The Alliance for Children's Rights’ Healthy Teen Families Program: Services for Expected and Parenting Youth in Foster Care
Who We Are The Alliance staff includes lawyers, social workers, a public health nurse, advocates and volunteers who understand prevailing laws and regulations affecting children and families. We work to ensure children have stable homes, healthcare and the education they need to thrive. We also work to create system-wide change for foster youth through public policy reform.
What We Do The Alliance protects the rights of abused and neglected children and youth by providing free legal services and advocacy. We assist caregivers and relatives seeking information and advice about legal issues affecting children and youth living in foster care or with someone other than their parents. Programs include: • Foster Care Adoption • Probate Legal Guardianship • Education & Early Intervention • Public Benefits • Healthcare • NextStep for Transition-Age Youth • Healthy Teen Families
HEALTHY TEEN FAMILIES Expectant & Parenting Youth in Foster care
Pregnant and Parenting Teen Conference A conference designed to proactively identify and address the needs of any pregnant or parenting teen under the supervision of the Department of Children and Family Services (inclusive of teen fathers) A PPT Conference brings the teen and her village together to look at: Her strengths Her resources Helps her fill in the gaps where she has needs, even ones she doesn't know she has.
Potential PPT Conference Participants Fa Family Support Systems: DCFS DC FS/C /Com ommunity Suppor orts: • Educational Consultant • Baby’s other parent • Independent Living Program • Youth Father/Mother (ILP) Coordinator • Family members • Public Health Nurse (PHN) • Non –related extended family • Wraparound members • Department of Mental Health • Caregiver/Legal Guardian • Therapist • Significant friend (maternal and paternal)
What issues are addressed at the PPT Conference? • Prenatal Care/Reproductive Health • Placement instability • Education • Subsidized child care to enable youth to remain in school • Child Care • Parenting Classes • Early Intervention for babies • Counseling • Legal Issues: Family Law, tickets, immigration etc • Public Benefits • Transition Issues and Services
HOME VISITATIONS PROGRAMS • Having a healthy baby • Prenatal care • Nutrition • Avoiding drugs • Understanding what to expect during labor and delivery • Some help with breast feeding • Teaching the teens the importance of bonding with their baby and how to do it. • Understanding child development • Non-violent discipline • Birth control
Home Visitation Programs (cont.) • Nurse-Family Partnership Program (NFP) The NFP is a free, voluntary program that partners first- time moms with nurses who provide intensive home visitation services. Referrals to the NFP must be submitted by the 28 th week of pregnancy. For more information: http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/mch/nfp/nfp.htm • Los Angeles County Perinatal and Early Childhood Home Visitation Consortium https://edirectory.homevisitingla.org/ To access the E-Directory for Home Visitation Programs
Childcare THE YOUTH WILL LIKELY NEED ASSISTANCE NAVIGATING THEIR OPTIONS • DCFS provides funding for a licensed childcare provider if youth has an open case • CalWORKs recipients are eligible for subsidized childcare • The Child Care Resource Referral Agency also provides information regarding childcare - http://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/cd/re/larr.asp • The Early Head Start Program in their neighborhood may also have funding for childcare • A few schools and colleges provide childcare
Some Policy Stuff AB 12 • This is a special law that allows youth 18 and over to voluntarily stay in foster care until 21. • They receive support and funding for these three extra years with the goal of helping them become more self-sufficient. There is also funding for their baby. • As long as their case was still open on their 18 th birthday, they can enter and exit foster care as much as they need to during these three years.
Funding and Placement Early Infant Infant Placement Supplement Supplement options will ($415/month) ($900/month) varying Non- Foster Care depending on • Mo Months 7- • Pa Paid d to the age of the Funding ca caregiver or or 9 9 of Parenting youth Ca CalWorks ks tr transiti tional pr pregnancy Support Plan Gr Group/Foster ho housing on only (PSP) Calfresh Ca Ho Home:13-18 18 wi with SI SILP:18-21 21 ssI ssI excep ex epti tion of TH THP+ P+FC: C:18-21 21 SI SILP TH THP P Pl Plus us: 18-24 24
BENEFITS: Food These are government programs that provide assistance. • WIC is a nutrition program which provides, food, formula, nutrition and breast feeding education to pregnant women and their children up to five years old. • Cal Fresh Is the former food stamp program. It comes on a card called an EBT card that can be used at groceries, farmer’s markets and other food outlets.
BENEFITS: Medi-Cal • Foster youth and their babies are all entitled. • Foster youth are eligible for extended Medi-Cal up to age 26 (regardless of their income) under CA ’ s implementation of Affordable Care Act • Youth must be in foster care at age of 18 • Extension of prior coverage from age 21 • Youth should automatically be enrolled and stay enrolled • Pays for medical and mental health care
Medi-Cal (cont’d) • Ensure that they have the correct type of Medi-Cal, and that it is active. The Alliance for Children’s Rights can help with Medi- Cal issues for current and former foster youth. • Their baby is covered the month of their birth and the next month under their mother’s Medi-Cal. The youth should inform her/his CSW of the baby’s birth so the Infant Supplement and baby’s Medi-Cal can be initiated.
Family Law This includes issues such as: • Custody • Visitation • Divorce • Paternity • Child support • DV restraining orders Public Counsel provides free legal advice on teen parent family law issues for youth in care.
Developmental Milestones • If the youth has a concern that their child is not developing on track and need assistance obtaining Regional Center services, The Alliance for Children’s Rights has a program to assist with accessing Early Intervention Services Download developmental milestones brochure, Watch My Baby Grow: • https://kids-alliance.org/wp- content/uploads/2017/06/WatchMyBabyGrow_English_SinglePage_web.pdf
Contact Us Shire Wortham, MSW s.wortham@kids-alliance.org 213-368-6010 ext. 153 Barbara Facher, MSW b.facher@kids-alliance.org 213-368-6010 ext. 105
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