The Independent Living Program, or ILP, is a Title IV-E, federally-funded, state-administered program to prepare foster care youth, ages 14-21, for their transition from foster care to adulthood, e.g. for when they will no longer be under the care of local Children and Youth agency and must have the skills to live on their own.
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The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) is committed to providing youth making the transition from placement to adulthood with the skills and resources necessary to make them independent and productive members of society. The primary purpose of the IL program is to make every effort possible to reduce or eliminate the instances of homelessness, poverty, delinquent or criminal behavior, and non-marital childbirth and to increase employability, high school graduation rates, enrollment in post-secondary or vocational intuitions and successful transition to adulthood.
The ILP is guided by regulations found in the Pennsylvania Code, Title 55, Public Welfare, Chapter 3130, Administration of County Children and Youth Social Service Programs, which require that: :
For every child 14 years of age and older the agency shall consider the appropriateness of providing programs and services to help the child prepare for transition from placement to independent living when appropriate. A written description (IL Plan) of such programs and services must be provided in the placement amendment. When independent living services are deemed inappropriate, the basis for the choice not to offer independent living services shall be described.
In Pennsylvania, the goals of the Independent Living Program (ILP) for each youth - independence and productivity - are demonstrated through the following measures of success:
To achieve these objectives and obtain funding each county Children and Youth agency submits a Needs Based Plan and Budget outlining how it will provide IL services to eligible youth. The Independent Living Program components within Pennsylvania, as described in DHS's annual Children, Youth, and Families Bulletin, the Title IV-E Independent Living Program Application Guidelines, include the following:
The IL bulletin guidelines specify, in broad terms, the requirements of Pennsylvania's IL Programs, including necessary documentation, fiscal responsibilities, and reporting requirements.
In Pennsylvania, the individual IL Programs are monitored by the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center's Practice Improvement Specialists. Programmatic activities on the local level include:
All of these counseling, training, and support efforts are encouraged to achieve successful outcomes for the youth involved in Pennsylvania's Independent Living Program. Typically only a selection of these services are offered by any particular county. See the ILP Bulletin link for current application.
Success of the program is measured through collecting information related to the following questions: What are the results of the program in terms of: