My name is William Young. I am the Commissioner of the Vermont Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services, the state's child protection agency. I am also here today on behalf of the American Public Human Services Association to talk about the issue of preparing older children leaving foster care for adult life. I want to begin by thanking Chairman Johnson and Congressman Cardin for their interest in these issues. I know that for many of you, including Chairman Johnson, child welfare is a matter of long-standing concern.
Children leaving custody are particularly vulnerable.
Unlike some of the people who may be in this room who went out on their own at age 18 and were successful, these children often have little or no resources, may not have a family that cares or is willing to offer any kind of support to them, and often carry a tremendous weight of personal pain and loss as a result of sometimes horrendous histories of child abuse - histories that some of us may have but most do not. In my own State of Vermont we refer all youth in custody between the ages of 15 and 21 to regional Transitional Services Coordinators who, after an initial screening, provide such services as independent living preparation classes, assistance in vocational exploration, finding and maintaining housing, and accessing community services, including substance abuse and mental health counseling. There are also opportunities for community participation through service projects and such activities as local and a state-wide Youth Advisory Board, which give these youth a direct line of communication with me. We try to use all available existing services and programs, but we are not able to meet the needs of each child who requires help. It helps to create capacity for economic self sufficiency rather than welfare dependence and successful citizenship rather than involvement with the Corrections and Child Protection systems as an adult.