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Question of the Week
Q: The THP+FC program I work for provides parenting youth with a crib (as required by regulations), diapers and other items for their child, and a larger apartment unit to accommodate their family’s needs.
I understand that there are new guidelines governing use of the infant supplement. Is my program able to utilize a portion of the infant supplement to cover the increased costs associated with serving parenting youth? For the answer, follow this LINK.
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LA Foster Youth: Get the Low-Down on Sexual Health + Earn Some Extra Holiday $
Access to accurate information about reproductive and sexual health is critical for adolescents and young adults, particularly for current and former foster youth whose rate of unintended pregnancy is more than ten times higher than non-foster youth age 15 to 19 in California.
As part of a collective impact campaign to reduce unintended pregnancy among foster youth in Los Angeles County funded by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation and led by National Center for Youth Law, John Burton Advocates for Youth (JBAY) is hosting a three-day intensive workshop series. Specially-trained community educators will be delivering the evidence-based curriculum Making Proud Choices for Youth in Out-of-Home Care, a safer-sex approach to teen pregnancy and HIV/STD prevention, adapted specifically for foster youth.
JBAY invites current and former foster youth ages 18 to 24 in Los Angeles County to attend this workshop series on December 18, 19 and 20, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. each day. Youth who attend will be provided a cash incentive of $40 on the first day, $50 on the second day, and $60 on the third day (totaling $150). Youth who complete an optional online evaluation three months following the workshops will receive an additional $50.
This ten-module curriculum is interactive, fun and consists of multiple learning mediums including games, role-playing, video, brainstorming, skill-building activities and discussion. Each day, attendees will be provided lunch, snacks and opportunities to win prizes. Current foster youth can have their transportation covered by contacting their attorney at Children’s Law Center.
The workshops will be held at First Place for Youth, located at 3530 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 600, Los Angeles, CA 90010. MPC+ is intended to be delivered in small groups, so space is limited. To reserve a spot, follow this LINK. To download an informational flyer, follow this LINK. If you have questions, contact Simone Tureck with JBAY.
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Some Phase II Rates Under Continuum of Care Reform Delayed Until February
The California Department of Social Services has released an All County Letter announcing the delay of the Level-of-Care (LOC) Rate Determination Protocol until February 1, 2018 in order to provide additional time to counties to train their workforce and establish clear procedures regarding the appropriate use of the LOC Protocol.
As described in a previously issued ACL, changes occurring as part of California’s Continuum of Care Reform include the newly established Home-Based Family Care LOC rate structure. Under the new rate structure, the age-based system is replaced by a four-tiered rate structure (Basic Level Rate, LOC 2, LOC 3 and LOC 4) based on the child’s needs as determined by the LOC Protocol which uses a set of core domains describing the care needs for the child and Resource Family’s (RF) level of expected supervision and supports.
Beginning in February, the LOC Protocol will be used for initial/new and existing placements if there is a triggering event, with RFs, Foster Family Agencies (FFAs), foster homes certified by an FFA that are in the process of becoming RF-approved homes, relatives, Non-Related Extended Family Members, and non-minor dependents not residing in a Supervised Independent Living Placement.
The delay of the LOC Protocol impacts the implementation of Phase II rates for some placements. For all new placements that occur between December 1, 2017 and January 31, 2018, the Basic Level Rate will be paid until an LOC rate determination can be made on or after February 1, 2018. If an LOC 2-4 rate is determined, the rate will have an effective date retroactive back to the date of initial/new placement. To read the ACL, follow this LINK.
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New Year, New Law: AB 1006 to Ensure Access to Specialized Permanency Services
Over the next several weeks, JBAY will be featuring a law that passed during the 2016-17 legislative session in each newsletter. This article discusses Assembly Bill 1006 (Maienschein), which improves and sustains permanency outcomes for youth in foster care. It was sponsored by Families Now.
AB 1006 requires that new adoptive parents and legal guardians be provided with information regarding the importance of working with mental health providers that have specialized adoption or permanency clinical training and experience. The bill also adds to statewide coordinated training program topics for county social workers, information on the types of behavior children who have experienced trauma, loss and grief may exhibit.
The new law also created a statutory definition of specialized permanency services shown to be effective to assist a youth whose case plan is for permanent placement or supportive transition to adulthood in achieving a permanent family through reunification, adoption, legal guardianship, or other lifelong connection to caring adults. Additionally, specialized permanency services are now required to be included in services and activities discussed by Child and Family Teams.
Lastly, AB 1006 requires, for children that have been in care three years or longer and have a permanency goal, that their case plan include a description of the specialized permanency services used or, if they have not been used, a statement explaining why the agency chose not to provide these services. To read the bill language, follow this LINK.
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Join the California Foster Youth FAFSA Challenge - Learn More this Friday!
While almost all foster youth are eligible for financial aid, just 50 percent enter college with a Pell Grant in place and 9 percent have the Cal Grant, according to a 2015 study of foster youth in California.
To change this John Burton Advocates for Youth has launched the California Foster Youth FAFSA Challenge, in partnership with the California Department of Education's Foster Youth Services Coordinating Program and the California Community College Chancellor's Office.
The goal of the campaign is to increase rates of financial aid receipt among foster youth by offering technical assistance and support, outreach materials, incentives and other resources that are designed to boost the FAFSA completion rate among high school seniors in foster care.
This Friday, November 19 from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m., JBAY will host a web seminar about the FAFSA Challenge. The web seminar will also include information about the newly available Financial Aid Guide for California Foster Youth, a robust new tool that can help foster youth get all the financial aid for which they are eligible. To register, follow this LINK.
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Updated Reference Manual for Dependency Attorneys Released
The Judicial Council of California has released the third edition of the Dependency Quick Guide. While the guide is a reference manual for attorneys representing parents and children in juvenile dependency proceedings, it contains a wealth of information for the broader child welfare and foster care community, including social workers, caregivers and probation officers.
The first part of the guide includes an explanation of the statutorily required hearing, organized by procedural order from detention through to review of permanent plan. The second part, starting on page includes 24 helpful fact sheets. Topics covered by fact sheets include education rights (page F-39), an extensive section of extended foster care (F-55), pregnant and parenting teens (F-129), siblings (F-161) and much more.
The final section is an overview of seminal court cases, which is determined by the case’s “impact on daily practice and the frequency of its citation in the appellate courts,” according to the guide’s authors.
December 19 & 20, the Judicial Council will soon hold is semi-annual Beyond the Bench Conference in San Diego, a multidisciplinary statewide conference devoted to children, youth, and families in the California court system. Follow this LINK to register.
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