These projects are currently in development. Stay tuned for updates!
The Entry Point Project (epp) aims to educate those who refer youth to residential programs on the less restrictive alternatives. CAFETY will outreach to those individuals who are responsible for the placement of youth in residential programs (i.e. Family Court Judges, Educational Consultants, Committees of Special Education, Caseworkers, Parents, etc.) to educate them about the alternatives to residential care and current concerns with regards to accountability of residential care, absent federal regulation. This Project will be done in conjunction with the work of the other two projects by utilizing the data collected to provide targeted professionals with information about programs in particular states and concerns regarding each types of programs. As part of this project we will identify young people who have successfully participated in alternatives to residential care to help educate those stakeholders as well as individuals who likely would have benefited from less restrictive, more appropriate care, but we denied such care. For this program we will seek grants from Child Welfare Organizations & Foundations, Juvenile Justice Organizations and Foundations, as well as organizations and foundations interested in reducing the number of youth in congregate care placement.
The Transparency Project (tTP) seeks to identify programs of concern and systemic obstacles preventing the accountability of such programs. CAFETY will conduct surveys of youth currently and formerly placed in residential programs to identify programs of concern. We will file grievances/reports to identify obstacles in local, state and federal policy. Such actions will vary on the type of grievances. Maltreatment will be reported to Child Protective Services and the agency responsible for licensure and the National Disability Rights Network - the federally mandated protection & advocacy group for those with disabilities. We will track the responses of such agencies and their consistency with state or federal law, identify the obstacles, and produce a report issuing recommended changes to ensure accountability. Data collected and our recommendations inform both our advocacy efforts at the federal level by CAFETY-National and our local advocacy efforts executed by CAFETY’s local chapters.
Youth Empowerment Program (yep) will offer critical support and validation to youth survivors by providing peer support and opportunities for skill acquisition and to educate both their own community or educate on the national stage such as at academic conferences, family support conferences, youth councils, forums for the purpose of receiving public comment on proposed regulations, legislative hearings, research projects, presentations at bookstores, media outlets, and on our website at www.cafety.org, among other venues.
