Mentoring Emancipated Foster Youth |
Introduction: |
Assembly Bill 12 (AB12), the California Fostering Connections to Success Act, was signed into law in September, 2010, and its provisions are to be implemented effective January, 2012. AB12 requires that California counties extend foster care services for eligible youth beyond the age of eighteen years of age and, at full implementation, until the age of 21 years. Children and Family Services (CFS) will begin a planning process to implement AB12 for San Mateo County’s emancipated youth and consideration of the Grand Jury’s recommendations will be incorporated into this process. It is estimated that approximately 100 emancipated youth at any point in time could benefit from mentoring services. The Human Services Agency will be in compliance with AB12 by January 1, 2012, as mandated by the State of California. |
Findings: |
Please note: The Grand Jury Report uses “Adolescent Services” broadly to refer to Children and Family Services’ (CFS) Long Term Foster Care Unit (LTFC), Independent Living Program/After Care (ILP), and/or StarVista After Care. |
Grand Jury Finding Number 1. Before emancipation, San Mateo County’s Human Services Agency Adolescent Services (Adolescent Services) informs foster youth of the services available to them through its After Care program. |
Agree. Through collaboration between the ILP and LTFC units, youth in foster care placements both in and out of county are informed of services available to them following emancipation. |
Grand Jury Finding Number 2. Adolescent Services requests foster youth before emancipation to identify “People who can help me with my (transitional) plan.” The designated mentors may not have the ability or training to help the youth. |
Agree with the first sentence. Disagree partially with the second sentence as mentors may have the ability or training to help the youth if they are from one of the formalized mentoring organizations such as Friends for Youth, the CASA Program, and Jeremiah’s Promise. |
Grand Jury Finding Number 3. Adolescent Services works with Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) and the National Institute for Permanent Family Connectedness, Seneca Center to attempt to find permanent mentors for emancipated foster youth. |
Disagree partially. LTFC and ILP staff does work with CASA to find long term mentors for emancipated youth, but is not currently working with the National Institute for Permanent Family Connectedness, Seneca Center. LTFC and CASA are in agreement that collaboration and communication can be improved between the two agencies. |
Grand Jury Finding Number 4. Adolescent Services does not have a formal recruiting or training program for mentors of emancipated foster youth. |
Agree. |
Grand Jury Finding Number 5. Adolescent Services does provide some outreach to emancipated youth not currently participating in services through YFES. YFES reports only the number of contacts made for these youths. |
Disagree partially with the first sentence. ILP does provide some outreach, but it is not consistent and there is no clear protocol as to when to do the outreach. Emancipated youth are not obligated to maintain contact with staff, but if youth contact the Human Services Agency, primarily ILP, they are referred to StarVista for Aftercare Services (HSA contracts with Star- Vista to provide the aftercares services). Before youth emancipate, LTFC and ILP staff spend time ensuring that the youth are aware of post-emancipation resources and services. Disagree partially with the second sentence as StarVista collects and submits both data and qualitative narratives in their reports to HSA. |
Grand Jury Finding Number 6. Though not required, Adolescent Services After Care Case Managers have begun keeping their own narrative record of conversations whenever contact is made with emancipated youth. |
Agree. StarVista Case Managers, who provide aftercare services, have been (for a period of time) documenting narratives regarding contacts with emancipated youth on an ongoing basis. |
Grand Jury Finding Number 7. Adolescent Services has a pilot program that provides young people in foster care with a binder, “Stepping Stones to my Future,” containing information on how to obtain housing, employment, and education after emancipation. This binder includes pages for the youth to record the mentor’s contact information and to store all legal documents. The County also has a Facebook page that provides useful information for emancipated youth. |
Agree. However, it is no longer a pilot and has been implemented for transition aged youth. |
Grand Jury Finding Number 8. Youth who emancipate from foster care are not obligated to maintain contact with Adolescent Services or provide updates of their contact information. |
Agree. However, effective January 1, 2012, through implementation of AB12, we will be maintaining contact with all eligible youth requesting to continue foster care services and will be providing an array of services to them. |
Recommendations: |
The 2010-11 San Mateo Civil Grand Jury recommends that the Board of Supervisors direct the San Mateo County Human Services Agency Director to: |
1. Develop and implement a program to recruit and qualify mentors with the goal of providing a mentor for every foster youth who emancipates from foster case. For example, hold a Youth Mentor Fair; speak at PTA meetings, religious organizations and sporting events. |
Response: |
Requires further analysis. Youth may have multiple adults in their lives who occupy mentoring roles, such as social workers, therapists, group home staff, educational liaisons, tutors, teachers and extended family members. More formal mentoring programs are available to San Mateo County youth such as Friends for Youth, the CASA Program and Jeremiah’s Promise. Formal mentors with these formal organizations are screened and adequately trained. Informal mentors in less formal relationships may need training and support. |
These formal mentoring programs currently have waiting lists of both youth and potential mentors, so recruitment of adults who are interested in formal mentoring is not an issue. The challenge in meeting the need is a lack of adequate funding to provide both the training and the 24/7 supervision that are required to provide this service to emancipated foster youth. Within 90 days, CFS will further analyze this recommendation to explore strategies and the fiscal impact of ensuring that all emancipated foster youth have access to a mentor if they choose to have one. Access and connection to a mentor is recommended to begin prior to emancipation from the foster care system. Currently all foster youth do not have access to a formal mentor. |
2. Develop and implement a training program for mentors about the services that are available to the youth. |
Response: |
Requires further analysis. Currently there are formal training programs, e.g. Friends for Youth, CASA that are familiar with services for youth. Within 90 days, HSA will develop a program to train informal mentors, not only in the area of available resources and services, but also specialized trainings such as how to address mental health issues and strategies for working with young adults ages eighteen and older. |
3. Determine if the youth-designated mentors are qualified and understand their responsibility in that role. |
Response: |
Requires further analysis. Formal mentors through established programs, e.g. CASA, Friends for Youth, currently receive background checks and training and their qualifications are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Informal mentors may understand their roles and responsibilities, but are less likely to be aware of available resources. By January 1, 2012, for non-minor dependents who wish to receive AB12 services (additional services to be provided to emancipated foster youth beginning January 2012), HSA will design and implement a program requiring that informal mentors have a background check and screening; and will develop an orientation and training for these mentors regarding their responsibilities and roles. These services would be dependent upon the agreement of the informal mentors. |
4. Amend the contract with Youth and Family Enrichment Services (YFES) to require YFES to provide qualitative as well as statistical information on outreach to emancipated youth who are not receiving services. |
Response: |
Recommendation has not yet been implemented, but will be implemented within 90 days. StarVista (previously YFES) currently provides aggregate data on outreach efforts as well as qualitative data in quarterly reports. HSA will either amend the contract or notify StarVista by letter regarding: the need for a formal protocol for outreach to emancipated youth who are not receiving services (the required number and frequency of contact efforts); the need for more individualized reporting; a procedure for a collaborative approach to sharing updated contact information between the two agencies; and the need to refer any emancipated youth who contacts them to a mentoring program to determine the number of emancipated foster youth requesting mentoring services. |
5. Ensure that Adolescent Services Staff maintain logs and narratives of all contacts made with emancipated foster youth to ensure continuity if personnel change. |
Response: |
Requires further analysis. Currently LTFC/ILP services are chronicled, documented and followed for each emancipated foster youth receiving services. In addition, services provided by the Employment Services Specialists’ staff are also inputted into the Child Welfare Service Case Management System (CWS/CMS), which is a permanent record that provides continuity even if personnel change. Within 90 days we will revise our procedures to insure that reviews are completed periodically to confirm documentation of contacts. |
6. Evaluate the pilot Binder Program to determine if it is an effective method to assist the emancipated youth in obtaining the services that are available. |
Response: |
Requires further analysis. Given that the Binder Program was piloted in regional offices beginning January 2011, it has not been in place long enough to evaluate its effectiveness. The binder will be introduced to all youth at their initial transitional conferences (senior year of high school) and we will obtain feedback from the youth to determine its usefulness at the youths’ 90 day transitional conferences (90 days before the youth emancipates from the foster care system). Its goal is to assist the youth/young adults in having one coordinated resource to both store their documents and acquire relevant resource information |
Given that youth/young adults are often technologically adept, it has been noted that the binder may be just one form to engage youth in developing a way to organize their important information. Suggestions have been made and will be explored to provide youth with a technological method for accessing the information currently contained in the binder, whether with a flash drive, on a website or as a download on the laptop the Agency provides to each ILP graduate. |
Within 90 days, HSA staff will survey current ILP graduates to find out if they still have the binder; if the binder has proven useful to them; and if there is a technological method for conveying the information that they would find to be more useful. |
7. Evaluate Conclusions 1 through 5 listed above and the above listed Recommendations and determine if any additional actions are necessary to address the concerns that have been identified. |
Response: |
Conclusions 1, 4 and 6 seem true as stated. |
Conclusion 2: HSA and contractor will look into providing additional outreach to the young adults who may no longer be connected with services. |
Conclusion 3: StarVista does provide qualitative information in monthly meetings that occur between contractor and HSA as well as in their reports to the County. HSA would need to explore how that information can be inputted in the current CWS/CMS system. |
Conclusion 5: It is difficult to assess as there are various types of mentors for emancipated foster youth and some of these young adults may have more than one person in their lives that provide mentor-like services and supports. Those that are in formal programs receive information about resources; however, informal mentors may not have such information so it would be useful for them to have contact information to refer young adults for assistance. |
