Promoting school connections for youth in child welfare

Joan Rock, Implementation Coordinator

Kristen Hayden-West, Implementation CoordinatorJessica Strolin-Goltzman, Co-Principal Investigator &

DirectorJesse Suter, Co-Principal Investigator & Evaluator

Grantee ProgramUniversity & state partnership

serving all of Vermont

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DEPT FOR CHILDREN & FAMILIES

AGENCY OF EDUCATION

VERMONT JUDICIARYCOLLEGE OF EDUCATION & SOCIAL SERVICES

UVMDEPARTMENT

OF SOCIAL WORK

Project Description• VT-FUTRES will develop and implement effective multi-disciplinary policy and practice interventions for improving educational stability and outcomes of middle and high school youth in foster care.

• The core of this grant is the Rock the GRADES toolkit based on the evidence-informed strategies developed by Joan Rock a Vermont child welfare resource coordinator (RC) and a team of representatives from education, courts, and child welfare in 2006.

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GoalsGoal 1: Refine and implement the evidence-informed intervention and toolkit Rock the GRADES.

Goal 2. Build local multi-disciplinary capacity to improve educational stability and academic achievement for middle and high school youth in foster careGoal 3. Engage youth in sharing their experiences to positively influence infrastructure development around educational stability

Goal 4. Facilitate the cross-system collection and use of data on educational stability and outcomes of youth in foster care

Goal 1: Rock the GRADES: • Generate multi-disciplinary

networks (Goal 2)G• Recruitment and retentionR• Access transportation when

necessaryA• Data for decision makingD• Educate local communitiesE• Screening for successS

VT’s tools and

strategies for

improving education

al stability of foster

youth

Activities, Outputs, and Outcomes

Activities Outputs OutcomesRock the GRADES Rock the GRADES toolkit

and training curriculumIncrease educational stability

Endless Dreams trainings 12-15 trainers certified to deliver Endless Dreams curriculum

Reduce number of school days missed during transition

Statewide trainings for multi-disciplinary partners

Endless Dreams trainings (2) delivered

Increased # of coordinated services plans

Website and iPhone appSupport bench cards

RCs collect & share educational stability data on all youth in foster care

Improve youth & parent engagement in plans

Develop educational stability data collection

RCs collect & share educational stability data on all youth in foster care

Increased awareness of importance of educational stability

Collaborate with AOE to analyze educational outcomes data

iPhone app used by RCs Increased skills, knowledge, and capacities of multi-disciplinary providers

Establish youth teams and engage youth in sharing experiences through video & social media

Social media and/or videos created and shared by youth leaders

State policy recommendations and changes

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Evaluation Design & Questions

VT

Region

Youth

• Did trainings improve knowledge & was info used?

• Were changes to state policy adopted?

• What strengths & needs do regional leaders report?

• Do “early adopters” show improvements sooner (group comparison)?

• What are educ. stability rates?

• Do rates increase over time?

• Attendance? Records received?

• How often do youth have coordinated plans?

Multi-level longitudinal design

Opportunities• Close relationships• Rock the GRADES

has been piloted in VT

• Strong foundation• State trying to use

data• Appreciation for

information shared• Personnel have

iPhones

Challenges• Many new personnel• Existing resources

are hard to find• Data systems not

integrated nor complete

• Many in residential• Wealth of initiatives• Lack of connectivity

Sustainability & Dissemination Plans

Sustainability• Building professional awareness, knowledge, and skills at

all levels of the child welfare, education, and court systems. • The curriculum is being infused into the core training for

social workers and foundation training for new resource families.

• Educational screening will prioritize educational success as important outcome for youth in foster care.

• Ed. stability data will be collected and reviewed regularly.

Dissemination• Website, e-newsletter, twitter, iPhone app• Journal articles & book chapters• Presentations at state and national conferences

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Our QuestionsHow are workers convening multi-disciplinary child team meetings early enough in the case to include the team in the best interest determination process?

Do you have any tools or resources you would recommend for Rock the GRADES toolkit?

What examples of successful data collection and use can you share?

Do you have questions / surveys for educators and social workers re: behaviors & perceptions about education of youth in child welfare?

Thank you!

vtfutres.org