Cross-System Collaboration to Support Youth Involved With Child Welfare

Many organizations and programs affect the lives of youth involved with the child welfare system. Coordinating services to youth can help improve outcomes and strengthen the support system for youth. Find guidelines, protocols, and other resources for improving collaboration among youth-serving agencies, including State and local examples.

• Youth involved with juvenile justice and child welfare

Community Solutions for Opportunity Youth: Final Report (PDF - 4,895 KB)
The White House Council for Community Solutions (2012)
Identifies elements of successful community solutions; highlights best practices, tools, and models of cross-sector collaboration; and makes recommendations on how to continue elevating the national awareness of the issues facing opportunity youth.

Creating a Youth Master Plan (PDF - 400 KB)
National League of Cities Institute for Youth, Education, and Families (2008)
Action Kit for Municipal Leaders,10
Describes a master planning process for cities and schools to develop a shared framework to coordinate services for children and youth.

Youth.gov
Provides interactive tools and other resources to help youth-serving organizations and community partnerships plan, implement, and participate in effective programs for youth.

The Mental Health of Vulnerable Youth and Their Transition to Adulthood: Examining the Role of the Child Welfare, Juvenile Justice, and Runaway/Homeless Systems
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (2009)
Discusses the findings of a study that explored the mental health of vulnerable youth who have been in contact with services systems. Data for the study came from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health.

Supporting Youth in Transition to Adulthood: Lessons Learned from Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice (PDF - 345 KB)
Center for Juvenile Justice Reform & Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative (2009)
Outlines potential strategies, programs, and resources that will enable political and agency leaders, policymakers, and practitioners serving youth to act collaboratively across systems.

The Transition From Foster Care to Adulthood Wiki
University of Chicago Law School
Encourages information sharing among States, Tribes, and territories about legal and practical approaches to serving youth in foster care in transition to adulthood. Includes information on programs, age limits, discharge procedures, and juvenile court jurisdiction and practice.

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State and local examples

California Independent Living Program Transformation Breakthrough Series Collaborative: Appendices (PDF - 141 KB)
California Child Welfare Co-Investment Partnership (2008)
Describes the framework for a collaborative approach used to redefine and reshape programs and services to promote permanency and preparation for adulthood for a broad age range of youth in California.

FCF Recommendations for Inter-Agency Actions to Improve Educational Opportunities for Florida's Foster Youth (PDF - 315 KB)
Florida's Children First (2009)
Presents 11 recommendations to improve educational opportunities for Florida's youth in foster care. Each recommendation includes relevant data, background information, and specific action steps.

Maryland's Ready by 21 Action Plan (PDF - 2540 KB)
Maryland Children's Cabinet (2009)
Identifies benchmarks in education, employment, health, and housing and recognizes cross-cutting issues for each, corresponding strategic action steps, responsible agencies, and timeframes are discussed for each area.

Permanency Through Collaboration Between Delinquency and Dependency Courts (PDF - 882 KB)
National Child Welfare Resource Center on Legal and Judicial Issues
Child CourtWorks,10(2), 2008
Describes efforts in Idaho to bridge the gap between child welfare and juvenile justice proceedings to assist youth with cases pending simultaneously in both systems.

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