BOS Agenda Date ;September 27. 2005

County of Santa Clara
Board of Supervisors
Supervisorial District Four
Supervisor James T. Beali, Jr.

BOSD4.9.27.05
DATE:

September 27, 2005

TO:

Board of Supervisors

FROM:

James T. Beall, Jr.

Supervisor, District 4
SUBJECT:

Job Placements for Emancipating Foster Youth

RECOMMENDED ACTION
a.

Direct Social Services Administration to prepare a report to assess the effectiveness of

the County's existing job placement/job preparedness program for emancipating foster
youth and identify the necessary steps to develop a quality Job Placement Program for
emancipating and emancipated foster youth. The report should include the following
information:

♦ Baseline data that describes: aggregated data on educational attainment and skills
assessment; illustrates existing job placement capacity such as how many foster

youth were placed in jobs last year; average salary, retention rate, average hours
worked per week, and occupational career ladders for foster youth.
♦

Board of Supervisors; Donald F. Gage, Blanca Alvarado, Pete McHugh,Jim Beall, Liz Kniss
Count/ Executive: Peter Kutras Jr.
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BOS Agenda Date :September 27, 2005

Determine how many emancipating foster youth are likely to pursue higher
education, how many are currently seeking employment and what factors affect
their choice.

♦ Determine potential partners and opportunity/barriers to collaboration.

♦ Determine what funding sources could be used to develop a job placement
program and identify how the funds can be used.

b. Direct Social Services Administration in collaboration with the Employee Services

Agency to prepare a report that discusses the benefits and disadvantages of reactivating
the ILP Unclassified Position Program or developing a new Special Criteria

Employment program that facilitates the hiring of emancipating foster youth by County
departments. Report should identify the necessary steps and anticipated timeframe to
implement the program.

Administration will provide this information at the November 9,2005 Children, Seniors and
Families Committee.

REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATION

As chair of the Children, Seniors and Families Committee, I welcome opportunities to

improve County services. Recently, the County received a three year grant from the Walter S.
Johnson Foundation and other foundations to create a comprehensive continuum of services

for emancipating and emancipated foster youth in Santa Clara County. The grant allocates
approximately $400,000 per year for three years. The Initiative focuses on increasing
opportunities for emancipating foster youth to successfully transition from the foster care
system to self sufficiency by developing their academic and life skills in the following three
components:

1. Employment/Job Training/Post-Secondary Education
2. Elousing

Board of Supervisors: Donald F. Gage, Blanca Alvarado, Pete McHugh,Jim Beall, Liz Kniss
County Executive: Peter Kutras Jr.

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BOS Agenda Date iSepternber 27, 2005

3. K-12 Education.

The grant enables the County to redesign the current Independent Living Program, In

addition, it provides an opportunity to plan and implement strategies to build a comprehensive
continuum of services system that emphasize self sufficiency.

The Department of Family and Children's Services selected the three components of the
Initiative, Employment, Edueation and Housing beeause they are the most critical components
impaeting whether emancipating foster youth will experienee sueeessful life outcomes.
Research demonstrates that the more education an individual has the more likely they are to

obtain higher paying jobs. Unfortunately, many of our foster youth are testing well below 10th
grade reading and writing level. In addition to pursuing an education, employment is another
key element of a sueeessful transition to independence. Unemployment is signifieant barrier
facing our emancipating youth today. Some critieal supportive service programs sueh as
subsidized housing require emancipating youth be currently employed. Yet reeent reports
demonstrate that youth emancipating from the County Independent Living Program are not
entering the workforce or pursuing academics in significant numbers.

On Deeember 8, 2004, the Children, Senior and Family Committee(CSFC)reviewed the
Annual ILP Statistical Report. The statistical report tracks 18 outcome/client progress
indicators. A number of findings demonstrated that our County has failed in providing

emaneipating foster youth with adequate job readiness skills and job placement. Specifically,
the report indicated that of the 554 foster youth who received ILP services in FY 2004, 179
currently seeking employment. The unfortunate reality is that too many youth do not
have a job at the time of their emancipation. Furthermore, different studies have concluded
that a significant number of foster youth who leave the system after emancipating end up
were

homeless or in jail within the first two years.

Early discussions with the Department of Family and Children's Serviees reveal that many of
foster youth lack the necessary academic and social skills to secure a well paying job upon
our

their emancipation. It is my understanding that the Foster Youth Initiative's initially will focus
their employment program to keep youth attached to sehool. Obtaining part time work for
foster youth who are enrolled in academic activities will be the primary objective of the
Initiative's employment component. I believe the strategy of conditioning employment

placement on mandatory academic activities will yield long term employment suecess for the
majority of younger foster youth, age 12—15,for whom the Agency has adequate time to

Board of Supervisors: Donald F. Gage, Blanca Alvarado. Pete McHugh,Jim Beall, Liz Kniss
County Executive: Peter Kutras Jr.

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BOS Agenda Date :September 27, 2005

provide services that will increase their skill. However, this approach excludes a majority of
the older foster youth who do not have the current academic ability to attend college and they
do not have the appropriate time to participate in new supportive programs. I believe that
significant work must also be invested in increasing job placement opportunities for
emancipating foster youth for whom education is not a viable option.

Approximately 18%(398 foster youth) of the 2099 foster youth currently in our Child Welfare
System are between the ages of 16-18 years old. This number does not represent emancipated
foster youth over the age of 18 who still access ILP services, and therefore probably
significantly underestimates the total population of foster youth seeking employment.

Clearly more needs to be done to connect emancipating foster youth with quality employment
opportunities. The information requested in this referral will allow the Board greater visibility
of the supportive services provided to emancipating foster youth. It is my intention to focus as
Chairperson in 2006 on this critical need for improved job placement options for
emancipating foster youth.
BACKGROUND

One of the responsibilities of the Children, Seniors and Families Committee is to oversee the
programs and policies of the Social Services Agency. Over the past several years, the
Committee has worked collaboratively with the Agency and our community partners to

fundamentally change the way the County supports children and families in, or at risk of
entering, the Child Welfare Service system. The focus of service delivery has shifted from
intervention to prevention and early intervention. Investing in prevention and early
intervention strategies has resulted in greater numbers of families remaining together, and
with more children being place with relatives or in home like settings.

The significant decline in the daily Children's Shelter population is just one example of the
many positive impacts resulting from the hard work of our county social workers, community
partners and the priority Board members have placed upon children in the Child Welfare
system. The daily Children Shelter population has decreased from a monthly average high of
147 in October 2000, to average daily population of 33 in June 2005. The cost of general fund
investments in reunification and diversion have been offset by long term operational cost

savings at the Children Shelter. The Children's Shelter's budget has steadily decreased over
the past three fiscal years from $13,764,340 in FY 2004 to $11,489,374 in FY 06. More
Board of Supervisors; Donald F. Gage, Blanca Alvarado, Pete McHugh,Jim Beall, Liz Kniss
County Executive; Peter Kutras Jr,
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BOS Agenda Date :September 27, 2005

importantly, the County's share of cost for the Shelter has decreased from $5,479,260 to
$3,211,409 in the current year.

Board of Supervisors: Donald F. Gage, Blanca Alvarado, Pete McHugh,Jim Beall, Liz Kniss
County Executive: Peter Kutras Jr.

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