http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2015/07/3000_reasons_to_support_youth.html
The challenges of aging out of the foster care system are often well-known. Youth who age out at the age of 18 often receive little support and are more at-risk to face challenges such as substance abuse, prison, trafficking, and homelessness. They are more likely to live in poverty and need public assistance and are less likely to continue their education. However, support for them is often limited.
This article discusses proposed legislation in the state of Ohio that will hopefully be a step toward creating better support for youth aging out of foster care and the following quote stuck out to me:
"National statistics show that for every young person who ages out of foster care without support, we pay $300,000 in social costs over that person's lifetime. It won't take long for this new program to pay for itself, and eventually deliver fiscal benefits to Ohio." (Mecum, 2015).
Knowing the risk-factors that come with aging out of the foster care system with little to no support as well as the amount of money it costs in the future, do you believe legislation will be easily passed and implemented? Will providing support to youth aging out of the system really reduce these risk factors?
Kim, we have been talking about the new bill Foster 21, extending the foster care program until youth are 21. Working in permanent supportive housing, I can attest, first-hand, to the difficulty the young adults experience transitioning into more adult housing/situations. At my program they have not been as successful due to unresolved trauma/concerns, lack of employment, and immaturity/lack of exposure to independent living skills/opportunities.
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine having gone through 18-21 without support systems in my life, which is often what our foster youth have to do day in and day out.
I went to American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences conference in Texas while I was Student Chair and we raised money for a home that housed foster children who were aging out of the system. The place had rooms, meals and people there to support them and help them get jobs. We stayed and talked with some of these kids and they were all from different states and many of them were our age. It was not elaborate, but this support system was what kept each of them from living on the streets and feeling lost out in the world.
ReplyDeleteI went to American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences conference in Texas while I was Student Chair and we raised money for a home that housed foster children who were aging out of the system. The place had rooms, meals and people there to support them and help them get jobs. We stayed and talked with some of these kids and they were all from different states and many of them were our age. It was not elaborate, but this support system was what kept each of them from living on the streets and feeling lost out in the world.
ReplyDeleteI do think adding in extra support can better their chances as they enter adulthood and lessen their risk factors. But, it cannot start when they are 18. I believe that the intervention needs to start right away and be intensive. They have faced a majority, if not all of their lives, facing adversity and feeling little hope. To help them succeed and overcome adversities in their future, they need years and years of support. Change does not happen instantaneously, and the longer they have gone without intervention, the longer it will take to see change occur. Teenagers in foster care and emancipation has been a passion of mine, I have done a significant amount of research and papers on this topic, and the complexities are enormous.
ReplyDeleteThis is a section from one of my papers that I will share:
The average young adult moving out on their own has the advantage of the ongoing support and assistance from their family; most youth emancipating from foster care are not that fortunate. Caseworkers make efforts to help youth be prepared for emancipation and get them ready for independent living, but many youth are resistant and do not learn the necessary skills. Youth emancipating out of foster care, exit a system that in itself is a barrier for them. They have not had adequate education and demonstration of necessary life skills to prepare them for adulthood and living independently. The general population of youth that have not been in foster care, have the support and help from their family members or other significant people to guide them through the transition and early adult years. Foster youth lack appropriate or adequate family and social support when entering the world, to guide them in this transition. Most youth that have been in foster care experienced significant histories of abuse, neglect, dependency, and trauma. The Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative (2013) notes that young adults who have had adverse childhood experiences are at greater need for family support and support from other positive relationships than the average adult. Furthermore, this initiative suggests that additional support would be intended to help them accomplish those developmental tasks associated with their transition. However, emancipated youth are the children that lack structured and positive relationships with trusting and caring adults. According to Kools & Kennedy, the trauma and disruption associated with being removed from the home and moved among multiple placements increases the likelihood that foster youth may struggle with peer relations, aggression and impulsivity (as cited in Gramkowski, 2009). With such barriers present, a variety of problems follow as youth transition into their adult life.
Research demonstrates that youth who have been in foster care exhibit lower educational attainment, higher unemployment rates, higher risk of homelessness, higher risk of delinquency and crime, lower incomes and less financial stability, lower-self esteem, higher rate of mental health, and less social supports than those that have been raised within their own families. (National Governors Association, 2008; National Governors Association, 2010; Ohio Fostering Connections, 2010; Ravinder & Tan, 2012; Petr, 2008; Stott, 2011; Yates & Grey, 2012). Emancipated foster youth in Ohio were surveyed at the age 19 by the National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD) in 2013 revealing the following; 36% were incarcerated, 26% had been homeless at some time in the last 2 years, 14% have mothered or fathered a child, only 47% had a high school diploma or GED, 24% had part-time jobs, and only 12% had full-time jobs (Ohio Fostering Connection, 2014). In a study by Mares (2010), emancipated youth in Ohio identified their perceived needs as being a lack of knowledge around job obtainment and skills, future career planning, housing, money management, and parenting. 53% of those youth felt that they had not been prepared to live on their own with 47% saying that the hardest part was financial skills and management.
The original HB50 was to extend the age for which a person is eligible for federal foster care and adoption assistance payments under Title IV-E to age twenty-one, to provide a ward's bill of rights, to require that a guardian receive the Ohio Guardianship Guide, and to make an appropriation. PCSAO testified to support this bill but there were issues regarding the wards bill of rights portion. A companion bill from the senate side was also introduce. The substitute bill for HB50 was introduce which addressed the issues and concerns (they removed the wards bill of rights) and has since been passed by the house. It was introduce to the senate in December and has been referred to the finance committee in January. It is looking like HB50 will be the one to move and pass.
ReplyDelete