Independent Living Program - Florida's Center for Child Welfare

analyses and ongoing monthly conference calls and meetings with fieldstaff.In January through March 2010, the Department and Community BasedCare providers will complete a review of foster youth who have reachedtheir 17th birthday to assess casework geared toward readying them foradulthood. Some DJJ crossover youth are in the sample. One of theitems in the review tool asks if DJJ and the child welfare provider workedtogether to develop an independent living plan. Once the review iscompleted, the Department will have some actuarial data from which toidentify areas in need of improvement and, again track practice issuesthrough ongoing monthly conference calls and meetings. This review alsorequires youth interviews; therefore, additional information will be gatheredthrough that process.The Department is currently working with Community Based Careproviders and DJJ to develop the protocol for an upcoming special reviewof crossover youth that involve youth in foster care who are committed to aDJJ residential facility. The objective is to assess processes related totransition planning, i.e., joint efforts between the service provider and DJJto plan for the youth's release from the facility and back into anappropriate community/home setting. Once this special review iscompleted, both Departments will have a better understanding of effective(and not effective) processes so that improvements can be made. It isanticipated that this practice will also be tracked in a way to ensure bothagencies plan more timely and effectively, thereby avoiding crisis modeplacements.National Youth in Transition DatabaseThe ILSAC recommends that Florida adopt the NYTD Plus model andcollect data on 100% of the youth who are and have been served throughthe Florida foster care system.Department Response: The Department concurs with thisrecommendation. Currently, the Department conducts an annual surveyfor foster youth and young adults formerly in licensed foster care. Thissurvey, known as the Independent Living Transitional Services CriticalChecklist, was developed and implemented as a collaborative effortbetween the Department, ILSAC, Florida Coalition for Children andcommunity-based care partners. This survey tool captures data elementsspecific to independent living services.The Department is working with the Independent Living Services AdvisoryCouncil (ILSAC) and its National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD)Department of Children and Families – Office of Family SafetyResponse to 2009 Independent Living Services Advisory Council ReportDecember 31, 200910