Bridges to Youth Self-Sufficiency

California Statewide Advisory Committee

1/14/04

I. Welcome & Introductions

Give a brief description of your youth related

roles/activities

II. Review the Agenda

III. Overview of Project

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Public Overview

California's Bridges to Youth Self-Sufficiency is an exciting new program sponsored by the Social Security Administration, the California Department of Rehabilitation, and seven California school districts.  This program is dedicated to informing and motivating families and young people with disabilities about work and current work incentives, to assisting them with the transitions to work, and to helping them maximize their economic independence and achieve greater self-sufficiency.

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Background

• Grant opportunity• Planning workgroup convened• Modeled after SPI• RFPs released

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Award

• SSA awarded grant 9/30/03• 5 year research and

demonstration project

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National Project Goals

Improve employment and educational outcomes of transition aged youth (14-25) who are recipients of public benefits or “at risk” of becoming recipients.

Ensure ‘customer’ satisfaction and informed choice in pursuit of individual employment goals.

Collaborate and build interagency partnerships with youth transition systems in order to integrate services and blend resources.

Compile data to evaluate the effectiveness of the project strategies.

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Bridges Project Objectives

1. Increase the self-sufficiency of transition aged youth with disabilities by decreasing their dependence on public benefits; and,

2. Conduct a state-level research and evaluation study on this population to inform policy decisions.

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Bridges Project Outcomes

This project will track five categories of outcomes to gauge the success of interventions:

1. Employment Outcomes (e.g., work history, part or full-time employment)

2. Educational Outcomes (e.g., high school and postsecondary completion)

3. Level of Independence (e.g.,reduced benefits due to earnings)

4. Service Participation (e.g., participation in all services to determine effectiveness

5. Quality of Life Indicators (e.g., individual and family satisfaction)

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Project Sites

• Capistrano/Saddleback Valley Unified School District Consortium

• Irvine/Newport-Mesa Unified School District Consortium

• Riverside County Office of Education• Vallejo City Unified School District• Whittier Union High School District

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Mission Statement

Educating youth and their families to use services and supports as a bridge to greater self-sufficiency.

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‘Core’ Services

• Workability IComprehensive pre-employment preparation, paid and unpaid employment placement, and follow up.

• Transition Partnership Program (TPP)Community based instruction, vocational and basic skills assessment, tutoring, vocational and work-site training, specific job skills training, pre-employment preparation, work-site evaluation, work experience, career/job development, job placement, job coaching, job retention and follow up services.

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Outreach and Recruitment

Outreach and Recruitment of Students in Special Education and/or with Section 504 Contacts with special educators, school nurses and counselors, foster youth providers, youth in the juvenile justice system, teen mothers and others. Each site’s goal will be to serve a minimum of 50 participants at any one time, consisting of a range of participant ages. Early InterventionContact students with disabilities receiving SSA benefits in middle school (age 14).

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‘Enhanced’ Services

Coordination and Integration of Services – Case ManagementThe student’s transition services will be supported by an interagency team that will include the student, family, project Service Coordinator and representatives of appropriate adult agencies.Benefits PlanningThe sites’ Benefits Coordinator positions will provide benefits and financial planning to each enrolled participant.

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‘Enhanced’ Services

Benefits Planning and Education

Youth Incentives

Local and State Advisory Bodies

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‘Enhanced’ Services

Healthcare ServicesYouth and their parents will be counseled by the project’s Benefits Coordinator and school health care professionals on the availability and access of Medicaid and Healthy Start services.Ongoing Employment Support and Follow Along ServicesThe Service Coordinator and State Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor (as appropriate) will coordinate ongoing employment support and counseling.

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State Evaluation

• Evaluation contractor will be looking at: – unique site strategies– differences between students who receive

special education services only, core services, and core plus enhanced services

– employer participation – interagency collaboration

• Using an adapted Workability I database, as well as existing Department of Education, TPP, Employment Development Department, and Social Security databases

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A A “Snapshot”“Snapshot” The Critical Skills Group, The Critical Skills Group,

Ltd.Ltd.1113 North Irving1113 North IrvingWheaton, IL 60187Wheaton, IL 60187

(630) 682-5388(630) 682-5388ccjett@msn.comccjett@msn.com

WorkAbility1WorkAbility1 v 5.0 & “Bridges 0304”v 5.0 & “Bridges 0304”

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National Evaluation

• Social Security Administration has contracted with Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation to develop an evaluation design

• MDRC is considering a random assignment design to look at the impacts of the SSA initiative across all participating states and project sites

• National evaluation contract will be developed some time in 2004

• Contractor will develop a national report of findings and implications for policy makers

IV. Purpose of the Committee

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Primary Responsibility

• The purpose of the committee is to provide guidance and technical support to the Bridges project through information sharing, partner collaboration and constituency linkages, and facilitating necessary state level systems change to assist youth with disabilities attain greater self-sufficiency and independence.

V. Committee Structure

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Ideas for Committee Structure

• Discussion

VI. Site Reports

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Capistrano/Saddleback Valley Unified School District Consortium

Project CoordinatorsBobby Menn

Gerry Strickland

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Irvine/Newport-Mesa Unified School District Consortium

Project CoordinatorsGail Hunt

Linda O’Neal

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Riverside County Office of Education

Project CoordinatorLynn Smith

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Vallejo City Unified School District

Project CoordinatorJoyce Montgomery

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Whittier Union High School District

Project CoordinatorRichard Rosenberg

VII. Next Steps