Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability
Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability

Improvements in Independent Living Services Will Better Assist State's Struggling Youth

Report 05-61, December 2005




Report Summary

  • Youth in foster care have poor academic outcomes compared to non-foster youth, due in part to their lack of school permanency, disabilities, disciplinary problems, and homelessness. In addition, former foster youth often struggle with self-sufficiency after leaving the foster care system.
  • To address this problem, the Legislature expanded services to assist former foster youth and created three funding sources to financially assist these youths' transition to adulthood. However, relatively few youth receive aid-in Fiscal Year 2003-04, slightly more than a quarter (28%) of potentially eligible former foster youth received financial assistance through the program. There is no data on whether the remaining youth qualified for or desired assistance, as the Department of Children and Families does not have a method to track these youth. The department has recommended to its community-based providers not to keep "waiting list" data pending formal rule promulgation.
  • The department should improve its oversight of community-based care providers by requiring contracts to meet minimum performance standards, and it should revise its contract monitoring to reflect programmatic improvement rather than contract compliance.


Related Reports
  1. DCF Has Improved Some Aspects of Independent Living Program Oversight; Other Long-Standing Problems Remain
    Report 10-30 March 2010
  2. Improved Fiscal and Quality Oversight Is Needed for the Independent Living Program
    Report 07-11 February 2007
  3. CBC Pilot Project Implementation Delayed But Proceeding; Other Initiatives Implemented
    Report 07-03 January 2007
  4. Child Welfare Transition Nearly Complete; Budget Allocation and Oversight Systems Need Strengthening
    Report 05-12 March 2005
Copies of this report in print or alternate accessible format may be obtained by email OPPAGA@oppaga.fl.gov, telephone (850) 488-0021, or mail 111 W. Madison St., Room 312 Tallahassee, FL 32399-1475.
Copies of this report in print or alternate accessible format may be obtained by email OPPAGA@oppaga.fl.gov, telephone (850) 488-0021, or mail 111 W. Madison St., Room 312 Tallahassee, FL 32399-1475.
social services, health, foster care, kids, independent living, community-based care, child care, children programs, young adult, child welfare