Training Archives
December 15, 2020
Sharpening the View: Improving Foster Youth Data to Improve Outcomes
This webinar presented the findings of Educational Results Partnership’s report-Sharpening the View: Improving Foster Youth Data to Improve Outcomes. The report examines the foster youth data landscape throughout California to better understand both the benefits and challenges foster youth practitioners face when working with foster youth data and systems to serve students.
The study focused on understanding the hands-on experiences of frontline practitioners working with foster youth data to answer the following questions: What perceptions and challenges do K-12 practitioners have about the quality of foster youth data and how do the challenges experienced by K-12 practitioner’s impact their ability to serve foster students?
The webinar also reviews actionable recommendations for improving the data landscape in order to enable practitioners to most effectively serve foster youth.
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December 4, 2020
#RealCollegeCalifornia Basic Needs Summit
Due to COVID-19, students are facing new challenges in meeting their basic needs. Responding to those challenges has become even more difficult with budgetary constraints and working remotely. To support the efforts, the 2020 #RealCollegeCalifornia Basic Needs Summit focused on providing a space for practitioners at California Community Colleges to come together to network and learn how best to serve our students with the greatest needs during a pandemic.
Debbie Raucher, Director of Education at JBAY, presented “Bringing Students Home - Partnering to Address Homelessness among College Students.”
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November 5, 2020
2019-20 THP-NMD & THP-Plus Annual Report: COVID-19, Program Access, Youth Outcomes & More
This webinar marks the release of the THP-NMD and THP-Plus Annual Report, highlighting key findings and recommendations.
The report indicates that the COVID-19 crisis has impacted current and former foster youth, with 38% of employed youth in the programs having lost their jobs and 32% experiencing a reduction in hours (70% total) due to the pandemic. THP-NMD and THP-Plus remain of critical importance during the public health crisis and economic recession in offering stable housing to participants. Unfortunately, not all youth can access these programs however, with the waiting list for THP-NMD reaching 490 as of July 1, 2020, a 44% increase from the year prior, and the waiting list for THP-Plus at 529.
Utilizing demographic and outcome data from the THP-NMD and THP-Plus Participant Tracking Systems and a statewide survey of the programs’ providers, the report includes information about numbers of youth served by the programs statewide, educational and employment outcomes of participants, average length of stay in the programs, rate of involuntary discharge, rate of homelessness prior to program entry, rate of custodial parenting, and more.
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October 29, 2020
Equity Made Real: Promising Strategies for Addressing College Student Basic Needs
Basic needs centers on community college campuses are essential to supporting student persistence and academic success. During COVID-19, these centers have been a lifeline to many students, but basic needs centers are struggling to meet increased demand with fewer resources.
In this webinar, John Burton Advocates for Youth and representatives from the California Community College Chancellor’s Office and campus basic needs centers staff introduce JBAY’s new publication, Equity Made Real: Promising Strategies for Addressing College Student Basic Needs. The webinar highlights successful interventions, strategies, challenges, and makes recommendations that support truly equitable access for all learners.
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October 21, 2020
Completing the FAFSA: A How-To for Adult Supporters of Homeless Youth
Youth who have experienced homelessness face myriad challenges and it is imperative that professionals who work with them ensure that they have every possible opportunity to successfully matriculate into college and are set up for success. The key to this is having financial aid in place prior to starting college. This training provided a “how-to” on completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to assist those working with homeless youth. It reviewed the 2021-22 FAFSA, page by page, with new screenshots illustrating changes to the FAFSA since last year.
Presenters provided detailed instructions on how eligible homeless youth can qualify as independent students for the purposes of financial aid and described key steps to take after the FAFSA or California Dream Act Application is submitted to ensure that students actually receive the aid that they are eligible for.
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October 14, 2020
Completing the FAFSA: A How-To for Adult Supporters of Foster Youth
This “how-to” webinar is specifically for those working with foster youth to successfully complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). It reviews the FAFSA, page by page, including detailed instructions on how eligible foster youth can qualify as independent students for the purposes of financial aid. Presenters also provide information on key steps to take after the FAFSA or California Dream Act Application is completed, such as applying for the Chafee Grant and creating a WebGrants account, to access maximum financial aid!
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October 1, 2020
New STRTP Curriculum: Fulfilling Reproductive & Sexual Health Mandates
This webinar, hosted by the Los Angeles Reproductive Health Equity Project (LA RHEP) and John Burton Advocates for Youth, marked the release of two new Senate Bill 89-compliant trainings for STRTPs. In 2017, Senate Bill 89 added new requirements aimed at supporting the healthy sexual development of foster youth. The newly developed LA RHEP curriculum will help STRTPs and counties fulfill legal and regulatory reproductive and sexual health mandates for youth in care. This webinar is to help familiarize counties and their STRTP partners with a new online SB 89 training course and an in-person curriculum, available for free.
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September 30, 2020
SB 12 Learning Community Webinar: Engaging Foster Youth in Career Exploration and Motivating Change
Senate Bill 12 went into effect on January 1, 2018, and included a requirement that case plans must identify who will assist any foster youth 16 or older with applications for college and financial aid. This webinar featured a special presentation by Lauri Collier, the Director of the LA Opportunity Youth Collaborative, and provided strategies for social workers, probation officers, and other supportive adults to engage foster youth in important conversations about career and college planning. The webinar encouraged attendees to expand conversations beyond “What do you want to be when you grow up?” by utilizing tools and resources to help youth explore their options and interests when it comes to work. Participants gained a better understanding of how to support career exploration and planning, and why post-secondary education is critical for a career path.
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September 3, 2020
Key to Compliance: Reproductive & Sexual Health Policies & Practices for STRTPs
This webinar marked the release of “Key to Compliance: Reproductive & Sexual Health Policies & Practices for STRTPs” developed as part of JBAY’s work with the LA Reproductive Health Equity Project (LA RHEP).
The guide is intended to equip Short-Term Residential Therapeutic Programs (STRTPs) with model policies and practices across seven focus areas to improve organizations’ capacity to comply with legal requirements set forth in the California Foster Youth Sexual Health Education Act (Senate Bill 89), licensing standards, and best practice regarding the reproductive and sexual health rights of foster youth. While the guide focuses on STRTPs, the majority of the recommendations are applicable across foster care placements and programs.
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September 2, 2020
Leveraging Caregivers: Tools for Training Resource Parents to Support College Success
This webinar summarized the findings of an independent evaluation of a curriculum designed by John Burton Advocates for Youth (JBAY) to support foster parents and relative caregivers as they encourage foster youth to attend college. In March of 2019, the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) required that resource parents with court dependent youth in their care take the curriculum, creating the opportunity to evaluate its effectiveness.
The webinar also covered data-informed ways in which resource parents can support foster youth achieve their college dreams, and also explored ways in which to further the curriculum’s reach, especially in the remote educational environment.
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August 27, 2020
THP-Plus: How New Funding & Local Flexibility Can Protect Former Foster Youth During the Pandemic
During the summer of 2020, THP-Plus providers gained two important new tools in their effort to better serve former foster youth in California and protect them during the pandemic. During this Zoom meeting, John Burton Advocates for Youth described these two important policy changes in detail.
New Funding: First, CA allocated $8 million to county child welfare agencies that can be used for THP-Plus.
Local Flexibility: Second, the recently passed 2020-21 state budget included a provision authorizing counties to permit youth in THP-Plus to remain in the program until June 30, 2021, regardless of their age or program duration.
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July 16, 2020
Combatting Summer Melt Amid a Pandemic
Summer is a crucial time for foster youth transitioning from high school to college. Even in normal times, large numbers of foster youth who intended to go to college do not arrive for the first day of class, a phenomenon known as “summer melt.” In the midst of a pandemic that will almost certainly result in most campuses continuing to offer primarily online learning opportunities, the risk of foster youth losing sight of their academic goals is greater than ever.
This webinar provides concrete suggestions to how adult supporters can support foster youth to stay on track with their college plans during these crucial coming months. Topics covered include strategies for managing mental health needs, securing housing access, and navigating the nuts and bolts of matriculation.
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June 16, 2020
Providing Stability for Success: Identifying Housing Resources for Non-Minor Dependents
John Burton Advocates for Youth presented this session as part of the Chief Probation Officers of California’s 2020 Continuum of Care Reform Virtual Conference. The presentation provided an overview of the various housing supports in California available for current and former probation foster youth. These resources include extended foster care for youth ages 18-21 with out-of-home placement orders, and housing programs and vouchers for former probation youth up to age 24. Attendees were also familiarized with the state’s homelessness response system and the role of local homeless Continuums of Care (CoC).
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June 2, 2020
6 Steps Counties Can Take to Protect Youth in THP-Plus During the COVID-19 Crisis
Approximately 459 more youth participating in Transitional Housing Program-Plus (THP-Plus) will reach the maximum age or program duration this year, facing exit from the program during the public health crisis and economic recession. This web seminar outlines six steps counties can take to extend THP-Plus housing and services or access alternative housing resources to support youth during the crisis, so they do not exit THP-Plus at risk of homelessness and without a safe place to shelter in place and practice social distancing.
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May 13, 2020
California College Pathways COVID-19 Response Fund
COVID-19 poses a special risk to students with experience in foster care transitioning to and through college in California. In response to this crisis, several California College Pathways funding partners are collaborating with Together We Rise and John Burton Advocates for Youth to create a COVID-19 Safety Net Fund to ensure programs have immediate access to flexible resources to quickly address a wide range of challenges that could potentially threaten a foster youth’s ability to transition to and through college
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May 5, 2020
Burton Book Fund 101: Intro to the 2020-2021 Program
In the 2020-2021 school year, the Burton Book Fund is going to be undergoing several changes. The fund will be moving away from it’s current model, to a Grant Program, allowing for more flexibility and control for participating campuses. This webinar covers the full scope of the changes, as well as the updated requirements for both the Bookstore and Campus Representatives.
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April 28, 2020
Expanding Chafee Grant Access: Tools to Implement Senate Bill 150
Senate Bill 150, which, took effect on January 1, 2020, offers new opportunities for foster youth to retain access to vital financial aid by enabling foster youth who receive a Chafee Education and Training Voucher to continue to receive funds for up to two years before losing access based on satisfactory academic progress standards. JBAY developed a toolkit to assist college campuses to implement the law and to support other professionals to understand its provisions. The Toolkit provides practical guidance for Financial Aid offices to consider as they implement the new provisions along with templates for newly required documents. This webinar reviews the provisions of the bill, walks through recommended best practices and shares new guidance regarding bill implementation.
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April 17, 2020
Zoom Call for Youth Providers: HHAP & COVID-19 Funding Updates & Discussion
$650 million was included in the FY 2019-20 state budget for the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) Program, of which a minimum of 8% is required to address youth homelessness. This call will provide a refresher on HHAP eligible uses, timeline and allocation amounts; and share an update on how HHAP has changed as a result of the State of Emergency declared by the Governor. The call will also cover information about the $100 million in emergency funding just allocated to Continuums of Care, counties and the 13 large cities to shelter people impacted by COVID-19, and include time for question, answer and comments.
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April 3, 2020
Child Welfare Policy Round Table
At the meeting, a statewide coalition of child welfare advocates recommended immediate actions to be taken by the California State Legislature and the administration of Governor Gavin Newsom to protect children and youth in foster care during the COVID-19 pandemic. These recommendations were included in a letter that was sent to Governor Newsom and leaders in the California State Legislature.
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March 16, 2020
March 31 Deadline to Receive $8M THP-Plus Funding & $5M Housing Navigation Funding
The California Department of Housing and Community Development has issued a notice to county child welfare agencies, informing them of the availability of funding for transitional housing and housing navigation. According to the notice, counties are required to respond by March 31st.
This online conference call discussed the background of the legislation that established these new funding streams, the county allocations for both programs, the process to receive the funding and answered questions.
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March 4, 2020
The FAFSA Challenge: Promising Practices to Increase Financial Aid Access Among Foster Youth
In 2017, John Burton Advocates for Youth (JBAY), in partnership with the California Department of Education (CDE) and the California Community College Chancellor’s Office (CCCCO), launched the California Foster Youth FAFSA Challenge.
After two years of implementation the rate of FASFA completion increased from 42% to 57% and a number of best practices emerged from county partners. JBAY has compiled these best practices into a set of recommendations that FYSCPs, school districts, county child welfare and probation agencies, and other stakeholders can use to continue to increase FAFSA/CADAA completion rates for years to come. This webinar featured an overview of the recommended practices from JBAY along with FYSCP representatives who shared examples of successful strategies from their counties’ experience.
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March 3-4, 2020
Transition-Age Youth Conference Workshop on the Homeless, Housing Assistance & Prevention Program
This workshop, presented by Anna Johnson, provided an overview of the Homeless, Housing Assistance & Prevention (HHAP) Program and discussed how current providers, including THP-Plus, shelter and those interested in serving college students can apply for HHAP to support one of eight evidence-based interventions the program will fund. Attendees learned how to identify the entities in their community applying for HHAP funding, how much local funding will likely be available, and how to advocate locally for funding for homeless youth. Panelists included Lahela Maddox with the Homeless Coordinating & Financing Council, the state entity administering HHAP; and Debbie Pell of Bill Wilson Center in Santa Clara County.
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February 24, 2020
AB 2035 – Healthy Futures for Foster Youth
California has established a high standard for the sexual and reproductive health education and services young people need and deserve. Several years ago, the state recognized that young people in foster care were facing unfair barriers accessing the education and services available to other youth. As a result, youth in foster care were facing disproportionately poor sexual and reproductive health outcomes. In a 2016 study of youth in California’s foster care system, by age 19, about half of females reported having been pregnant at least once, more than twice the rate in the general population; yet, two-thirds did not describe these pregnancies as intended. They also reported disproportionately poor prenatal outcomes. Young people in foster care additionally reported disproportionately higher rates of sexually transmitted infection than their same age peers.
AB 2035 – Healthy Futures for Foster Youth would ensure access to comprehensive sexual health education, improve access to reproductive care, and strengthen the knowledge of resource families in order to improve health outcomes for youth in care. This webinar provides details about AB 2035, why this legislation is crucial to prevent and reduce negative health outcomes like higher rates of sexually transmitted infections, unintended pregnancies, miscarriage, stillbirth, and low birth weight among youth in care and information about how you can help create Healthy Futures for Foster Youth.
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February 20, 2020
2020 Bills to Support Foster Youth College Access
While California has made great strides in recent years to support foster youth to enroll in and complete college, there is more to be done to provide comprehensive college access to youth with experience in foster care and the support many need to complete their chosen educational path.
John Burton Advocates for Youth will be co-sponsoring two bills during the 2020 legislative cycle designed to achieve this goal. SB 860 (Beall) will ensure that foster youth have the necessary support to complete a FAFSA while in high school. Despite the critical role played by financial aid in college achievement, foster youth continue to under utilize this vital resource, often because they do not complete a FAFSA.
A second bill, authored by Senator Leyva, will expand eligibility criteria for the NextUp program at 45 community colleges to include youth who were in foster care after the age of 13, rather than the current age 16 requirement, and will make other changes to program rules needed to maximize the impact of the program. This webinar provides details about these two new bills, why they are crucial to foster youth educational success and information about how you can help to turn them into law.
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February 18, 2020
2020 Policy and Budget Advocacy to Prevent and Reduce Youth Homelessness
California is in the midst of a housing crisis, with both housing costs and homelessness reaching record levels in 2019. This crisis impacts youth and extends to youth in foster care, particularly youth aged 18 to 21, who live in the Transitional Housing Placement for Non-Minor Dependents (THP-NMD).
John Burton Advocates for Youth is working in coalition to advance funding dedicated to address youth homelessness in this year’s budget and is co-sponsoring a bill authored by Assemblymember Phil Ting. The bill will provide a THP-NMD housing supplement to address the high cost of housing and growing homelessness crisis among youth in care.
In California, the cost of housing has increased by 64 percent since 2012 while the monthly THP-NMD rate has increased 19 percent. The failure of the THP-NMD rate to keep pace with the cost of housing has caused increased homelessness, exclusion of parenting youth and youth with disabilities, moving young people away from family and community, and providing fewer supportive services.
This webinar provides details about these two legislative efforts, why they are crucial to prevent and reduce the experience of youth homelessness, and information about how you can help to turn them into law.
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February 4, 2020
SB 12 Learning Community - Paving Pathways for College Transition for Foster Youth
Webinar participants learned about a new learning community for child welfare and probation agencies that will support these agencies to implement this new mandate and improve higher education outcomes for foster youth.
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January 30, 2020
CalEITC 101: Expanded State Tax Credit Puts Cash into the Pockets of California’s Most Vulnerable Transition-Age Youth
In the 2019-2020 budget, the California Earned Income Tax Credit (CalEITC), a cash-back tax credit that puts money back into the pockets of California’s working families and individuals, was expanded from $400 million to $1 billion. More than 600,000 young adults in California, including current and former foster youth, are expected to qualify for the CalEITC this tax season. This could mean hundreds or thousands of dollars in tax refunds for transition age youth in care. With the support of the child welfare partners and free tax preparation services, these refunds can help young adults cover necessary expenses. John Burton Advocates for Youth (JBAY) invites you to partner with us in 2020 to support youth in care with filing taxes and claiming the expanded CalEITC. This webinar includes the California Franchise Tax Board and discusses strategies to help transition-age youth access the CalEITC.
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December 11, 2019
Set Up For Success: Supporting Foster Youth College Transition
This webinar provides strategies and best practices for ensuring that foster youth can successfully transition into post-secondary education and attain their educational goals. Panelists discuss how to set up foster youth for success before they transition to a post-secondary setting. In addition, this webinar focuses on approaches to encouraging college attendance, breaking down the college acceptance and financial aid processes and how to ensure that foster youth are linked to the range of supports available at college. Finally, panelists point you to online resources that can be used to support youth through the planning, application, and matriculation processes, including information about how to assist youth to enroll in industry-recognized certificate programs in hundreds of vocational programs available across the state.
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December 5, 2019
SB 89 Implementation in the Bay Area: What can We Learn as a State?
This webinar coincides with the publication of a report and shares out how five Bay Area counties are implementing SB 89 in their respective child welfare and juvenile justice systems to inform our collective understanding of best practices and obstacles to implementation.
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November 21, 2019
Informational Webinar on The Reproductive & Sexual Health Learning Community for STRTPs & Transitioning Group Homes
John Burton Advocates for Youth (JBAY), in partnership with the Los Angeles Reproductive Health Equity Project (LA RHEP) is convening a statewide community of practice of STRTPs related to sexual & reproductive health of youth in care. This project follows the passage of the California Foster Youth Sexual Health Education Act (Senate Bill 89, 2017). This webinar is for organizations interested in partnering with JBAY to advance the health of children and youth in care and deepening your organizational practices and to discuss what participation involves.
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November 13, 2019
Pipeline to Success: Supporting California Foster Youth from High School to Community College
While many promising changes to policy and practice have been put in place in recent years to support foster youth college success, little empirical evidence has been available to help us understand which approaches are most effective. A new report from Educational Results Partnership and California College Pathways reviewed data from foster youth both within K-12 and community college systems in order to identify factors having the greatest impact on college GPA and unit completion. This webinar reviews the report findings along with the recommendations that emerged for how foster youth can be best supported to achieve their educational goals.
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November 12, 2019
Completing the FAFSA: A How- To Guide for Assisting California Youth Experiencing Homelessness
This was part two of JBAY’s “how-to” webinars to assist those working with homeless youth to successfully complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This webinar reviews the FAFSA page by page, including detailed instructions on how eligible youth can qualify as independent students for the purposes of financial aid. Presenters also provided information on key steps to take after the FAFSA or California Dream Act Application is completed to access maximum financial aid!
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November 7, 2019
Completing the FAFSA: A How- To Guide for Assisting California Foster Youth
This was the first part of JBAY’s two part “how-to” webinars to assist those working with foster youth to successfully complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This webinar reviews the FAFSA, page by page, including detailed instructions on how eligible youth can qualify as independent students for the purposes of financial aid. Presenters also provided information on key steps to take after the FAFSA or California Dream Act Application is completed to access maximum financial aid!
View the webinar & supplemental materials
October 3, 2019
California’s Housing Programs for Transition-Age Foster Youth: How Youth Fared in FY 18-19 and Strategic Issues for FY 19-20 and Beyond
California has two important housing programs for transition-age youth: THPP-NMD for youth in foster care age 18 to 21 and THP-Plus for former foster youth. Together, they provide safe, affordable housing and supportive services to 4,000 current and former foster youth age 18 to 24 in California. This webinar reviews the latest developments in these critical programs. Findings were drawn from the 2018-19 Annual Report that was released at the time of the web seminar.
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October 1, 2019
Take the 2019-2020 California Foster Youth FAFSA Challenge
The California Foster Youth FAFSA Challenge is a statewide campaign to increase the number of foster youth who are prepared for success as they matriculate from high school into college by ensuring that foster youth are accessing financial aid. Efforts are led by county-based Foster Youth Services Coordinating programs in collaboration with local partners including school districts, community-based organizations, child welfare agencies, Independent Living Programs, and local colleges. This webinar was the kick-off for the third year of the California Foster Youth FAFSA Challenge and discussed important procedures and resources.
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September 18, 2019
How THP-Plus Providers, Youth Shelters & Campuses Can Use New State Funding to Address Youth Homelessness
In the FY 2019-20 state budget, the California State Legislature created the Homeless Housing, Assistance & Prevention Program (HHAPP), which will provide local jurisdictions with $650 million to address homelessness. The program requires that a minimum of 8% of the funds are used to address youth homelessness, making a minimum of $52 million available to address youth homelessness statewide. This is an increase from the 5% set-aside that was included in the Homeless Emergency Aid Program (HEAP) in the FY 2018-19 state budget.
This webinar provides an overview of HHAPP and discusses how current providers, including THP-Plus, shelter and those interested in serving college students can apply for HHAPP to support one of eight evidence-based interventions the program will fund. Attendees will learn how to identify the entities in their community applying for HHAPP funding, how much local funding will likely be available, and how to advocate locally for funding for homeless youth. Panelists included Lahela Maddox with the Homeless Coordinating & Financing Council, the state entity administering HHAPP; and Debbie Pell of Bill Wilson Center in Santa Clara County.
August 21, 2019
LA-RHEP Webinar Series: Sharing Results from the Making Proud Choices Evaluation
In 2018, the Los Angeles Reproductive Health Equity Project for Foster Youth (LA RHEP) tested and evaluated Making Proud Choices! (MPC) curriculum adaptation for youth in out-of-home care, an evidence-based sexual health training specifically adapted to meet the unique needs of young people in the child welfare system. LA RHEP Leadership Team member John Burton Advocates for Youth (JBAY) partnered with AltaMed to provide the curriculum to foster youth in a variety of settings and evaluate the results. This webinar was a follow-up discussion from a 2018 webinar and presented the evaluation findings and what was learned from the pilot.
July 17, 2019
Beyond the Safety Net: Findings from an Initiative to Transform Housing Providers into College Success Programs
In 2017, John Burton Advocates for Youth launched Beyond the Safety Net, a two-year initiative to transform housing providers into college success programs. A cohort of 37 programs serving 1,796 current and former foster youth and homeless youth worked toward goals based on a core practice model to improve their capacity to support youth with enrolling, attending and completing post-secondary education. This webinar shared lessons learned from the two-year endeavor and implications for the future.
June 27, 2019
2019-2020 Burton Book Fund Webinar
Since its inception in 2013, the Burton Book Fund has provided $1.9 million in textbooks to over 7,700 current and former foster youth attending colleges in California. John Burton Advocates for Youth launched the Burton Book Fund for the 2019-2020 academic year with a webinar that provided essential information about the program. Campus-based foster youth support program representatives and campus bookstores can review the recording or slides to learn about how they can access the Burton Book Fund for their students and the process for this upcoming academic year.
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June 5, 2019
Turning Dreams into Degrees: A New Tool For Counties to Empower Caregivers in Support Foster Youth with College
A recent study found that youth who ever talked about college with their caregivers are over eight times more likely to attend a four-year college than those who don’t. Findings such as these have led the Los Angeles County Department of Child & Family Services (LA DCFS) to require licensed caregivers to become trained on preparing youth for college, starting in middle school. This web seminar discussed the new curriculum for caregivers on post-secondary education that will be used in Los Angeles and is available statewide. Information was provided on LA DCFS’ training policy, and how counties can provide this training to caregivers as part of the eight-hour annual Resource Family training requirement. Presenters on the web seminar included representatives from JBAY, LA DCFS, the Foster and Kinship Care Education Program (FKCE), and UNITE-LA.
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May 23, 2019
Youth Homelessness in California: What Impact has the Five-Percent Set-Aside in HEAP had so Far?
As part of last year’s state budget, the California State Legislature created the Homeless Emergency Aid Program (HEAP) to address homelessness. Of the $500 million budgeted for HEAP, at least five percent ($25 million) was required to be directed to address youth homelessness. This webinar marked the release of a report on how HEAP funds for homeless youth have been spent. Findings from the report were drawn from a statewide survey of Continuums of Care (CoCs) and in-depth interviews with representatives from CoCs across the state and the 11 large cities that received HEAP funds.
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May 16, 2019
Tools You Can Use: Age-Appropriate, Medically Accurate Sexual Health Fact Sheets Available to County Case Managers
With the passage of the California Foster Youth Sexual Health Education Act (SB 89), all California foster youth age 10 and older are required to be informed of their reproductive and sexual health rights annually by their case manager in a manner that is age-appropriate and medically accurate. The webinar discussed some newly released resources available to case managers on how to navigate these sensitive but important conversations.
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April 23, 2019
Ready…Set….College! Supporting Foster Youth Transition to College
The community college matriculation process can be daunting for foster youth. There are three major steps to complete prior to the youth’s first semester of college: orientation, educational planning, and English and Math course placement. Fortunately, there are resources and programs that can support a student’s transition to higher education, including ILP and summer bridge programs. This webinar discussed the steps to take and resources available for foster youth to help with the transition into college.
March 26, 2019
Senate Bill 568: Reducing Homelessness Among California’s College Students
This web seminar discussed Senate Bill 568, a proposal introduced by Senator Anthony Portantino to address the mounting crisis of homelessness among college students. SB 568 would establish housing resources within the California Community Colleges, CSU Chancellor’s Offices, and UC Office of the President, and require campuses that receive funding to implement measures to maximize the financial aid received by homeless students and their linkage to community-based housing resources.
March 7, 2019
A Sense of Home: Connecting Youth Exiting Care to Home Supplies
This webinar provided information on A Sense of Home, a non profit that seeks to design and furnish the first independent homes of former foster youth to increase stability and promote permanency. This webinar was produced to spread awareness about ASOH’s expansion of services from Los Angeles to the greater Bay Area, and targeted providers working with exiting youth who need furniture for their first permanent homes.
AB 995: Reducing Homelessness Among Former Foster Youth
This webinar discussed AB 995 which was introduced by Assemblymember Phil Ting to reduce homelessness among former foster youth. The bill proposes to increase access to the state’s only housing program for youth transitioning out of foster care, the Transitional Housing Placement Plus (THP-Plus) program, and foster coordination with the local homelessness response system. The webinar provided background information that explains the impetus for the legislation, outlined the bill’s provisions, and walked through the necessary steps required to turn the bill into law.
February 27, 2019
Alternative Pathways to Post-Secondary Education: Apprenticeship and Career Education Programs
This webinar provided an overview of Career Education (CE) and apprenticeship programs for those working with transition-age youth who may be interested in non-traditional post-secondary opportunities.
February 7, 2019
SB 150: Improving Access to the Chafee Education and Training Voucher
This legislative session, John Burton Advocates for Youth is co-sponsoring SB 150 (Beall) with LA Area Chamber of Commerce to strengthen the Chafee Education and Training Voucher program by speeding up the distribution of awards and replacing its existing Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirement with one that is more flexible and takes into account the unique circumstances of foster youth. This webinar provided background information that explains the impetus for the legislation, outlined specifically what the bill will do, and walked through the necessary steps required to turn the bill into law.
January 31, 2019
Bridging the Gap: Connecting College Campuses to the Homelessness Response System
Each year the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development directs over $380 million to California to address homelessness via 38 local Continuums of Care (CoCs). CoCs coordinate local providers working to combat homelessness, yet there is too often a disconnect between college students facing homelessness and access to services administered by these entities. This webinar familiarized the post-secondary education sector with the homelessness response system and how to assist students in accessing it.
January 24, 2019
Setting up for Success: Supporting College Transition for Homeless Youth
This is a free online training that prepares those who work with homeless youth in K-12 systems to assist them to successfully transition into college. The course is comprised of seven modules, each covering a different topic that will help interested stakeholders set students up for success as they transition from high school to the next phase of the educational journey. Some modules will include a quiz or activity to help you apply the knowledge discussed and set you up to be prepared to support homeless youth with the next steps after graduation.
January 23, 2019
State Tax Credit Puts Cash into the Pockets of California’s Most Vulnerable Transition-Age Youth
This webinar discusses the recent changes to the California Earned Income Tax Credit, also known as the CalEITC. The CalEITC recently became more available to transition-age youth (TAY), and can provide crucial supplemental income to some of the most vulnerable TAY. This webinar reviews the recent legislative changes to the CalEITC, eligibility criteria for the CalEITC, and tax filing scenarios. It also addresses concerns that foster youth, students, immigrants, homeless youth, youth in juvenile hall, or youth sharing custody of dependents may have. Lastly, it outlines some specific strategies that providers can use to support TAY in filing their taxes, to assuage any tax filing fear, and to raise awareness among TAY of the benefits of filing taxes.
January 22, 2019
Growing Your Program: Tools for Outreach, Recruitment and Understanding Eligibility
This webinar explored innovate strategies for conducting outreach and recruitment that can help ensure that qualified students know about your foster youth support program and can easily access your services. The webinar will also cover the nuances of eligibility for Community College NextUP (CAFYES) programs, and how you can work within the existing statutory language to maximize the number of students who qualify. While the webinar will be geared towards NextUP programs, the strategies addressed will have applicability for many different forms of campus-based foster youth support.
December 13, 2018
Financial Aid Updates for Foster Youth: Eligibility Changes, Verification, WebGrants and More!
There have been several recent legislative changes designed to make financial aid more accessible to foster youth, including automated verification of foster youth status for federal Pell grants and expanded eligibility for CalGrants and the ChafeeEducation and Training Voucher. This webinar featured representatives from the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) and California Department of Social Services (CDSS) who outlined the changes and demonstrated new features in the WebGrants system now in place to operationalize these developments.
November 15, 2018
California College Pathways: A Case Study on How Strategic Philanthropy Leads to System Change
October 31, 2018
New Child Welfare Law: 2018 Policy Reforms
The Alliance for Children’s Rights hosted a webinar to provide a summary of the major child welfare bills that were signed into law this year. Panelists, including JBAY executive director Amy Lemley, shared information about how these laws will impact recruitment and retention of foster caregivers, the services and supports available to families and youth in the child welfare system, and more.
October 30, 2018
Building Strong Pathways: Strengthening the Transition from High School to College for Foster and Homeless Youth
This workshop was presented at the CCCEOPSA conference and discussed the Foster Youth Services Coordinating Program and McKinney-Vento homeless student liasons roles within K-12 systems with a focus on how to support post-secondary transition. Two colleges discussed how they’ve developed strong collaborations to connect students to college supports before they leave high school to increase college enrollment and success.
October 25, 2018
Completing the FAFSA: A How-To for Assisting Foster and Homeless Youth
These webinars provide a “how-to” on completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), to assist those working with foster and homeless youth. It reviews the 2019-20 FAFSA, page by page, with new screenshots illustrating changes to the FAFSA since last year. Presenters provide detailed instructions on how eligible foster and homeless youth can qualify as independent students for the purposes of financial aid, and key steps to take after the FAFSA or California Dream Act Application is submitted.
Foster Youth:
Homeless Youth:
October 17, 2018
Findings from the 2017-18 THP+FC & THP-Plus Annual Report: Need for Increased Access
In October, John Burton Advocates for Youth released the 2017-18 THP+FC & THP-Plus Annual Report, which highlights the achievements and challenges of the state’s transitional housing programs in helping youth in the foster care and juvenile probation systems make a safe, supported transition to adulthood and discussed practice and policy recommendations from these findings.
September 27, 2018
Addressing Stigma: Strategies for Facilitating Access to Basic Needs Support at Community Colleges
This webinar discussed examples of ways in which colleges are structuring their services to encourage student access and reduce the potential that shame or embarrassment is preventing students from accessing available benefits.
September 19, 2018
Providing Comprehensive Sexual Health Education to Foster Youth: Lessons Learned from an LA Pilot
The California Foster Youth Sexual Health Education Act (Senate Bill 89) went into effect on July 1, 2017. Among its provisions is a requirement that the county child welfare caseworker ensures that every youth age 10 and older receives comprehensive sexual health education once in middle school and once in high school. For youth who don’t, the case plan must document how that requirement will be met. This web seminar discussed a strategy counties can consider to meet this requirement, featuring the results from a pilot in Los Angeles County of the Making Proud Choices!
September 6, 2018
The Homeless Emergency Aid Program: California’s Newest Strategy to Address Youth Homelessness
On June 27, California created the Homeless Emergency Aid Program (HEAP), which will provide local jurisdictions with $500 M to address homelessness. The program requires that a minimum of 5% of the funds are used to address youth homelessness. This webinar provided an overview of HEAP by Ginny Puddefoot, the Executive Director of the Homeless Coordinating and Financing Council. It also featured the work of Jovenes, Inc., a Los Angeles-based housing provider and the Corporation of Supportive Housing (CSH) to address youth homelessness, including homelessness among college students. Attendees learned how to identify the entity in their community applying for HEAP funding, how much funding is available to their community, how to determine the proportion of the local homeless population that are unaccompanied youth, how Jovenes and CSH implement strategies to reduce homelessness and promote college achievement, and how to incorporate this model into the local application.
Academic Case Management: How to Support Youth as College Students
This webinar provided training on how to alter case management for current and former foster youth and homeless youth so that it is tailored for college students and supports a youth’s identity as a student. Featured panelists offered examples of how they utilize this case management model in their housing programs. A new tool was shared on the webinar, moving case managers from asking “how’s school going?” to asking targeted questions at just the right time, building trust, and providing timely reminders, support and referrals to resources.
Findings from Wave 3 of the Cal YOUTH Study
On this web seminar, Professor Mark Courtney provided a summary of findings from Wave 3 of the Cal YOUTH Study, which surveyed young adults who were in formerly in foster care in California.
2018-2019 Burton Book Fund Webinar
This web seminar provided essential information about the Burton Book Fund for the 2018-19 academic year, including a few changes to the program. The web seminar also discussed essential implementation information for college campus representatives, students, and book store administrators.
May 23, 2018
2018 California Child Welfare Budget Requests
This webinar discussed the major budget requests that have been made for the upcoming fiscal year intended to support children served by our child welfare system. Panelists representing the sponsoring organizations discussed the purpose of each budget proposal and walk through its provisions. We also discussed crucial next steps you can take to support these budget proposals.
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April 18, 2018
Unpacking Matriculation for Foster & Homeless Youth: Assessment, Remediation & Recent Changes
This webinar provided an overview of the matriculation process at community colleges & CSUs. Panelists discussed the priority enrollment verification process for homeless youth, how students can avoid being unnecessarily placed in remediation (below-transfer-level courses) during the assessment process, more effective mechanisms for addressing remediation needs, and how state-level changes to assessment and remediation will affect students.
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College Assessment & Remediation Guides
April 4, 2018
Supporting Homeless College Students: Legal Obligations & Best Practices
This web seminar provided community college staff with an overview of the benefits currently available to homeless youth, helped college staff to understand the distinctions across programs regarding how to define and verify homeless status, and offered concrete examples of best practices undertaken by community colleges to better serve this vulnerable population of students.
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March 21, 2018
Financial Aid for Foster & Homeless Youth, Part II: After the FAFSA
This web seminar walked attendees through the steps from the time a student submits the FAFSA to their first disbursement of financial aid, including the process for verifying their status as foster youth or homeless youth. The training also discussed how to support students in maintaining Satisfactory Academic Progress so they don’t lose their financial aid, how to avoid student debt, and how to handle these pitfalls should they occur.
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March 21, 2018
Supporting Homeless, Food and Housing Insecure College Students
This webinar discussed legal obligations and provided technical assistance in supporting college students experiencing homelessness. Discussion revolved around FAFSA, homeless youth liaisons brought forward by AB 801, verification of homeless youth status, and new Calfresh student eligibility requirements and guidelines.
March 16, 2018
State Efforts to Address Youth and Youth Adults Experiencing Homelessness
This webinar discussed efforts at the state level to address the growing epidemic of youth homelessness. Specifically, the webinar looked at proposed legislation SB 918 (Wiener, Rubio) that will establish an Office of Homeless Youth to set goals and map progress toward ending youth homelessness. The bill further directs $60 million in funding to address the alarming rise of youth homelessness in California.
March 8, 2018
New Legislation to Improve California’s Continuum of Care Reform (CCR)
Alliance for Children’s Rights, Children’s Law Center, Children Now and John Burton Advocates for Youth discussed two bills, SB 1083 and AB 2183, that will ensure the CCR is carried out in a manner that is supportive to caregivers and foster youth. The webinar went over efforts around CCR so far, the impetus behind the legislation, and how you can help turn these bills into law.
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February 23, 2018
Increasing Earned IncomeTax Credit Among Transition-Age Youth
This web seminar aimed to increase the uptake of the state and federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) program among transition-aged youth (TAY), including youth who have experienced the foster care system, the juvenile probation system and homelessness. The webinar provided guidance on how to inform youth about tax preparation and resources to help youth file their taxes.
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February 13, 2018
SB 940: Improving College Outcomes for Foster Youth Through Better Access to the Cal Grant
This web seminar discussed SB 940 which was introduced by Senator Beall to expand foster youth access to the largest state funded financial aid program, the Cal Grant. Panelist discussed the impetus for the legislation, its three main provisions, and what you can do to help turn this bill into law.
January 22, 2018
Step-By-Step Guide to Completing the FAFSA for Foster Youth
This web seminar provided step-by-step guidance on how to complete the FAFSA for foster youth as well as tips on what to do after the FAFSA to ensure students get maximum aid awards. Panelists discussed how to help foster youth fill out their financial aid applications accurately and ensure that they get every dollar to help them succeed in college.
January 17, 2018
Financial Aid for Homeless & Foster Youth, Part 1
This web seminar featured Marisol Ramirez with Pierce College, Tanae McCall with CSU Bakersfield, and Simone Tureck with John Burton Advocates for Youth. Panelists shared information about the application process associated with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), provided a breakdown of what typical financial aid award packages include, and important tips for helping ensure current and former foster youth and homeless youth access maximum aid.
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November 28, 2017
CalFresh for Foster Youth Students: An Informational Webinar for College Campus Staff
This webinar provided the need-to-know information about CalFresh as it applies to current and former foster youth in college. Geared toward staff on college campuses; the webinar discussed how to count income for current and former foster youth; how to define a household in shared living arrangements; special exemptions to the restrictions on student eligibility; and how to support youth in submitting a successful application, including how campus staff can help youth gather necessary verification documents.
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November 17, 2017
Join the California Foster Youth FAFSA Challenge!
This webinar introduced the Foster Youth FAFSA Challenge, a statewide campaign to increase the number of foster youth who are prepared for success as they matriculate from high school into college by ensuring that foster youth are accessing financial aid. The web seminar also provided information about the newly available Financial Aid Guide for California Foster Youth, a robust new tool that can help foster youth get all the financial aid for which they are eligible.
Accelerating Success: Turning Insights into Action for Foster Youth at California Community Colleges
This web seminar featured staff from Educational Results Partnership who shared key findings from their new report regarding foster youth outcomes at California’s community colleges. The report provides college leaders with data-driven approaches to improve foster youth outcomes, and shines a light on implications for policy-makers.
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October 10, 2017
Stepping Up for Foster Youth: A Policy Playbook for California’s Four-Year Universities
This web seminar marked the release of a publication by John Burton Advocates for Youth, highlighting steps that Cal State Universities and University of California campuses can take to enhance support for foster youth enrolled at these institutions. Report findings and innovative policy models were shared on the webinar.
September 14, 2017
Exploring Short Program Stays & High Rates of Involuntary Exit: 2016-17 THP+FC & THP-Plus Annual Report
This web seminar shared the findings and practice and policy implications from the 2016-17 THP+FC & THP-Plus Annual Report, which included information on the average length of stay in the programs, rate of involuntary exit, education and employment outcomes, parenting rates, criminal justice involvement and the impact of being homeless.
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July 27, 2017
Beyond the Safety Net: Preliminary Findings from a Pilot Project to Transform Housing Providers into College Success Programs
This web seminar marked the release of a report sharing the preliminary results from a pilot project led by John Burton Advocates for Youth over 2016-17 to increase the capacity of transitional housing programs to support current and former foster youth in post-secondary education.
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July 19, 2017
2017-18 Burton Book Fund: Info for Colleges & Students
This web seminar provided essential information about the Burton Book Fund for the 2017-18 academic year, including an expansion of the program to serve homeless students attending community college. The web seminar provided essential implementation information for college campus representatives, students, and book store administrators about this important program.
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June 23, 2017
Immigrant Families & Child Welfare: What Do We Need to Know in 2017?
This web seminar featured representatives from the Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) offering information about current child welfare policies and their impact on immigrant families in California. Information presented included an overview of the Trump Administration’s actions and how they impact families and children, protections for immigrant families in the child welfare system, including Senate Bill 1064, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Parental Interests Directive and Confidentiality of Juvenile Records, and an overview of immigration relief options for children & families, including updates on Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).
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May 11, 2017
Career Technical Education: Short-Term Programs into Living Wage Employment
This web seminar featured Lynell Wiggins, Strong Workforce Technical Assistance Provider with the California Community College Chancellor’s Office and Career Technical Education (CTE) Counselor with Pasadena City College. Mr. Wiggins synthesized some of the systemic changes occurring within the state’s community college system impacting CTE, and shared with attendees several new tools to assist youth in navigating the range of CTE options and determining their education and career path.
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Financial Aid & Foster Youth, Part II: After the FAFSA
This web seminar featured Yvonne Borrego with UC San Diego, Ernesto Nery with Merritt College and Simone Tureck with John Burton Advocates for Youth. Attendees learned about all of the steps that take place after the FAFSA is submitted, as well as how to support youth in maintaining their financial aid, specifically discussing Satisfactory Academic Progress and preventing and managing student debt.
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March 9, 2017
This web seminar featured Deborah Pruitt with John Burton Advocates for Youth, Jessica Smith, the Statewide FYSI Liaison with the Foundation for California Community Colleges; Kalynda Webber McLean, Dean of Student Success at Pierce College; and Kizzy Lopez, the Renaissance Scholars Program with CSU Fresno. Attendees learned about the support and resources available to current and former foster youth on college campuses, including the various types of campus support programs, priority enrollment, student housing, tutoring, counseling and mentoring.
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Let’s Talk THP-Plus Rates: Regional Housing Costs & Serving Parenting Youth
This web seminar featured Simone Tureck with John Burton Advocates for Youth, Aurora Ibarra with the Fresno Housing Authority, Sachiko Iwata with Santa Clara County Social Services Agency, and Laura Foster with Bill Wilson Center. To promote the full utilization of THP-Plus, John Burton Advocates for Youth proposed a series of strategies, including increasing the rate paid to THP-Plus providers, which in many counties has not kept pace with the growth in housing costs, particularly in the midst of the state’s housing crisis. This webinar outlined two approaches to a rate increase: 1) increasing the rate to reflect the cost of housing in each county, as measured by HUD’s Fair Market Rent; and 2) establishing a higher rate for youth who are custodial parents to reflect the increased costs associated with housing and providing supportive services to parenting youth.
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SB 245: Reducing the Rate of Unintended Pregnancy Among Foster Youth
This web seminar featured Amy Lemley of John Burton Advocates for Youth; Sue Abrams of the Children’s Law Center of California; Alexis Barries, a former foster youth and member of the Healthy Sexual Workgroup convened by the California Department of Social Services; and Rebecca Gudeman of National Center for Youth Law. Presenters shared information about Senate Bill 245 (Leyva), which would reduce the rate of unintended pregnancy among youth in foster care.
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SB 12: Increasing Pell Receipt Among Foster Youth
This web seminar featured Amy Lemley, Debbie Raucher and Martha Joseph of John Burton Advocates for Youth, who shared information about Senate Bill 12 (Beall), which would improve college outcomes for foster youth by increasing access to the Pell Grant, the nation’s largest federal financial aid program.
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February 9, 2017
How to Help Foster Youth Avoid the Remediation Trap and Achieve College Success
This web seminar featured Jessica Petrass with John Burton Advocates for Youth, Dr. Katie Hern with Chabot College and the California Acceleration Project, and Ken Sorey with Educational Results Partnership. Attendees learned about the college matriculation process, how to assist youth with avoiding unnecessary placement in remediation, and some promising practices for addressing remediation needs.
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Beyond Case Management: The Essentials of Academic Coaching
This web seminar featured Christina Nicholson with Whole Person Learning, Shanina Shumate with Beyond Emancipation, and Simone Tureck with John Burton Advocates for Youth. Attendees learned about the essential case management components for working with youth attending college.
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CalYOUTH Study Findings: How Are Foster Youth Faring in Physical and Mental Health?
This web seminar featured Dr. Mark Courtney with Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, Laura Kappe with i.e. Communications, Anna Johnson of the National Center for Youth Law and Amy Lemley with John Burton Advocates for Youth. Findings were presented from Chapin Hall’s California Youth Transitions to Adulthood (CalYOUTH) Study in the area of physical and mental health.
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Collaboratives Supporting Foster Youth to & through College
This web seminar featured Sara Goldware with Beyond Emancipation, Marie Hughes with Family Care Network, and Gabrielle Ridley with Orange Coast College. They presented about existing collaboratives focused on improving post-secondary education accessibility, opportunity and outcomes for current and former foster youth in their respective communities, Alameda County, San Luis Obispo County and Orange County.
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2015-16 THP-Plus & THP+FC Annual Report & Legislative Wrap-Up
This web seminar shared the findings and practice and policy recommendations from the FY 2014-15 THP-Plus & THP+FC Annual Report, and also provided an overview of legislation that was enacted over the 2015-16 legislative session related to transition-age youth and child welfare services.
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October 13, 2016
Financial Aid & Foster Youth, Part 1: Completing the FAFSA
This web seminar featured Simone Tureck of the John Burton Foundation and Marisol Ramirez, Financial Aid Technician and Guardian Scholars Coordinator at Pierce College. The goal of this web seminar was to familiarize attendees with the various types of financial aid current and former foster youth may be eligible for, share what typical award packages consist of, and instruct attendees on how to assist current and former foster youth with completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This was the first in a 7-part series intended to improve THP-Plus and THP+FC providers’ capacity to support current and prospective college students in their programs.
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CalYOUTH Study Findings: How Are Foster Youth Faring in Education?
This web seminar featured Dr. Mark Courtney with Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, Laura Kappe with i.e. Communications and Debbie Raucher with John Burton Advocates for Youth. Findings were presented from Chapin Hall’s California Youth Transitions to Adulthood (CalYOUTH) Study in the area of education.
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August 25, 2016
Why is California Concerned about the Family First Prevention Services Act?
In June, the federal Family First Prevention Services Act of 2016(FFPSA) was introduced, with the stated goal of the increasing prevention services and reducing the utilization of group homes among children in foster care.
Despite these laudable goals, many California child welfare stakeholders have expressed concerns about numerous unintended consequences of the bill, including restricted access to foster care for children living with relative caregivers, barriers to accessing prevention services, a failure to invest in or improve the quality of foster care placements and many more. This web seminar examines theses issues.
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CalYOUTH Study Findings: How Are Foster Youth Faring in Housing?
This web seminar featured Dr. Mark Courtney with Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, Laura Kappe with i.e. Communications and Amy Lemley with John Burton Advocates for Youth. Findings were presented from Chapin Hall’s California Youth Transitions to Adulthood (CalYOUTH) Study in the area of housing.
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July 14, 2016
Info Session: THP-Plus/THP+FC Post-Secondary Education Training Series
The John Burton Foundation shared information about the THP-Plus/THP+FC Post-Secondary Education Training Series, a new opportunity for providers to enhance their capacity to support current and prospective college students in their programs. Also discussed were county policies on accepting out-of-county youth in their THP-Plus programs, and timely state policy developments, including the 2016-17 state budget.
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May 12, 2016
Non-Minor Dependents & CalFresh: Questions Answered
This web seminar featured Simone Tureck of the John Burton Foundation, Shawn Mainville of the California Department of Social Services, and Liz Aleman of East Bay Children’s Law Offices. The goal of this web seminar was to help the child welfare community understand how to support non-minor dependents in applying for CalFresh benefits, including how determine income placement by placement, limitations on student eligibility, application process, and more.
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March 9, 2016
Getting What is Yours: Ensuring Foster Youth and Caregivers Access to the Earned Income Tax Credit
The John Burton Foundation was joined by John Sciamanna of the Child Welfare League of America to present all the need-to-know information about the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) as a resource for caregivers raising foster children and kin, and for non-minors currently or formerly in the child welfare system who are custodial parents. JBF’s Simone Tureck shared information about the brand new Cal EITC, in addition to an overview of current state legislation and budget proposals being sponsored by JBF.
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March 2, 2016
What Did We Miss: A Policy Agenda to Improve Foster Care for Young Adults
In this training, The John Burton Foundation together with the National Center for Youth Law, Children’s Law Center and Children’s Advocacy Institute hosted a web seminar to focus on three areas where additional effort is needed to serve older-youth in foster care and provide information about policy initiatives to address these area: Improving post-secondary education outcomes, preventing unplanned pregnancy and improving support for young families in foster care.
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January 14th, 2016
Financial Aid for Foster Youth
In this Web Seminar, Jocelyn Vila and Neyla Parada the various options of financial aid available to foster youth, the amount that each financial aid grant awards, and eligibility criteria. The Web Seminar answers a variety of questions that may arise during the open enrollment period for federal and state financial aid.
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November 12, 2015
2014-2015 THP-Plus and THP+FC Annual Report Findings
In this training, Amy Lemley unveils the findings of the 2014-15 THP-Plus and THP+FC annual report. This web seminar provides an overview of the newly published report and offers detailed snapshots, data and analysis of both programs.
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October 20, 2015
AB 2668: Supporting Parenting Foster Youth by Providing Emotional and Financial Support
The John Burton Foundation and the Children’s Law Center co-hosted a web seminar to explain the new law that provides parenting Non-Minor Dependents living in a Supervised Independent Living Placement (SILP) an additional $200 supplement.
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September 10, 2015
How do we Know that THP+FC Works?: Unveiling the THP+FC Participant Tracking System
Cecilia Tran and Amy Lemley unveil the John Burton Foundation’s new THP+FC Participant Tracking System, a new database tracking demographic and outcome data for THP+FC participants. This new system is modeled after the THP-Plus PTS developed with consultation from CDSS, counties and providers to track the same information for THP-Plus participants. The web seminar discusses the functions of the system and how providers and counties can utilize this database to improve programs, strengthen advocacy efforts, support fundraising efforts and boosting staff morale.
August 18, 2015
Permanent Affordable Housing for TAY
On this call, JBF’s housing expert Debbie Raucher provided an overview of permanent, affordable housing options for Transition-Age Youth and walked providers through the ways in which they could best assist their program participants in accessing these long-term housing units. The highlight topic was followed by brief updates on the THP+FC workgroup, new information about the THP-Plus Realignment report and a status report on the development of the THP+FC Participant Tracking System.
July 9, 2015
Topics: CA Child Welfare Legislation and Budget Highlights, New THP+FC numbers and Save the Date for the 2015 THP-Plus and THP+FC Institute
This conference call includes an overview of the 2015-16 California Budget as it pertains to child welfare budget proposals as well as policy updates on child welfare bills moving forward that are likely to impact THP-Plus and THP+FC participants. Amy Lemley provides updates on the latest THP+FC numbers from UC Berkeley’s CA Child Welfare Indicators Projects. Lastly, we announce the 2015 THP-Plus and THP+FC Institute including a request for workshop proposals and also introduce the idea of a potential JBF project to improve higher education outcomes for THP-Plus and THP+FC participants.
May 14, 2015
Topics: Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month, Realignment Financial Report, Status of the THP-Plus Augmentation Budget Request and Upcoming Launch of the THP+FC Participant Tracking System
The conference call includes information from Becky Griesse of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancies on providing foster youth with accurate information on reproductive health care services and information. She offers guidance on several key online resources to support case managers. Amy Lemley provides policy updates on the status of the request to augment the THP-Plus budget by $30 million and announces the THP+FC Participant Tracking System, which is slated to be completed by the end of summer 2015. Also discussed, is the recently released Realignment Financial report from the Department of Social Services which lists the amount claimed by each county for THP-Plus.
April 9, 2015
Property Procurement and Management Training for THP-Plus and THP+FC Providers
This training aims to provide THP-Plus and THP+FC providers with insights from long-time providers on procuring property, property management, tenancy training and the benefits and challenges of different leasing structures. The presenters reflect the experiences of both THP-Plus and THP+FC providers from different regions in California.
- Download the weekly apartment check template
- Download the monthly apartment health and safety check template
- Download the maintenance request sample form
March 12, 2015
Understanding Post-Secondary Education Options for Foster Youth and Methods to to Motivate and Inspire Higher Education Attainment (Part 2 of 2 Higher Ed Series)
CA College Pathways Director Debbie Raucher and a foster youth ambassador discuss the resources available to foster youth striving to enter and complete a degree in higher education.
February 12, 2015
Understanding Post-Secondary Education Options for Foster Youth and Methods to to Motivate and Inspire Higher Education Attainment (Part 1 of 2 Higher Ed Series)
CA College Pathways Director Debbie Raucher and a foster youth ambassador discuss the resources available to foster youth striving to enter and complete a degree in higher education.
Laws and Policy
- Child Welfare 101
- A Policy Agenda to Improve Foster Care for Young Adults
- It’s the Law 2015 – Policy Changes that Impact Foster and Homeless Youth in California
- It’s the Law 2014! Policy Changes that Impact Foster Youth in California
- Incorporating Foster Youth in Student Equity Planning
- Priority Registration for Foster Youth Two Years Later: Challenges and Triumphs
- Top Ten Things You Need to Know About Extended Foster Care
Campus Support Program Training
- It’s Never Too Late: Serving Re-Entry Students From Foster Care
- Campus Practice Call: Filling in the Gaps
- Coaching Models for Foster Youth Campus Based Professionals
- Campus Faculty/Staff Foster Youth Training
- Partnerships for Success – Case Studies in Collaboration Between Child Welfare and Higher Education
- Successful Media Strategies
- Tools for Campus Support Programs
- Retention Strategies – Part 3
- Retention Strategies – Part 2
- Retention Strategies – Part 1
Youth Health
- Reducing Unplanned Pregnancy and Strengthening Academic Achievement
- Advancing Wellness: Tools for Supporting Mental Health
Using Data
- Foster Youth Data in Action: Using the CalPASS Plus Foster Youth Data Dashboard
- Extended Care and Youths’ Education
- Charting the Course: Using Data to Support Foster Youth College Success
- From Their Lips to Your Ears: Using Focus Groups to Inform Campus Support Program Design
- Information is Power: Using Data to Inform Campus Support Program Design
- Tips to Get the Best Campus Data on Foster Youth
Training for Child Welfare Professionals and Supportive Adults
- CASA Higher Education Presentation
- When Financial Aid Backfires: And How to Not Get Burned
- Post Secondary Education in the Era of AB12
General Training Skills
- Stop Wasting My Time: Getting the Most Out of Your Meetings
- Stop Wasting My Time! – Building your Facilitation Skills