Sonoma and Riverside counties described the role of Youth Partners in planning, service delivery, and evaluation in order to positively impact outcomes for youth and young adults such as: placement stabilization, increased school completion, successful emancipation, and improved youth satisfaction. Youth Partners in each county shared their experiences including participation in planning and decision making, direct practice with youth and young adults, and outcome evaluation. Sonoma shared their innovative partnership with VOICES and the Walter S. Johnson Foundation to identify service gaps and develop improvements, and Riverside shared how they’ve integrated Youth Partners as county employees.

Integrating Youth Partners to Improve Service Delivery and Outcomes in Child Welfare

• Angelica De La Torre, VOICES
• Nick Honey, Division Director, Family, Youth & Children’s Services, Sonoma County Human Services Department
• Yali Lincroft, Program Officer, Walter S. Johnson Foundation
• Crystal Shackleford, Assistant Regional Manager, Riverside Department of Public Social Services
• Amber Twitchell, Program Director, VOICES
• Dennis Tyler-StClair, VOICES