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Status of Current Independent Living Efforts (continued)

graphic of a person at a crossroads

Life Skills Caseworker Services and Youth Leadership Development Activities:

The Department's 6 specialized Life Skills caseworkers continue to work in a focused and efficient manner. They are a highly competent group of individuals with much experience in delivering comprehensive independent living program services to the adolescents that they are working with. Each Life Skills caseworker has several years of experience working with youth in the Department's care. These Life Skills caseworkers are particularly effective in terms of developing trusting relationships with the youth that they are working with. We find that these relationships give older youth in care hope for a productive future once they leave Departmental care. This is what they say is helping to make a significant difference for them as they plan to make a successful transition out of care. Life skills staff casework experience ranges from 5+ years to more than 12 years. The Department's Life Skills caseworkers are using group work sessions to assist adolescents with learning basic life skills whenever possible. Some groups have been co-facilitated by Life Skills caseworkers, some have been conducted by a single Life Skills caseworker, and some are co-facilitated by a Life Skills caseworker and an agency staff-person. More of our older youth are now receiving group life skills instruction conducted by contracted group and residential care programs and treatment foster care programs. Group life skills instruction has increased in contracted agency programs using the Competency Based Assessment system.

Our Life Skills caseworkers provide a great deal of assistance to older youth continuing in voluntary extended care after the age of 18 and up to age 21 in terms of direct services, advocacy, and referral to community programs that provide long term housing with appropriate support, employment skills development and support, and mental health services support. These services include working directly with these youth to link them with existing federal, state, local, and non-profit employment support programs that assist older youth with job readiness and job maintenance skills as well as additional direct service provision by our Life Skills staff with regard to these areas. Referrals to employment training and support programs are made for a significant number of older youth in care by our Life Skills caseworkers; particularly for those youth who have special employment support needs. Many youth are referred to the state's Vocational Rehabilitation service's program as well as private employment preparation agency programs statewide prior to age 18 so that these services will already be in place when the youth ages out of foster care at age 18. These services continue into adulthood for these youth.

A significant number of our older youth in care are referred to the Department of Mental Health, Retardation, and Substance Abuse Services prior to the age of 18 so that they may receive the adult services this Department offers after the age of 18. These services include long- term housing and support, mental health services, employment support services, social support services, and any other services that may be required. Our Life Skills caseworkers are often directly involved with the transition planning for youth with these special needs. Our Life Skills caseworkers also work in collaboration with the youth's Department of Health and Human Services caseworker and agency staff to make appropriate mental health services referrals for youth who are not linked to any Department or agency program.

Our Life Skills caseworkers and Children's Services caseworkers also assist youth, after age 18 and up to age 21, with access to medical coverage. They assist these youth with reapplying for continued medical coverage after age 18 through the state's Medical Assistance Program. Most youth who aged out of foster care at age 18, or continue in voluntary extended care after age 18, qualify for continued medical coverage through this program. The few that do not qualify for continued medical coverage through this program are working full time and do not qualify for coverage based on income.

Each Life Skills worker is responsible for, and is working with, a regional Youth Leadership Advisory Group. Each group participates in various planned leadership activities on a regular basis. One regional group recently planned and conducted a roller skating event to which they invited younger children in foster care. All regional groups received training on how to develop their youth leadership website in their local area which is being linked with the main website address shown below. Other planned regional YLAT projects during the coming year include community service projects, continuing the development of the YLAT website (www.ylat.usm.maine.edu), and participating in developing Bureau of Child and Family Services policies regarding youth in care. Several of our YLAT members and two of our Life Skills staff attended the "Destination Future 2000" conference in Chevy Chase, Maryland in September 2000. YLAT members will be attending the 2001 conference as well. These are just a few examples of activities that the leadership team are involved in.

In August 2000 six members of Maine's and six members of New Hampshire's youth leadership groups participated in a joint overnight trip in New Hampshire. There was much discussion about the services available in each state and what they thought older youth in care needed in order to make a successful transition out of care. Youth leaders "compared notes" on the differences between each state's services for older youth in care. There was also time for fun together such as "tubing" down the Saco River and a hike to the highest waterfall in New Hampshire. This was a most worthwhile trip!

Outdoor, adventure based programming continues to be available for youth selected by the Life Skills caseworkers. Trips vary in length from one day to up to five days. Life Skills caseworkers have been "teaming up" regionally to co-lead and plan these trips using a number of different adventure program service providers. Trips are being planned in a more cost effective manner that sometimes includes a larger number of youth involved. Examples of day trips include skiing and snowboarding (including lessons) and a deep sea fishing trip. The longer trips include dog sledding, cross country skiing, mountain biking, kayaking, hiking/work projects, technical rock climbing, and canoe trips. Adventure trips are an effective way to develop relationships with the youth; to discuss their educational and employment plans as well as other issues that they are struggling with. The Department's Life Skills caseworkers have a great deal of experience with planning and conducting these trips. They are also very creative with devising the "themes" of these trips and using a variety of the state's resources in a cost effective manner. Life Skills caseworkers are required to submit a trip proposal to the Independent Living Program Manager which includes a description of the purpose of the trip, activities planning, safety plan, and itemized costs. All trips are subject to the approval of the Independent Living Program Manager. Most of the youth who have participated in one of the adventure challenge trips continue working with a Life Skills caseworker after the trip. Many of these youth were working with a Life Skills caseworker prior to going on a trip.

On February 22 and 23, 2001, Maine's fourth annual Youth Leadership Advisory Team Summit was conducted at the Samoset Resort in Rockland, Maine. 32 youth leaders and 14 staff-persons attended the Summit. The youth assisted with the planning for the 11th Annual Teen Conference, developed a "Strategic Plan" for 2001-2002 for producing a video for other youth in care as well as the public, forming a "Youth Speaker's Bureau," youth to youth mentoring, working with Department staff with regard to relationships for siblings who are in care, sending team representatives to a national youth in care leadership conference this coming fall, participating in the state's Judicial Symposium and in the development of the state's Child Welfare Plan. A neat part of the Youth Summit was a training conducted by former state Representative Michael Brennan with regard to legislative advocacy. A mock legislative hearing was conducted with youth playing the various roles. This was great fun and demonstrated the valuable capacities and insights our older youth leaders have with regard to issues. The issue they selected to deal with was the rights of siblings in care to have contact with each other.

Two years ago, funding was made available by the Bureau of Child and Family Services to support a part time staff person to coordinate the activities of the Youth Leadership Advisory Team and to expand the mentoring program currently in place in southern Maine. The YLAT Coordinator has been of immense help in getting the YLAT activities more organized and focused. An Independent Living Program newsletter, "Transitional News," is being printed on a quarterly basis sent out to youth in care from the age of 14 and up to age 21 as well as Departmental staff. The newsletter is being edited by a youth in care. (recent copy enclosed) The YLAT has 6 computers available with website and newsletter software installed for each of the regional YLAT groups to use. These computers became available when the Portland Department office was moved to a new location. Two youth in care have been working on the YLAT website and co-presented a workshop on website development at the "Pathways to Adulthood" Conference in Austin, Texas in April 2001.

During the past year, the Youth Leadership Advisory Team helped to accomplish two very important goals. The first was the revision of the Department's Voluntary Extended Care Agreement policy. 17 youth in care worked with Independent Living Program staff to revise this policy that affected youth who remain in voluntary extended Departmental care after age 18 and up to the age of 21. (see attached revised policy) This was a major accomplishment in that it gave youth remaining in voluntary extended care a greater voice in creating their extended care agreement and allowed for greater flexibility in making decisions regarding the agreement. The youth in care who participated in the revision process provided valuable insights as to what should be included in the revised policy. The revised policy makes it difficult for an older youth in care who was "aging out" of foster care at age 18 to refuse continued services after the age of 18. The revised policy went into effect in February 2001. The second major goal that was achieved was the revision of the nationally recognized foster care handbook, "Answers." The revised edition of the handbook incorporated nearly all of the recommendations made by a survey of foster care handbooks conducted by the Child Welfare League of America. (copy enclosed) Youth leaders have been going to local Department offices to talk about the handbooks with child welfare staff. We are very proud of our youth's meaningful involvement in projects like this!

The 10th Annual (2000) Teen Conference was planned by youth leadership members and conducted on June 27, 2000 at the University of Southern Maine. The theme for the conference was "Celebration!" The keynote speaker was Ms. Ralvena Coffey from the Canadian Youth in Care Network. Youth leaders co-facilitated some of the workshops. Youth who had attended the first Teen Conference ten years ago were also present and were part of a facilitated panel presentation at the end of the day. It was good to hear about where they were now and about some of the struggles they have encountered along the way. Once again, adult care providers were invited and had a set of workshops available separate of the workshops for youth. The afternoon was reserved for a variety of fun activities including a "dunk your caseworker" tank! Our youth leaders created a new award called, "Friend of Youth in Care" for this conference. This award was given for the first time to Representative Michael Brennan who sponsored the tuition waiver law that was enacted this past year and who is a strong advocate for the needs of older youth in care. We also awarded the "Brad Levesque Award and Scholarship" to a youth in care who is pursuing their post-secondary education. A $1,500 scholarship was awarded to the recipient of the award. A local Lions Club and Fleet Bank have graciously provided the funds for the scholarship for the past three years. The planning for the 11th annual Teen Conference is complete. The date for the conference is June 28, 2001 and will be at Colby College in Waterville, Maine. (see enclosed conference brochure)