Community Pages - Iowa

Initiative Partner:  Youth Policy Institute of Iowa

The Youth Policy Institute of Iowa is the grantee for the Polk County implementation of the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative. Polk County is one of the sites around the country piloting this approach to help youth in foster care make successful transitions to adulthood and self-sufficiency. Local partners include: United Way of Central Iowa, Iowa Department of Human Services, Human Services Planning Alliance, Bankers Trust and Multiple Youth-Service Agencies and Organizations.

Contact: Carol Behrer, 515-727-4220
Youth Policy Institute of Iowa
7025 Hickman Road, Suite 4
Des Moines, IA 50322

Policy:

"Every Child Deserves a Forever Family" - Iowa Permanency Vision

Strong advocacy by the Des Moines site and technical assistance from the Initiative have contributed to progress on a variety of efforts to achieve permanence for all young people in care.  Highlights include:

•  Adoption of a Permanency Vision statement/guiding principles and agreement to create a State Permanency Plan through a Compression Planning process to be facilitated by Casey Family Programs this fall;

•  Formation of a Child Welfare Advisory Committee Permanency Subcommittee to pull together a host of efforts.  The Subcommittee is currently completing a comprehensive assessment and gap analysis of permanency activities in Iowa;

•  Administration of a permanency survey in April 2009 by more than 350 young people receiving Iowa aftercare services.  The survey also served to test permanency questions for NYTD+ consideration;

•  Serious examination and cost projections of the option to extend foster care to age 21, being led by the Iowa Chief Justice's Children's Justice Initiative Task Force;

•  Development of the Iowa Youth Dream Team youth-centered planning model to identify permanent connections for youth aging out; and

•Engagement of group care providers in permanency discussions and focus on youth permanence at the 2009 fall conference sponsored by the private provider association.

News and Events:

Iowa Youth Leadership Board President Shares Her Story About Obtaining a Forever Family

 Iowa Youth Leadership Board Shares Her Story of Succeeeding Against the Odds