For youth aged 15 and older, county agencies are required to create an Independent Living (IL) plan designed to provide the youth with the experience and skills necessary for adulthood. Independent Living services ensure that youth receive training and assistance in the following areas:

• Basic life skills, such as money management, cooking, decision-making and time management
• Job seeking, work experience, and employment
• Obtaining a high school diploma and higher education
• Financial self-sufficiency
• Knowledge of and access to local resources, such as human services agencies, medical and mental health agencies, and food pantries
• Obtaining a safe and stable living environment
• Obtaining necessary documents, such as medical records and a birth certificate
• Referral to BadgerCare+ at age 18 or when aging out of foster care

Do you see any similarities in this list with the services offered by schools for youth with an Individual Education Plan (IEP)? At age 14, or earlier if needed, youth with an IEP can expect school personnel to help them identify their goals for work and living post-graduation, as well as help in identifying activities that will assist them in meeting their goals. As children in out-of-home care are three times more likely to have an IEP than children in the general population, there is significant opportunity for collaboration between the child welfare and school systems to help prepare foster youth with an IEP for independent living.

The caseworker must also create an Independent Living Transition to Discharge (ILTD) plan, with the active participation and at the direction of the youth. This plan differs from the Independent Living plan in that the focus changes from one of gaining the experience and skills necessary for adulthood to the steps a youth must take to transition to independence and meet the needs he will have when no longer in care. The caseworker and youth begin developing the plan six months prior to the youth aging out of care; implementation of the plan occurs in the final 90 days before aging out.

You might have an opportunity to assist the youth in creating the plan. The youth’s caseworker arranges meetings with the youth and any individuals the youth has identified to participate – such as foster parents, relatives, a teacher or school counselor – to develop the plan.

The ILTD plan must ensure that basic resources are in place for youth upon aging out of care and must address, at a minimum, the following:

• Obtaining safe and appropriate housing
• Having a sufficient source of income
• Having employment or a plan for obtaining employment
• Managing health care needs
• Continuing education
• Identifying adult resources to provide emotional support, advice and guidance over time
• Continuing supportive services from the Independent Living Program and other community resources