Creating a New Vision for Kentucky’s Youth

Kentucky Youth Policy Assessment How can we Improve Services for Kentucky’s Youth?

September 2005

The KY Youth Policy Assessment

Collected data from June 2004 to January 2005

Involved three Youth Policy Interns

Sought to identify all statewide programs that provided services to young people outside of the classroom

Assessment Information Objectives:Identifying the department and agency where each youth program is housed.What the target population for the service/program.Assessing the total budgetary outlay for the service/program for the 2004 state fiscal year.Identifying how the budgetary outlay is administered: direct service, contract for services, RFP process, and/or community grant.Determining Funding sources for each Youth Program.Identifying if program has an advisory/governing board and if young people are involved.Identifying Outcomes each program is striving to achieve.

KY Youth Policy Assessment

Identified 101 statewide programs and services for young people ages 8-24.

71 of those programs were within state agencies

27 were with non-profit organizations

2 housed at universities

1 semi-autonomous state board

Where are the programs housed?Total Number of programs: 101

CabinetsHealth and Family Services: 33Education: 15Finance and Administration: 7Justice and Public Safety: 7Environmental and Public Protection: 2 Commerce: 1

Kentucky Court of Justice Administrative Office of the Court: 5

Office of the Attorney General: 1Non-profit Organizations: 27University of Kentucky: 2KY School Board Association: 1

Total FY ’04 Budget for Statewide Youth Programs Targeting Ages 8-24

40%

2%

58%

Total FY’04 Budget: $ 1,407,734,163

822,417,264

557,808,408

27,508,491

Federal Funds State Funds Private Funds

Percentage of the Five America’s Promises that Program Outcomes Address

21%

25%

16%

26%

12%

Caring Adults

Safe Places

Healthy Start

Marketable Skills

Opportunities to Serve

Number of the Five Promises that Each Program Pursues

48

30

83

12

1 promise 2 promises 3 promises 4 promises 5 promises

KYPA CategoriesYOUTH DEVELOPMENT: Programs that seek to achieve at least one youth developmental outcome.PREVENTION: Programs whose primary outcome is to prevent youth problem behavior.INTERVENTION: Programs that intervene when a young person demonstrates problem behavior or situation. EDUCATION: Programs that provided purely educational activities or support to attain higher education.

Program Categories: Youth Development, Intervention, Prevention, Education

25

33

24

19

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

YouthDevelopment

Intervention Prevention Education

Nu

mb

er o

f p

rog

ram

s

Budget Percentage for Each Program Category

5

64

3

28

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Youth Development Intervention Prevention Education

Per

cent

age

of th

e B

udge

t

Youth Development Intervention Prevention Education

Program Governing Bodies and Youth Participation

* 63 programs have advisory councils

20

43

38

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Advisory Council No Advisory Council

Nu

mb

er o

f p

rog

ram

s

No Youth

Youth

Program Governing Bodies, Youth Participation and Budget

2%

67%

31%

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Advisory Council No Advisory Council

Per

cen

tag

e o

f th

e B

ud

get

No Youth

Youth

KY Youth Policy Assessment Policy Focus Areas

Coordination: A youth policy framework: Ensuring that there are mechanisms and infrastructures for increased communication, connection and integration of youth services to increase the effectiveness. Accountability: Ensuring that all state youth services have a common vision for the success of Kentucky’s youth and outcome measures to track results and focus strategic planning around youth development. Opportunities: The development of strategies to increase the involvement of young people in meaningful roles within youth services, school, community and decision making bodies.

Senate Joint Resolution 184:

A Resolution to encouraging the creation of:

the Commonwealth of Kentucky Youth Development Coordinating Council,

the Kentucky Youth Development Partnership and

the Kentucky Youth Advisory Council

to improve the administration, coordination and accountability of state programs serving youth, and promote opportunities for young people to have meaningful roles in youth serving agencies, their communities and schools.

Senate Joint Resolution 184:

Coordination of youth services and programs: Develop a plan to coordinate youth service and program delivery that improves communication among agencies administering programs that are designed to serve youth, especially disadvantaged youth;Assess the quantity and outcomes of state programs offering services, support, and opportunities to youth;Assess existing funding resources, networks, and returns on investments for the support of youth development and community level youth services Assess existing agency professional development certifications and opportunities for adults who work with youth;Identify barriers to youth service collaboration at the state and local levels and propose solutions;Identify target populations of youth who are disproportionately at risk, and gaps in services to these populations;Identify state agency regional support infrastructures and make recommendations for supporting the implantation and integration of positive youth development;Collaborate with public and private partnerships to support statewide networks connecting quality and sustainable state and local youth development effortsReview any information provided to the council by companies or state agencies related to youth employment opportunities;

Senate Joint Resolution 184Improve accountability of youth services:

Develop a statewide strategic plan for the implementation of goals and objectives that are focused on a common vision for youth between the ages of eight (8) and twenty-one (21) years and aligned in accordance with existing state agency youth service outcomes and indicators under the following categories:1. Caring relationships with adults, parents, and peers, with an emphasis on

strengthening families;2. Safe places and structured activities;3. Healthy start and future;4. Marketable skills through effective education and learning activities;5. Opportunities to serve and help others; and6. Promotion and encouragement of individual responsibility;

Submit a report no later than September 1 of each year to the Governor and the General Assembly.

Senate Joint Resolution 184To increase Opportunities for young people in the Commonwealth to play

meaningful roles in the agencies/organizations that serve them, schools they attend and communities where they live:

to solicit and document ongoing input and recommendations from youth, especially those in disadvantaged situations, by forming the Kentucky Youth Advisory Council

to identify opportunities and infrastructures at the state and local levels for young people to have meaningful roles in decision making processes and make recommendations for including young people in these mechanisms.

Provide training and technical assistance to organizations, local government, communities and schools to increase their capacity to involve young people in meaningful roles in decision making processes.