 Semi-Independent living
After Care Services
Youth Advisory Board (YAB)
United Parcel Service School (UPS) to Career Partnership
Tuition Waiver for Foster Care and Former Foster Care Youth
Additional Information about Independent Living Services Links
The Maryland Independent Living Program (ILP) provides independent living preparation services
to older youth in foster care 14 to 21 years of age in preparation for adulthood. The goal of
the Maryland Independent Living Preparation Program is to assist youth to make a successful
transition from out-of-home placement to self-sufficiency.
Youth age 14 to 16 are provided basic living skills primarily in partnership with the kinship-caregiver,
foster parent or pre-adoptive parent and casemanager and will have the opportunity to participate in
appropriate skill building life skills group activity. Together the youth, caregiver and case manager
assesses the youth's proficiency in life skills. Based on the outcome of the assessment, services are
arranged and offered according to the needs of the youth. The independent living program encourages
youth to take an active role in planning the activities and services that they need.
ILP services are designed for youth 14 to 21 years of age to prepare them for self- sufficiency
by their eighteenth birthday or upon completion of high school. A life skills assessment is conducted
to determine the ability of youth to meet their daily living activities. ILP services also focus on
developing and enhancing social and emotional supports, social skills proficiency in education,
employment status and goals . Information obtained from the assessment is used by the local department
of social services staff in cooperation with the youth to develop a case plan focusing on the services
to be provided to prepare the youth for self-sufficiency.
Each of Maryland's twenty-four local departments of social services including Baltimore City and the
Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services employs a Local Independent Living Coordinator
who is trained on the independent living service delivery model.
Independent Living Coordinators are responsible for conducting all independent living activities within
their respective jurisdiction and assisting foster care youth in accessing services to prepare for
independent living. The following ILP services are conducted by the local independent living coordinators:
- Assistance in accessing education or training programs that are appropriate to the youth's skills and future plans;
- Assistance in securing and maintaining employment;
- Assistance in developing a community support network; and
- Assistance in locating appropriate living arrangements while in foster care, and for when independence is achieved.
- Training in daily living skills which includes:
- budgeting
- managing checking accounts
- money management
- locating and maintaining housing
- physical and emotional health care
- physical hygiene
- leisure activities
- conflict resolution
- health dating and social relationships
- sexuality
- abstinence
- proper nutrition
- consumer awareness
- apartment hunting
- Problem solving and decision making.
- Individual therapy or counseling related to
specific issues that pose as barriers to reaching and maintaining independence.
- Group therapy of counseling related to issues that are endemic to the population.
- Financial support to assist youth in establishing a semi- independent living arrangement.
This may include:
- furniture
- transpiration
- security deposits
- assistance in developing a community support network by identifying:
- social support systems
- medical services
- legal services
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Semi-Independent Living
The purpose of the Semi-Independent Living Program is to provide youth an opportunity to
learn and practice independent living skills and activities while residing in an apartment
supervised by a licensed provider or the local department of social services. Candidates
must meet the following criteria: is 16 o 21 years of age, has a goal of self-sufficiency,
is sufficiently mature, in the professional judgement of the youth’s case manager to successfully
participate, has demonstrated an ability to manage money, is continually enrolled and regularly
attends school or vocational training, maintains employment, agrees and maintains the terms of a
service agreement and is capable of contributing to the cost of semi-independent living.
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After Care Services
Independent Living After Care services are available on a voluntary basis to youth 18 to 21 years
of age who were in out- of-home care on their 18th birthday. The After Care program provides former
foster care youth an opportunity to continue learning and practicing independent living skills and
activities for a specified period of time, as indicated in the service plan, while receiving services
from the local department.
The goals of the Independent living After Care Program are to assure that program participants recognize
and accept personal responsibility for making the transition into adulthood. The goals of the program are
designed to compliment the efforts of former foster care recipients between 18-21 years old in their
effort to achieve self-sufficiency.
After Care services may be provided up to six months, and includes limited financial assistance, assistance
towards room and board, counseling, employment assistance, assistance in accessing and receiving medical
services and other appropriate services.
Eligibility criteria requires that the youth exited out-of-home care on or after their 18th birthday,
participate in the development of a service agreement, sign and comply with the terms of the agreement,
is in need of continued help in making the transition to self-sufficiency and participate in an intake screening
process to determine appropriateness for after care services. Youth who apply for After Care services must meet
the eligibility criteria, and if determined eligible, should apply for services at the local department of social
services in the jurisdiction in which they live.
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Youth Advisory Board (YAB)
The Youth Advisory Board builds on the concept that youth can contribute to programs designed to serve them.
The Youth Advisory Board serves a major role in program development and maintenance and is comprised of a group of
youth who in an organized system contribute to the development of program planning. Youth Advisory Board participants
are viewed as valued partners in the development of the Maryland Independent Living Preparation Program. Participation
on the Youth Advisory Board by youth contributes to their personal development.
The purpose of the Youth Advisory Board is to provide a vehicle in which information about the Independent Living
Preparation Program can be gained and recommendations for improvements made. The role of the Youth Advisory Board
is to empower youth to have a positive effect in their communities, encourage youth to develop skills necessary for
independent living and leadership development, assist in the planning of annual teen conferences, and review State
and federal legislation that may effect the Maryland Independent Living Preparation Program.
Each local department of social services has the responsibility of establishing a youth advisory board to ensure that
foster care youth are able to participate directly in the design of their own program activities that prepare them for
independence. Each local department of social services appoints one board member and one alternate to serve on the
State youth advisory board. The Youth Advisory board meets once a month at the State and local level.
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United Parcel Service School (UPS) to Career Partnership
The UPS Partnership is a collaborative effort between the United Parcel Service, the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the
Department of Human Resources to provide employment opportunities for youth in out-of-home placement who are 16 to 21
years of age. Youth are employed through this partnership receive a full benefits package and tuition assistance.
In addition to employment, youth are provided an opportunity to earn their GED if needed and receive the necessary
supports to enhance their employment opportunity. In 2001, the Marriott Corporation joined in partnership with the UPS
Initiative to offer additional employment opportunities for youth in foster care. Additional partnerships are being
explored to increase the employment opportunities.
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Tuition Waiver for Foster Care and Former Foster Care Youth
The Tuition Waiver Bill enacted during the 2000 General Assembly provides a waiver of tuition and mandatory fees for
specified students who enter a Maryland institution of higher education and who reside or have resided in foster care.
This legislation waives tuition and related fees.
Youth are eligible if they are enrolled at the institution on or before the date that the recipient reaches the age
of 21 years, is enrolled as a candidate for an associates or a bachelors degree, and has filed for federal and state
financial aids by March 1st each year. The foster care recipient must have been placed in foster care by the State
and resided in a Maryland foster home at the time they graduated from high school or successfully completed their
General Equivalency Development examination (GED), or resided in foster care home in Maryland on the individual's
14th birthday and was adopted out of foster care after their 14th birthday.
The Tuition Waiver Program is available to the recipient for a period of five years after first enrolling as a candidate
for an associates or bachelor’s degree at a public institution of higher education or until a bachelors degree is awarded,
whichever comes first. Interested persons may contact the financial aid office of the institution they plan to attend or
contact the Independent Living Preparation Program.
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Additional Information about Independent Living Services Links:
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