The 2007 Group Homes Project report is available for download. Please click the link below to download the report in PDF format. If you do not have a PDF reader, please download Adobe Acrobat reader from Adobe.com
CASA Group Homes Project Report 2007
A dream deferredMonica's dream of attending college began to slip through her fingers during her freshman year of high school. Shifting from her mother's custody to her father's and back again, she was finally removed by child protective services because of her parents' drug addiction and unstable mental health. After graduating from high school, she held onto her college dream but had no idea how to apply for college admission, financial aid and housing. "I couldn't put all the pieces together. I didn't know who to go to for help," she said. Monica eventually started community college but began failing after she lost her job and started living with family and friends -- anyone who could offer her a couch for the night. Five years later, Monica is still in community college. She has now to pass one final math class to fulfill the requirements to transfer to a four-year college. She's failed the class twice. "I was so close. It's frustrating. I had to move, yet again, and I had a series of health problems when I should have been studying for the final."
Sadly, Monica's story is repeated thousands of times every year, in every corner of our state. In California, there are some 4,000 foster youth who legally "age-out" of the foster-care system each year when they turn 18 and find themselves on their own. Without adequate social support or life skills many become homeless, out of work or incarcerated. College is out of reach for most of these youth. Only half of them graduate from high school, and recent studies indicate that just 7 to 13 percent enroll in college, compared with 62 percent of high-school graduates nationally. Less than 2 percent of former foster youth who begin college attain a bachelor's degree, compared with 27 percent of the general population. With two-thirds of foster youth expressing a strong desire to attend college, many lack the housing, counseling and financial aid they need to succeed. In collaboration with philanthropic foundations, a growing number of California institutions of higher education are setting up programs to help former foster youth achieve the lifelong benefits and promise of a college degree. Our foundations have joined with local community colleges, and campuses from the University of California and California State University systems, to expand Guardian Scholars, one of these support programs for former foster youth. Guardian Scholars, which is at 22 colleges and universities throughout California, provides more than 200 former foster youth with year-round housing, financial aid counseling, and academic tutoring and support. The program also provides needed services and support that boost college retention and completion by increasing student engagement (one of the best predictors of students' learning and personal development); strengthens students' academic skills, especially during the first year of college (which studies suggest is critical to degree completion); and builds strong commitment across academic affairs, housing, student services and other campus departments to ensure former foster youth's success. Guardian Scholars is a public/private partnership. Philanthropy helps jump-start planning and early implementation by providing seed money to hire a staff coordinator who pulls together all necessary campus services, such as housing, financial aid and academic and other supports. The higher education system co-invests resources, time and money, and collaborates with county child welfare agencies and community organizations that serve former foster youth. All work to sustain these programs so generations of former foster youth can enter and graduate from college. The Legislature is now considering proposals to expand campus support programs for former foster youth. We support these efforts for two reasons. First, we can't afford to let another generation of college-ready youth like Monica slip into poverty and despair, especially when programs such as Guardian Scholars are achieving retention and graduation rates of more than 70 percent. Second, these programs are not a government handout. Every dollar the legislature spends on these programs will leverage $3 from philanthropy and higher education. Ultimately, the choice is clear. We can either produce more kids destined for lifelong social welfare dependency, or we can help them achieve their full potential. When society removes children from their families to prevent further abuse and neglect, they become our children. And like all children, they have big aspirations for their futures. We owe them a chance to achieve those dreams. Would you want anything less for your own child? Alex Smith is quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers and founder of the Alex Smith Foundation. Teri Kook and Denis Udall are senior program officers at the Stuart and Walter S. Johnson Foundation, respectively. Today begins Foster Care Month, which will be marked with a rally at the state Capitol.Past Chronicle editorials on California's foster-care system can be found at sfgate.com/opinion under "Chronicle campaigns." This article appeared on page B - 7 of the San Francisco Chronicle |
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National CASA Launches Volunteer Recruitment Campaign
National CASA launched a new volunteer recritment campaign called Each One Reach One (EORO), which is designed to utilize the proven strength of interpersonal recruiting. By 2008, National CASA seeks to recruit enough new CASA volunteers to serve 100,000 more children within the dependency system who are in need of advocates. National CASA hopes that through everyday conversations with family and associates, volunteers are able to further awareness of CASA's objective to find permanent, caring homes for our nation's abused and neglected foster youth.
CASA volunteers may request referral cards to give to potential volunteers. Those who recruit new volunteers who complete the April CASA training will be recognized by National CASA. There are two components of the campaign that include:
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Personalized recruitment referral cards given to potential new volunteers.
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Referral e-mails sent to friends and associates seeking volunteers, donations, and awarness of CASA.
There will be a grand prize drawing featuring a seven-day cruise for two, anywhere the Holland America Line travels. Current volunteers will receive one entry into the drawing for each volunteer they recruit who completes the April CASA training. For more information and to request EORO recruitment cards, please call: 510.618.1950.
California Child Welfare News
Addressing the needs of foster youth through legislation has been an important aspect for advocates working to improve foster youth outcomes. In order to effectively advocate for their assigned youth, volunteers should familiarize themselves with current and pending California Foster Care Legislation. Below are a couple valuable pieces of legislation. More California Bill information can be accessed at: www.leginfo.ca.gov and http://www.calyouthconn.org/site/cyc/section.php?id=6.
AB 2691 Driver's License (Chapter 865, Statutes of 1992)
AB 2691 allows someone other than a youth's parent or guardian to sign the youth's application for a driver's license. Probation officers and social workers can sign a driver's license application without liability for any accidents or tickets the youth may incur. Any other person who signs the application will be jointly liable with the youth for any damages resulting from the negligent or wrongful act of the youth in driving a motor vehicle.
AB 1987 Sibling Relationships (Chapter 909, Statutes of 2000)
AB 1987 requires social workers to include in court reports a section on the child's sibling relationships and the plans for visitation of siblings. It also requires social workers to notify children on their caseload of significant events in the lives of siblings.
