Supporting Vulnerable At-Risk Youth and Youth Transitioning Out of Foster Care

Youth Collaboratory seeks funding to continue providing training and technical assistance (TTA) to support Project Sites and increase awareness for other interested communities of innovative treatment models for adolescents experiencing risk factors and youth transitioning out of foster care. The purpose/goal of the program is to promote positive youth outcomes and public safety for adolescents experiencing risk factors and youth transitioning from foster care throughout the U.S. (service area).

To meet this goal, Youth Collaboratory will leverage its experience as the current TTA provider and in-depth knowledge of the needs of the intended beneficiaries, who are Project Sites and other stakeholders supporting adolescents experiencing risk factors and youth transitioning from foster care.

The primary activities include providing TTA and achieving the eight required deliverables (D) through four phases:

Phase I: Discovery includes: D1) Developing technical assistance plans for each Project Site awarded 10/1/2023 within the first 4 months; and D2) Planning and coordinating, in conjunction with OJJDP, annual cross-site meetings of Project Sites.

Phase 2: Learning & Phase 3: Integration & Support include: D3) Developing and delivering activities informed by youth and families with lived experience, including TTA to Project Sites on Youth Boards; listening sessions with target population youth, families, and community partners; toolkits; panels/workshops that include target population youth; and other special projects, as needed; D4) Providing targeted content training to Project Site staff and partners to increase their capacity to implement strategies to address issues related to the target population of youth; and D5) Establishing tools and techniques for working across different disciplines to facilitate information sharing, communication, and coordination. Facilitating peer-to-peer information sharing and learning communities (cross-site meetings) between the Project Sites.

Phase 4: National Dissemination & Engagement includes: D6) Developing and disseminating resources on best practices and lessons learned from the Project Sites; D7) Developing and delivering general training activities on residential-based innovative care, treatment, and services for communities not funded through this project; and D8) Producing written synopses or summaries of all meetings, onsite visits, conference calls, and training, and providing them to OJJDP.

The expected outcomes are to develop and expand the skills of Project Sites and other stakeholders working with the target population of youth and increase awareness of innovative treatment models for this target population of youth.