Caption: Through partnerships with Youth Villages, jurisdictions can bring effective, evidence-based programs to their communities. Learn how ACH Child and Family Services in Texas is implementing Intercept®, an intensive in-home program designed to strengthen families and help prevent children from entering foster care.

Ten years ago, a handful of Youth Villages staff — members of the new Strategic Partnerships department — boarded a flight from Memphis to Seattle to train employees at the Y Social Impact Center to deliver LifeSet, Youth Villages’ evidence-based program model supporting young people transitioning from foster care to adulthood. 

This summer, Youth Villages staff were on the ground in Texas, celebrating a year of partnership with implementing provider ACH and planning for future growth.

Those moments bookend a decade of growth and transformation. Over the last 10 years, Youth Villages has expanded beyond direct service delivery to help public agencies and community partners implement evidence-based models, strengthen workforce development and drive lasting systems change. 

What began with a single partner has grown into a national network. Today, Strategic Partnerships team members provide implementation support, training and technical assistance to more than 30 organizations across the country implementing: 

• LifeSet™, Youth Villages’ bridge to successful adulthood for young people who have experienced foster care, juvenile justice or children’s mental health systems. 
• Intercept®, intensive in-home services proven to help families remain together, prevent foster care entry and support quicker reunification. Intercept is rated “well-supported” by the Family First Prevention Services Act Clearinghouse, allowing states to access federal funding for implementation. The Administration for Children and Families has fast-tracked the model for approval in state plans. 
• GuideTree™, a workforce training and development approach that combines effective practice methods with structured guidance and curated, evidence-based resources to help staff deliver consistent, high-quality care. 
• High-quality transition-age youth case management. Training and technical assistance in states that provide services to former foster youth through agency case management.

A decade of growth and innovation 

The impact can be seen in states across the country: 

• Louisiana  made LifeSet the foundation of its extended foster care expansion, becoming the first jurisdiction where the model is delivered by state child welfare workers. The state later became the first to implement Intercept through local implementation partners. 
• New Jersey  partnered to bring Intercept to the state through its Family First Prevention Services Plan. Today, 12 Intercept teams across four implementing organizations provide statewide access to the program. All four organizations also implement LifeSet. 
• In  New York City, Children’s Aid became the first GuideTree implementation partner in 2020, initially using the approach within its foster care programs. GuideTree has since expanded into residential and outpatient services, and the model continues to grow, with the newest implementation partners located in Maryland and Ohio. 

Katja Russell, executive director of Strategic Partnerships, says every partnership still begins with a simple question: ”How can we help child-serving systems solve problems?” 

“In the next few years, we’ll be deepening our impact in states with existing partnerships and bringing others onboard, with a particular focus on systems where we can reduce unnecessary time in care and increase young adult well-being through expanded partnerships,” Russell said. 

Strong results in Washington state 

The rewards and challenges of high-quality service expansion are perhaps best illustrated in Washington state, where the first partnership program began in 2016. 

Since then, more than 600 young people have been served through LifeSet by three implementation partners: The Y Social Impact Center, Catholic Charities of Central Washington and Youthnet. 

As the programs expanded, fidelity to the model and outcomes were carefully tracked. Partner organizations achieved strong results and secured state funding. Difficult state budgets impacted funding, and Youth Villages is helping programs address those challenges. 

What began with one implementation partner in Seattle has grown into a national network dedicated to improving outcomes for children, families and young adults in many ways. As Youth Villages enters its second decade of this work, the focus remains the same: helping child welfare systems solve complex challenges so more young people and families can thrive. 

For more information about Youth Villages’ program model implementation and systems change initiatives, contact strategic.partnerships@youthvillages.org.

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