GUIDE A SCHOLAR PROGRAM-EXTENDING SERVICES TO FOSTER YOUTH: A GRANT WRITING PROJECT

1. GUIDE A SCHOLAR PROGRAM-EXTENDING SERVICES TO FOSTER YOUTH: A GRANT WRITING PROJECT By: Daisy Cruz School of Social Worker California State University of Long Beach May 2012

2. In 2010, 11% of FY emancipated the foster care system at age 18.2.¹ • 40 to 50% of FY will experience being homeless in the first 18 months after emancipation.² • In the first 12 months after emancipation, 25% of FY are unemployment, and earned sig. less compared to youth who were not in care ($5,710 - $7,735).³ • Less than 50% obtained a HS Diploma. • Of those that graduate HS, < 10% Enroll in College, < 1% earned a college degree.4 • FY age 17-18, 33% are pregnant vs. 13% Non-FY. 5 • 25% of FY will be incarcerated in the first 2yrs after emancipation.6 Goals Guide a Scholar Program is aimed to assist foster youth in their efforts to obtain a college education. • Program will promote support services to improve academic achievement, transition from out of care and becoming independent & financially self-sufficient individuals. INTRODUCTION

3. FY face disproportionately high rates of homelessness, unemployment, delinquency, unplanned pregnancies, mental health disorders and, as a result, they are less likely to graduate from high school (Courtney et al., 2004).7 • Social workers, have the training and skills, in being able to better assist FY with their challenges and needs but more so are able help and guide FY through their transition into independence. • Social workers take an ecological approach where they not only focus on the individual but also take into consideration environmental factors that can have an effect transitional FY. SOCIAL WORK RELEVANCE

4. Children of color are overrepresented in the Child Welfare System. • In California, as of 2011, children of color accounted for 68% of the total FY population.8 • Specifically, Hispanics, African Americans, and Native Americans have consistently been overrepresented in the foster care system.9 Guide a Scholar will display culturally sensitive practices in order to be able to address the needs of foster youth who come from different ethnic backgrounds. The program will provide resources that will be able to meet the needs that are unique to specific cultures. CROSS-CULTURAL RELEVANCE

5. Target Population • Emancipated FY of all ethnic backgrounds between the ages of 17-23 who are being served by Department of Children and Family Services in the Los Angeles County. Strategies used to Identify & Select a Funding Source • Researched several public and private funding resources. • Visited the Long Beach Non-Profit Partnership office in Long Beach, Ca. • Specific keywords used “children, foster care,” “children youth services,” “children and youth,” “foster care,” “family services,” and “youth development, adult & child.” Identify Funding Source METHODS

6. Sources used for the needs Assessment • Center for Social Services Research University of California at Berkeley • Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) • U.S. Census Database • Casey Family Programs • Child Welfare Information Getaway. Projected Budget Range & Categories Personnel Direct Cost Indirect Cost In-Kind Expenses Total Asking Money: $126,262.50 METHODS (CONT…)

7. Program Summary & Description Guide a Scholar will be implemented at Cal State Long Beach. Program will provide assistance and support services to former FY to promote academic achievement, financial independence & healthy relationships. Program component includes; (a) identifying and recruiting former foster youth, (b) collaborating and linking foster youth with services, (c) providing foster youth with a case manager, (d) developing structured activities in order to promote educational opportunities and life skills training. Population Served FY between the ages of 17-23 that reside in the Los Angeles County. • Sustainability • Program Coordinator will seek out funding source for the following year. • Based on the Program Evaluations, necessary changes will be made in order to improve the services to FY. GRANT PROPOSAL

8. Program Objectives Objective 1: By the end of the academic school year, 30% of former foster youth will have completed their semester courses with an average GPA of 3.2 as evidenced by school records. Objective 2: By the end of the academic school year, 30% of youth will have attended six financial planning workshops as evidenced by a certificate of completion. Objective 3: By the end of the academic school year, 30% of former foster youth will have attended six social events to enhance their social and relationship skills as evidenced by post-test surveys. Program Evaluation • Interviews & Self-Report Surveys (Students & Staff Members) • Surveys will explore; • Demographics, Academic Standing, Attendance of Events/Activities, Awareness of Resources, Relationships between Staff and Former FY, completion of certificates, Effectiveness of Resources & Activities, (e.g. academic, employment, social and life skills activities). GRANT PROPOSAL (CONT…)

9. Lessons Learned • The amount of time & research that is required to write a grant. • The commitment and passion that is needed from the grant writer. • Writer obtained the knowledge & skills necessary to write future grants. Implications for Social Work • Grant writing is a valuable tool that many social workers need to have in order to create change. • Social workers have the capacity of writing grants to support programs and alleviate some of the problems that many FY face. LESSONS LEARNED/IMPLICATIONS FOR SOCIAL WORK

10. U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2010). The AFCARS report: Preliminary FY 2010 estimates as of September 30, 2010. Retrieved September 2, 2011, from http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/stats_research/afcars/tar/ • Pecora, P. J., Kessler, R. C., Williams, J., O'Brien, K., Downs, A. C., English, D., . . . Holmes, K. E. (2005). Improving family foster care: Findings from the Northwest foster care alumni study. Seattle, WA: Casey Family Programs. • Dworsky, A. (2005). The economic self-sufficiency of Wisconsin’s former foster youth. Children and Youth Services,27(10), 1085-1118. • Pecora, P., Williams, J., Kessler, R. C., Downs, A. C., O’Brien, K., Hiripi, E., & Morello, S. (2003). Assessing the effects of foster care: Early results from the Casey National Alumni Study. Seattle, WA: Casey Family Programs. • Dworsky, A., & Courtney, M. E. (2010). The risk of teenage pregnancy among transitioning foster youth: Implications for extending state care beyond age 18. Children and Youth Services Review, 32(10), 1351-1356. • Courtney, M. (2004). Foster youth transitions to adulthood: Outcomes 12 to 18 months after leaving out-of-home care.Chicago, IL: University of Wisconsin and Chapin Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago. • Courtney, M. E., Terao, S., & Bost, N. (2004). Midwest evaluation of the adult functioning of former foster youth: Conditions of youth preparing to leave state care. Chicago, IL: Chapin Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago. • California Department of Social Services. (2011). Child welfare dynamic report system: Disparity indices by ethnicity 16 to 17 years old. • Hill, R. B. (2005). The effect of race on reunification from substitute care in Illinois. In race matters in child welfare: The over-representation of African American children in the system (pp. 187-200). Washington, DC: Child Welfare League of America. REFERENCES