Independent Living Program - Florida's Center for Child Welfare

FEBRUARY 2005 REPORT NO. 2005 - 119Recommendation: We recommend theDepartment review the needs assessment processfor high school students and assess need based ona more accurate estimate of living and educationalneeds as required by law, such as preparing anindividual budget. Such an exercise would notonly be a more fiscally sound approach todetermining the amount needed, but providestudents with an opportunity to learn budgetpreparation and financial management skills.Finding No. 5: Teen Assessments andParticipationTo facilitate successful transition into adulthood,Section 409.1451(4), Florida Statutes, requires theDepartment to provide Pre-Independent Living andLife Skills services (See Exhibit 1). The specificservices to be provided should be based on a Pre-Independent Living assessment for children at age 13and a Life Skills assessment for children at age 15.We requested all relevant documentation as of theeffective date of the law, October 2002, for 42 fostercare teens (ages 13 up to 18) in Districts 7 and 11 andthe Suncoast Region. In total, the 42 cases reviewedshould have had 55 assessments completed as ofSeptember 30, 2004. Our review disclosed:Assessment‣ Only 36 of the 55 assessments due during theperiod October 2002 through September 2004were provided for our review.‣ Of the 36 provided for our review, only 5were completed in a timely manner (i.e.,within 45 days of the due date). Theremaining 31 assessments were performed anaverage of 10.1 months after the date due.‣ No assessments were provided for 8 teens.‣ The average age of the teens when receivingtheir first assessment was 15.05 years.Participation‣ For 10 of the 42 cases reviewed,documentation (e.g., signed rosters, casenotes) was sufficient to demonstrate Teenservices were delivered and the teenparticipated in the services. However, for 21Page 6 of 20of the cases, no documentation was availableto evidence that services had been deliveredto the teens.‣ For the remaining 11 cases, the district orCBC indicated that Teen services weredelivered, but documentation evidencing thatthe teens actually participated in the serviceswas not available.The Department provides technical assistance to thedistricts and CBCs, including periodic meetings withIndependent Living coordinators. However, theDepartment has not promulgated rules nor establishedwritten policies and procedures addressing Teenservices to youth in foster care, other than thoserelated to Subsidized Independent Living services.Recommendation: We recommend that theDepartment promulgate rules as required by lawand establish written policies and procedures thatspecifically address the completion of Teenassessments, including time frames in which theassessments should be completed. We alsorecommend that the Department enhance itstechnical assistance and monitoring procedures toensure sufficient documentation is maintained todemonstrate that appropriate Teen services wereoffered to and participated in by the teens.OBJECTIVES, SCOPE, AND METHODOLOGYThe scope of our audit focused on the Department’sIndependent Living Transition Services Program.Specific objectives included determining:‣ The resources used to fund the ILTSProgram, the amount expended for thevarious types of program services, andwhether ILTS expenditures were necessary,reasonable, and in compliance with Federalregulations, State law, and Department policy.‣ Whether the Department’s eligibilitydetermination process was effective andappropriate documentation maintained tosupport client eligibility.‣ Whether the Department’s assessmentprocess of clients’ needs was effective andappropriately documented.‣ Whether selected management controlspromoted and encouraged the achievement of