Implement a web of supports for students in foster care: one-stop resource centers, school-based liaisons, tiered services, and cross-system collaboration¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · 1 claim (1 for) · 1 study (1 qualitative), q1 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 1 claim rests on one study

Description¶

The report recommends building "a ready web of supports" so students in foster care receive help promptly. Promising practices identified by coordinators include developing one-stop resource centers, co-locating education and child welfare staff, employing school-based liaisons trained to support students in foster care, and providing targeted social, emotional, and academic services within a tiered system of support. Policy recommendations include cross-agency structures such as a children's cabinet, community schools, local interagency transportation agreements, LCFF revision, state grant programs for collaborative case management, relationship-centered school practices, and professional development in trauma-informed, restorative, and social-emotional practices.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Effective coordination and collaboration of agencies and organizations at multiple levels
• Data systems capable of connecting fragmented education and child welfare data

Constraints¶

• The report notes LCFF does not necessarily provide additional resources for students in foster care, and transportation time and costs can make school-of-origin attendance challenging

Target Learners¶

• Students in foster care in K–12 schools

Target Learning Goals¶

• School stability and engagement
• Academic achievement
• College access
• Social-emotional and behavioral support

Claims¶

• Insufficient data systems, LCFF funding limits, transportation barriers, and child welfare capacity constraints impede coordinated support for students in foster care [+W]

Related Strategies¶

• Assign tiered fiscal responsibility: education funds Tier 1 and some Tier 2 supports, while the health system funds expanded Tier 2 and Tier 3 services
• Develop data-sharing memoranda of understanding and shared evaluation across child- and family-serving agencies
• Use linked cross-system data to target programs such as dropout prevention and postsecondary preparation for students in foster care
• Broker a formal data-sharing agreement between child welfare and education agencies to identify and serve students in foster care
• Use an early warning system based on linked school and human services data to target resources and lessen risks before they become more serious
• Sustain cross-agency collaboration through a dedicated district leader and monthly partner meetings

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Burns, D., Espinoza, D., Adams, J., & Ondrasek, N. (2022). California students in foster care: Challenges and promising practices. Learning Policy Institute. https://doi.org/10.54300/118.471