'Family First' can change the narrative for teens in foster care

Kayla Eckerman
Guest columnist

Iowa has more than the national average of the number of teenagers in the foster care system. In addition, Iowa also places youth in family-like settings way below the national average according to Annie E Casey’s Transitional Youth Data.

Simply put, teenagers aren’t being placed with families — whether that be their own, foster families, or with relatives. Instead, they’re living in group homes, shelters, or living on their own under what’s called Supervised Apartment Living. Thousands of youth age out at 18 without a family. These are incredibly abnormal narratives for thousands of young people.

I was one of the thousands of young people. By the time I was 18, I had spent a total of nine years in the child welfare system, changing high schools 10 different times, changing placements over 14 times (foster homes, kinship placements, shelters, institutional placements, adoption, failed adoption) and finally aging out of the system at age 18 to homelessness (because yes, couch surfing is homelessness).

It may be true that some teenagers need to be in institutional-type settings (such as Orchard Place, Four Oaks), but often, placing a teenager in these settings is the result of the system’s failed attempt at providing services and supports necessary to keep families together, identifying relatives or close family friends for youth to live with or recruiting competent foster families willing and able to take in teenagers.

The Family First Prevention Services Act, new child welfare legislation, empowers states to do better by providing funding necessary to keep families together through evidence-based and trauma-informed services. If a child cannot continue living with his or her family, Family First provides funding and an expectation to place youth with relatives or close friends. Think basketball coaches, school teachers, best friend families. Keeping youth in family settings, especially with people they are already connected with, decreases severity of trauma and helps add some normalcy to an atypical situation.

Iowa view

For those youth not lucky enough to be placed with a family and who age out at 18, Family First broadens the services and supports to improve outcomes. Data tells us that only 50% of Iowa former foster youth have a part or full-time job by age 21, just 79% have a high school diploma or GED, and only 27% have educational financial assistance.

Family First increases the eligibility for the major educational assistance program for former foster youth from age 23 to 26. It also extends Chafee services from age 21 to age 23. Chafee services are independent living services that provide youth with an after-care worker after aging out to help them navigate the “real world.” They fill the responsibility of a parental figure. Chafee services include housing and employment help and other independent living support. Family First also provides supports and services to foster teenagers who are pregnant or parenting, something that has not formally been done yet.

Iowa's state human services leaders have embraced the Family First Prevention Services Act. Iowa is infamous for its over-reliance on group home placements, but leaders in the field here in Iowa are motivated and dedicated to doing better, even though it’s going to be difficult.

With the sudden and abrupt resignation of former Department of Human Services director Jerry Foxhoven, a leader in this field who was excited and ready to take Family First on, there is urgency to fill his role with another leader that exemplifies the same passion.

There will be growing pains, there will be resistance, but this is the right thing to do. Not only can Iowa do better by youth, it can intentionally do better for older youth. Family First provides a pathway to achieve equitable results for all youth, no matter their age.

Kayla Eckerman of Ottumwa works in the youth development field. She is also a state, national and federal level advocate for systems change, a Court-Appointed Special Advocate volunteer, and a licensed, certified occupational therapy assistant.