State of Florida Rick Scott Govemor Department of Children and Families David E. Witkins Secretary February 23,2012 The Honorable Rick Scott Governor PL 05 The Capitol Tallahassee, FL 32399-0001 Dear Governor Scott: fn accordance with section 409J451(7), F.S., our Department respectfully submits the 2011 Annual Report of the lndependent Living Services Advisory bouncil and the response of the Department. The report be_ can viewed by visiting the Department of ChiEren and Families internet site at http://www.dcf.state.fl . us/programs/indliving/AdvisoryCouncil/index.shtml. lf your staff has any questions, please have them contact Ms. Patricia Armstrong, Director, Child Welfare Program at (850) 922-2298. lf I may be of further assistance, please let me know. David E. Wilkins Secretary Attachments 1317 Winewood Boulevard, Tallahassee, Florida 323gg_O7OO Mission: Protect the Vulnerable, Promote Strong and Economically Self-Sufficient Families, personal and Advance and Family Recovery and Resiliency Florld. ho..tm€nr of Chlldr"n & F.milies Rick Scott State of Florida Governor Department of Ghildren and Families David E. Wilkins Secretary February 23,2012 The Honorable Mike Haridopolos, President The Florida Senate 406 Senate Office Building 404 South Monroe Street Tallahassee, FL 32399-1 100 Dear Mr. President: f n accordance with section 409J451(7), F.S., our Department respectfully submits the 2011 Annual Report of the Independent Living Services Advisory Council and the response of the Department. The report can be viewed by visiting the Department of Children and Families internet site at http:/lwww.dcf.state.fl.us/programs/indliving/AdvisoryGouncil/index.shtml. lf your staff has any questions, please have them contact Ms. Patricia Armstrong, Director, ChiH Welfare Program at (850) 922-2298. lf I may be of further assistance, please let me know. David E. Wilkins Secretary Attachments cc: The Honorable JD Alexander, Chairman, Committee on Budget The Honorable Joe Negron, Ghairman, Budget Subcommittee on Health and Human Services Appropriations The Honorable Ronda Storms, Chairman, Committee on Children, Families, and Elder Affairs 1317 Winewood Boulevard, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0700 Mission: Protect the Vulnerable, Promote Strong and Economically Self-Sufficient Families, and Advance Personaland Family Recovery and Resiliency Rick Scott State of Florida Governor Department of Ghildren and Families David E. Wilkins Secretary February 23,2012 The Honorable Dean Cannon, Speaker The Florida House of Representatives 420 The Capitol 402 South Monroe Street Tallahassee, FL 32399-1300 Dear Mr. Speaker: In accordance with section 409.1451(7), F.S., our Department respectfully submits the 201 1 Annual Report of the Independent Living Services Advisory Council and the response of the Department. The report can be viewed by visiting the Department of Children and Families internet site at http://www.dcf.state.fl . us/programs/indliving/AdvisoryCouncil/index.shtml. lf your staff has any questions, please have them contact Ms. Patricia Armstrong, Director, Child Welfare Program at (850) 922-2298. lf I may be of further assistance, please let me know. David E. Wilkins Secretary Attachments cc: The Honorable Denise Grimsley, Chairman, Appropriations Gommittee The Honorable Robert Schenck, Chairman, Health and Human Services Committee 1317 Winewood Boulevard, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-O7OO Mission: Protect the Vulnerable, Promote Strong and Economically Self-Sufficient Families, and Advance Personaland Family Recovery and Resiliency IND2EPENDENT L0 IVING SERVICES ADVIS11ORY COUNCIL Ten Independent Living youth from Jacksonville participated in first Tour de TRAILS program. They pedalled 40 miles on the Pinellas Trail and ended the ride on the historic sponge docks in Tarpon Springs. 201 1 Report of Independent Living Services for Florida’s Foster Youth 2011 Independent Living Services Advisory Council 2 REPORT OF INDEPENDENT LIVING SERVICES FOR FLORIDA’S FOSTER YOUTH ON THE COVER: As incoming chair of the State of Florida, Independent Living Services Advisory Council, Tour de TRAILS is a teaching, riding I, along with my fellow ILSAC members, would like to take this opportunity to express our and interpersonal life skills program gratitude to outgoing chair, Jane Soltis. Jane has expertly steered this Council for the past for foster teens aged 15 –17, five years as we worked to meet the responsibilities entrusted to us by the Florida Legislature, designed by Family Support the Department of Children and Families, and most importantly, Florida’s youth in foster care. Services of North Florida, to help educate and involve each participant in teamwork, bike safety, healthy Jane has brought to the forefront the importance of listening to the foster youth we serve, nutrition, hydration and the benefits the importance of accountability in Florida’s foster care system, and the importance of of exercise. The teens toured 40 developing public and private partnerships to ensure that quality services are delivered to miles of greenway trails along our youth. In addition, she has created awareness and understanding that neither the child Florida's Gulf Coast. welfare system nor the school system alone can be the parents and educators to our children in foster care. These youth are ALL of our children, and as Jane helped us realize, the foster care system does not work with the assistance of community organizations alone. Instead, it requires that Florida’s citizens become invested in the outcomes of the youth we are granted the privilege to serve. Perhaps Jane’s greatest contribution is that she has redefined the foster care narrative, and developed an approach that has made youth, foster parents and caregivers the focus of our dialogue. Because of Jane, our conversation did not circle around the system of foster care, but instead focused on the care of children. As you all know, we talk about child welfare all the time. Now, thanks to Jane, this term has a new definition—what we really mean is that we want our children to fare well while in our care. We look forward to working with Jane in the coming years. Thank you for your dedication and commitment, Jane! William Booth, Esq. Incoming Chair Independent Living Services Advisory Council 2011 3 Independent Living Services Advisory Council REPORT OF INDEPENDENT LIVING SERVICES FOR FLORIDA’S FOSTER YOUTH Introduction The Independent Living Services Advisory Council (ILSAC) is charged A multi-stakeholder workgroup has focused on a redesign of services by the Legislature with reviewing and reporting on the implementation for 18–22 year-olds, to improve outcomes through the expansion of and operation of independent living services to youth in the Florida foster care to age 21, as an optional provision open to states under foster care system. We have provided recommendations to the the federal Fostering Connection to Success and Increasing Adoptions Legislature and the Department of Children and Families (DCF) every Act of 2008. year since 2002. There has been an expansion of Florida Youth SHINE and Youth As of July 1, 2011 there were 5,308 youth aged 13 –17 in out-of- Advisory group structures in community-based care (CBC) lead home care eligible for independent living services; and 3,906 young agencies throughout the state. adults, formerly in foster care, aged 18 –22, were accessing continued Road to Independence Services. A collaborative was started between Department of Juvenile Justice and Department of Children and Families to address the needs of There is a continued national interest in the outcomes of this children and youth known to both the child welfare and juvenile population as many disciplines have contributed to the knowledge justice system through the Crossover Youth Practice model base regarding what enables these young people to succeed. developed by Georgetown University. Florida has designed an array of services to support youth in care The ILSAC has long emphasized that the Florida child welfare system and those who have aged out of care through a web of federal must base its efforts and resources on data and outcomes that will grants, general revenue dollars and national, state and community hold us accountable for those efforts and resources. funds and partnerships. Florida took a national leadership role by implementing the National The Florida Legislature has been a strong advocate for this group Youth in Transition Data Base (NYTD) expanded version for 100% of young people by revising laws related to this program on a of youth in care rather than a sampling of youth. regular basis. Florida also has evolved the Independent Living Critical Checklist, Florida has been a leader through the development and implementation started in 2007, to the My Services twice-a-year survey for all youth of a number of innovative practices and initiatives. aged 13 –17 in foster care. Florida has been recognized by Administration for Children and FInlortidhaehpasaesmt btwracoedyethaerQsu: ality Parenting Initiative , which Families for implementation of both of these tools as they provide a focuses on quality parenting for children and youth in foster homes. critical and valuable voice for the youth in care, and those that have aged out of care, a voice on their experiences and perspective, and, “Everybody’s a Teacher” was launched to focus on the achievement at the same time, provide a quality improvement tool for CBC of educational progress by encouraging individuals, within all Florida providers and other stakeholders. communities, to become involved in the academic success of children and youth in foster care. While these initiatives have taught us much about our system of care, they also provide valuable information about the continued challenges Family Finders and Permanency Round Tables have focused on and obstacles we face in preparing youth in foster care for success facilitating the permanency planning process, which is designed to as adults of our state by being educated, housed, banked, employed expedite the permanency of youth in foster care, and to increase the and connected to a permanent supportive family by the time they development of staff around permanency strategies.