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Cal Grant Deadline Less than Two Months Away: Financial Aid for Foster Youth
Foster care are less likely to receive a Pell Grant and Cal Grant than other student populations in California, despite their eligibility. A 2013 report found that just 13 percent of foster youth in college received both forms of financial aid. A key reason for this is the lack of knowledge about the financial aid process among foster youth and their caregivers.
This Thursday, January 14th, the John Burton Foundation will host a web seminar about financial aid for foster youth. Presenting on the web seminar will be financial aid experts Joceyln Vila of Skyline College and Nelya Parada of Norco College. They will be discussing a range of topics, including the major forms of financial aid, key deadlines and commonly made errors.
This workshop is an excellent overview for those working with foster youth who would like to enroll in college or career and technical education, or a greater refresher for those who know the basics of financial aid for foster youth. To register, follow this LINK.
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Resource Guide Answers Legal Questions Regarding Teen Pregnancy and Sex
The National Center for Youth Law (NCYL) has released a new website—The Teen Legal Guide to Sex, Pregnancy, and Parenting— to inform youth, service providers, and caregivers about a youth’s legal rights regarding sex, pregnancy, and parenting. The website provides answers to topics such as: sex and relationships; pregnancy; becoming a parent in foster care; raising a family in foster care; and being a teen parent. There is also a specific section that answers questions pertaining to youth who are in foster care and/or the juvenile justice system.
For instance, if a parenting youth was interested in where to find affordable child care, he or she would be able to learn about the various options available, including the option for state-funded child care assistance. Youth may require additional assistance or support when accessing certain resources that the website provides.
The website also hosts a Youth Voice blog, where a number of youth have shared their experiences, as well as an interactive map that displays California departments and service providers that assist pregnant and/or parenting youth.
For California specific information on sexual and reproductive health needs of female foster youth in California, read NCYL’s recently released data snapshot.
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New Web Resource Available for Providers Working with Parenting Youth
The Center for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP) is offering The Expectant and Parenting Youth in Foster Care Learning Collective (EPY) as a resource intended to help improve outcomes for expectant and parenting foster youth and their children.
The EPY is an interactive forum that allows providers who are creating opportunities for young families in the foster care system to exchange ideas, information and resources nationwide. With an interest in policy reform and community building, the EYP offers research and data, tools, web seminars, technical assistance and quarterly newsletters that focus on aiding young families and empowering providers. To sign up, follow this LINK.
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Normalcy as a Child Welfare and Care Provider Objective
The Annie E. Casey Foundation has released a report ithat argues for a child welfare framework that promotes greater rates of normalcy—activities and experiences such as getting a driver’s license or a summer job— in foster youths’ lives.
The report suggests that while many policies and procedures are enacted with youth in mind, they may hinder youth from experiencing extracurricular activities. Foster youth have been prevented from playing a sport due to perceived liability issues, or spending the night at a friend’s house because the friend’s family did not have a proper background check. The child welfare system, and caregivers concerned with having their licenses revoked, inadvertently inhibit youth from having normative childhood and adolescent experiences.
However, the report concludes that caregivers and child welfare systems alike can utilize the Strengthening Families Act of 2013 to increase normative experiences in foster youths’ lives. The legislation provides caregivers with greater decision-making power, ensuring that these caregivers have the appropriate authority to make more decisions on behalf of the child’s wellbeing (the Reasonable and Prudent Parenting Standard.) Other provisions in the law increase foster youths’ interaction with case planning, ensuring they are part of decisions that directly affect their lives.
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