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Because youth with disabilities in foster care face extraordinary barriers, they require above-average transition planning, services, and supports. Here are nine recommendations, including seven from a recent study(*), to help remedy this:
1. Ensure coordinated transition planning.
At the local and state level, agencies (e.g. child welfare, education, vocational rehabilitation, employment) should form “partnership councils,” with the goal of the council being to create a transition community for foster youth with disabilities. The council should address policy issues (such as shared consent) across agencies, clarify agency roles, and identify mechanisms for pooling resources across agencies to provide flexible funding to help youth establish adult lives.
2. Appoint and train educational surrogates.
An educational surrogate should be appointed for each foster care youth in special education. The appointment processes should be thoughtful, and in some cases, a biological parent, family member, mentor, or Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) should be considered to provide greater continuity. While the foster parent may typically be considered for this role, he/she should be fully aware of and prepared to meet the level of commitment and involvement required. Once designated, the educational surrogate should receive training around the special education process and their rights. The training should also focus on supporting the transition plans and self-determination of youth.
3. Train professionals.
Child welfare professionals, school staff, vocational rehabilitation counselors, staff in one-stop career centers, and other key professionals should be trained on supporting the specific transition needs of foster youth – from a youth-directed perspective.
4. Engage in effective transition practices.
Research has documented a number of practices effective in promoting a successful transition. These include (a) youth involvement in transition planning; (b) participation in extra-curricular activities and general education; (c) career planning and work experience that is individualized to a student’s career interests; (d) instruction in skills such as self-determination, self-advocacy, and independent living; and (e) mentorship. Foster youth with and without disabilities need more opportunities to participate in these activities, and at an earlier age.
5. Develop transition plans that matter.
While transition plans are meant to provide a roadmap between school and adult life, they may frequently be viewed by professionals as perfunctory paperwork. The majority of plans reviewed in a recent study were not individualized. They were overly general, and lacked a description of the action steps needed to obtain a goal. In addition, the transition plans generally did not support accountability. Often the plans had no specific timeline for goal completion, failed to identify a responsible person (other than the youth), and did not include measurable outcomes. If transition planning is to have a meaningful impact, we must focus on the goal of students achieving a successful adult life, rather than on the mechanics of simply getting a plan done.
6. Promote high expectations for youth.
A recent study indicates that the transition plans of foster youth with disabilities, in comparison to peers in special education only, are less likely to address college/post-secondary education, are less likely to have foster youth slotted for a standard diploma, and had significantly fewer goals overall. Considering that the foster care and special education only groups were similar in terms of disabilities, these differences may reflect lower expectations for foster youth. For youth with disabilities in foster care to achieve a quality life, professionals must see them as capable of accessing a full range of post-secondary education and employment opportunities.
7. Consider involving the biological family.
Research has shown that youth who continue to have a relationship with their biological families while in foster care have better outcomes than youth who do not. The connection a young person has to his/her birth parents and/or sibling(s) may be particularly important during the transition to adulthood, when a youth may have little else. Indeed, research reveals that many young people discharged from foster care re-engage with their biological families. While not all youth may choose to reunite with their family, and in some cases this may even be contra-indicated, professionals should consider involving birth parents in the transition planning process more frequently. The study suggests that schools rarely involve birth families in the IEP/TP meeting or the transition process.
8. Gather important personal documents.
Many youth in foster care do not have easy access to the documentation they will need as young adults to apply for a driver’s license, apply to college, get a loan, apply for financial aid, get an apartment, open a bank account or apply for a job. As part of transition planning, work to ensure that paperwork including birth certificate, Social Security Card, photo ID, vaccine records, and other paperwork is in place. Its absence can be a real barrier to transition,
9. Ensure a seamless medical transition.
Early adulthood (ages 18-21) is a period of transition, not only from school to adult life, but from “system” to “system.” Youth exiting foster care system and the special education system will also age out of a children’s system of health care insurance and into an adult health insurance system. They will also likely become their own guardians, making them responsible for medical decision-making. Healthcare transition planning is therefore a vital component of transition planning in general. The Administration on Children and Families recently expanded Medicaid (incl. moving to another state) for youth in foster care.
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(*) The full study can be accessed here.
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