The California Bar Foundation recently approved a $15,000 grant to support NCYL’s Rural Foster Youth Training Project. The funding allows NCYL to address the special needs of rural California foster youth in accessing quality healthcare and educational opportunities. Trainings will educate service providers working on behalf of foster youth on a range of topics including the educational needs and rights of foster youth, and implementation of medical consent, confidentiality, information sharing, and other relevant laws in a way that maximizes access to health and mental health care.

There are approximately 58,000 youth in California foster care, with an estimated 18,000 in rural areas. Many youth in the foster care system lack consistent adults in their lives to guide their educational progress and ensure their health needs are met. This lack of guidance, combined with high rates of residential and school instability, and poor collaboration among the agencies serving them, results in health and educational outcomes that are tragically poor, even compared to their disadvantaged peers. Child welfare agencies, foster caregivers, schools, health care providers, and courts need access to some health and education information about foster children to provide appropriate care and services. However, the records of foster youth are often incomplete, outdated or not available in a timely manner. In addition, many service providers are unaware of key laws to help ensure that foster youth receive needed health and educational support. As a result, children in foster care may have their health care, mental health care, and education interrupted or delayed, or receive services based on incomplete information.

In 2012, NCYL will train rural populations in Auburn, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo and nearby counties.