Early and Consistent Work Experience
Initiative Policy Goal
Provide early and consistent work experience with priority access to workforce programs, developmentally appropriate training and ongoing support
Issue Definition
Many young people who transition from foster care experience difficulty getting a job, staying employed, and earning a living wage. The Midwest Study, a longitudinal study following a sample of young people as they age out of foster care and transition to adulthood, found that by age 24, only half of young people formerly in foster care were employed.1 The majority of these young people who were not employed were actively searching for work. And among those employed, 22 percent would be classified as poor. 2
Young people formerly in foster care have not benefited from typical growing-up experiences that commonly predict successful employment trajectories and associated livable wages. These young people are less connected to family, adult and community networks that provide role models, teach work-related competencies, provide support and help facilitate employment opportunities. They are also less likely to have completed high school or postsecondary education—college or vocational training.
A relatively weak economy and high unemployment rates have changed employment demographics. Many young workers have been displaced by an older work force in market areas traditionally served by younger workers. These challenges in the social environment create even greater barriers to employment for young people aging out of foster care that lack job skills, educational credentials or adequate work experience. Even when these young people are successful in finding a job, they may have difficulty remaining employed and economically viable.
Young people in foster care and those transitioning from care need early and consistent work experience, employment training, and job placement programs that specifically target their unique needs. A study for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services found that when young people in foster care are connected to the workforce prior to age 18, they are more likely to have positive employment outcomes at age 24.3
Status
Several federal child welfare and workforce development programs focus on preparing this population for employment — Independent Living Initiative of 1986; John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence Act of 1999; Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008; and the Workforce Investment Act (i.e., Youth Services and Job Corps programs described in resource section below).
While these funding sources are important to enable workforce readiness, it is vital that young people in foster care receive priority access to the programs and that the child welfare and labor departments work together to coordinate access. There are still many barriers for young people in and transitioning from foster care related to getting and maintaining employment. Young people placed in congregate foster care are expected to abide by rules designed for a large residential community. These restrictive rules may hinder access to early work experiences that require flexible scheduling and freedom of movement in the community. For young people both in and out of care, independent living classes may be offered on finding a job or completing an application; or a young person may be referred to a job placement but these young people often need ongoing guidance and support to not only find employment, but to maintain it. Furthermore, those transitioning from foster care often struggle with housing, transportation, identification documentation, and other issues that can restrict or disrupt their employment experience.
Additionally, there must be consideration for training that is consistent with the developmental needs of this population. The employment training and work experience needs of a 14 year old in foster care, for example will be different from an 18 year old who is about to go to college or move out of their foster home and begin working full-time.
Connecticut Youth Opportunity Strategy, an Initiative partner, supports youth-focused employment through a program called “Work and Learn." It provides case management, a customized set of educational and employment-oriented services, and Individual Development Accounts. A recent evaluation found the program is successful in enhancing competence, confidence, connection, character, and compassion in the young people served; and, shows promising signs of being able to increase youth’s educational and occupational success.3
As another example, Initiative partners in Maine have brought together experts, practitioners and stakeholders from the public and private sectors to develop a work readiness credential for young people who have experienced foster care. The credential will combine training in workforce readiness skills and financial literacy, as well as supported employment services in the workplace. It incorporates a dual customer approach where the employer receives benefits, including training to work with this population and maintaining stable employees, so subsidies for hiring aren’t necessary. When created, the credential will represent a level of work place skills and competencies that young people have achieved, as well as their completion of an employment experience. The approach was piloted in 2009 with promising results. All of the young people that participated completed the program. The partners are now taking the effort to scale and further refining the “credentialing” process. See Related Resources for links to the curricula used for the young people and the employers.
Additional effective programs are described in the publication — Promising Practices: School to Career and Postsecondary Education for Foster Care Youth, listed below.
Related Resources
The Workforce Strategy Center (2001). Promising Practices: School to Career and Postsecondary Education for Foster Care Youth. Baltimore, MD: Annie E. Casey Foundation. www.aecf.org
Beaulieu, A. (2010, August). [Curriculum]. First Jobs Academy enhanced management training: Curriculum for employers of child welfare involved youth. 2nd Ed. Augusta, ME: University of Southern Maine, Muskie School of Public Service, Cutler Institute for Health and Social Policy.http://muskie.usm.maine.edu/Publications/CYF/curriculum/FirstJobsAcademy-Management-Training_2010.pdf
Beaulieu, A. (2010, August). [Curriculum]. First Jobs Academy work readiness training for child welfare involved youth: Trainer guide. 2nd Ed. Augusta, ME: University of Southern Maine, Muskie School of Public Service, Cutler Institute for Health and Social Policy. http://muskie.usm.maine.edu/Publications/CYF/curriculum/Work-Readiness-Training-Guide-2010.pdf
The US Department of Labor implements the Workforce Investment Act. This Act includes: Youth Services program ─a youth employment and training program www.doleta.gov/youth_services; and Job Corp program ─provides free education and training to help young people learn a career, earn high school diploma or GED, and find and keep a job www.jobcorps.gov
References
1 Courtney, M.E., Dworsky, A., Cusick, G.R., Havlicek, J. Perez, A., Keller, T., (2007). Midwest Evaluation of the Adult Functioning of Former Foster Youth: Outcomes at Age 21. Chicago, IL: Chapin Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago.
2 Hook, J.L., & Courtney, M. Partners for Our Children, University of Washington. (2010) Employment of Former Foster Youth as Young Adults: Evidence from the Midwest Study. Chicago, IL: Chapin Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago.
3 Urban Institute “Coming of Age: Employment Outcomes for Youth Who Age Out of Foster Care Through Their Middle Twenties.” Prepared for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation. 2008.
4 A Report Prepared by the Center for Health, Intervention and Prevention, University of Connecticut for the State of Connecticut’s Department of Children and Families, Court Support Services Division (Judicial Branch), and Office for Workforce Competitiveness. (2009). Youth Work and Learn at Our Piece of the Pie (OPP): Findings of the Formative Evaluation of Connecticut’s Youth Development Model. Hartford, CT
