A. Description and Purpose
The Youth Employment and Training Program provides supplemental services to youth, ages 14-20. The youth who are referred to the program may be receiving services through an open family or child DCFS case, including youth in successor guardianship arrangements, from a youth service or child welfare agency under contract with the Department, or by referral from another agency. The purpose of these services is to motivate and enable youth to attain economic independence and self-sufficiency through employment and/or training. Services offered through the Youth Employment and Training Program (YETP) represent the combined efforts of the Illinois Job Service or Job Training Partnership Act Service providers and the Department's Youth Employment Coordinators.
The following Sections describe:
o the eligibility requirements of the program; and
o program participation; and
o the initial and ongoing service planning necessary to successfully guide a youth through the program and monitor the youth's progress; and
o financial provisions of the program, and
o termination of services.
B. Eligibility Requirements
These services are available to any 14-20 year old youth accepted as a referral. Caseworkers and youth agency staff shall utilize the following criteria to determine the eligibility and suitability of youth for these employment and training services:
1) Age: 14 through 20 - Youth must be at least 14 years of age to be referred for assistance.
2) Employment Status: Youth referred should be either unemployed, or under-employed, i.e., employed part-time but seeking full-time employment.
3) School Status: Both in-school and out-of-school youth may be referred. However, preference should be given to out-of-school youth and youth in school should be referred for the following kinds of assistance:
a) part-time employment during school term;
b) full-time or part-time employment in the summer;
c) vocational and career counseling;
d) vocational exploration;
e) pre-employment and employment skills training;
f) job seeking skills training;
g) vocational training;
h) academic and vocational testing.
Out-of-school youth may be referred for full-time employment, assistance in returning to school, and any or all of the above services.
4) Vocational Training: Any youth over 14 who is seeking vocational training, whether in an area vocational school, a community college, or special skills training school, should be referred for YETP services.
5) Eligibility Criteria for the Job Training Partnership Act Program (JTPA): The following categories of youth l4 and over, are automatically eligible for JTPA services:
a) youth on whose behalf payments are being made by the state; or
b) youth who are handicapped; or
c) youth receiving public assistance (e.g., AFDC, SSI)
In accordance with JTPA regulations youth for whom the Department is legally responsible who reside in the home of their biological or adoptive parents must meet JTPA income requirements.
C. Program Participation
The YETP service shall be implemented as follows:
1) Referral Process
a) The DCFS caseworker, child welfare and/or youth agency staff will decide whether it is in the best interest of the adolescent, age 14 through 20, to add an employment and training component to the youth's service plan (CFS 497).
b) When a youth is to be referred for employment and training the referring staff person (DCFS caseworker, child welfare or youth service agency staff) must complete the appropriate information under Part A of the CFS 380, Referral and Reporting Form and forward one copy to the local agency where the youth was referred (Job Service or JTPA service provider) and one copy to the DCFS Regional Youth Employment Coordinator.
2) Follow-Up and Service Delivery
a) Within five (5) working days of making a referral, the referring staff person must make telephone contact with the agency to which the youth was referred to discuss and/or provide the following information:
o the long-term goal for the youth;
o the reason for the referral;
o special needs of the applicant;
o a short-term employment or training objective for the applicant (i.e. - part-time job, education, vocational training);
o when, where and how the applicant will meet the representative of the agency to whom the youth was referred.
b) Following receipt of the CFS 380 from the staff person who referred the youth, staff of the employment and training agency shall schedule an assessment meeting with the applicant. Subsequently, the employment and training agency representative will complete the service provider's employability development plan and forward a copy of the plan to the staff person (DCFS, youth or child welfare agency) who referred the youth.
c) The agency to which the youth was referred may provide any or all of the following services as part of its service delivery:
o testing and assessment,
o career counseling; and
o job search workshops; and
o referral to or placement in jobs, vocational training or educational programs.
D. Service Planning
When the youth is served through an open DCFS case, an objective and tasks shall be developed for the youth based on the information available from the employability development plan and incorporated into the client service plan as an employment and training objective. Staff of the employment and training agency shall be invited to participate in the youth's case review.
E. Monitoring
1) The DCFS YEC shall record information and monitor the referral as outlined on the CFS 381, Youth Employment Referral Tracking sheet.
2) When a task of the employability development plan is achieved, the YEC shall record such information on the CFS 381 and forward it to the staff person who referred the youth.
3) The DCFS YEC shall conduct monthly reviews with the employment and training agency representative to achieve the following:
o record successful employment/training placements on the CFS 380.
o identify the programmatic, personality or personnel problems that have been encountered.
o act as a liaison/advocate in the resolution of any problems that might surface.
o insure that referrals are not lost in the system.
o maintain monthly follow-up.
o coordinate resources.
During such reviews, the retention of each successful employment/training placement must be noted on the CFS 381 and sent to the staff person who referred the youth.
4) The last follow-up by the Youth Employment coordinator with the employment and training agency representative will be sixty (60) days after the employment/training objective is achieved. The referring agency staff person has responsibility to provide follow-up after the 60 day period. The participant may, when necessary, be referred again by submitting a new CFS 380. After the initial 60 day employment/training period, the Youth Employment Coordinator will be notified by the referring agency staff person of problems involving placement of a youth in a job or training program. The Youth Employment Coordinator shall attempt to resolve those problems.
F. Financial Provision
Although the Department makes no direct payments for participation in employment and training activities, a youth referred to an employment and training agency may receive allowances for transportation, specialized clothing, books, tuition and fees from JTPA service provider agencies. Additionally, the youth may be earning wages for subsidized or unsubsidized employment.
G. Termination of Employment and Training Services
Termination of Youth Employment and Training Program services shall be determined by the following criteria:
o successful completion of employment and training objectives set forth in the service plan and retention in employment/training for 60 days, or
o termination of services from DCFS or another agency, or
o youth has become a "runaway" or has behavior which is inconsistent with program participation, i.e., persistent failure to meet program objectives; ungovernable behavior; protracted illness, or
o unsuccessful completion of the program, defined as a failure of the youth to maintain a job for 60 days or to complete a training program.
When it becomes necessary to provide any of the services offered through YETP to a youth who has been terminated from the program, a new CFS 380 must be completed and submitted.