Transcript Achieving Independence Center

Achieving Independence
Center
A New Vision for Transitioning Youth
Background
Each year approximately 20,000 young
people are discharged from the nation's
foster care system, having reached the age
at which they are no longer eligible for
services. The age of discharge is generally
18, although many states continue to
provide foster care services to young people
until they are 21 or 23 years old.
New Strategies for Youth Transition
Initiatives
The Achieving Independence Center is a
“one-stop” center designed to help young
people in foster care achieve their future
goals of self sufficiency. Offering nontraditional hours, flexible scheduling
accommodating in-school and out-of-school
youth and on-site job training, the AI
Center is dedicated to providing support
and real life tools for youth who want to
make an investment in their future.
Collaboration
No single agency has the expertise to
effectively provide all the services and
coordinating the efforts of many separate
programs with different operating
procedures. In addition, continually
referring clients across town to various
different offices usually prevents them from
benefiting from a single comprehensive
service delivery approach to their diverse
problems.
Municipal Leadership
Initial funding for the AIC was provided by
the Philadelphia Workforce Development
Corporation [PWDC] and the Philadelphia
Department of Human Services (DHC). It
describes itself as a “one-stop gateway to
services for youth transitioning from foster
care into independent living—a
collaborative, comprehensive service
delivery system that will ensure that
transitioning youth have access to a range
of services that meet their individual
transition needs.”
Partnership
AIC brings together a number of local
service agencies at one convenient location.
Administration of the center and
coordination of all its various component
service deliverers has been contracted by
the funding agency to ARBOR E&T LLC, a
private firm well known for its work with
welfare and workforce delivery programs.
[ARBOR currently operates one-stop
employment centers throughout the
country.]
Why A New Vision?
 Increase program capacity
 Improve service quality
 Proactive strategy to meet federal
performance standards
 Improved outcomes for youth
Improved Outcomes for Youth
Competency Area

Self Sufficiency

Knowledge and skills

Social supports

High-risk behaviors

Physical/mental health

Self-perceptions
Outcome
The youth has a job that pays a living wage;
has a safe place to live; is able to avoid reliance
on public assistance.
The youth has the necessary training or
education to find a job that pays a living wage
The youth has a positive social network and
community involvement.
The youth is successful at avoiding behaviors
that become barriers to self-sufficiency, e.g.
substance abuse, criminal activities, becoming
a teenage parent.
Youth can maintain both physical and mental
health by understanding needs and accessing
appropriate services.
The youth perceives her/himself as competent
and empowered to ask for what they need
Membership Model
 Youth are members of the center as
long as they are eligible
 Members select the services they
need and want
 Members have rights and
responsibilities
 Membership promotes “ownership” of
the center
Main AIC Services







Life Skills
Educational Support
Employment and Training
Housing Assistance
Computer Literacy
Mentoring
Linkage to other resources
On Site Service Providers

Arbor, E&T – a nationally recognized workforce development organization provides
management for the Center, assessment [ACLSA], case management, JRT and life skills
training

Temple University – educational support and mentoring

CCP – computer literacy and career counseling

PHEAA

Planned Parenthood – healthy relationships

Action AIDs – HIV prevention

Phila Youth Network -- Internships, Summer employment, full & part time employment

WCRP – housing education and assistance

Valley Youth House – transitional housing

TUNY Day Care

Office of Vocational Rehabilitation

Goodwill – on the job hospitality skills training

PathwaysPA – female mentoring

Father Day Rally – male mentoring

O Court

Mobil Life Skills
AI Center Operations Team
Lead Agency
DHS Staff
Co-located service
providers
Achieving Independence
Partnership
Department of
Human
Services
Philadelphia
Youth
Network
AI
Center
Philadelphia
Workforce
Development
Corp.
Department of
Public
Welfare
Enrollments
Out of Care,
30%
In care, 70%
School Participation
College
12%
Post HS
16%
GED
6%
HS Dropout
10%
In HS
56%
Hub and Spoke Model
Healthy
Relationships
Employment
Services
Mentoring
Members
and
Coaches
Hands-on
Training
Housing
Services
Education
Services
Orientation
Assessment
Enrollment
Orientation
Welcome
Tour
Service
Overview
Assessment
ACLSA
Enrollment
Member
Development
Plan (MDP)
Referral Follow-up and Coaching
DHS Referral
Real Skills
for Success
Life Skills
Educational Support
Employment Services
Hands-on Training
Housing Assistance
Computer Literacy
Mentoring
Healthy Relationships
Linkage to other resources
Coaching & MDP updates
Coaching process
Members and Partners
Maintain
MDP
Refer to
and Monitor
Services
Solve
Problems
Employment
process
Place in Job
Conduct
Work Readiness Training
Determine
Work Readiness Status
Coaching , Administration and Partners
Independence Café






Full service café providing transitional jobs as a transition
strategy
At the AI Center youth learn to work by working. Youth learn
the skills they need to succeed at work – and earn while they
learn. The Hospitality Skills Training Program operates from
the AI Center – in a fully operating euro-style café serving the
general public.
Youth work alongside staff preparing food, providing customer
service, operating cash registers and maintaining a sanitary
and professional retail environment.
Youth learn to plan and implement a marketing plan, maintain
inventory and prepare cash receipts for deposit.
Training includes food safety certification.
Upon completion, youth are qualified for employment in the
fast growing hospitality industry.
Mentoring process
Recruit
Mentors
Screen
& Train
Match
with
Members
Provide
Service
Disengage
Education process
Assess
Need
Design
Individualized
Curriculum
Completion
Learning
Testing
Backpack Challenge
 Philadelphia youth in foster care who attended an
end-of-summer workshop promoting higher education
were in for a pleasant surprise. Each youth received a
backpack filled with school supplies, health and
beauty aids, T-shirts, CD players, and other items.
 Sixty-two filled backpacks were donated by Arbor and
ResCare employees and AIC partner agencies in
response to Arbor’s “Backpack Challenge.” During the
three-week Challenge, Arbor encouraged staff and
partners to donate the backpacks and their contents
to support youth from the AIC who are returning to
high school as seniors or entering or returning to
college.
Healthy Relationships process
Individual Support
Referred
or
Recruited
Sexuality Education
Peer Education
Health Access
Educated
Member
Housing process
Referred
Protected
Environment
Housing
Education
SelfSufficiency
Other AIC
services
Success Factors
The most important reason for the
success of the Achieving
Independence Center is the skill and
dedication of its professional staff.
No matter which of the various
agencies they work for, AIC staff is
committed to improving the lives and
prospects of the youth served at the
center.
Success Factors
Use of the “one-stop” model. AIC has
assembled the expertise of many
diverse agencies in one location. This
allows it to meet the multiple and
overlapping needs of its clients
without a lot of inefficient cross
referrals among service providers.
Success Factors
Contracting AIC’s management to a special lead agency. The one-stop
model requires daily coordination between its constituent partners, many of
which follow dissimilar operating and financial procedures. DHS has wisely
assigned this task to ARBOR E&T, an independent agency skilled in the
coordination of multiple service providers. As lead agency, ARBOR is
responsible for the following activities:






Daily management of the AIC center, including planning, scheduling, troubleshooting, finances, and record keeping.
Setting goals and performance measures for all the other partner agencies and
ensuring that they are met.
Ensuring smooth coordination among the partner agencies through weekly
meetings and constant communication. Solving problems that arise between
partners.
Keeping records on the progress of clients and reporting through the management
information system.
Measuring customer satisfaction; holding focus groups with clients and
stakeholders; managing the center’s continuous quality improvement [ISO9000]
program.
ARBOR staff also provides “core” client services like assessment, development of
members’ individual plans and on-going coaching. In this role, the lead agency
can schedule and coordinate the services provided by other agencies in best
interest of clients.
Success Factors

Services provided. The mix of services provided at AIC is particularly
relevant to the needs of young people who are becoming independent
in the world. Moreover, AIC services are provided in particularly
effective ways:






AIC’s programs have a long eligibility period. Members can be served
anytime between ages 16 and 21. Some members have remained in
program for two years. Most previous Independent Living programs lasted
only 90 days, not enough time to deal with difficult problems. AIC services
are customized to meet the members needs.
The concept of “membership” promotes camaraderie and a sense of
ownership among the center’s users.
A wide variety of services are offered, dealing with almost every facet of a
youth’s journey to self-sufficiency.
Each member receives an assessment and an individualized plan tailored to
his/her specific needs. AIC’s clients have very diverse needs and a one-sizefits-all service philosophy would not work.
The provision of hands-on counseling through coaches and mentors provides
needed support to this young population.
Provision of training in “life skills” is relevant and effective. Training in
computer skills is vital to success in today’s economy.
Success Factors

The center’s image and atmosphere. Participation is AIC is voluntary;
members have to want to go there. Although AIC is well publicized
among its potential client group, if the members do not come in, the
best services in the world will go for naught. AIC is usually packed.
How do they do it?





AIC does not look like a government program. It is in a convenient location
and flexible hours make it a desirable place for services. The center’s
atmosphere is informal. The coaches and mentors work hard to build trust
among the youths. Confidentiality is respected. AIC is a “safe” place where
youths feel free to explore ideas and express emotions.
Diversity is valued and respected. It is all right to be different.
The center has cool things to attract and motivate kids: computers, sex
education, points and payments for meeting milestones.
There is always lots going on at AIC—an important consideration for
teenagers with short attention spans. Members can always be involved in
something. Workshops, courses and other activities fill every day. The
center offers with-it special events like arts projects.
AIC staff is unfailingly concerned, courteous, and helpful: good role models
for their youthful clients.
Additional Information
When setting up the AIC center, the first
principle was “Youth Come First.” The
AIC has more than succeeded at
accomplishing this goal.
www.arboret.com
[email protected]