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