There is little hope for a good future for foster youth who age out of the foster care system without a permanent family. These young people often drop out of school, become unemployed, homeless, or end up incarcerated. Aging out of foster care without a permanent home is the highest risk outcome for a foster youth. Nationally, about 25,000 young adults between the ages of 18 and 21 leave foster care each year. In 2009, approximately 435 Indiana children in foster care turned 18 and faced aging out of the system without a permanent family.
Because of the concerns for these older youth, the National CASA Association developed the Fostering Futures pilot project, which was underwritten by the Wal-Mart Foundation. They selected the Indiana State Office of GAL/CASA as one of 16 programs in the nation to participate and awarded a $75,000 implementation grant.
The National CASA Association goal was for each state pilot site to train at least 75 volunteers utilizing the association’s new draft curriculum called Fostering Futures: Supporting Youth Transitions into Adulthood. The volunteers were trained to work with older youth focusing on a concept called “possible selves,” which helps young people achieve their full potential by visualizing a positive self-identity and avoiding a negative one. In the training, GAL/CASA volunteers learn how to work with youth in planning for a positive future. The volunteers help the youth identify their strengths. They ask questions such as:
- Where do you see yourself in one year?
- What are some short, medium and long term goals that can lead to a better future?
- What skills or tools do you need to get there?
- What should you avoid in order to accomplish these goals?
The CASA volunteers are also trained to help the foster youth complete a needs assessment and locate resources to assist them in the key areas of education, employment, housing, supportive relationships, and physical and behavioral health. The ultimate goal is to empower these young people to achieve their own goals by purposeful planning and positive decision-making.
The Fostering Futures pilot project is scheduled to conclude at the end of March, 2011. Since the project’s inception one year ago, the Indiana State Office of GAL/CASA has provided 8 different Fostering Futures training events from Evansville to South Bend. The State Office exceeded the goals of the project and trained 102 volunteers from 30 different programs across Indiana. These volunteers are now working with approximately 120 older foster youth. When the pilot project concludes, the curriculum will be evaluated and revised based on the participants’ feedback. A revised training curriculum should be available in the fall of 2011. The Indiana GAL/CASA Office hopes to continue to offer the Fostering Futures training so we can improve the lives of Indiana’s foster youth who age out of the system.