Montfort Care’s Post

We are thrilled to announce the publication of a comprehensive research report by Selena Liu Raphael, Senior Policy Advocate at the CA Alliance of Child and Family Services, and Mirabel Raphael, Research Assistant at the Catalyst Center. This study, "Provider Perspectives - County to County Comparison of THPP-NMD Programs," sheds light on the critical factors influencing the utilization of Transitional Housing Placement Programs for Non-Minor Dependents (THPP-NMD) across California. As California navigates its affordable housing crisis, this report offers valuable insights for policymakers, service providers, and stakeholders committed to improving outcomes for youth transitioning out of foster care. By addressing the identified barriers and leveraging the highlighted best practices, we can enhance the capacity and sustainability of THPP-NMD programs statewide. This research was made possible by a generous grant from the Transition-Age Youth Research & Evaluation Hub (TAY-Hub), with funding from Tipping Point Community and the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. Their support underscores the importance of applied research and community engagement in shaping effective policies and practices for transition-aged youth. We invite you to read the full report and join us in advocating for the necessary changes to ensure all youth have access to stable and supportive housing as they transition into adulthood. Read the full report here: Provider Perspectives - County to County Comparison of THPP-NMD Programs - TAY Hub Research Paper - June 2024.pdf

Our first of two reports on understanding the needs of transition aged youth (18-25) who are unstably housed in Los Angeles County was released last week. Of the nearly 400 youth that we surveyed, more than one third told us that they had foster care system involvement. While respondents reported significant barriers to successfully transitioning to adulthood, such as a lack of education, barriers were often worse among youth with foster system care involvement. Although family reunification, adoption, and legal guardianship are upheld as positive outcomes for foster care-involved youth, many youth who experienced these outcomes were unstably housed, indicating that additional supports may be needed. Despite these barriers, 95% of respondents expressed interest in becoming housed, over 60% were not in school but planned to attend, and nearly one-half were unemployed but actively looking for work. Several housing options, including shared housing, were perceived as acceptable. These results are encouraging because they suggest that, with the right level of support, this population is motivated to successfully transition and become stably housed.  Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gc3fnuvu #homelessness #fosteryouth

👀 New Blog Post Alert! Honoring youth means truly listening—to their needs, dreams, and preferences. It’s about fostering lifelong connections that offer safety, stability, and a foundation for future happiness. This #NationalAdoptionMonth, we’re reflecting on how communities, agencies, and families can strengthen adoption pathways. By building support networks and understanding the unique experiences of young people, we can create brighter futures for every child in the system. Read the full post to learn how you can make a difference. https://ow.ly/MZar50U9xU8 #FosterCareAdoption #AdoptInVirginia #CHSVA

Healthwatch England’s new research provides the first-ever estimate of unmet social care need among working-age disabled people in England.     A poll of 1,504 working-age disabled adults found that 28% have never accessed social care or other support despite potentially being eligible.    Across the country, this would translate to around 1.5 million people.     We’re joining Healthwatch England, calling for a fully funded, long-term plan to reform social care, which should include proactive outreach to people who may benefit from social care.  As part of it, we also need to improve support for unpaid carers and focus on prevention.  https://lnkd.in/ekGUnPqZ

As a Japanese with an aging population of 29.1% (percentage of the total population aged 65 and over) in my home country, I didn't get surprised at all, but I totally understand the main point of this article. The main point of this CamboJA article is a call for increased support and resources for Cambodia's elderly population as their numbers rise and their needs grow. The article highlights the struggles faced by the elderly, including limited financial security, inadequate access to healthcare, and lack of social protection. Leaders from elderly associations across Cambodia are urging the government to strengthen social protection policies, improve healthcare access, and address housing challenges, emphasizing that many elderly individuals remain unsupported. There’s also a push for intergenerational digital literacy programs to help elders adapt to modern technology. These issues resonate with me personally after battling cancer — I’ve realized how essential medical, financial, and emotional support truly is. Given these challenges, I, as a creative lead at 17 Triggers, could support these issues in several impactful ways: 🎥 Storytelling for Awareness: Highlighting elderly stories through impactful campaigns to build empathy and support. 💰 Financial Literacy: Creating simple resources tailored to elders for budgeting, savings, and social security awareness. 📱 Intergenerational Digital Literacy: Designing programs that connect youth with elders, fostering digital skills and community bonds. 💝 Mental Well-being: Developing culturally-aligned mental health initiatives, partnering with temples and community centers. These are just samples but let's brainstorm if you're interested in collaborating on these efforts! 😉 🤘

What if the life chances of kids born into low-income households is mostly not about *what* you know but *who* you know? How might this change the ways in which we work towards a society in which everyone gets a fair shot? Today the The RSA (The royal society for arts, manufactures and commerce) awarded economist and Director of Opportunity Insights Professor Raj Chetty the #BenjaminFranklinMedal in New York City, to celebrate his groundbreaking work drawing on Facebook data to understand how children’s social connections impact their earning potential. As if that wasn’t special enough, this year’s ceremony also brought together practitioners to mark the beginning of a programme of action that aims to use Professor Chetty and his co-authors’ insights to boost social mobility in the US and UK. What does the research tell us? There is very strong evidence that for children born into lower income families in the US, friendships with children in higher income groups (what Chetty calls Economic Connectedness) is by far the biggest factor driving upward income mobility. But Economic Connectedness varies across the US. The result is a child growing up in a community with high rates of friendship between income groups will, on average, be earning 20% more in adulthood than a child living in a community where income groups tend to keep to themselves. (See https://lnkd.in/ej4E8pnb for full paper.) The RSA believes these insights offer an opportunity to develop policy and programmes of action that could unleash social mobility, and we fully intend to play our part in nurturing social connections on both sides of the Atlantic. ·        In the US, look out for RSA US launching its Social Connections programme next week, which will engage with partners and funders globally with the shared aim of developing practical interventions to nurture social connections. This will build on the the Opportunity Atlas (https://lnkd.in/eC7Wdyng), a tool that allows everyone to engage with Professor Chetty’s research, as well as the great work already taking place in communities. ·        In the UK, the RSA will continue to work with partners to replicate Professor Chetty’s research with partners (see https://lnkd.in/ejYZnYFH)  with a view to building a programme of practical interventions to mirror that in the US. Find out more about the RSA's Design for Life mission and get involved as a Fellow https://lnkd.in/ejQjqpeC. Alexa Clay Toni Shoola Dr Celestin Okoroji Kimberly Bohling Oliver Burrows Andy Haldane   #socialmobility #socialimpact #designforlife 

Social care can be transformative for people when they receive it. But they need to get it first. Writing in Social Care Today our Chief Executive Louise Ansari outlines the scale of unmet social care need in England and the steps required to improve access to these vital services. #SocialCare #UnmetNeed #SocialCareToday https://lnkd.in/dTrtPkpF

It's great to see new initiatives launched to support with adult social care. Neath Port Talbot council in Wales has endorsed a new plan to do things a bit differently, using assistive technology, home adaptations, and other innovations to improve social care provisions. Councillor Jo Hale, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Services and Health, said: “Increasing demand and tightening budgets will add pressures onto services. This means focusing on delivering services differently to prevent delay and needs from escalating; as well as delivering and commissioning the services people need in the most cost-effective way.” The strategy aims to support unpaid carers, promote assistive technology, build relationships, and use more prevention and early intervention as well as encouraging volunteering. Steps like this are so important to ensure the ongoing support of those in need of assistance. We all have our part to play in creating a system that works. #RJAdvocacy #MakingQualityCareAReality #AdultSocialCare #CustomersAtTheHeart #CustomerSupport #AdultSocialCareInnovation #SocialCareInnovation https://lnkd.in/ef2CpwTP

After years of decline, the number of people receiving adult social care in England has risen for the second year in a row, hitting levels not seen since 2017-18. Increased funding and boosted reablement services have played a key role, but unmet needs and funding concerns persist: https://lnkd.in/eR5dX2UG #AdultSocialCare #SocialCare #SocialCareReform #Reablement

A report released by the RAND Corporation this week further underscores the extreme housing precarity Los Angeles County #fosteryouth face. Researchers surveyed 399 transition-aged youth experiencing #homelessness ages 18-25. Of that sample, 36% reported #fostercare involvement. What is so striking is that – even among peers experiencing homelessness – current and former foster youth face greater struggles. Here is what stood out to me: - 21% of foster youth in the survey reported being homeless for more than 36 months, 5% higher than non foster care-involved homeless youth. That’s three years... by age 25.  - Youth with foster care involvement reported much higher rates of being parents: 26% compared to 12%.  - 37% of youth with foster care involvement in the study reported juvenile justice involvement compared to 10% of the youth experiencing homelessness who hadn’t experienced foster care. This research is an important addition to our understanding of the pernicious and ultimately preventable foster care to homelessness in Los Angeles County. Now let's get to fixing it. Thank you to the researchers – Sarah Hunter, Joan Tucker, Jason Ward and Rick Garvey – for conducting this research, and to the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation for funding it. https://lnkd.in/gwbCWqGH