A Background on a Shared Youth Vision

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A Background on a Shared Youth Vision

• Information for Our Council Chairs

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In This Presentation
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The Federal Shared Youth Vision Partnership

• http//www.doleta.gov/ryf/

A Federal Partnership between the United States
Departments of Education, Health and Human
Services, Housing and Urban Development, Justice,
Labor, Transportation, the United States Social
Security Administration, and the Corporation for
National Community Service.
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Creating a Collaborative Approach to Prepare
Youth for Success in a Global, Demand-Driven
Economy

• In response to the 2003 White House Task Force
  Report for Disadvantaged Youth, a Federal
  Interagency Work Group was created to
• enhance communication, coordination, and
  collaboration among Federal agencies, and
• ensure that well-designed and coordinated
  programs provide the neediest youth opportunities
  to successfully transition to adult roles and
  responsibilities.

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Objectives

• Develop and coordinate policy, within existing
  policy structures, to address the needs of our
  neediest youth
• Maximize interagency collaborations to utilize
  the significant expertise within specific Federal
  agencies
• Develop innovative approaches that efficiently
  and effectively respond to serving youth
• Enhance the quality of service delivery and
  improve efficiencies
• Improve the outcomes for the youth we serve

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Federal Youth Vision Partners

• US Department of Education
• US Department of Health Human Services
• US Department of Housing Urban Development
• US Department of Justice
• US Department of Labor
• US Department of Transportation
• Social Security Administration
• Corporation for National Community Service

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COLLABORATION
IS THE KEY! Working together the Federal
Partners have accomplished the following
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Prioritized investments for

• Youth in foster care or aging out of foster care
• Children of incarcerated parents
• Court involved youth or those at-risk of
  involvement
• Migrant youth
• Youth with disabilities
• Native American youth
• Homeless and runaway youth
• Out of school youth
• High school drop-outs

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Identified State Challenges and Federal
Opportunities

• The need for information on resources and
  services across programs/agencies
• Engagement of state/tribal leadership
• Models for collaboration
• Common message/common language
• Continued support of teams

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In response to requests for additional resources

• A Solutions Desk was created to provide a
  technical assistance (TA) resource that will
• Provide a gateway to each of the federal
  partners resource centers, clearinghouses, and
  training and technical assistance providers, and
• Assist State Teams with their Shared Youth Vision
  activities.

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The Federal Partnership is Moving Forward!
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Resources

• White House Task Force for Disadvantaged Youth
  Final Report, October 2003
• http//www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/fysb/content/docs
  /white_house_taskfforce.pdf
• New Strategic Vision for the Delivery of Youth
  Services Under the Workforce Investment Act.
  (Training Guidance Letter No 3-04,
• http//wdr.doleta.gov/directives/attach/TEGL3-04.
  pdf
• TEGL 28-05 Expanding ETAs Vision for the
  Delivery of Youth Services Under WIA to Include
  Indian and Native American Youth and Youth with
  Disabilities.
• http//wdr.doleta.gov/directives/corr_doc.cfm?DOC
  N2224

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Maine Childrens Cabinet
http//maine.gov/cabinet/
The mission of the Children's Cabinet is to
actively collaborate to create and promote
coordinated policies and service delivery systems
that support children, families and communities.
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History of the Childrens Cabinet

• In 1995, The Children's Cabinet was established
  to oversee and coordinate the delivery of
  services to children and youth in Maine. The
  Children's Cabinet was then composed of the
  departments of Corrections, Education, Health
  Human Services, and Public Safety.
• In September of 2003 Governor John E. Baldacci
  appointed First Lady Karen M. Baldacci Chair of
  the Maine Children's Cabinet and the statute was
  amended to also include the Department of Labor
  as a full standing member.
• As you can see Maine has once again been ahead of
  the Federal curve!

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Based upon the belief that children's needs are
best met within the context of relationships at
the family and community levels, the vision of
the Children's Cabinet is that

• The value we place on children and youth
• Children respected, safe and nurtured in their
  communities
• Children succeeding in school and schools
  succeding for children and
• Youth Prepared to enter the work force.
• The value we place on families
• Families having opportunities to work and play
• Families recognizing the rewards and
  responsibilities of raising children and
• Families living safe and healthy lives.
• The value we place on communities
• Communities capable of meeting the needs of
  children and families in all of their diversity
• Communities creating collaborative partnerships
• Communities promoting and modeling clear
  standards of behavior and
• Communities keeping children and families at the
  heart of all decisions

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How the Childrens Cabinet adds Public Value

• Coordinates approaches to the delivery of
  services
• Establishes administrative priorities across
  departments and agencies/bureaus
• Distributes through its Senior Staff and the
  Regional Childrens Cabinets Pooled Flexible
  Funds to fill one-time family needs where there
  is no other eligibility-related service available
  to keep a child or teen safely in the home
• Leverages resources both human (staff) and
  financial, that maximizes funding by
  collaborative grants and best use of federal
  funding streams, as mandates allow.
• Operationalizes the Governors commitment to
  creating better outcomes for children and youth
  in Maine.

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Former System Renewed System
Problems reach crisis stage before action is taken.  Prevention and early intervention solve emerging problems well before they reach the crisis stage. 
Thousands of family problems receive minimal or no response either by the State or private system because of a lack of resources.  A child or family receives help the first time it is requested.
Community and State agencies act independently of each other.  Community and State agencies work collaboratively to find solutions for high needs kids with low assets. 
Schools have limited options to deal with the problems of children, culminating in policies of expulsion and suspension. Schools and communities develop a capacity to deal with emerging problems within the school and community system.
Juvenile cases are handled with "retributive justice". Juvenile cases are handled with "restorative justice".
Media highlights violence. Media highlights well being of children and families.
Voices of young people rarely heard in shaping youth policy. Young people communicate their needs and desire in shaping policy and are heard.
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• The work of the Cabinet is accomplished through
  the efforts of the Commissioners and the Senior
  Staff representing each department, the Regional
  Childrens Cabinets composed of staff from each
  department, staff working together from each
  department, all working collaboratively with
  various local and regional partners.
• One of the hallmarks of the Cabinets approach to
  its work is the close collaboration it has formed
  with the University of Maine, primarily through
  the Edmund S. Muskie Institute for Public Sector
  Innovation.

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The Task Force to Engage Maines Youth
http//www.mainesupportnetwork.org/taskforce/
The mission of the task force is to promote
success for all youth by engaging school age
youth and their families in educational and/or
vocational programming. 
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The Governors Mandate

• The specific mandate was to
• create by June 30, 2007 a collaborative plan
  identifying strategies to engage Maines youth
  into school and work
• review state and national research and data on
  challenges and solutions
• develop by December, 2006 statewide policy and
  legislation that ensures any student experiencing
  disruption in their educational program and/or
  receives instruction in non-traditional settings
  are awarded credits or competency of standards
  that meet Maine state graduation requirements
  based on demonstrated skill acquisition.
• report findings to the Governor and
  Commissioners. 

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Questions that guided the Task Force

• Why are youth becoming disengaged from school
  and/or work?
• Who are these youth?
• What are current strategies?
• How do community and state resources connect with
  schools?
• How do we prevent youth from disengaging,
  intervene when they are at risk and re-engage
  youth when they have left school and work?

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Reasons for Concern

• In 2004 Maine experienced a 75 increase in the
  number of teens, ages 16 to 19, who were not in
  school or working, pushing the share of idle
  teens to 4,527 or 7 of youth (Maine Childrens
  Alliance)
• As of January, 2006, 2255 children were in the
  care and custody of DHHS.
• Of the 1,048 youth that entered care since
  10/1/04 and were still in care as of 11/1/06
• 38 (399) youth have had 1 placement,
• 28.5 (300) have had 2 placements,
• 17 (179) have had 3 placements and
• 16.1 (170) have had 4 or more placements in that
  2 year period.
• 1,141 youth were reported as homeless by DOE
  (2006)
• In 2005 there were 417 committals to juvenile
  correctional facilities and 1,870 children and
  youth were detained (Maine DOC)
• School administrators report that 35 to 45 of
  their students are at risk (JMG, 2006)

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Target Population

• The recommendations are designed to address the
  challenges of Maines youth who are not engaged,
  or who are at risk of disengaging from school or
  work. Disengagement may result from a variety of
  conditions that may or may not be within the
  youths control. They include issues related to
  high mobility as often experienced by
• youth in the foster care system,
• youth with psychiatric illness,
• youth who are homeless,
• youth who live in poverty and
• youth who are involved in the juvenile justice
  system.

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The Task Forces Recommendations

1. Increase capacity to identify, track and analyze
   the status of youth to inform decision making,
   allocate resources, and assure accountability to
   Maines youth and families.
2. Provide equitable access to a spectrum of high
   quality learning and service opportunities
   utilizing a youth-driven, family-centered
   approach to policy development, services and
   supports.
3. Collaborate to develop a process so agencies can
   cross-reference outcomes or policies and services
   for implementation, efficiency, and reduction of
   cross-purpose programming
4. Implement and evaluate An act to implement the
   recommendations of the task force to engage
   Maines youth regarding successful school
   completion.
5. The final recommendation calls for an annual
   cross-departmental report to the Governor that
   cites the status of the action steps contained in
   the report and the impact on policy and program
   changes.

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Now the Shared Youth Vision Moves Forward
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What are we asked to do?

• We are asked to promote collaboration and
  improved communications among the various state
  agencies and community based partners.
• We are asked to lead the effort to advise and
  address issues confronting youth ages 9-24 in
  transitions.
• We are asked to be guides of the development and
  implementation of strategic plans.
• We are asked to review all child/youth population
  needs with priority given to those youth in
  transition.
• We are asked, will we answer?

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The Partnership Priority

• The Council shall focus on the following
  Partnership Priorities, determine goals and
  primary action steps to address each over time
  that are aligned with the Task Force
  recommendations, and evaluate progress
• Public and Private Partnerships
• Youth and Family
• Community
• Fiscal Resources