Dear Friends and Colleagues:

The Pennsylvania Youth Advisory Board (YAB) is made up of current and former substitute care
youth. The purpose of the YAB is to educate, advocate, and bring about positive change in the
substitute care system. Our goal is to represent the voice of older system youth and work with others
to achieve positive change.

The members of the YAB would like to take this opportunity to share some of our ideas for
change. We want the same things that all teens want: a safe place to live with people who care about
us, connections with our families and adults who care, and support in pursuing our goals and dreams.
We hope that you will consider these recommendations so that older youth in the system will have the
best chance for success as we become independent, successful, and productive adults.

Training and Standards
Higher standards should be set for foster families and caseworkers to increase accountability. Higher
standards could be achieved through:

• Training – Training should include providing information on the different needs and the
  development of teens and young adults (including the importance of giving teens freedom and
  rules that are based on their age).
  
• Screening and Supervision – Quality and effectiveness among families and workers should
  be monitored.
  
• Open Communication – Families, agencies, and youth must be working as a team in
  communicating and sharing all information.
  

Placement Recommendations

• Support sibling and family connections – All efforts should be make to make sure siblings
  are placed together and that family contact is supported even when reunification is not the
  permanency plan.
  
• Recruitment of foster and adoptive homes for teens – We think there should be a greater
  effort made to recruit foster and adoptive homes that can work well with teenagers. Like other
  kids our age, we want to live in a family.
  
• Increase in supervised independent living placements – We want more supervised
  independent living placements so that we can really practice our independent living skills
  while still having some support and guidance.
  
• Age-appropriate rules and policies – We think the state should create more uniform policies
  that allow teens to have the same types of experiences as their non-placement peers.
  These include:
  
• standard policies that reduce the barriers to youth participating in activities with peers
  and foster families, including going to friends’ houses, school trips, taking vacations
  
• standard clothing allowances
  
• standard stipend policies
  
• standard policies regarding drivers’ licenses
  
• additional funds for transportation - OVERPennsylvania
  

Educational and Vocational Support
We think that long-term independence and success would be a reality for youth if we were provided
more support and financial assistance to help us further our education. We want our educational
success and aspirations to be valued and supported. We believe that education and vocational
training are the keys to successful transition to independence.

• Increase in educational supports – We would like more opportunities for tutoring and
  educational counseling. This includes effective worker advocacy within the school system, to
  increase the likelihood of appropriate educational placement. We require the same educational
  opportunities as non-placement youth.
  
• Increase in post-secondary supports – Our post-secondary education and vocational goals
  would be supported through actions including: a tuition waiver for state schools and community
  colleges, implementing the Chafee Educational Grant Program, providing funds so we can have
  a place to stay during breaks and the summer and to help us pay for room and board if it is not
  covered by financial aid.
  

Discharge/Transition Services
There should be better and more discharge/transition services for youth leaving the system for
independence. These services are important to our success and well-being. The greatest needs are:

• Housing- Young adults need more transitional housing and rent subsidy opportunities to
  provide us with support as we make the transition to be completely on our own.
  
• Mentoring – Quality mentoring programs will help us more easily make the transition to living
  on our own, especially if we do not have many family members to rely on.
  
• Encouraging Saving – The state should invest in savings programs for youth aging out to
  provide an incentive to save. Other states, like Kansas and Missouri, have matched the
  savings of youth to help them with the transition to independence.
  
• Staying in care until age 21 – Many youth who have grown up in the system do not have the
  support network that youth in families may have. The state should work with counties to insure
  that they provide youth with the information that they can stain in care until age 21 if they are in
  treatment or pursuing education or training. Youth should be supported if they make the
  decision to stay in care past age 18. We think the state should create a policy to allow youth to re-enter care before turning age 21 if they still need help, even if they are older than age 18.
  
• Trial discharge periods – Often youth mistakenly believe they are ready for the real world and
  choose to leave care. They only realize their mistake when they end up in dangerous, unstable
  situations. A trial discharge period would allow youth to test the waters and return if they were
  not ready.
  

Thank you for considering our recommendations. The YAB would be happy to come and speak with
your agency or the youth you work with to share our thoughts and recommendations, and to discuss
how we can all partner to improve the system. Please contact Justin Lee, The Pennsylvania Child
Welfare Training Program at 484.553.6343 or jml75@pitt.edu for more information on the PA YAB.

Thank you.
Sincerely,
The Pennsylvania Youth Advisory Board