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