Maryland Independent Living Program
- Semi-Independent living
- After Care Services
- Youth Advisory Board (YAB)
- United Parcel Service School (UPS) to Career Partnership
- Tuition Waiver for Foster Care and Former Foster Care Youth
- Additional Information about Independent Living Services Links
The Maryland Independent Living Program (ILP) provides independent living preparation services to older youth in foster care (14 to 21 years of age) in preparation for adulthood. The goal of the Maryland Independent Living Preparation Program is to assist youth to make a successful transition from out-of-home placement to self-sufficiency. Youth ages 14 to 16 are provided basic living skills primarily in partnership with the kinship-caregiver, foster parent or pre-adoptive parent and case. Together the youth, caregiver and case manager assesses the youth’s proficiency in life skills. Based on the outcome of the assessment, services are arranged and offered according to the needs of the youth. The independent living program encourages youth to take an active role in planning the activities and services that they need.
Each of Maryland’s twenty-four local departments of social services including Baltimore City and the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services employs a Local Independent Living Coordinator who is trained on the independent living service delivery model.
Independent Living Coordinators are responsible for conducting all independent living activities within their respective jurisdiction and assisting foster care youth in accessing services to prepare for independent living. The following ILP services are conducted by the local independent living coordinators:
- Assistance in accessing education or training programs that are appropriate to the youth’s skills and future plans;
- Assistance in securing and maintaining employment;
- Assistance in developing a community support network; and
- Assistance in locating appropriate living arrangements while in foster care, and for when independence is achieved.
- Training in daily living skills which includes:
- Budgeting
- Managing Checking Accounts
- Money Management
- Locating and Maintaining Housing
- Physical and Emotional Health Care
- Physical Hygiene
- Leisure Activities
- Conflict Resolution
- Health Dating and Social Relationships
- Sexuality
- Abstinence
- Proper Nutrition
- Consumer Awareness
- Apartment Hunting
- Problem solving and decision making.
- Individual therapy or counseling related to specific issues that pose as barriers to reaching and maintaining independence.
- Group therapy of counseling related to issues that are endemic to the population.
- Financial support to assist youth in establishing a semi- independent living arrangement. This may include:
- Furniture
- Transpiration
- Security Deposits
- Assistance in Developing a Community Support Network by Identifying:
- Social Support Systems
- Medical Services
- Legal Services
Semi-Independent Living
The purpose of the Semi-Independent Living Program is to provide youth an opportunity to learn and practice independent living skills and activities while residing in an apartment supervised by a licensed provider or the local department of social services. Candidates must meet the following criteria: is 16 to 21 years of age, has a goal of self-sufficiency, is sufficiently mature, in the professional judgment of the youth’s case manager to successfully participate, has demonstrated an ability to manage money, is continually enrolled and regularly attends school or vocational training, maintains employment, agrees and maintains the terms of a service agreement and is capable of contributing to the cost of semi-independent living.
After Care Services
After Care services are available on a voluntary basis to youth 18 to 21 years of age who were in out- of-home care on their 18th birthday. The After Care program provides former foster care youth an opportunity to continue learning and practicing independent living skills and activities for a specified period of time, as indicated in the service plan, while receiving services from the local department.
The goals of the Independent living After Care Program are to assure that program participants recognize and accept personal responsibility for making the transition into adulthood. The goals of the program are designed to compliment the efforts of former foster care recipients between 18-21 years old in their effort to achieve self-sufficiency.
After Care services may be provided up to six months, and includes limited financial assistance, assistance towards room and board, counseling, employment assistance, assistance in accessing and receiving medical services and other appropriate services.
Eligibility criteria requires that the youth exited out-of-home care on or after their 18th birthday, participate in the development of a service agreement, sign and comply with the terms of the agreement, is in need of continued help in making the transition to self-sufficiency and participate in an intake screening process to determine appropriateness for after care services. Youth who apply for After Care services must meet the eligibility criteria, and if determined eligible, should apply for services at the local department of social services in the jurisdiction in which they live.
Youth Advisory Board (YAB)
The Youth Advisory Board builds on the concept that youth can contribute to programs designed to serve them. The Youth Advisory Board serves a major role in program development and maintenance and is comprised of a group of youth who, in an organized system, contribute to the development of program planning. Youth Advisory Board participants are viewed as valued partners in the development of the Maryland Independent Living Preparation Program. Participation on the Youth Advisory Board by youth contributes to their personal development.
The purpose of the Youth Advisory Board is to provide a vehicle in which information about the Independent Living Preparation Program can be gained and recommendations for improvements made. The role of the Youth Advisory Board is to empower youth to have a positive effect in their communities, encourage youth to develop skills necessary for independent living and leadership development, assist in the planning of annual teen conferences, and review State and federal legislation that may effect the Maryland Independent Living Preparation Program.
Each local department of social services has the responsibility of establishing a youth advisory board to ensure that foster care youth are able to participate directly in the design of their own program activities that prepare them for independence. Each local department of social services appoints one board member and one alternate to serve on the State youth advisory board. The Youth Advisory board meets once a month at the State and local level.
United Parcel Service School (UPS) to Career Partnership
The UPS Partnership is a collaborative effort between the United Parcel Service, the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the Department of Human Resources to provide employment opportunities for youth in out-of-home placement who are 16 to 21 years of age. Youth who are employed through this partnership receive a full benefits package and tuition assistance. In addition to employment, youth are provided an opportunity to earn their GED if needed and receive the necessary supports to enhance their employment opportunity. In 2001, the Marriott Corporation joined in partnership with the UPS Initiative to offer additional employment opportunities for youth in foster care. Additional partnerships are being explored to increase the employment opportunities.
Tuition Waiver for Foster Care and Former Foster Care Youth
The Tuition Waiver Bill enacted during the 2000 General Assembly provides a waiver of tuition and mandatory fees for specified students who enter a Maryland institution of higher education and who reside or have resided in foster care. This legislation waives tuition and related fees.
Youth are eligible if they are enrolled at the institution on or before the date that the recipient reaches the age of 21 years, is enrolled as a candidate for an associates or a bachelors degree, and has filed for federal and state financial aids by March 1st each year. The foster care recipient must have been placed in foster care by the State and resided in a Maryland foster home at the time they graduated from high school or successfully completed their General Equivalency Development examination (GED), or resided in foster care home in Maryland on the individual’s 14th birthday and was adopted out of foster care after their 14th birthday.
The Tuition Waiver Program is available to the recipient for a period of five years after first enrolling as a candidate for an associates or bachelor’s degree at a public institution of higher education or until a bachelors degree is awarded, whichever comes first. Interested persons may contact the financial aid office of the institution they plan to attend or contact the Independent Living Preparation Program.
