|
We are pleased to share our third bimonthly newsletter, the DX Learning Corner. (If you missed our second newsletter, check it out here!)
The DX Learning Corner offers the child welfare field information on Division X Technical Assistance (TA), including notable events on areas of interest as well as hot topics, experiences of our consultants and Regional Office members who are currently partnering to support states, tribes, and territories in better serving youth and young adults (in, and transitioning from, foster care, and so much more!
Hot Topic – Embracing Youth With Disabilities
One of the primary objectives of the child welfare system is to help all youth and young adults achieve their goals, but a difficult reality is that the basic needs are not always met. The hot topic of this newsletter is to raise awareness of the services and support agencies can provide to those with disabilities and hidden or non-visible disabilities (e.g., chronic pain, traumatic brain injury, cognitive impairment, psychiatric condition). Helping youth with disabilities succeed is important because they often face barriers that their peers do not encounter. As a result, supporting them often requires specific considerations to ensure their success. Some of the most prevalent and pronounced barriers for youth with disabilities are related to post-secondary education, employment, and housing. Support for those with disabilities is available through Extended Federal Foster Care and the Chafee program but these are often underutilized opportunities by agencies for this purpose.
All youth and young adults deserve a life free from harm and supported by a workforce that is aware of how to engage them and address their needs. “Too many youth with disabilities have been employed at subminimum wages as well as placed in segregated sheltered workshops while in school, often leading to job placements in the same sheltered adult workplaces after graduation.” (Institute for Educational Leadership).
Below are some resources to enhance the support provided to youth and young adults with disabilities:
Division X TA – Target Assistance Projects (TAPs)
The Division X TA team has launched five Targeted Assistance Projects (TAPs) on a variety of topics including: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and/or Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, and Two-Spirit (LGBTQIA+) cultural competency, enhancing home models and partnerships, creating campus-based support, and developing peer-to-peer programs in a variety of disciplines.
The TAPs teams have completed exploratory conversation and rapid assessment phases for these projects, which allowed further understanding of the unique needs of each state. In addition to collaborating to assess needs, the states and the Division X TA team hired 10 Division X Fellows who will be vital to the projects’ implementation, serving as experts on the child welfare systems of their dedicated states. Now, in collaboration with the states and Division X Fellows, the TAPs teams are implementing the identified activities and embarking on the exciting next steps.
Universal Event – Building Sustainable Change with Youth and Young Adults
On June 3, 2022, the Division X TA Team held its second Universal Event: Building Sustainable Change with YYAs. This focus on sustainable change is a foundational principle of the Division X TA team and states as we build a collective understanding of youth-adult partnership and foster care reform. During the event, representatives from Hawaii, Indiana, and Westchester County, NY presented the practices and systemic changes they’ve made in partnership with their youth and young adults. The event also highlighted best practices, lessons learned, and challenges to building sustainable and effective change. You can watch a recording of the event here.
Division X TA Products
The Division X TA team is developing a collection of evidence-informed resources that highlight programming innovations implemented by states and jurisdictions to better serve older youth and young adults. In response, the Division X TA Team is working on several new, high-quality, evidence-informed resources that will help address the pressing needs of child welfare agencies in serving older youth and young adults. Planned products include:
- Structuring Direct Payments tip sheet
- Youth Empowerment toolkit
- Resource lists that provide information about new and existing benefits for youth and young adults
- Reimagining Service Array for Youth and Young Adults publication
Each product will be available for youth, young adults, and child welfare agencies. The products will provide resources and strategies and will promote learning from Division X. You can read one of our recent resources, a Children’s Bureau Express article written by the Division X team, “The Power of Youth-Adult Partnerships.”
We are excited about these products and can’t want to share them with you!
|
|
