Resources and Relationships to
Help Youth Succeed
Resources and Relationships to
Help Youth Succeed
Lisa DicksonFoster Care Alumni of America Ohio chapter
Lisa DicksonFoster Care Alumni of America Ohio chapter
Today’s workshop
Introductory Skit
Culture of Foster Care
• Civil rights movement
• Women’s suffrage
• Disability rights
• Faith movements
• GLBTQ
Consumer and Social Movements
1. Canada
2. California
3. State Youth Boards
4. Foster Care Alumni of America
5. International movement
Foster Care Youth and Alumni Movement
Where was YOUR voice?
• Design• Delivery• Evaluation
Life’s Transitions Do Not Happen Overnight
Recommended
Reading:
Congressional
Coalition on
Adoption
Institute’s
2012 Foster Youth
Internship Report
Empowering Youth to Plan for THEIR Future
What’s an Exit Plan?
*a.k.a.
• “Discharge/Case-Closing Plan”• “Self-Sufficiency/Emancipation
Plan”• “Transition Plan”• “Personalized Transition Plan”
Federal LegislationFostering Connections to Success and
Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 Title II, Section 202
• Mandates that 90 days prior to emancipation from foster care, “a caseworker on the staff of the State agency, and, as appropriate, other representatives of the child provide the child with assistance and support in developing a transition plan that is personalized at the direction of the child, includes specific options on housing, health insurance, education, local opportunities for mentors and continuing support services, and work force supports and employment services, and is as detailed as the child may elect.”
• Ninety days prior to the youth’s emancipation from the agency’s custody, the PCSA or PCPA shall work with the youth to develop a final transition plan.
• The plan shall be youth-driven and as detailed as the youth chooses.
Ohio Administrative Code
Involving Youth Voice in Plans
for Their Future
Advocating Effectively
Life As A Juggling Act
Essential Elements:
• Post-Emancipation Services (if available)
• Healthcare; insurance, power of attorney
• Higher Ed; secondary, post-secondary
• Housing; obtaining, paying for
• Budgeting; credit report
• Selective Services (males must register)
• Existing Court Fees (preexisting)
• Existing Benefits; i.e. Social Security
Vital Documents:
Prior to the youth’s emancipation from the agency’s custody, the PCSA or PCPA shall coordinate with the following agencies, to obtain necessary documents:
• an original birth certificate• an original social security card• a current state identification card
*OAC 5101:2-42-19: “Requirements for the provision of independent living services to youth in custody”
B-E-G-I-N
Name That Logo
The domino effect
Who are the top three
people in your Safety
Net and why?
What happens if you havea frayed safety net?
Ideally, your safety
net
should look like this:
But what if itlooks like this:
Copyright Lisa Dickson
Permanency Pact
What exactly can I rely on you for?
It is critical to the youth’s success to identify those adults who will continue to provide various supports through and beyond the transition from care.
Clarifying exactly what the various supports will include can help to avoid gaps in the youth’s safety net and misunderstandings between the youth and the supportive adult(s).
• A home for the holidays• A place to do laundry• An emergency place to stay• Care packages while in college• Storage• Someone to discuss problems with• A phone or computer to use
Boundaries
Putting together the puzzle pieces from our past…
Whose definitionmatters most?
1. “Some people are addicted to chaos & recreate it wherever they go.”
2. I can make decisions for other people.
3. I can and should rescue other people from the consequences of their decisions.
4. If someone gets mad at me for not helping them, this is my fault.
True or False?
• Who is addicted to drugs or alcohol
• Who steals from you
• Who tries to manipulate you
• Who refuses to change their behavior
• Who won’t admit that something they did in the past was wrong
It can be hard to help someone:
When the person you try to help
lashes out at you
Why forgive?
• Forgiveness and reconciliation are two different things.
• Forgiveness only takes one person
• Reconciliation takes two
• It’s still okay to keep yourself safe.
Forgiveness vs. Reconciliation
“That never happened”
Cognitive Dissonance of the Abuser/Enabler
Cognitive dissonance: “I want to believe I am a good person. But I did this / let this happen.”
Choices:• Denial: “What I did wasn’t wrong.”• Excuses: “The other person
deserved it.”• Truth: Confess and take
responsibility
Cognitive Dissonance of the Person Who Was
Abused
Cognitive dissonance: “This is my parent. I love my parent. How could someone I love do this to me?”
Choices:• Denial: “What they did wasn’t wrong.”• Excuses: “I must have deserved it.”• Truth: “They should have protected me.
I was and am worth being protected.”
Reconnecting with People from the Past
• Am I emotionally ready for this?
• Will this be helpful or cause me harm?
• Am I taking baby steps? (email before phone calls; calls before visit in person)
• When visiting, do I have a back-up plan, in case I need to leave early?
• Have I planned time with supportive friends afterwards?
Keeping YOUR boat afloat
Ripple Effect