Family Bound Program

Developed by Robert G. Lewis, the Family Bound Program is a unique curriculum that prepares teens for family life. It provides education and preparation about family life in nine two-hour workshop sessions. Also it provides experience of family life through a kick-off pizza party and five special family weekends with practice families who may be a foster, adoptive, kin, birth, or bridge family. Finally it gives guidance on recruiting and training Bridge Families. Bridge Families have never met their teen before but have been recruited to work with a teen in the Program. There are three step-by step guides: (1) Leader's Guide to the nine sessions and for working with participating families, (2) Handbook for Teens to use as they go through the program, and (3) Families Guide to the Family Bound Program.

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Preparing Youth for Permanent Family Connections

This curriculum by Bob Lewis and Sue Badeau provides a philosophical understanding of permanency-orientated practice and practical steps to achieve permanency. Topics include the definition of permanency; talking to youth about permanent connections, including returning to their birth families; the challenges for youth in exploring permanency; defining how permanence is related to tasks of adolescent development; understanding how youth perceive permanency, dealing with grief and loss issues for youth; the steps to permanency; how to talk to and work with birth families, foster parents and mental health providers to achieve permanence for youth; the concept of shared parenting; how to assess a youth’s possible permanent connections; and preparing a youth and other partners for family living.

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Y.O.U.T.H. Training Project

The Y.O.U.T.H Training Project is a dynamic multi-year collaboration between current and former foster youth, social work professionals, academics, foundations, and others committed to the empowerment and futures of California foster youth. The project is staffed entirely by former foster youth who provide training to child welfare staff. The project currently offers three different trainings:

Working with Youth Who Challenge You Most
This curriculum is designed to teach child welfare, group home, and probation workers how to better serve the youth they find most challenging. This curriculum was launched in March 2007 and was created entirely by a group of current and former foster youth with probation, group home and other juvenile justice experiences.

Y.O.U.T.H.Full Intelligence for Child Welfare Supervisors
This curriculum is for child welfare supervisors in California, Hawaii, Guam and Samoa. It was developed by a group of former foster youth that included undergraduate and graduate students, lawyers, child welfare workers and supervisors, and workers in business. Curriculum content was also heavily influenced by social work supervisors across California who were interviewed about their needs and training preferences. This curriculum is offered in training or conference format.

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning Y.O.U.T.H. in the Child Welfare System.
In 2007, the Y.O.U.T.H. Training Project was asked to continue the good positive youth development work of the Out of Home Youth Advocacy Council (OHYAC) by developing and delivering curricula specifically on the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender foster youth. These trainings are offered to counties and organizations on a fee-for-service basis.

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