TAKE CHARGE is a weekly mentoring program designed to foster self-efficacy and self-determination. It is delivered in one-on-one and group workshop settings. Mentees identify goals that are important to them in the transition from adolescence to adulthood. They work alongside mentors to develop the skills necessary to pursue their goals independently. Mentors use didactic, experiential and relationship building activities to build mentee's capacity for achievement, partnership development and self-regulation.
TAKE CHARGE was developed for foster children transitioning out of care into adulthood and independence.
TAKE CHARGE is designed to be delivered in a flexible manner where mentors are responsive to the complex needs of the mentee cohort. Instead of a set curriculum, mentors are trained to recognise learning and practice moments in the course of their mentoring relationships.
TAKE CHARGE is designed for youth aged 16-17 transitioning out of foster care into adulthood.
TAKE CHARGE has only been evaluted in the USA (Blakeslee & Keller, 2018). A randomised controlled trial was conducted with 158 people (81 in the control group and 77 in the intervention group). On average, participants were 17 years old. The majority of the sample were White (43.8%). and over half received special education services in high school due to an identified disability.
TAKE CHARGE has not been evaluated in Australia or with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities. It has also not been evaluated with culturally and linguistically diverse populations in Australia.
TAKE CHARGE participants as compared with control group participants experienced the following outcomes:
Overall, the program had a mixed effect on client outcomes.
Mixed research evidence (with no adverse effets
TAKE CHARGE consists of individual and group mentoring.
As the mentee's confidence and competence grows over time, the mentor steps back to enable greater independence. At the end of the program, the mentee will have developed a transition plan to share with important people in their life.
Workshop mentors are young adults who were previously in foster care and have successfully transitioned out.
To deliver TAKE CHARGE to 50 particpants, Blakeslee & Keller (2018) estimate a total cost of approximately US $395 000, equivalent to AUD $512 400 over one year. The breakdown of costs provided in AUD* include the following:
*All conversions made using XE Converter online in March 2021.
Individual mentors may be project staff or Masters of Social Work students. Each mentor undergoes a three-day training session. They also participate in weekly group and individual supervisions to ensure that the program expectations are being met.
Mentors are also required to film at least 6 sessions with a mentee. These recordings are used to monitor and evaluate the mentors work with the mentee.
Group mentors complete an application and interview. They then undergo training to prepare them for the workshops.
The benefits of the TAKE CHARGE program for preventing days in jail amount to three times the total cost of running the program (Blakeslee & Keller, 2018).
1 RCT conducted in the USA with a sample of 158 people (Blakeslee & Keller, 2018). This study extends the research from 2 previous studies which extends research from 2 previous studies (Powers et. Al, 2012; Greenen et. Al, 2013).
For the extended trial of the 2 original My Life programs see: Blakeslee, J. E. & Keller, T. E. (2018). Extending a Randomized Trial of the My Life Mentoring Model for Youth in Foster Care to Evaluate Long-Term Effects on Offending in Young Adulthood. National Criminal Justice Reference Service
Original RCT of My Life model with 69 person sample: Powers, LE, Geenen, S, Powers, J, Pommier-Satya, S, Turner, A, Dalton, LD., Drummond, D & Swank, P 2012, ‘My Life: Effects of a longitudinal, randomized study of self-determination enhancement on the transition outcomes of youth in foster care and special education’, Children and Youth Services Review, vol. 34, no. 11, pp. 2179–2187, viewed 20 February, DOI 10.1016/j.childyouth.2012.07.018
Original RCT of My Life model with 123 person sample: Geenen, S, Powers, LE, Powers, J, Cunningham, M, McMahon, L, Nelson, M, Dalton, LD, Swank, P & Fullerton, A 2013, ‘Experimental Study of a Self-Determination Intervention for Youth in Foster Care’, Career Development and Transition for Exceptional Individuals, vol. 36, no. 2, pp. 84–95, viewed 19 February, 2021
16 Feb 2022
We acknowledge Aboriginal people as the First Nations Peoples of NSW and pay our respects to Elders past, present, and future.
Informed by lessons of the past, Department of Communities and Justice is improving how we work with Aboriginal people and communities. We listen and learn from the knowledge, strength and resilience of Stolen Generations Survivors, Aboriginal Elders and Aboriginal communities.
You can access our apology to the Stolen Generations.