Independent Living Services and Programs

All foster children, ages 12 and above, receive some type of independent living services designed to build and assist them as they transition to adulthood. Much like they would in any household, these children are provided education and support in areas such as anger management, problem-solving, decision-making and daily living skills. Daily living skills include cooking, laundry and money management.  Older children receive formal “Life Skills” classes taught in each region by independent living coordinators or private contractors. The curriculum includes instruction on employment, money management, community resources, housing and education.

The program also identifies children likely to remain in foster care until age 18 and assists them in making the transition to self-sufficiency by providing support for activities related to completion of their high school education, post secondary education or job training, career exploration, vocational training, job placement and retention, skill-building for daily living tasks, budgeting and financial management skills, substance abuse prevention and preventive health activities. 

The program provides personal and emotional support by matching children with caring adults who include foster parents, private child caring (PCC) personnel, and Department for Community Based Services (department) personnel. For youth aged 18 to 21, the department insures the provision of appropriate support and services to complement the youth’s own efforts to achieve self-sufficiency. The program encourages participants to recognize and accept their personal responsibility in preparing for and then making the transition from adolescence to adulthood. The program provides corresponding assistance with regard to finances, housing, counseling, employment, education and job training.

Young adults ages 18 to 21 years old, are offered the opportunity to extend their commitment with the cabinet for educational purposes. Regardless of their decision to remain in foster care or not, those young adults are eligible for formal "Life Skills" classes, tuition assistance and a tuition waiver. 

Youth adopted after the age of 16 are eligible for the Educational and Training Voucher Program.  To be eligible, youth must be enrolled in a post-secondary education or job training program on at least a part-time basis. Youth must maintain academic eligibility or maintain satisfactory progress in a program. 

To insure awareness of the independent living services and programs, department personnel work to maintain a relationship with community-based organizations that serve youth. The department also conducts trainings for foster parents, youth, community partners, private child caring personnel and department staff. Training opportunities are available statewide and on an ongoing basis. The training helps insure that the services are provided in a consistent manner across the state.  Additional services include community trainings, formal independent living skills classes, youth-driven events and activities, a foster care alumni organization, a statewide youth leadership council, regional youth councils in progress, an adult advisory board and a statewide mentoring program. 

Foster parents, private child caring personnel, and participant youth also participate in the delivery of these additional service activities as appropriate. The program collaborates with the Department of Juvenile Justice to provide life skills classes, room and board, and mentoring services to youth currently in or leaving that program  The program collaborates with private providers and the Kentucky Vocational Rehabilitation program to insure that youth have access to employment services including assessments, training, and tuition assistance opportunities available through Vocational Rehabilitation. The department continues to work with small businesses to facilitate internship placements.