Translational Research of Fort Lauderdale Independence Training & Education (FLITE) Center in Broward County, Florida

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Fabio Naranjo, Ph.D.

Barry University

CO-PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Stephen Ferrante, Ph.D.

Group Victory, LLC

OVERVIEW

The Fort Lauderdale Independence Training and Education (FLITE) Center was created to comprehensively and simultaneously address the multiple needs of youth aging out of the foster care system and struggling to transition to independent living. The target population includes youth and young adults who experienced multiple years in dependency, several placements, and numerous child welfare workers. The FLITE Center engages youth following their 13th birthday to advance their life skills and future thinking, and at their 17th birthday to prepare their exit from the foster care system as part of the aging out process.

In recent years, the FLITE Center began working with other vulnerable or marginalized groups of youth, including those experiencing homelessness; victimized by human trafficking; or identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer (LGBTQ+). As a neutral entity, the FLITE Center chairs Broward County’s Transition to Independent Living (TIL) System of Care (approximately 20 agencies) and TIL Life Coach Initiative (approximately 60 life coaches). In this capacity, the FLITE Center leads provider collaboration, staffs transitional youth, and measures client and system outcomes.

This role positions FLITE Center as the identified and impartial community leader for TIL services among at-risk youth. Annually, FLITE Center serves approximately 1,500 diverse youth. As a novel approach to serving youth transitioning from care, the evaluators will complete a mixed methods evaluation of FLITE Center’s programming. This initial evaluation will identify promising practices within the FLITE model that could be considered for policy and practice recommendations statewide.

CURRENT STATUS

The researchers have engaged FLITE Center leadership and staff to determine evaluation parameters and specific tasks. As of September 2022, a final evaluation plan, including a FLITE logic model was submitted to the Institute. The Barry University IRB application was delayed, but submission is imminent.

NEXT STEPS

The IRB application will be submitted and approved, and evaluation activities will commence in the next quarter, including the start of secondary data collection and analysis.

A final report will be submitted to the Institute in April 2023.