The SCDC Resource Bank is designed to be a living hub of research, best practices, guides and other materials that are thoughtfully collected to identify and reflect the challenges, barriers, needs, and supports for students who are system involved, their parents and families, educators, and other stakeholders who work directly with young people impacted by the child welfare and/or the juvenile/adult justice systems.
Featured Resources
General Resources
Educational Supports
Transitional Supports
Mental Health Supports
Featured Resources:
Juvenile Law Center: Foster Care
By: Juvenile Law Center
The Juvenile Law Center has an array of work and priorities as it relates to young people impacted by the child welfare system. Here are some examples: a webinar dedicated to "Transition Planning for Youth with Intellectual Disabilities," information on applying for Medicaid until one is 26 years old, and a resource guide titled "Know Your Rights Guide: Tools for Navigating the Child Welfare System and Advocating for Yourself."
Know Before You Go (B4UGo)
By: Alliance for Children's Rights and Children's Law Center of California
This is a resource developed with young people in mind. It provides helpful information, guides, and videos related to life, school, work, and legal services. This includes a resume builder, budgeting tools, and other resources. There is a California focus, but many of the materials and information are versatile.
CFSA Information for Youth
By: Child and Family Services Agency (CFSA)
CFSA’s webpage directed at youth impacted by the child welfare system includes a Youth Bill of Rights, youth services, and contact information.
General Resources:
FosterClub
FosterClub is a non-profit organization located in Oregon, and focuses on supporting young people who have been impacted by foster care through advocacy, activism, and a series of programs. FosterClub provides training and education, outreach and peer support, and public policy programs that engage and empower young people. Their blog has an array of webinars and topics that may be insightful.
Youth Law Center Resource Library
By: Youth Law Center
"The Youth Law Center is committed to sharing advocacy resources, information, and tools that can improve the quality of life and opportunities for youth in foster care and the juvenile justice system."
Teens and Young Adults Out-of-School-Time Programming
By: Learn24
Use the “find programs here” link to access the Learn24 program finder where you can filter through various out-of-school-time programming across the District, for different age and grade levels, and with different focal areas.
Educational Supports:
Supporting Higher Education Access and Success for Youth with Experience in Foster Care in Pennsylvania: A Guide for Child Welfare and Education Professionals and Advocates
By: Juvenile Law Center | May 2020
This guide is rich with resources and tips related to the child welfare system, college programs, funding and financial aid opportunities, and other wraparound community services. There is a focus on PA based universities and programs, but information related to the FAFSA, special education services or reasonable accomodations, and other general questions are universal. One can flip through each chapter and jump to the associated "tips" for an overview.
Operation: Education
By: Juveniles for Justice Project of Juvenile Law Center
This resource was created by youth and young adults in the Youth Fostering Change and Juveniles for Justice advocacy programs. The document features personal accounts regarding educational disruptions students with system involvement face and recommendations for schools, communities, transition teams, local education policies, and investments. Education Recommendations for students in the foster care system begin on page 19 and Education Recommendations for students in the juvenile justice system begin on page 23.
Students & Families
By: Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE)
OSSE is the state education agency for the District of Columbia. Among other roles, OSSE supports and oversees DC Public Schools and public charter organizations, administers District-wide assessments, transports students with disabilities to and from school, and provides leadership and coordination to ensure our earliest learners have access to a great early childhood education.” Use this page to explore a variety of different topics.
DCPS Career and Technical Education
By: District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) in cooperation with DC CAN and NAF
DCPS’ Career and Technical Education Office offers high-quality CTE programming. The high schools offering CTE programming can be seen here and a list of programming with descriptions can be found here.
DCPS Career Ready Internship Initiative
By: District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) in cooperation with DC CAN
"The DC Public Schools (DCPS) Career Ready Internship initiative is managed by the DCPS College and Career Programs Division. The Career Ready Internship initiative allows highly qualified Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) applicants to interview for paid internships with leading industry employers in their career field of choice. These internships are designed to expose students to the world of competitive employment and help guide students through the career exploration process.”
Students, host employers, and teachers can browse the site to find relevant opportunities and resources.
DCPS College Prep Programs
By: District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS)
Use this page to navigate information about the college application process and financial aid information. See also this DCPS College Prep Checklist.
Transitional Supports:
Resources for Youth in Transition
By: Child Welfare Information Gateway
"The following resources are written for youth who are aging out of out-of-home care, providing practical information on topics that may be important as they transition to adulthood."
Foster Care Transition Toolkit
By: U.S. Department of Education | May 2016
"This toolkit serves to inspire and support youth currently in foster care and young adults who have aged out of care to pursue college and career opportunities.” Page 5 of the document provides a table of content to easily jump to a relevant topic. Information related to educational opportunities, job and career support, money management, housing, and taking care of one’s mental and physical health are collected.
Appendix A (page 58) lists national foster youth serving agencies and Appendix B (page 59) shares links to each state’s tuition waivers and vouchers (DC’s is on page 63).
Mental Health Supports:
Mental Health America: Self-Help Tools
By: Mental Health America
A plethora of resources, tips and tools to making one's mental health a top priority can be found on this site, including an interactive "where to get help" tool.
For Young People Looking for Help
By: Mental Health.Gov
Brief webpage on signs of “mental health problems” and additional links and phone numbers to other providers.
Understood Resources
Understood’s mission is to connect students with learning and thinking differences to resources, expertise and communities that assist in bolstering confidence. Read more about their mission here. Resources for families, students and educators are provided in various forms (articles, tips, and videos).
Supporting Mental Health in Schools
By: Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE)
Use this link to find written guidance for LEAs in developing procedures for students’ mental health and a directory of local programs and service providers.