A Youth Development Approach to Services for Young People:
The Work of the Families and Youth Services Bureau

A Forum — June 11, 1999

While many programs and agencies at the federal, state and local levels provide services to young children, less attention has been given to the needs of teenagers and young adults, observes Pamela Johnson, from the Children’s Bureau. Until recently, Anderson was the Deputy Associate Commissioner for the Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB), within the Administration on Children, Youth and Families; Administration for Children and Families; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The FYSB was created to provide youth at risk of becoming involved in risky behavior with positive alternatives, ensuring their safety, and maximizing their potential to take advantage of available opportunities.

In 1970, the FYSB’s predecessor agency, the Youth Development and Delinquency Prevention Administration, proposed a new service strategy based on the premise that, to succeed in life, youth need a sense of competence, usefulness, belonging and power. Programs that integrate youth development strategies must:

• Treat youth and their families as partners and involve them in the design, delivery and assessment of programs.
• Provide a full continuum of care that meets youth’s developmental needs.
• Offer youth opportunities to develop meaningful relationship with caring and supportive adults.

The FYSB administers three grant programs where grantees are required to integrate youth development strategies in their projects. These programs are:

• Basic Center Program, funded through Title III of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 (JJDPA) -- The centers are community-based programs open 24 hours a day, seven days a week that offer runaway and homeless youth emergency shelter, food, clothing, counseling and referrals to medical and social services. Some also provide alternative education. The family must be contacted within 72 hours upon a youth's arrival in the center. The center staff will work with the family to receive the youth back or, if the return is unsafe for the youth, an alternative placement must be found. There are about 360 basic centers nationwide. Integrating youth development strategies, the centers are required to include youth in program planning and evaluation, service delivery and in the governance process. Many families of the youth served by the centers also become strong supporters and are involved in the centers’ boards and councils.

• Transitional Living Program for Older Homeless Youth (TLP), created by the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988 -- These are long-term programs that serve older homeless youth age 16 to 21 unable to return home. TLPs provide shelter, medical services, substance abuse treatment, counseling, and living skills training for up to 18 months. Youth also participate in neighborhood activities to learn how to become good citizens and neighbors. Before leaving the program, TLP staff connects youth with long-term support networks that will help them in their independent life. Participant youth and graduates of the program serve as peer counselors, peer educators and board members.

• Street Outreach Program, funded by the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 -- This is mostly an education grant to prevent sexual exploitation against male and female youth. Grantee workers conduct street-based education and outreach in areas where homeless youth congregate. The program also offers shelter and related services to youth who have been or are at risk of being sexually abused or exploited with the goal of helping them leave the streets.

In 1998 the FYSB started the State Youth Development Collaboration Project. According to Curtis O. Porter, Youth Development Specialist, FYSB, this program aims to promote inter-agency collaboration and strengthen state programs and procedures on the basis of youth development principles. The Project targets youth from age 10 to 24 with no income eligibility criteria and provides five-year grants that average $140,000 per year. The Project requires that grantees:

• provide training and technical assistance on youth development;
• implement strategies to promote youth involvement in the projects;
• organize conferences and forums on youth development approach;
• make and monitor subgrants;
• create new outlets for sharing information on youth development;
• identify data that measure positive youth outcomes; and
• work with state coalitions of youth-serving organizations.

The nine grantee states are in different stages of the project. For instance, Iowa, Massachusetts and New York are developing policies and procedures that incorporate youth development principles, while Oregon has already passed legislation on youth development. Arizona has organized a youth council to oversee the project. In some states, 4-H has been an active partner. As part of the Project, the FYSB has funded the National Clearinghouse on Families & Youth (NCFY) to collect and disseminate information on best practices on youth development and project-related activities. The Clearinghouse is creating bulletin boards to facilitate connections between interested groups, including youth-serving organizations. The goal is to create a nationwide network of organizations that support youth development principles and strategies.

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