Foster Care Transitions

The Center for Juvenile Justice Reform at Georgetown University‘s Public Policy Institute has announced its 2012 Juvenile Justice and Child Welfare: Multi-System Integration Certificate Programs. The Certificate Programs are week-long periods of intensive study designed for organization and system leaders working with youth known to the juvenile justice and child welfare systems—commonly referred to as “crossover youth.”

Cross-system teams from six cities convened in Hartford, Conn., in April 2011 to deepen city strategies to reengage disconnected youth — 16-24 year-olds who are out of school and out of work, including many who are “aging out” of public care systems. The YEF Institute organized the meeting as part of its Municipal Leadership for Disconnected Youth initiative, which is made possible by the support of the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation.  

With support from the the Walter S. Johnson Foundation and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, the YEF Institute published a Municipal Action Guide on "Supporting Foster Youth Transitions to Adulthood." The guide highlights strategies for helping young people successfully transition from the foster care system and improving access to housing, education, employment, health, and other services. 

In May 2009, with support from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation and the U.S. Department of Labor, the YEF Institute launched an initiative to help 12 cities put disconnected youth to work through creative and effective use of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds.  Four cities - Dubuque, Iowa; Rochester, N.Y.; Manchester, Conn.; and Tucson, Ariz., - received further assistance in implementing their youth employment plans.

The YEF Institute's first-ever report on The State of City Leadership for Children and Families identifies the nation's most cutting-edge city strategies to help children and families thrive.  A chapter on supporting youth in transition highlights the broad range of innovations and trends in municipal leadership.
Full report (PDF) | Youth in transition chapter (PDF) 

Published with support from the the Walter S. Johnson Foundation and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, this guide highlights strategies for helping young people successfully transition from the foster care system and improving access to housing, education, employment, health, and other services.

This case study report highlights eight cities in which municipal leaders collaborated across public systems on behalf of disconnected youth. 

This action kit highlights steps city officials can take to help young people who are not connected to school, work, or caring adults. The kit recommends steps that cities can take to promote educational achievement, develop stronger workforce connections, and support youth in transition from the foster care and juvenile justice systems.

The YEF Institute, in cooperation with AED's Center for Youth Development and Policy Research, produced this publication to provide an in-depth look into the roles municipal leaders play in the lives of disconnected youth and to give an overview of effective approaches and promising strategies.

Formed in 2002, the Municipal Network on Disconnected Youth (MNDY) is a nationwide peer learning community of municipal leaders who are concerned about young people ages 16-24 who are out of work, out of school, and lack strong connections to the community and caring adults.
Subscribe to the network

The YEF Institute has received support from the Open Society Institute (OSI) to engage municipal leaders in OSI's Campaign for Black Male Achievement, a multi-issue, cross-fund strategy to address black men and boys' exclusion from economic, social, educational, and political life in the U.S.  The YEF Institute's Municipal Leadership for Black Male Achievement initiative will strengthen municipal leaders' capacity to improve outcomes for young black males in the areas of education, work and family.

With support from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, the YEF Institute worked with six cities - Denver; Hartford, Conn.; Newark, N.J.; Orlando, Fla.; Roanoke, Va.; and St. Louis - to help municipal leaders reengage disconnected youth through cross-system collaboration.