.L.P.: A Program to Support Youth Aging Out of Foster Care. It was beneficial to

YOUTH IN FOSTER CARE have the entire semester to work on this project because it allowed a lot of time for research, development, editing, and learning about a topic that many of us were unfamiliar with.

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Never developing a program prior to this class, it was a great experience that will be advantageous when working with youth in any environment. The following paragraphs describe a brief summary of the program. The program created is entitled H.E.L.P. (Housing, Education and Employment, and Life-Skills Program). H.E.L.P. aims to address youth 16-22 in Kent County, Michigan who are or will be aging out of the foster care system. With an estimated 800 kids and youth in foster care in Kent County, there is a need to provide a permanence, stability, and support for these youth (State of Michigan, 2011). The goal of H.E.L.P. is to improve the outcomes for youth in foster care aging out of the system in Kent County Michigan through a strengths based program that supports the needs of youth transitioning from adolescents into adulthood (Kutzli, 2012, p. 5). Services offered within the program will focus on attaining housing, education (high school diploma or GED), secondary education support, employment, and lifestyle requirements (Kutzli, 2012, p. 6). Incentives will be provided for youth participating in the foster care youth. Every participant will receive an incentive at some point like a birthday treat and gift, which will be donated by various participating agencies around Kent County. H.E.L.P. will employ five full time staff members: A Program Coordinator, Educational Consultant, Intake Coordinator, Life-Skills Specialist, Administrative Assistant, Employment Specialist and one time Volunteer Coordinator. To offset the projected budget deficit as seen in the budget and narrative in the

YOUTH IN FOSTER CARE project, fundraising efforts will be utilized. Both private and local foundations will be given fundraising proposals in addition to taking advantage of available Federal grants

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like the John H. Chaffee Foster Care Independence Program (CFCIP) and local programs like United Way of Kent County. H.E.L.P. is just one example of a program that could potentially help youth successfully transition out of foster care in Kent County, Michigan. There are countless resources and outlets that can be utilized to aid youth in foster care. It is possible to prepare youth for a successful transition into adulthood and not let these youth continue to fall through the cracks of the foster care system. Its our job as youth development professionals to actively participate in working toward providing foster care youth with a healthy youth development. Implications For Youth Development Professionals As devoted youth development professionals, we have the privilege of having the ability to positively impact youth, and youth in foster care. How do we do this? Positive youth development (PYD) frameworks aide us in understanding how to best work with youth. The 40 Developmental Assets provided by the Search Institute shows us a list of internal and external characteristics by age that serve as building blocks in the healthy development of youth. Best practices and strategies are identified for youth who age out of the foster care system (Gardner, 2008). There are countless resources available for youth development professionals and countless substantiated articles that help us increase our understanding of this very vulnerable group of youth. We need to work together, enlisting the opinions and knowledge of specialists, continuously researching, and giving youth a voice in their own lives. We need to give

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youth the opportunity to speak, to tell us what they want and need, and what could have been helpful during their time in foster care, and their transition into independence. Youth have essential insight into their own lives and may provide youth development professionals with invaluable information. Program Reflections and Future Developments As a candidate in the Youth Development Master of Arts Degree program through Michigan State University, I have been entitled to learn immense amounts of information about the development of youth. I have been fortunate to spend the first portion of my program experience, immersed in youth in foster care. The vast amounts of knowledge, articles, insight from professors, access to countless resources, and the opportunity to engage in critical discussion with classmates, who each bring a unique point of view and experience to the group has been an immeasurable experience. This experience has allowed me to incorporate methods into my daily practice and involvement with youth. Learning about youth development in this context has further cemented my passion of working with youth. Through diligence and conscientious efforts, I hope to further have the opportunities to utilize my talents and knowledge to better the lives of youth.

References Atkinson, M. (2008) Aging out of foster care: Towards a universal safety net for former

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foster care youth. Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review, 43, 183-212. Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2012). Foster care statistics 2010. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Childrens Bureau. Washington, DC. Dworksy, A., Dillman, K., Coffee-Borden, B., & Rosenau, M. (2012). Housing for youth aging out of foster care: A review of the literature and program typology. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Washington, DC. Gardner, D. (2008). Youth aging out of foster care: Strategies and best practices. Presidential Initiative 2007-2008. Issue Brief from NACos County Services Department. Washington, D.C. Hegseth, D. (2011). Extending foster care through age 21. Retrieved from http://blog.lib.umn.edu/cascw/policy/2011/12/extending-foster-care-through.html Kutzli, K. (2011). Policy Analysis: Reconnecting homeless youth act of 2008. Unpublished manuscript, Youth Development Masters Program, Great Plains Interactive Distance Education Alliance, Online. Kutzli, K. (2012). H.E.L.P. a program to support youth aging out of foster care. Unpublished manuscript, Youth Development Masters Program, Great Plains Interactive Distance Education Alliance, Online. Kutzli, K. (2012). On their own: What happens to kids when they age out of the foster care system: Book review. Unpublished manuscript, Youth Development Masters Program, Great Plains Interactive Distance Education Alliance, Online. Kutzli, K. (2012). Youth aging out of the foster care system: Comprehensive paper. Unpublished manuscript, Youth Development Masters Program, Great Plains Interactive Distance Education Alliance, Online.

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Monson, L. (2011). Snyder signs law extending foster care benefits. Washtenaw County Legal News. Retrieved from http://www.legalnews.com/washtenaw/1137800/ Rhodes, J. (2005). Fostering positive outcomes: How mentoring can help children and adolescents in foster care. National Mentoring Partnership. Boston, MA. Shirk, M., & Stangler, G. (2004). On their own: What happens to kids when they age out of the foster care system. Boulder, CO: Westview Press. State of Michigan. (2011). Act 225 of 2011, Young adult voluntary foster care act, MCL 400.641-400.671. Retrieved from http://www.legislature.mi.gov/ (S(ku5n2snu4v1umv45lqbldweb))/mileg.aspx? page=MCLIndex&objectname=mcl-Act-225-of-2011 State of Michigan. (2011). Facts about children in foster care in Michigan. Retrieved from http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/socwork/nrcfcpp/info_services/state/Michigan.pdf Walsh, S. M., & Donaldson, R. E. (2010). Meeting the immediate needs of runaway and homeless youth. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 39, 437-445. doi: 10.1007/s10964-010-9522-9