This paper presents the final two chapters of a graduate thesis examining how a county Department of Children and Family Services can better prepare teenagers for emancipation from the foster care system. Drawing on survey data collected from thirty foster youth, the study evaluates three objectives and nine hypotheses related to tutoring and mentoring participation, employment readiness, and enrollment in Independent Living Skills Programs (ILSP). The summary chapter reports near-unanimous desire among youth for mentoring relationships and highlights gaps between program awareness and actual participation. The conclusions chapter offers detailed policy recommendations and a force field analysis to guide implementation of a pilot buddy-mentor program aimed at improving self-sufficiency and successful adult transition among emancipated foster youth.
The paper demonstrates applied action-research methodology: it collects original survey data from a target population, evaluates pre-stated hypotheses against those results, and immediately translates findings into concrete programmatic recommendations with assigned steps, responsible parties, and measurable targets. This hypothesis-to-recommendation pipeline is characteristic of graduate-level organizational development research.
Chapter Five opens with a contextual overview of the problem, then presents the survey instrument, and systematically reports findings objective-by-objective with hypothesis-level detail. Chapter Six shifts to prescriptive mode: it opens with a force field analysis of the status quo, then delivers four-group recommendations, a detailed pilot program implementation plan, a second force field analysis showing projected improvement, a resource inventory, and a statement of targeted benefits — concluding by tying all three objectives back to the mentoring program's potential impact.
A county Department of Children and Family Services emancipates between twenty and thirty eighteen-year-old foster children each month. These children face many challenges as they work through the transition into the adult, working world. Children in a foster care setting have not had the stability needed to develop the life skills necessary to adjust to living on their own. Many emancipated youth have neither graduated from high school nor hold a G.E.D. certificate. In addition, they do not have adequate basic living skills. These young adults typically lack employment history and have not built a track record of successful part-time, entry-level jobs during their teen years.
The housing experiences of these children — who have moved from home to home — have not taught them the basic skills needed to maintain a home or apartment. These young adults also lack money management skills and the knowledge of how to access community resources. While the foster care system seeks to provide for the material and physical needs of these children, their personal growth in areas such as emotional development, educational progress, and a sense of personal responsibility has not received the same attention. These qualities and inner developmental accomplishments require that teens be connected to parents, peers, mentors, or other individuals who show genuine interest in them. It is through the interest and investment of respected authority figures that meaningful change can occur, enabling these children to make a more successful adjustment into adult life.
The county foster care system and related agencies provide many programs that can aid in this transitional and maturation process, but many of the children served by the system do not take advantage of these additional programs. The purpose of this thesis was to investigate the alternatives that are available and to develop strategies that will assist youth in becoming involved in them, so that the system can make positive progress toward preparing more young people to live on their own when emancipation arrives.
This chapter summarizes the results obtained from the data collection plan described in Chapter Four. Drawing on familiarity with the agencies, services, and programs available, a survey was written to test the youths' knowledge of these programs and their desire to be involved in them. In cases where children were aware of programs but not attending, an attempt was made to investigate what prevented participation and under what circumstances they might prioritize these programs.
The survey was administered at a Foster Parent Association Meeting. For each of the three stated objectives, three subsequent hypotheses were also formulated and evaluated through the collected data. A twelve-question survey was written and hand-delivered to teenaged foster children; eleven of the questions pertain to this thesis.
The survey questions asked youth to respond on a four-point scale (1 = Strongly Disagree, 4 = Strongly Agree) to statements covering readiness for emancipation, support from social workers and foster parents, participation in the Independent Living Skills Program (ILSP), awareness of high school graduation requirements, self-esteem and academic obstacles, stigma of foster care, employment plans and job application skills, interest in mentoring and peer mentoring, financial support needs, money management, budgeting, meal preparation, housing skills, knowledge of community resources, and awareness of programs such as the EOC Teen Connection Program.
Objective: To increase participation in tutoring and mentoring programs by foster youth by twenty percent, as measured by statistical information one year after implementation of the proposed alternative.
Hypothesis 1.1. An additional twenty percent of teenaged foster children would participate in tutoring sessions if offered in their home rather than at school. One survey question asked whether teenagers were aware that free tutoring opportunities were available to them. Of the thirty foster children surveyed, all were aware of the free tutoring programs. Another question asked whether they would participate if tutoring were offered in their home rather than at current locations. One hundred percent of the youth surveyed answered yes. The data supported the hypothesis that it is possible to increase participation in tutoring programs through the recommended methods.
Hypothesis 1.2. Thirty percent of teenaged foster youth would agree to participate in a mentoring program that provides incentives for participation. The survey asked teenagers whether they wished they had a mentor during their teenage years in foster care. Of the thirty youth surveyed, one hundred percent indicated a desire for a mentoring relationship. Several of the youth were unaware of the role of a mentor and needed clarification before responding. The data supported the hypothesis.
Hypothesis 1.3. Forty percent of teenaged foster youth would desire to participate in a mentoring program that offered career guidance and program certification. This survey question was incorporated into the question used in Hypothesis 1.2. Of the thirty youth surveyed, one hundred percent indicated a desire to be involved in a mentoring relationship. The data supported the hypothesis.
Objective: To increase the number of employed ILSP participants by ten percent within one year of the implementation of the proposed alternative, as measured by tracking and reviewing employment data on the youth.
Hypothesis 2.1. Twenty percent of teenaged foster youth would agree they need jobs in order to successfully transition from the foster care system into adult life. The survey questions related to this hypothesis sought to identify whether youth felt they had the motivation and self-confidence needed to search for a job. All participants agreed that they needed a job. The data supported the hypothesis.
Hypothesis 2.2. Twenty percent of teenaged foster youth perceive their lack of preparation for work placement and need assistance learning basic tasks such as résumé preparation, filling out job applications, and job interviewing skills. Eighty percent of the foster teenagers did not take advantage of the Independent Living Skills Classes offered to them; however, twenty percent did participate in classes that specifically taught these needed skills. The data supported the hypothesis.
Hypothesis 2.3. Twenty percent of teenaged foster youth would participate in an on-the-job training program. Thirty-three percent of the foster youth surveyed were aware of the EOC Teen Connection Program — a paid on-the-job training program that gives priority to foster children. This training program lasts thirteen weeks, includes workshops, and allows youth to gain work experience they can add to their résumé. The data supported the hypothesis.
Objective: To increase participation of teenaged foster youth in the county's Independent Living Skills Classes by twenty-five percent, as measured by statistical information from the Independent Living Skills Coordinator.
Hypothesis 3.1. Twenty percent of the county's teenaged foster youth would agree that they need more basic living skills training before emancipation. The survey asked youth whether, as a foster child facing emancipation, they felt frightened and/or in need of more basic living skills training. Twenty percent did not feel they needed more training, but eighty percent agreed with the statement. The data supported the hypothesis.
Hypothesis 3.2. Twenty percent of the county's teenaged foster youth would agree to participate in a virtual living experience such as a transitional housing program before and after emancipation. One hundred percent of youth surveyed expressed interest in placement in a transitional living program, but they were not ready to participate in an aftercare program. Therefore, the data did not support the hypothesis.
Hypothesis 3.3. Twenty percent of foster youth would agree that the formal schedule of day and time for Independent Living Skills classes prevents teenagers from participating. Thirty-three percent of the youth surveyed agreed that they do not participate in ILSP because of scheduling conflicts regarding day and time. The data supported the hypothesis.
In review, each of the three hypotheses was demonstrated to have accurately identified the needs and desires of foster care youth for the first and second objectives. The youth acknowledged their need for the services available and recognized that they felt unprepared for the life awaiting them outside the foster care program — yet in many cases they did not participate in these same programs. The third objective was supported by two of its three hypotheses.
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