INDEPENDENT LIVING SKILLS FOR OLDER YOUTH IN FOSTER CARE

THE LONG-TERM OBJECTIVE IS TO DEVELOP AN INDEPENDENT LIVING SKILLS CURRICULUM AND MATERIALS FOR OLDER YOUTH IN FOSTER CARE. SPECIFICALLY, STAFF WILL DEVELOP THE MOST APPROPRIATE CURRICULUM TO TEACH BASIC LIVING AND WORK-RELATED SKILLS, DETERMINE THE MOST APPROPRIATE METHODS OF PRESENTING THE CURRICULUM (VIDEOTAPE, PRINT, COMPUTER SOFTWARE, AND COMBINATIONS THEREOF), AND DEVELOP DETAILED DESIGNS FOR EACH TOPIC. DURING PHASE I, A PROTOTYPE PRODUCT WILL BE DEVELOPED AND PILOT-TESTED BY APPROXIMATELY 125 SUBJECTS CURRENTLY PARTICIPATING IN INDEPENDENT LIVING SKILLS PROGRAMS FOR OLDER YOUTH IN FOSTER CARE IN WASHINGTON, D.C. SUBJECTS WILL BE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO FOUR TREATMENT GROUPS AND ONE CONTROL GROUP. FOR EACH TOPIC IN THE PROPOSED CURRICULUM, MATERIALS WILL CONSIST OF A VIDEOTAPE, WORKTEXT, LEADER'S GUIDE, TEST, AND (OPTIONAL) COMPUTER-ASSISTED INSTRUCTION. A FOCUS GROUP CONSISTING OF PROJECT STAFF, CONSULTANTS, EXPERTS FROM RELATED FIELDS, AND CONSUMERS WILL GUIDE THE PROJECT. THE FOCUS GROUP WILL MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS AND REVIEW PRODUCTS AT SEVERAL STAGES DURING THE DEVELOPMENT. DURING PHASE I, STAFF WILL COMPLETE THE CURRICULUM AND TRAINING DESIGNS THAT WILL GUIDE THE PHASE II DEVELOPMENT. ALSO DURING PHASE I, STAFF WILL DEVELOP PLANS FOR DISSEMINATION OF THE PRODUCTS THROUGH A DISTRIBUTOR, A PUBLISHING COMPANY, OR AS AN INDEPENDENT, WHICHEVER METHOD BEST MEETS THE NEEDS OF THE CONSUMERS.