PLEASE READ: We are VERY excited about this. Permanency Pacts and Transition Toolkits

We are VERY excited to introduce two new tools to help us in our work.

The Permanency Pact and the Transition Toolkit.

When we are working with the children in the homes, we are very much looking forward to them prospering after they leave the home as adults. This was the buy in from the staff from the beginning of our journey as a NPO and continues to be the challenge.

We realized when talking to the staff tasked with one of the Ambassadors (our term for aged out youth as they are no longer children and should not be called orphans. Even orphans we prefer to call Champions) that in many cases, we are the only consistency in the lives of the kids we work with from a young age. Staff come and go and the Principals of the homes retire or transfer. So, we understand the unique position we are in to develop a strong bond with the kids that can last into adulthood.

When the Ambassadors work with us, we have a checklist to understand more about where they are in life i.e. health insurance, bank accounts, birth certificates etc. We also try to make them aware of the many assets in the community which are available to them in our online Empower Village at YouMeWe   https://youmewenpo.org/empowervillage and Empower International where we try to connect them with our network www.empower-village.com

IFCA (International Foster Care Association) www.ifcaseattle.org has shared with us two tools:

The Permanency Pact

Japanese

https://acrobat.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:a7b53c59-480e-3933-8c79-07a9fdba96d4

English

https://acrobat.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:7fdfa459-4a05-32b8-bf89-93e4ab320e4a

What’s a Permanency Pact? A pledge by a supportive adult to provide specific supports to a young person in foster care with a goal of establishing a lifelong, kin-like relationship.

 Youth transitioning from foster care are often unsure about who they can count on for ongoing support. Many of their significant relationships with adults have been based on professional connections which will terminate once the transition from care is completed. It is critical to the youth's success to identify those adults who will continue to provide various supports through and beyond the transition from care. Clarifying exactly what the various supports will include can help to avoid gaps in the youth's safety net and misunderstandings between the youth and the supportive adult.

A Permanency Pact provides:

•  structure and a safety net for the youth

•  a defined and verbalized commitment by both parties to a long term supportive relationship

•  clarity regarding the expectations of the relationship

A Permanency Pact creates a formalized, facilitated process to connect youth in foster care with a supportive adult. The process of bringing the supportive adult together with youth and developing a pledge or “Permanency Pact” has proven successful in clarifying the relationship and identifying mutual expectations. A committed, caring adult may provide a lifeline for a youth, particularly those who are preparing to transition out of foster care to life on their own.

Participants in a Permanency Pact

In addition to the two primary parties in a Permanency Pact (the youth and the supportive adult), it is recommended that a Facilitator assist in developing the Pact. The Facilitator may be a Case Worker, Independent Living Provider or other adult who:

•  is knowledgeable in facilitating Permanency Pacts

•  is familiar with the youth, and

•  can provide insight into the general needs of the youth transitioning from care

The Supportive Adult is an adult who:

•  has been identified by the youth

•  has a relationship with the youth

•  is willing to commit to a life-long relationship with the youth•  is a positive role-model and

•  is able to provide the youth with specific support on an on-going basis.

(Shawn from Michigan, FosterClub All-Star

“As I get older I am seeing the importance of family, community and peer support. Ever since I became engaged and active in my community my circle of support has expanded. My life has become so much more enriched now that I have accepted that I have a lot of people that care about me, I genuinely believe that family: peers, bio, foster, adoptive, in-laws are the most valuable thing a person can have in their life.”)

There are 45 Suggested Supports and the Japanese Version may vary but we have offered this Pact to the 6 Ambassadors who work with us now to formalize the support we already offer:

1.    A home for the holidays

2.    A place to do laundry

3.    Emergency place to stay

4.    Food/Occasional meals

5.    Care packages at college

6.    Employment opportunities

7.    Job Search Assistance

8.    Career Counseling

9.    House Hunt

10.Recreation Activities

11.Mentor

12.Transportation

13.Educational Assistance

14.Relationship/Marriage/Parenting counseling

15.Assistance with Medical appointments/chaperone

16.Storage

17.Motivation

18.Someone to talk to/Discuss problems

19.A phone to use

20.A computer to use

21.Clothing

22.Spiritual support

23.Legal troubles

24.Cultural experience

25.Apartment move-in

26.Cooking lessons/Assistance

27.Regular Check-in (Daily, Weekly or Monthly)

28.Bills and Money Management Assistance

29.Drugs and Alcohol Addiction Help

30.Mental Health Support

31.Co-Signer

32.Help with reading Forms, Documents, and Complex Mail

33.Mechanical and/or Building projects

34.Housekeeping

35.Home Decorating

36.Voting

37.Volunteerism

38.Finding Community Resources

39.Safety and Personal Security

40.Babysitting

41.Emergency Cash

42.Reference

43.Advocacy

44.Inclusion in Social Circle/Community Activities

45.Adoption