August 10, 2007
The following items are relevant to the work of HEY and might be of interest to you. If you would like to submit an announcement for a future HEY E-Newsletter, please email srazavi@uwba.org

Support San Francisco Foster Youth!
Donate online. Donate by phone at 1-800-273-1779. Donate by mail. Make checks payable to United Way of the Bay Area/HEY and send to: United Way of the Bay Area—HEY / 221 Main Street, Suite 300 / San Francisco, CA 94105

In this issue:

1. HEY, What’s Going On?!

2. HEY’s Emancipated Youth Advocacy Board Corner

3. Policy Update

Articles

4. “Running against the odds”

5. “We need to create better futures for foster care youth Barbara Boxer”

6. “'National Foundation to Fund Employment Programs for Foster Youth”

7. "Former Helix High star bankrolls scholarship for ex-foster children”

8. “No Refuge” San Francisco Chronicle ongoing coverage

Reports

9. Negotiating the Curves Towards Employment: A Guide About Youth Involved in the Foster Care System

10. Engaging Young People in Juvenile Justice Reform

11. Child Welfare Financing 101

12. San Francisco Youth Employment Coalition Network

13. Behavioral Health Adolescent Provider Toolkit & Trainings

14. Event: Child and Family Services Review California Statewide Assessment of Child Welfare Services on August 17

15. Opportunity: SF HSA Survey of Emancipated Youth Classes 2005 & 2006!

16. Resource of the Month: Youth Transitions Funders Group

1. HEY, What’s Going On?!

Open Position at HEY
Now accepting applications for the new HEY Project Manager position that will mainly focus on the management of specific projects including:

  • Youth Leadership and Political Participation (Multi-year project)
  • Bay Area Expanded Benefits Demonstration Project (One-year project)
  • Foster Youth Housing Toolkit (Multi-year project)
  • Development of and expansion of Foster Youth Emancipation Binders (One-year project)

Other projects and work are described in detail in the job description. Please forward to interested parties.

Check out the new updates on HEY’s website!
HEY’s website has been updated with new information, new resources, our new video, and lots of pictures and archives from past events.  Please be sure to stop by at www.heysf.org!

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2. HEY’s Emancipated Youth Advocacy Board (EYAB) Corner

On July 31st we celebrated the end of EYAB 2006-2007 term.  We were so proud of the work both Lanette Scott and Dylan Ruggles were able to accomplish this past year. To find out more about their great work, visit our website.

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3. Policy Update

John Burton Foundation THP-Plus Alert: Budget Update
Monday, August 2, 2007—As many of you have seen in the news, the State Senate has not been able to reach a budget agreement for the 2007-08 fiscal year.  The Senate is still one vote shy of the two-thirds majority needed to pass the budget and submit it to Governor Schwarzenegger for his signature.  

Due to the stalemate, travel restrictions have been lifted on the Senate, and budget negotiations may not resume for 2 weeks, when the Assembly returns from a summer recess. Click here for a related article in the San Francisco Chronicle. After the budget is passed, the California Department of Social Services will allocate the total THP-Plus budget to individual counties, so that they know how much funding is available for their individual THP-Plus programs. This process is usually complete 30 to 45 days after the budget has been passed.

The Assembly budget proposal includes $25 million for THP-Plus expenses incurred during 2007-08, and an additional $10.5 million for any costs incurred by counties during the 2006-07 fiscal year that went beyond the approved budget.

We will continue to provide updates as they become available. If you have any questions, please contact Michele Byrnes at (415) 693-1323 or michele@johnburtonfoundation.org.

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ARTICLES

4.“Running against the odds” By Anita Creamer, Sacramento Bee, July 29, 2007
Elsa Barthson is running for her life. At 19, she's a former foster youth struggling to make her way in the world. Some days, she can barely afford to eat. But she can run, and running has made all the difference: She was a member of the American River College women's track team that won the community college state championships last spring, and now she's weighing scholarship offers from four-year schools. She'd like to study criminal justice and work as a psychologist in the prison system one day… go to article >

5.“We need to create better futures for foster care youth Barbara Boxer” Letter to Editor, Inside Bay Area, July 26, 2007
For many of the 513,000 children and teenagers in our foster care system, having a permanent "home" to grow up in is a dream that will never be realized.

The foster care system is often a last resort — offering a safe environment when there is nowhere else to turn, or providing a family for children who have been separated from their own… go to article >

6.“National Foundation to Fund Employment Programs for Foster Youth” Press Release, July 18, 2007
SEATTLE, July 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Casey Family Programs have made a commitment to support youth employment programs serving over 800 current and former foster youth. The five programs, located in Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, and New York City, will receive $675,000 of Casey Family Programs' investment this year… go to article >

7.“Former Helix High star bankrolls scholarship for ex-foster children” by Sherry Saavedra, Union Tribune, July 17, 2007
Candy Morales hasn't caught many breaks.

She was born to a prostitute hooked on drugs. She was handed to a stranger at 6 months. She was thrust into the foster care system at age 10 and took an office job at 14 to help support herself.

Now Morales, 23, and nine other former foster youths will receive what is probably the biggest break of their lives—a full scholarship to San Diego State University, courtesy of the university and San Francisco 49ers quarterback Alex Smith, a Helix High School graduate who was the NFL's top draft pick in 2005… go to article >

8. “No Refuge” San Francisco Chronicle ongoing coverage of foster care system
The San Francisco Chronicle continues to devote significant coverage to foster youth.  Below are links to the coverage since our last newsletter.

August 2
“Editorial: The incompletion rule”

July 29
”Therapy dog heels, drools—and heals—in kids’ shelter”

July 21
“Foster Program for Immigrants Criticized”

July 18
“Caille Millener: Help Sade Daniels go to college!”

July 17
This article is not part of series, but concerns the foster care community and advocates—
“FBI police in prostitution sweep”

July 15
“Jefferson Award Presented to Winnie Stewart—a lifelong love of babies leads to long service as foster mother”

July 12
“Crazy love ‘The Insufficiency of Maps’—debut novel is coming-of-age story about growing up on the fringe” (including spending time in foster care)

July 8
“A life lesson learned under the pressure of exams”

July 2
“How to help Sade”

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REPORTS

9. Negotiating the Curves Towards Employment: A Guide About Youth Involved in the Foster Care System
[From Introduction]
The youth involved in the foster care system are one of the most vulnerable populations in our society. Of the more than 500,000 children in foster care, 30 to 40% are also in special education. But this number does not capture all youth with disabilities in the foster care system. One study estimated that between 20 to 60% of young children entering foster care have a developmental disability or delay.

Building upon the NCWD/Youth organizing framework, Guideposts for Success, which details what research says all youth, including youth with disabilities, need to successfully transition to adulthood, this publication applies the Guideposts to meeting the needs of youth in foster care with and without disabilities.
The Guide also provides facts and statistics about youth involved in the foster care system; gives examples of states and communities that are changing policy and practices; identifies areas requiring further attention by policy makers and providers of services; and identifies resources and tools to assist cross-system collaborative efforts.

Download the complete guide.

10.Engaging Young People in Juvenile Justice Reform
A new policy brief from the National Collaboration for Youth and National Juvenile Justice Network raises issues that can be considered when embarking on an effort to incorporate youth in juvenile justice reform efforts. It addresses the challenges involved in recruiting and retaining young people and highlights various community-based and governmental organizations that empower youth to advocate for, and provide significant input into, system reform.

Download the full report.

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11. Child Welfare Financing 101
The North American Council on Adoptable Children (NACA) has issued a report on "Child Welfare Financing 101”. Since 2005, NACAC has been proud to be a part of a team of child advocates working to raise awareness about child welfare reform recommendations made by the Pew Commission. In its recommendations, released in May 2004, the Pew Commission focused on reform in two key areas that underlie many of the problems in child welfare today: a federal financing structure that encourages over-reliance on placement of children in foster care, and a court system that lacks sufficient capacity to move children swiftly out of foster care and into permanent families.

Download the full report. 

12. San Francisco Youth Employment Coalition Network
The San Francisco Youth Employment Coalition (YEC) has posted information on their group site about  the recent Mental Health Needs of Youth Forum on July 11.  IF you are interested in finding out more about this group, contact Glenn Eagleson" at glenneagleson@yahoo.com. 

The group represents the joint commitment of over sixty public and private non-profit youth service providers to:

  • Advocate for a comprehensive city policy to increase youth employment opportunities and training programs.
  • Improve communication and cooperation among youth serving agencies.
  • Engage in a working partnership with business and corporations to:
    • expand the jobs base for youth.
    • ensure preparation of a qualified workforce.
    • respond to changing business needs and hiring patterns
  • Maximize efficient use of current resources.
  • Raise public awareness of youth employment and training.
  • Increase the utilization of youth employment and training services by the public and private sector.
  • Advance the positive image of young people.

Working with youth from every neighborhood, every ethnicity and economic level, with a special emphasis on "at-risk" youth, the coalition has established a unique reputation for its ability to mobilize action, to create a forum for innovative planning, and to build strong alliances between the business and corporate community and non-profit youth service providers.

One of the useful resources on the site is information providing an overview of services provided by the Wellness Initiative.  Download the document.

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13. Behavioral Health Adolescent Provider Toolkit & Trainings
After three years of development, the Adolescent Health Working Group is finally ready to unveil the Behavioral Health Adolescent Provider Toolkit.  Developed by and for health care providers, this toolkit takes a closer look at common adolescent mental health and substance use issues and includes:

  • Screening and assessment tools
  • Twelve mental health and substance use issue briefs
  • Evaluation and treatment algorithms for general behavioral health concerns, depression, and Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
  • Brief office interventions and counseling guidelines
  • Health education materials for teens and their parents/adult caregivers
  • Online resources and hotlines

You can download a FREE copy or purchase a hard copy of the Behavioral Health Toolkit by visiting our website www.ahwg.net.  We hope the Adolescent Provider Toolkit series and other Adolescent Health Working Group publications will aid you as you improve the health of young people.

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14. EVENT: Child and Family Services Review California Statewide Assessment of Child Welfare Services on August 17

The California Department of Social Services has begun preparing to carryout its Child and Family Services Review.  As part of this process, the State is convening stakeholders to gather input from a broad spectrum of child welfare consumers, providers, and professionals about how well California’s child welfare system is ensuring safety, permanency, and well-being of children, youth, and their families.  Click here for additional information about the August 17 convening in Sacramento. 

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15. Opportunity: SF HSA Survey of Emancipated Youth Classes 2005 & 2006!

Deirdre Keane is working on research project for the City and County of San Francisco’s Human Services Agency (HSA).  As part of the research she is conducting a survey of emancipated foster youth from 2005 and 2006, examine the outcomes and evaluate the needs of emancipated foster youth who participated in ILSP.  The survey consists of 14 questions and there is a $50 gift certificate after completion.  She is accepting responses till mid-August.  For more information contact Deidre Keane at Deirdre.Keane@sfgov.org or 415-557-5381.

Questions or additional information contact Deidre Keane at 415-557-5381 or Deirdre.Keane@sfgov.org

16. Resource of the Month: Youth Transitions Funders Group

The Youth Transition Funders Group is a network of grantmakers whose mission is to help all youth make a successful transition to adulthood by age 25.

Most young people make a safe passage from adolescence to adulthood with the support of their families, caring adults, communities, and schools. However, youth with few supports – such as teens aging out of the foster care system, youth who don't finish high school, or youth in the juvenile justice system – need help to find the right path to success.

The YTFG is dedicated to improving the lives of the 3 million young people, between the ages of 14 and 24, in need of extra support.   They have great reports and resources for interested providers.

Visit this site at : http://www.ytfg.org/index.html

For more information or to submit an announcement for September, please contact Sara Razavi at 415-808-4435 or srazavi@uwba.org.

Honoring Emancipated Youth
A Community Project of United Way of the Bay Area /
221 Main Street, Suite 300
San Francisco, CA 94105 /
415.808.4435
Visit us at: www.heysf.org