The Path to Racial Equity: Addressing Disparities for Transition Age Youth in Child Welfare Virtual Policy Summit (Group #2) by Sara Rubin

2025-02-26 19:04:25 UTC

#1 Addressing Systemwide Racial Disproportionalities and Disparities

Scenario: A youth of color in foster care was repeatedly labeled as “defiant” and “difficult” by social workers and caregivers due to cultural misunderstandings and biases. Their assertiveness and self-advocacy were incorrectly perceived as aggression, leading to multiple placement disruptions and involvement with the juvenile justice system. They felt stereotyped and judged more harshly than their peers of other races for similar behaviors.

Discussion Questions:

What policy and practice changes are needed to address this issue?
How can cultural competency training for social workers and caregivers reduce racial biases in behavior assessments?
What accountability measures are needed to address biased labeling and its impact on placement stability?

2025-02-26 19:04:29 UTC

Scenario #1: A youth in foster care applied for transitional housing but was denied because they did not meet strict eligibility criteria, including maintaining full-time employment and a high credit score. Despite actively searching for a job, they struggled to find stable work due to inconsistent access to transportation and the need to balance work with educational goals. They were eventually forced to couch-surf with friends, risking instability and potential homelessness.

Discussion Questions:

What policy and practice changes are needed to address housing instability?
How can housing programs be more flexible and TAY-focused to support employment and education and address transportation challenges?
What changes can be made to housing eligibility criteria to ensure equitable access for all TAY?

2025-02-26 19:04:34 UTC

Scenario #2: A youth expressed that their social worker only assisted with a Transitional Independent Living Plan (TILP) on the day of their exit, leaving them to navigate housing on their own after they exited foster care. Due to waitlists and restrictive criteria, they faced significant instability. Another youth noted that social workers were not trained to provide ongoing support, leading to frequent disruptions.

Discussion Questions (continued):

How can TILPs be better utilized to ensure a stable transition to independent living?
How can cross-agency coordination be enhanced to prevent services and supports disruptions for TAY?

2025-02-26 19:04:37 UTC

#3 Preventing Permanency Disruptions and Supporting Permanency Options to Avoid Instability

Scenario: A youth was adopted at age 14, but when they turned 18, their adoptive parents asked them to leave the home, stating they were an adult and should live independently. Despite no longer providing housing or support, the adoptive parents continued receiving the foster care benefits intended for the youth. The youth struggled to find stable housing and resources, feeling abandoned and unprepared for adulthood.

Discussion Questions:

What policy and practice changes are needed to address this issue?
What factors contribute to permanency disruptions for transition age youth, and how can these be mitigated?
How can the youth’s relationship with biological family members, guardianship, and adoption options be better supported to promote long-term stability?

2025-02-26 19:10:34 UTC

Policy needs to inform practice.

2025-02-26 19:12:28 UTC

Practice and policy change I believe requires deep personal reflection. It calls upon us to understand our biases and also how we affect clients as system players in our incorrect characterizations of who they are. The client defines who they are not our biases.

2025-02-26 19:14:28 UTC

Cultural Competency trainings help us to identify how our brains have been socialized into biases. In this case calling a client "defiant" and "difficult" are racialized terms that are often assigned to Black and Brown clients.

2025-02-26 19:16:17 UTC

Accountability and culture in a workplace go hand and hand. If one person is holding everyone accountable this work can be exhausting. It is important that at every level of the organization we have management and others checking each other on how our biases are coming into play.

2025-02-26 19:19:06 UTC

Policy changes: High on the top of my list is establishing youth voices at every level of the child welfare system. Explain exactly where this participation is needed to impact policy. Identify if there is "low hanging fruit."

2025-02-26 19:19:49 UTC

Cultural Competency training for social workers are mandatory trainings should be on going and they should have a multitude of scenarios that can affect them and how they feel. Social workers need to address their biases. Resources parents are taught about Cultural Humility, and some do not understand how culture can shape a youth and how their culture influences how they parent or serve

2025-02-26 19:20:50 UTC

Introducing social workers/youth-facing workers to different cultures that exist within our community, help them to understand what Black and Latino cultures actually are and foster IRL; and help them get a first-hand, meaningful sense of what different cultures' expressions of community look like.

2025-02-26 19:21:21 UTC

Accountability needs to be written into policy, so it carries the weight of rights.

2025-02-26 19:23:25 UTC

Policy-wise I think we should revisit the criteria. Strict criteria that is inaccessible to youth is NOT serving the youth which is its purpose. Youth should also be informed early on how to effectively apply for housing or find other opportunities..

2025-02-26 19:24:46 UTC

Youth need to be given the necessary information which starts with meeting youth where we know they will be - at home with resource families, and in meetings with their social workers. Youth also need to be taught how to advocate for themselves. There should be multiple opportunities to learn this and from multiple supportive adults/peers. We need to create more spaces/housing units for our youth that are actually affordable (ex. dormitory style housing; converting existing structures especially closer to locations popular or important to youth (where young people tend to work/attend school or job training, safe neighborhoods, places with nearby and ample access to public transportation).

2025-02-26 19:25:44 UTC

Transition aged youth are so uniquely positioned because in the public they are seen as adults that should know everything but they are not taught how to access employment, education or transportation. There should be a community network that educates TAY about their resources but also have support if they are struggling to understand resources that are strategically inaccessible and hard to understand

2025-02-26 19:26:03 UTC

Identify what is working in the system (or another closely related system) to enable replication /elevating best practices with the potential to be effectively implemented at scale, such as SEED program (residential, boarding-optional high school). Also, identify new partners with whom we can work (ex. Downtown Women's Center could help with housing support for some of our TAY population).