May 2008Vol. 9, No. 4California Permanency for Youth Project
The California Permanency for Youth Project (CPYP), developed by the Public Health Institute, recently received a grant extension from the Stuart Foundation through 2009 totaling $500,000. CPYP is dedicated to providing support for youth without a permanent family who are about to age out of the California child welfare system. The project aims to raise awareness among child welfare professionals, policymakers, and court personnel about child permanency for older children and youth. Through funding activities and public awareness campaigns, the CPYP Permanency for Youth Task Force works to achieve lifelong connections for these youth. In addition, the task force brings together private and public stakeholders to promote public relations, education activities, and advocacy efforts statewide.
The CPYP website features statewide news and events, success stories, and resources to help child welfare professionals ensure lifelong connections. Some of the success stories focus on individual youth who have benefited from CPYP programs. Several stories describe the positive experiences of teens in the Group Home StepUp project, which helped teens in group care make permanent connections, many of which were with biological family members.