Youth Leaving Care

• Preparation for independent living
• Transitional living
• The PIP program
• Helpful tips

PREPARATION FOR INTERDEPENDENCE LIFE SKILLS PROGRAM (PIP)
- COURSE DESCRIPTION AND OUTLINE

Facilitators:
Michel Clairmont ext. 2080

Admission Qualifications:
In care youth between the ages of 15 ½ and 20 who are Society or Crown ward of the Children's Aid Society of Ottawa . Youth may be living in an emergency residence, foster or group care. On occasion, youth may be asked to pursue and complete PIP as a condition to them being allowed to live in a transition home or on semi-independent living.

Admission Process:
The youth are referred to PIP by their social workers who complete an application form(See Preparation For Independence referral form in Standard Forms G Drive) and send it to the PIP U.A. Paulette Pitre at ppitre@casott.on.ca and c.c.the PIP Facilitator Michel Clairmont at mclairmont@casott.on.ca The Facilitator will schedule an intake with all the involved parties ie. Youth, Caregiver ,Social Worker after which a memo/letter from the Facilitator will follow advising everyone of the outcome ie group or individual PIP , start time information and possibly estimated graduation date.

Course Description:
The PIP program is designed to provide life skills training to youth mostly within a small group setting. PIP is sometimes offered individually depending on the identified needs/ accomplishments through out the referral and intake process. The groups are 14-16 weeks in duration and are offered on Tuesday (East End at the Vanier Community Services Centre) or Wednesday (West End at the Pinecrest Queensway Community Health Centre) evenings from 4 to 8 pm.. Each evening consists of presentations and a meal, usually prepared by the youth. Presentations will include guest speakers, field trips to community resources, group discussion, hands on experience, meal preparation and much, much more.

Course Objectives:

1. To enhance knowledge of life skills to best prepare for interdependent living.
2. To develop a sense of self-awareness and self-reliance.
3. To increase awareness of issues youth may face once on Semi-Independent Living.
4. To introduce youth to community resources.

Course Requirements:
$40.00 from the caregivers for the cost of cooking a meal and the youth's graduation meal

• Youth to attend, participate and complete assignments as required

Topics (are sometimes modified)

• Budgeting & Income Tax
• Nutrition & Food Handling
• Sexuality & Parenting
• Apartment Search & Setup as well as Housing Help
• All about Transitional homes and ECM
• Tenant Protection Act
• Employment Skills
• Smart Grocery Shopping
• Addictions
• Insurance
• Mental Health Services
• Preparing Meals & Meal Planning
• Accessing Resources
• Communication & Conflict Resolution
• Time Management

Course Outline

Week 1: Meet & Greet

1. Ice breaker activities
2. Discuss and explain in more thorough detail the program and the activities that might be covered
3. Establish program expectations (commitment contract)
4. Review of disclosure consent forms
5. Review the expectations for the meal planning and meal preparation activity (re-discuss/collect $30.00 payment for meals)

Week 2: Healthy Eating, Food Safety, Meal/Menu Planning and Smart Shopping

1. Review and discuss five food groups (incorporating food groups into every meal etc.)
2. different aspects of food safety - i.e. how to check for spoilage, food storage, cleanliness of food preparation areas and utensils
3. Preparing and planning a meal - i.e. cleanliness of self, organizing food required for meal, list of food for meal, recipes, time management in cooking, use of cooking tools
4. Review aspects of shopping - i.e. grocery list, importance of menu planning, unit pricing, comparative shopping (nutritional value vs. getting your money’s worth), use of flyers and advanced research,
5. Community Resource Education

Week 3: Communication and Conflict Resolution

1. Review and discuss effective means of communication: use of language (body, verbal, tone)
2. Review and discuss different methods of conflict resolution: use of language (verbal, body and tone), environment that the conflict is discussed in, use of listening, goal of resolution, use of compromise, use of peer/employer mediation
3. Review and discuss inappropriate means of communication and conflict resolution: name-calling/put downs, scapegoating/targeting
4. Community resource Education

Week 4: Time Management and Employment

1. Review different means of managing time: scheduling, incorporating down time/rest time/recreational time, prioritizing
2. Review effective resumes and cover letters: formats, what the need to include
3. Review effective interview: how to dress, body language and verbal language, what to bring, how to prepare, when and how to follow-up
4. Review applications: how to fill out an application, what can they or can’t they ask for on an application
5. Review workers rights and safety: what are workers rights, when can you refuse to work
6. Community resource Education

Week 5: Apartment Setup & Insurance

1. Review what is needed for moving out on own for first time: costs of bills, furniture, utilities etc., cost of getting furniture and utilities needed, create a monthly budget of expenses when living on own, places to shop for furniture or utilities needed
2. Review insurance: different types of insurance, costs of insurance - how is it determined, methods of payments, what are deductibles - how is it determined, what do the different types of insurance cover, tenant insurance - why is it important and what are the liabilities of not having the insurance, tenant insurance for more than one person in the residence
3. Community Resource education

Week 6: Tenant Protection Act and Housing

1. Review and discuss the rights of a tenant in a rented space: where to go for help if having problems with landlord, what is the landlord responsible for, what can a landlord or rental agency ask for on a housing application, how to fight an eviction, what is the tenant responsible for
2. Review and discuss the different types of housing available in the city of Ottawa: where to go to apply for housing, how to apply for subsidized housing, how to apply for co-operative housing
3. Community resource education

Week 7: Transitional homes and Extended Care & Maintenance Agreements & Social Services

1. Review and discuss Children’s Aid Society SIL/ECM arrangements for youth in care
2. Review and discuss city of Ottawa social services: social services housing, how to qualify for social services, how does the funding work, different types of social services supports
3. Community Resource education

Week 8: Post-Secondary Education, Career Counselling and Testing, Loans and Tuition

1. Review and discuss post-secondary education: how and when to apply, costs of tuition for college vs./university, how and when to apply for loans, different fields of study, living in residence vs. living on you own, other costs outside of tuition (insurance, books, supplies, IT fee etc.), Ontario Student’s Assistance Program (OSAP) vs. bank loans
2. Explore career testing and counselling as a helping tool
3. Community resource education

Week 9: Banking and Money Management

1. Review and discuss banking: different types of bank accounts, how to protect your money, interest rates and service charges, process of opening a bank account, writing cheques
2. Review and discuss credit: benefits and downfalls of credit, how to get credit, keeping a good credit rating, impact of bad credit on life, different types of credit (bank vs. business), interest rates and service charges
3. Review and discuss methods of budgeting
4. Community resource education

Week 10: Sexuality and Healthy Relationships

1. Review and discuss being sexual active: risks of being sexual active, contraception methods, STD’s and STI’s - prevention treatment and signs and symptoms
2. Review and discuss healthy relationships: different means of communication in relationships, behaviours that are not accepted in relationships
3. Community resource education

Week 11: Sexual Identity and Parenting

1. Review and discuss sexual identity: definitions - gay, lesbian, transgendered, two-spirited, transsexual, gender queer, homophobia, bi-sexual; what is it like coming out, what is life like for those who do not fit into their gender appropriate box
2. Review and discuss parenting: shaken baby syndrome, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, expenses in first year of raising an infant
3. Community resource education

Week 12: Mental Health

1. Focus group presented by Youth Net
2. Community resource education

Week 13: Addictions and Safety

1. Review and discuss addictions: different types of substances (legal and illegal) that can be addictive, legal recourse of addictions, impaired driving, treatment options, signs and symptoms of addiction, costs of addiction, locations of treatment services in Ottawa, definition of addiction
2. Review and discuss fire safety: fire hazards in the home, use of personal fire extinguisher, how to test fire alarms, carbon monoxide detectors (definition and value of), evacuation plans, location of local hospitals and fire stations
3. Review and discuss personal safety: fraud, home invasions, locking doors, location of local community police station and hospital
4. Community resource education

Week 14: Consumerism

1. Review and discuss consumerism: understanding and watching marketing tricks, the signs of a bad business, what to do if you have been treated unfairly by a business, how to get the most quantity and quality for your money
2. Community resource education

Week 15: Graduation

1. Dinner
2. Receiving of Life Skills diploma
3. Possible gifts