Clearinghouse on Foster Youth and Transition

 

Nearly half of all foster children require—and have a right to receive—special education and related services to succeed in school. However, most of these young people lack advocates or caregivers who are knowledgeable about their rights or can help them receive an appropriate education and plan for their transition to adult life, post-secondary education, and employment.

This Clearinghouse offers a variety of selected resources to help foster parents, kincare providers, child welfare workers, educators, CASAs and other professionals to provide effective services and supports for children with disabilities in foster care.

The Clearinghouse on Foster Youth and Transition is made possible through the generous support of the California Department of Rehabilitation. To suggest additional resources or give us feedback on the Clearinghouse, please send an email to Cheryl Theis at ctheis@dredf.org.

 

Upcoming Events
Click on the links below for more information.

Take Action 4 Accommodations Training: Your Rights to Reasonable Accommodations & How to File a Complaint

 

Resources by Subject Area
Click on the links below for materials related to:

• Education
• Higher Education
• Transition
• Fact Sheets, Policy Briefs, and Reports
• Rights and Legislation
• Vocational Rehabilitation (Voc Rehab)

 

Resources by Stakeholder Group
Click on the links below for materials developed for:

• Child Welfare Workers and Advocates
• Educators
• Foster Youth
• Justice System Professionals
• Foster Parents and Kin Caregivers

 

Education

• ABA Legal Center for Foster Care & Education

  
  

• Alameda County Foster Youth Alliance Education Resources

  
  

• Career Planning Begins with Assessment: A Guide for Professionals Serving Youth with Educational and Career Development Challenges, National Center of Workforce Development and Youth (2009)

  A comprehensive overview of what effective vocational assessment includes to ensure that the transition planning process is driven by assessment.

  
  

• National Center on Educational Outcomes

  
  

• Providing Effective Financial Aid Assistance to Students from Foster Care and Unaccompanied Homeless Youth, Casey Family Programs (2009)

  This guide provides important information for anyone who helps youth from foster care and unaccompanied homeless youth complete their FAFSA which now has new questions (55-60) pertaining to students in or from foster care and unaccompanied homeless youth. This guide will be most useful for financial aid professionals, independent living coordinators, guidance counselors, financial aid counselors, ETV staff, social workers and advocates who are helping youth to secure the maximum allowable financial aid.

  http://casey.org/Resources/Publications/pdf/ProvidingEffectiveFinancialAid.pdf and
  http://casey.org/Resources/Publications/ProvidingEffectiveFinancialAid.htm

  
  

• Wanted: Youth Work Principles in Schools, Connect for Kids

  
  

 

Higher Education

• ADA Q & A: Section 504 & Postsecondary Education, PACER Center (2009)

  
  

• Americans with Disabilities Act Questions and Answers: Section 504 and Postsecondary Education

  
  

• College for Foster Youth: State of California Foster Youth Success Initiative (FYSI)

  
  

• Colleges with Programs for Learning Disabled Students

  
  

• FYSI College Liaisons Contact List (2008)

  
  

• Hopes and Hurdles: California Foster youth and Financial Aid, The Institute for College Access and Success (2009)

  
  

• Postsecondary Education referrals for students with disabilities, Team of Advocates for Special Kids (TASK) (June 5, 2008)

  
  

• Scholarship and Grants, The Orphan Foundation of America (2010)

  The Orphan Foundation of America offers some great services to foster youth aging out, including scholarships for college and vocational training, funding for summer internships, care packages to youth, mentoring, and support. Their funding has helped students study abroad and access similar programs often not available to former foster youth with limited resources.

  
  

 

Transition

• California Connected by 25: Efforts to Address the K-12 Educational Needs of Transitioning Foster Youth (2009)

  
  

• Employment Information Sheet, National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities (NICHYC) (March 2006)

  
  

• Indicator 13 Checklist (for evaluating IDEA 2004 compliance with transition requirements)

  
  

• Model Transition Plan for Youth with Emotional Disability, National Center on Youth Transition (2009)

  The TIP approach is an evidence-based program model that stresses the importance of providing access to appropriate services, engaging young adults in their own future planning process, and utilizing services that focus on each individual’s strengths.

  
  

• Moving from Preschool to Kindergarten, Indiana Resource Center for Autism (2009)

  
  

• Navigating Rough Waters: Addressing the Transition Needs of Foster Youth with Disabilities in School - a training (Power Point)

  
  

• Special Education Rights and Responsibilities, Ch. 10: Information on Transition Services (revised December 2005)

  
  

• Technical Assistance on Transition and the Rehabilitation Act, PACER Center (2010)

  
  

• Top Ten Things to Think About as You Prepare for Your Transition to Adulthood, LD Online (2009)

  
  

• Time for Reform: Aging Out and On Their Own, Pew Charitable Trusts (2007)

  
  

• Transition to Adult Living: An Information and Resource Guide (2007)

  
  

• Transition Checklist, Colorado Department of Education (2009)

  
  

• Transition Club (2009)

  The Transition Club, formerly FYI3.com.is part of the Foster Youth club. More than 20,000 young people transition out of foster care every year. If you are starting to think about life after foster care, then FosterClub's Transition Club can help you get ready for success

  
  

• Transition Planning for Foster Youth with Disabilities: Are We Falling Short?, Fostering Futures Project (Spring 2004)

  
  

• The Transition Planning Process, National Center on Secondary Education and Transition (2009)

  
  

• What's Health Got to Do With Transition? Everything!: Healthy and Ready to Work National Resource Center

  
  

• Youth Aging Out of Foster Care, Network on Transitions to Adulthood Policy Brief (April 2005)

  
  

• Youth with Disabilities Aging Out of Foster Care: Issues and Support Strategies, IMPACT (2005/2006)

  
  

 

Fact Sheets, Policy Briefs, and Reports

• California Foster Care Education Law Fact Sheets (October 2008)

  
  

• California's Emancipating Foster Youth: A Compilation of Statistics

  
  

• California State Brochure - SSI for Foster Youth with Disabilities (April 2008)

  
  

• Child Care Trends Research Brief: Youth who "Age Out" of Foster Care (December 2002)

  
  

• Coming of Age: Employment Outcomes for Youth Who Age Out of Foster Care Through Their Middle Twenties, Urban Institute (April 2008)

  
  

• Education Outcomes for Children and Youth in Foster and Out-of-Home Care Fact Sheet, National Working Group on Foster Care and Education (September 2007)

  
  

• Educational Stability and Continuity Fact Sheet, ABA Legal Center for Foster Care & Education (2007)

  
  

• Forum Project - Foster Care and Children with Disabilities overview (February 2005)

  
  

• Foster Youth Deliver Recommendations From First Statewide Career Development Summit, Reuters (January 2008)

  
  

• Fostering a New Future for California’s Children, California Blue Ribbon Commission on Foster Care (2009)

  
  

• HEY Statistics: Health and Disabilities, Honoring Emancipated Youth (2009)

  
  

• Higher Education Opportunities for Foster Youth report, The Institute for Higher Education Policy (2006)

  
  

• How Foster Care Works, Howstuffworks

  
  

• National Council on Disability Report - Youth with Disabilities in the Foster Care System: Barriers to Success and Proposed Policy Solutions (February 2008)

  
  

• Suggested Foster Care Reading, Philadelphia Department of Human Services

  
  

• What Works Transition Research Synthesis, National Secondary Transition Technical Assistance Center (NSTTAC)

  
  

 

Rights and Legislation

• ABA Q&A: The McKinney-Vento Act (2008)

  
  

• Building the Legacy of IDEA 2004: Transition changes in the 2004 reauthorization

  
  

• California Health Care Rights of Children in Foster Care, Health Consumer Alliance (April 2006)

  
  

• The Youthhood - The Government Center, University of Minnesota (2009)

  A discussion of laws and regulations impacting youth with disabiiities as they become adults.

  
  

 

Vocational Rehabilitation (Voc Rehab)

• California Department of Rehabilitation County Offices

  
  

• The California Transition Council's "The Provision of Transition Services to Department of Rehabilitation Consumers Q&A"

  
  

• California Department of Rehabilitation - Services Available for Consumers

  
  

• Direct Services for New Consumers - California Department of Rehabilitation (2009)

  
  

• Rehabilitation Services, Heath Resource Center (2009)

  
  

 

For Child Welfare Workers and Advocates

• Advokids: A Resource for California Foster Children and their Advocates

  
  

• Blueprint Tools for Caseworkers, Legal Center for Foster Care and Education
  Goal 1
  Goal 2

  
  

• Career Planning Begins with Assessment: A Guide for Professionals Serving Youth with Educational and Career Development Challenges, National Center of Workforce Development and Youth (2009)

  A comprehensive overview of what effective vocational assessment includes to ensure that the transition planning process is driven by assessment.

  
  

• Child Advocacy & Foster Care For Abused Children Resources, HILLSIDES

  
  

• Fostering a New Future for California’s Children, California Blue Ribbon Commission on Foster Care (2009)

  
  

• Graduation Requirements and Diploma Options for Students with Disabilities: What Families and Advocates Need to Know

  
  

• HEY Housing Guide for Transitioning Youth, Honoring Emancipated Youth (2009)

  
  

• Knowing Your Options: What to do and Where to Go - Awareness of Postsecondary Options, HEATH Resource Center (2009)

  
  

• The National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth

  Created in 2001, NCWD is composed of partners with expertise in education, youth development, disability, employment, workforce development, and family issues. Funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), the NCWD is housed at the Institute for Educational Leadership in Washington, D.C. It offers a range of technical assistance services to state and local workforce investment boards, youth councils, and other workforce development system youth programs.

  
  

• The Orphan Foundation of America offers some great services to foster youth aging out, including scholarships for college and vocational training, funding for summer internships, care packages to youth, mentoring, and support. Their funding has helped students study abroad and access similar programs often not available to former foster youth with limited resources.

  
  

• Providing Effective Financial Aid Assistance to Students from Foster Care and Unaccompanied Homeless Youth, Casey Family Programs (2009)

  This guide provides important information for anyone who helps youth from foster care and unaccompanied homeless youth complete their FAFSA which now has new questions (55-60) pertaining to students in or from foster care and unaccompanied homeless youth. This guide will be most useful for financial aid professionals, independent living coordinators, guidance counselors, financial aid counselors, ETV staff, social workers and advocates who are helping youth to secure the maximum allowable financial aid.

  http://casey.org/Resources/Publications/pdf/ProvidingEffectiveFinancialAid.pdf and
  http://casey.org/Resources/Publications/ProvidingEffectiveFinancialAid.htm

  
  

• Sample College Accommodation letter for Student with Disability (2009)

  
  

• Scholarship and Grants, The Orphan Foundation of America (2010)

  The Orphan Foundation of America offers some great services to foster youth aging out, including scholarships for college and vocational training, funding for summer internships, care packages to youth, mentoring, and support. Their funding has helped students study abroad and access similar programs often not available to former foster youth with limited resources.

  
  

• Transition Services Information for Parents, The National Association of Parents with Children in Special Education (2009)

  
  

• Youth Transition Action Teams Guidebook - Leveraging Community Resources to Ensure Successful Transitions for Foster Youth 

  
  

 

Educators

• Why Special Education Teachers Should Care About Foster Care (2004)

  
  

 

Foster Youth

• Americans with Disabilities Act Questions and Answers: Section 504 and Postsecondary Education

  
  

• California Youth Connection - Foster Youth Building a Foundation for the Future

  
  

• Going to College - A Resource for Teens with Disabilities (2009)

  
  

• HEY Housing Guide for Transitioning Youth, Honoring Emancipated Youth (2009)

  
  

• Knowing Your Options: What to do and Where to Go - Awareness of Postsecondary Options, HEATH Resource Center (2009)

  
  

• Know your IEP: A Guide for Students, The National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities (2009)

  
  

• The National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth

  Created in 2001, NCWD is composed of partners with expertise in education, youth development, disability, employment, workforce development, and family issues. Funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), the NCWD is housed at the Institute for Educational Leadership in Washington, D.C. It offers a range of technical assistance services to state and local workforce investment boards, youth councils, and other workforce development system youth programs.

  
  

• The Orphan Foundation of America offers some great services to foster youth aging out, including scholarships for college and vocational training, funding for summer internships, care packages to youth, mentoring, and support. Their funding has helped students study abroad and access similar programs often not available to former foster youth with limited resources.

  
  

• Programs and Resources for Youth Aging Out of Foster Care, Child Welfare League of America

  
  

• Scholarship and Grants, The Orphan Foundation of America (2010)

  The Orphan Foundation of America offers some great services to foster youth aging out, including scholarships for college and vocational training, funding for summer internships, care packages to youth, mentoring, and support. Their funding has helped students study abroad and access similar programs often not available to former foster youth with limited resources.

  
  

• Students with Disabilities Preparing for Postsecondary Education: Know Your Rights and Responsibilities (May 2004)

  
  

• Top Ten Things to Think About as You Prepare for Your Transition to Adulthood, LD Online (2009)

  
  

• Transition Club (2009)

  The Transition Club, formerly FYI3.com.is part of the Foster Youth club. More than 20,000 young people transition out of foster care every year. If you are starting to think about life after foster care, then FosterClub's Transition Club can help you get ready for success

  
  

• When You Become 18: A Survival Guide for Teens (2005)

  
  

• What's Self-Determination? (National Council on Learning Disabilities)

  
  

• The Youthhood - Where teens prepare for life after high school

  
  

• The Youthhood - The Government Center, University of Minnesota (2009)

  A discussion of laws and regulations impacting youth with disabiiities as they become adults.

  
  

 

Justice System Professionals

• Judicial Education Checklist

  
  

 

For Foster Parents and Kin Caregivers

• Graduation Requirements and Diploma Options for Students with Disabilities: What Families and Advocates Need to Know

  
  

• Manual for Grandparents-Relative Caregivers and their Advocates, Legal Services for Prisoners with Children (2002)

  
  

• Providing Effective Financial Aid Assistance to Students from Foster Care and Unaccompanied Homeless Youth, Casey Family Programs (2009)

  This guide provides important information for anyone who helps youth from foster care and unaccompanied homeless youth complete their FAFSA which now has new questions (55-60) pertaining to students in or from foster care and unaccompanied homeless youth. This guide will be most useful for financial aid professionals, independent living coordinators, guidance counselors, financial aid counselors, ETV staff, social workers and advocates who are helping youth to secure the maximum allowable financial aid.

  http://casey.org/Resources/Publications/pdf/ProvidingEffectiveFinancialAid.pdf and
  http://casey.org/Resources/Publications/ProvidingEffectiveFinancialAid.htm

  
  

• Response to Offer of Placement - Parent Attachment to IEP, Beyond the Limits - Autism Resource Connection (2009)

  
  

• Transition Services Information for Parents, The National Association of Parents with Children in Special Education (2009)

  
  

• 

 

updated 8/30/10