YLAT informs systems
Young people in care have a large number of adults—case workers, supervisors, foster parents, judges, lawyers, and service providers—making decisions about their lives. YLAT focuses on advising these influential adults about what youth in care most need and want during their time in care, through:
- Fireside chats (conversations). A group of youth meets annually with senior managers of DHHS to give them feedback. The format is informal, with youth and managers gathering around a conference table over pizza, asking and answering questions with one another. Senior leaders report that the fireside chats help them to measure whether policy changes are reaching practice.
- Listening panels. Youth share ideas with influential policy and community leaders across the state using an approach the team has dubbed the “listening panel.” YL AT members have
spoken to the Governor, First Lady, a bank president, the CEO of LL Bean, the State Attorney General, and a state Supreme Court justice, among others. In these listening panels, youth prepare by identifying top priorities and how to convey what makes those priorities so important to the lives of all youth in care. Youth presentations in these forums have incorporated personal experiences and perspective along with information from other states and data from other sources. - Statewide Committee Participation. YLAT members have increasingly been asked to sit on standing boards and committees, lending their expertise around emerging reforms or particular policy matters.
- National Committee Participation. YLAT members have been engaged as members of several national committees and organizations, such as the National Foster Youth Advisory Council, comprised of youth in care representatives from several states.
- Interviews and Consultations. YLAT members are known for their creativity, courage, honesty, and expert opinions and are often offered opportunities to share their insights on many levels of the child welfare system.