The Department of Children and Family Services is responsible for administering a system of independent living transition services to enable older children in foster care and young adults who become ineligible for foster care at age 18 to make the transition to self-sufficiency as adults.  The Independent Living Transition Services (ILTS) Program assists teens and young adults who meet certain eligibility requirements to obtain life skills and education for independent living and employment.  Expenditures for ILTS services during the 2003-04 fiscal year totaled approximately $17.3 million.  Approximately $16.4 million is budgeted for ILTS for the 2004-05 fiscal year.

Chapter 2004-362, Laws of Florida, directed the Auditor General to conduct an audit of the Independent Living Transition Services Program.^[1]  The audit primarily covered the period October 2002 through September 2004, and disclosed:

Finding No. 1:        A comparison of the data systems used by the Department to record and report ILTS data disclosed significant differences.  As a result, the Department and the Legislature cannot be assured as to the completeness and accuracy of information needed to make decisions regarding long-term funding and the provision of services for the ILTS Program.

Finding No. 2:        Department districts and contracted Community-Based Care agencies (CBCs) did not ensure only eligible youth were provided Young Adult (YA) services and did not always document how initial and ongoing eligibility requirements were determined.

Finding No. 3:        YA payments totaling approximately $542,000 were made to clients in excess of the fiscal year spending caps.

Finding No. 4:        The Department did not effectively implement a needs assessment policy for Road-to-Independence (RTI) scholarship recipients until December 27, 2004.  Additionally, the needs assessment instrument for high school recipients did not require the determination of actual need as the basis for the benefit amount.

Finding No. 5:        The districts and CBCs did not always complete the required skills assessments for teens ages 13 up to 18, nor document that ILTS Program services were provided to the teens.   Furthermore, the Department has not promulgated rules, or established written policies and procedures, addressing the provision of ILTS Program services to teens ages 13 up to 18.

The Department's response to the findings and recommendations contained in this report can be viewed on the Auditor General's Web site.