Promoting Increased School Stability & Permanence Michelle Lustig, Ed.D, MSW, PPS Laurie Campbell, LCSW, MPH Melinda Verbon, MSW Cindy Charron, MSW

San Diego County Office of Education Foster Youth & Homeless Education Services San Diego, CA San Diego County Office of Education’s Foster Youth & Homeless Education Services Program responds to, assists, and empowers all systems that support foster youth in achieving academic success. FY&HES programs are designed to prepare foster youth to become successful, self-sufficient and develop independent skills. Serving all of San Diego County, including 42 school districts and Juvenile Court and Community Schools

Target population Students in foster care, ages 10-17 At least 30 middle and high school students will be matched with 30 CASAs 42 school districts will utilize FY-SIS ©

Key collaborative partners San Diego County Office of Education, Foster Youth and Homeless Education Services County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency, Child Welfare Services (HHSA, CWS) San Diego County school districts Voices for Children, a CASA organization San Diego State University Foundation - Child and Adolescent Research Center (CASRC)

FY-SIS © Goal: Increase the amount and quality of data available in FY-SIS © to ensure that all stakeholders have access to high quality data that allows them to meet the educational needs of the target population Target population: 42 school districts will utilize FY-SIS © Collaborate with remaining ten schools that are not uploading data to FY-SIS © to remove all barriers to data uploads - specifically to increase school district uploads to 100%. Monitoring that all data uploading to FY-SIS © is being received in an automated and timely fashion We have 8 remaining school districts to assist in uploading data to FY-SIS ©

FY-SIS © Expected Outcome: All school districts will be participating which will increase the amount and quality of data contained in FY-SIS © to ensure that all necessary data is available to meet the educational needs of all students in foster care and those on probation

Transportation Goal: Identify and ameliorate gaps of transportation services to improve enrollment in school of origin when it is in the students’ best interest Survey CWS, Foster parents and school liaisons to track gaps in transportation services Develop agreement with transportation provider to help fill gaps. In Process Track number of youth provided with alternative transportation assistance to their school of origin.

Transportation Expected Outcome: Resources will be developed and transportation options identified by the Year One Gap Analysis. Students will remain in their school of origin 95% of the time when in their best interest when they experience a placement change.

Voluntary Caseload with unmet Mental Health Needs Goal: Identify and secure services for children carried on CWS Voluntary Caseloads that are in middle school and high school and require mental health services via the school system in order to prevent entry into foster care Track the number of students in foster care requiring high level placements due to unmet mental health needs during the school day Create list of resources available for mental health needs and coordinate with voluntary CWS workers to assist in identifying resources through schools for unmet mental health needs

Voluntary Caseload with unmet Mental Health Needs Expected Outcome: Develop a methodology for tracking children carried on CWS Voluntary Caseloads that are in middle school and high school due to a lack of appropriate mental health services and connect with available mental health resources

Educational Advocacy Goal: Improve the ability of CASAs to advocate for and support the educational outcomes and stability of at least 25-30 foster students in San Diego County middle- and high-schools Develop and provide specialized educational training to five veteran Voices for Children CASAs and 20 new CASAs in educational rights for foster youth (SDCOE, FY&HES) Match 25 identified CASAs with 25 foster children in need of educational advocacy Expected Outcome: Improved educational stability of at least 25-30 foster students in San Diego County middle- and high schools.

List of key expected outcomes Youth in foster care will receive the following: Reliable transportation to school of origin Appropriate mental health services Appropriate school based services Stable educational settings San Diego Stakeholders will receive the following: Access to real time reliable data and information

Evaluation Approach Method/research design for evaluating short- and long-term outcomes Descriptive; mixed-method evaluation design Staff interviews and focus groups to provide qualitative insights Survey targeted groups for qualitative and quantitative information Data collected from SDCOE Educational Liaisons, Voices for Children and FY-SIS © Longitudinal; possible non-equivalent comparison group (quasi-experimental)

Key Research Questions Amount and quality of data in FY-SIS © Understanding the barriers that prevented youth in foster care from remaining in their school of origin at change of placement Characteristics of CWS voluntary caseload in relationship to mental health needs and access to appropriate mental health services Identification of barriers to and the value of educational stability of students in care in San Diego middle and high schools

Expected Opportunities Increase school stability and academic achievement through supportive focus in school of origin, academic history and educational needs, with transportation, CASA advocacy and FY-SIS © information Increased interagency focus on the benefits of school stability

Expected Challenges FY-SIS ©: Data systems are only as good as data entered into the system. Matching foster youth, who frequently use different names, have names misspelled, or have different identifying data used make the match rate lower than desired. Transportation: Funding is always a challenge for transportation as well as getting all parties to work collaboratively to maintain the FY’s School of Origin

Expected Challenges Voluntary services and mental health: There is a huge gap of unmet need for youth who can sustain at school, but are unable to do so at home. IDEA limits schools’ ability to help in these circumstances. California no longer provides children’s mental health services through counties. All services are provided by schools due to legislative change (AB 114) CASA: Sustainability of CASA program depends on the sustainability of that funding as well as the ability to recruit enough appropriate volunteers, as CASAs are all volunteers. Challenges will be addressed through increased interagency communication, meetings, surveys and focus groups

Sustainability & Dissemination Plans FY-SIS © will receive data from all sources necessary including all 42 school districts. All feeds will be automated and collaborative agreements will remain current and in full force Transportation pilot project will begin ongoing agreements with transportation providers, CWS and school districts

Sustainability & Dissemination Plans Voices for Children is committed to sustaining increased accountability for educational stability and strengthening the infrastructure Increased awareness and understanding of what mental health services exist and how to access them, as well as knowledge of gaps in service Share program data and results at Joint Foster and Homeless liaison meetings, , FYSAC, California Department of Education’s Foster Youth Education Summit, and with local universities conducting research on foster youth educational outcomes

Questions for other CWED Grantees Does anyone have models of sustainable transportation to school of origin Does anyone have a deep understanding of mental health services under the affordable care act?

THANK YOU!