Child Welfare

Expected Results and Outcomes

1. Greater accessibility and availability of activities that enable older youth in care to gain the necessary life skills to facilitate their successful transition from care to living interdependently in the community; including intense focus on completing high school, pursuing a post-secondary educational program, and improved career planning and preparation skills for securing and maintaining employment.

2. Availability of services and activities that are proven to be effective in enabling older youth in care to acquire and be able to demonstrate the use of necessary life skills. All Departmental Life Skills Caseworkers will complete a life skills assessment and use a tracking format that will measure the youth's ability to perform life skills tasks in identified core life skills areas such as employment preparation, money management, using community resources, communication, decision-making and problem solving, and housing. At least 55% of the youth working with a Life Skills Caseworker will be able to demonstrate basic competencies in the identified core life skills areas.

3. Greater integration of preparation for interdependent living strategies, concepts, and activities within the Department's Children's Services caseworker's practice. New caseworker trainings, conducted through the Department's Child Welfare Training Institute, will continue to include presentations by both older youth in care and Youth Transition program staff relevant to the provision of Youth Transition life skills services to older youth in care.

4. Policy and practice with older youth in care that promotes the acquisition of interdependent living skills while they are still in care. And policy and practice that enhances effective discharge planning; offering youth in care the best possible opportunities for making a successful transition from the Department's care into the community.

5. Youth Transition case planning for older youth in foster care that more effectively focuses caseworker tasks on activities which prepare youth for successful transition from Departmental care, or custody with measurable outcomes in the various life skills competency areas. 100% of youth eligible for Youth Transition Program services will have a written Youth Transition Plan in place. This plan will be reviewed and revised once every six months with the youth's involvement. Progress made on identified Youth Transition goals will be clearly addressed with revisions to the goals made as necessary.

6. Engender the greater involvement of community agencies, businesses, and concerned individuals in the development and delivery of effective services which promote life skills development, facilitates a successful transition from Departmental care, and supports an interdependent community living plan. Youth will be able to demonstrate competency in core skills competencies.

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