Policy Solutions to Improve Outcomes for All

Youth and Young Adults Who Experience Foster Care

About Us

Journey to Success is a policy advocacy campaign that seeks to improve opportunities and outcomes for all youth and young adults who experience foster care by promoting their healing, family connections, and economic security.

CELEBRATING AN ADVOCACY MOVEMENT:

POLICY MILESTONES ACHIEVED BY YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS WITH FOSTER CARE EXPERIENCE

Proudly Issues a Celebratory Report Marking Policy Milestones Achieved by Youth

Journey to Success created the Milestone report to:

• Educate emerging advocates on the powerful legacy of youth-driven advocacy they are joining
• Spotlight the individuals and organizations behind big policy wins over the last 25 years and a thriving foster care advocacy movement
• Encourage advocates everywhere to drive much-needed progress for youth in and from foster care

Table of Contents

7 Key Issues

7 Key Issues Shaped by the Youth-Driven Advocacy Movement

• Youth Engagement In Policy
• Family Connections and Permanency
• Reducing Congregate Care
• Education and Employment
• Health and Mental Health
• Housing and Income
• Prevention

Select each Key Issue to navigate to specific section of report!

4 Key Allies

4 Key Allies in the Youth-Driven

Advocacy Movement

Philanthropy

Research

Media

Legislators

Select each Key Ally to navigate to specific section of report!

25 Local, State and Federal Policy Milestones

25 Local, State, and Federal Policy Milestones Made Possible by the Youth-Driven Advocacy Movement

#1 Chafee Program

#2 Youth Advisory Boards

#3 Education and

Training Vouchers

#4 Subsidized Guardianship

#5 Fostering

Connections Act

Select each Milestone to navigate to specific section of report!

25 Local, State, and Federal Policy Milestones Made Possible by the Youth-Driven Advocacy Movement

#6 Seita Scholars

#7 Extending

Medicaid Coverage

#8 National Youth in

Transition Database

#9 Federal Oversight of Psychotropic Medications

#10 Sibling Bill of Rights

Select each Milestone to navigate to specific section of report!

25 Local, State, and Federal Policy Milestones Made Possible by the Youth-Driven Advocacy Movement

#11 "Normalcy"

Legislation

#12 Foster Youth Bill of Rights

#13 Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families Act

#14 Every Student Succeeds Act

#15 Family First Prevention Services Act

Select each Milestone to navigate to specific section of report!

25 Local, State, and Federal Policy Milestones Made Possible by the Youth-Driven Advocacy Movement

#16 Fair Futures Movement

#17 Smartphone and

Wireless Access

#18 Fostering Stable

Housing Opportunities Act

#19 UpChafee Campaign

#20 Extended Foster Care

Select each Milestone to navigate to specific section of report!

25 Local, State, and Federal Policy Milestones Made Possible by the Youth-Driven Advocacy Movement

#21 Notification of Federal Benefits

#22 Ombudsman Offices

#23 Indian Child

Welfare Act

#24 Kinship Caregiving

#25 SOUL Family

Select each Milestone to navigate to specific section of report!

Driving Future Change!

Optimize Extended Foster Care

Young people made the case for extended foster care in 2008. Since that time, access to extended care has grown, as has our knowledge of the kinds of supports and services youth and young adults need to thrive.

OPPORTUNITY: Help more youth benefit from extended foster care on their steep climb to adulthood by:

• Improving access to extended foster care.
• Providing specialized case management, coaching, and mentoring.
• Plugging youth into meaningful opportunities to get education and training that build a foundation for a career and economic security.
• Providing states more incentives and support to produce good outcomes.

Promote Educational Success and Economic Security

Youth-led reforms have increased secondary and postsecondary educational supports for youth in and leaving foster care.

• The Every Student Succeeds Act has improved school stability and created the critical Point of Contact role for K-12 students in foster care.
• The Education and Training Vouchers (ETV) program has helped reduce financial barriers to postsecondary education and training.
• Local programs like the Seita Scholars Program and the Fair Futures Movement have demonstrated the effectiveness of comprehensive, individualized student support.

OPPORTUNITY: Expand these gains by allocating additional funds for education through the Chafee program.

• These funds will help address barriers to high school graduation through educational coaching, tutoring, and college and training search support—helping students take the next step toward postsecondary education and training and lifelong economic security.
• Targeted educational support will fill existing gaps and help maximize the potential of existing programs like ETV, the Pell Grant, and state financial aid and scholarships.

Improve Accountability, Efficiency, and Knowledge of Existing Programs

Despite widespread need, the underutilization of Chafee, ETV, and related services continues to mean that young people do not get the support and resources they need to make the successful transition to adulthood.

OPPORTUNITY: Plug more youth into existing services by:

• Requiring earlier and more frequent notification of programs and services.
• Ensuring outreach and notification processes are informed and led by young people to help guarantee their effectiveness.
• Leveraging technology like easy-to-navigate websites and apps to provide up-to-date information on the service array to young people, their supporters, and stakeholders.
• Providing earlier access to vital documents and increased oversight and technical assistance to states to ensure that access to identification documents does not stand in the way of access to opportunities for support, programs, and employment.

Invest in Peer Delivered Services

A recent report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) is shining a brighter spotlight on the underutilization of Chafee, ETV, and related services, despite tremendous need. The federal watchdog report highlighted how some states return a portion of their federal Chafee and ETV allocations, citing administrative barriers and implementation challenges.

OPPORTUNITY: Modernize outreach and service delivery by utilizing peers.

• The GAO report and growing research show the effectiveness of peer-delivered services as a strategy for improving engagement and building skills of peer leaders and supporters.
• States can currently use Chafee funds (and Title IV-B funds) to provide peer-delivered services.

Create A Designated Fund for Support Costs Related to Driving

Years of advocacy have shown that youth in foster care face barriers to driving. This puts them at a disadvantage compared to their peers in terms of access to education, training, and employment.

OPPORTUNITY: Replicate proven driving programs to give more youth the keys to employment and educational success.

• Programs in Florida and Indiana have demonstrated that investments in driving are correlated with employment and educational attainment, which are critical to a successful transition to adulthood.

Discussion + Feedback

Access the Policy Milestone Report at:

www.journeytosuccess.org

Don’t forget to tag + share!

@journeycampaign

- Journey to Success Campaign Team

Thank�You!

Add your own slides using our two custom layouts!

• While we wish we had time to deep dive into all of the amazing youth-driven accomplishments captured in the Milestone Report, this slide deck is only a high-level overview.
• We’ve created this space for you/your team to draw from the report and include more detail about the issue area, ally to the movement, or milestone that most resonates with your ongoing advocacy work.

REMINDER: each individual issue area, ally and milestone is hyperlinked within this presentation for easy reference.

Add your own slides using our two custom layouts!

• While we wish we had time to deep dive into all of the amazing youth-driven accomplishments captured in the Milestone Report, this slide deck is only a high-level overview.
• We’ve created this space for you/your team to draw from the report and include more detail about the issue area, ally to the movement, or milestone that most resonates with your ongoing advocacy work.

REMINDER: each individual issue area, ally and milestone is hyperlinked within this presentation for easy reference.