Tools

• FosterClub's Transition Toolkit
  A tool for developing a youth-driven transition plan using a team approach
• Webinar on Fiscal Impact of Extending Foster Care to 21 - Powerpoint slides
  Slides from a webinar on older youth issues sponsored by the Fostering Connections Resource Center in conjunction with The Finance Project and The Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative. The presentation focused on assessing the Fiscal Impact of Extending Foster Care to 21.
• Tennessee's Fiscal Analysis of Extending Foster Care to Age 21
  In response to the opportunities presented by the Fostering Connections Act, the Tennessee Department of Children's Services created a taskforce to assess the fiscal implications of extending foster care to 21. This taskforce was staffed by The Finance Project with support from the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative.
• Iowa's Fiscal Analysis of Extending Foster Care to Age 21
  In response to the opportunities presented by the Fostering Connections Act, the Iowa Children’s Justice Initiative created a Taskforce and requested assistance from The Finance Project, with support from the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative, to assess the fiscal implications of extending foster care to 21.
• WEBINAR: Designing Foster Care to 21
  A powerpoint presentation from the Feb 8, 2010 webinar on how to design foster care to age 21 hosted by the Fostering Connections Resource Center in conjunction with The Finance Project and the National Foster Care Coalition.
• FAQ: Youth and Young Adults Provisions of the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008
  Provides information about, and assists in the implementation of, Fostering Connections in states across the nation. The document answers questions about Fostering Connections' improvements that will impact youth and young adults in foster care and assist in the implementation process.
• State Child Welfare Policy Database: Older Youth
  A website with state-by-state policy information about kinship care. Visitors can view individual state policies and compare one state's policies to those of other states.
• Extending Foster Care to Age 21: Weighing the Costs to Government Against the Benefits to Youth (Issue Brief)
  This issue brief provides preliminary estimates of what the potential costs to government and the benefits to young people would be if states extend foster care to age 21. The analysis focuses on the increase in postsecondary educational attainment associated with allowing foster youth to remain in care until they are 21 years old and the resulting increase in lifetime earnings associated with postsecondary education.
• Extending Foster Care to Age 21: Weighing the Costs to Government Against the Benefits to Youth (Full Report)
• It's My Life: A framework for youth transitioning from foster care to successful adulthood
  The document provides the principles and assumptions that inform the basis of Casey Family Programs transition work.
• It's My Life: Postsecondary Education and Training
  This guide gives child welfare professionals the information ans tools they need to help youth prepare for and successfully complete postsecondary education or training.
• It's My Life: Housing
  This guide gives child welfare professionals the tools they need to help young people get and keep safe, affordable housing after they leave care.
• It's My Life: Employment
  This guide gives child welfare professionals strategies and resources for coaching young people, from ages 11 to adulthood, through the contiuum of career development and employment.
• CWLA Standard for Transition, Independent Living, and Self-Sufficiency Services
  This document on standards provides the framework for the successful planning, delivery, coordination, and development of family, community, and agency resources toward this goal.
• Title IV-E Plan Pre-print
  The attached pre-print from the Children's Bureau incorporates the statutory provisions of P.L. 110-351 that are effective through FY 2010
• Designing Foster Care to 21: A Discussion Guide for State Leaders
  State leaders considering the opportunities to extend IV-E eligibility presented by Fostering Connections face a variety of design decisions regarding how best to structure supports and services for older youth in foster care. This brief is intended to support state leaders in that decision making process

Research & Reports

• Child Welfare Outcomes 2003-2006: Report to Congress
  Child Welfare Outcomes 2003–2006: Report to Congress is a report created by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (the Department) to meet requirements of section 203(a) of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 (ASFA).1 ASFA amended section 479A of the Social Security Act to require an annual report on State performance. Child Welfare Outcomes 1998 was the first report created in the Child Welfare Outcomes series of reports.
• "Green Book"- Child Welfare section
  The U.S. House Ways and Means Committee "Green Book" section on child welfare includes information on federal programs dedicated to child welfare purposes, including program requirements, spending and characteristics of children served.
• Lighthouse independent living program: Characteristics of youth served and their outcomes at discharge
  This study examined the outcomes of 455 young people who entered the Lighthouse Independent Living Program during the period 2001–2006.
• Resources from the April 16h, 2010 Summit on Charting a Better Future for Youth
  Resources from the April 16th, 2010 Fostering Connections National Summit: Charting a Better Future for Youth hosted by the American Bar Association.
• Guiding Principles for Implementation of the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 Provisions Addressing Older Youth
  This document provides a set of principles regarding the essential elements of implementing the Fostering Connections provisions for older youth.
• Extending Foster Care to Age 21: Benefits, Costs, and Opportunities for States
  This audioconference gives an overview of research conducted by Chapin Hall and others shows that foster youth who are allowed to stay care beyond age 18 -- when most states end guardianship -- are more likely to go to college and derive other benefits.
• Midwest Evaluation of the Adult Functioning of Former Foster Youth
  The Midwest Evaluation of the Adult Functioning of Former Foster Youth (Midwest Study) is a prospective study following a sample of young people in Iowa, Wisconsin, and Illinois as they make the transition from foster care to early adulthood. It provides a comprehensive picture of how foster youth are faring during this transition since the Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 became law.
• Continuing Foster Care Beyond 18: How Courts Can Help
  The study involved analysis of administrative data, a statewide survey of caseworkers, focus groups with substitute caregivers and with youth, and site visits to interview court personnel across the state. Findings indicate that strong advocacy within the juvenile court on behalf of foster youth plays a primary role in keeping youth in care.
• Youth Transitioning from Foster Care: Background, Federal Programs and Issues for Congress
  This report summarizes the issues faced by young people when they leave foster care without safe, permanent families. Youth who spend their teenage years in foster care and age out are likely to face challenges in early adulthoold.
• Review of State Policies and Programs to Support Young People Transitioning out of Foster Care
  The report addresses the findings of a national review of state programs for young people aging out of foster care.
• When Should the State Cease Parenting? Evidence from the Midwest Study
  This Issue Brief discusses the potential benefits of allowing foster youth to remain in care past age 18. In particular, data from the Midwest Study suggest that allowing foster youth to remain in care past age 18 increases their likelihood of attending college and their likelihood of receiving independent living services after age 19. It may also increase earnings and delay pregnancy.
• Children Discharged from Foster Care: Strategies to Prevent the Loss of Health Coverage at a Critical Transition
  Kaiser Family Foundation report on health of foster care children at transition time
• Transition or Eviction: Youth Exiting Care for Independent Living
  This journal reviews promising strategies to support young adults leaving foster care.
• Teen Pregnancy Prevention Among Youth in Foster Care
  This brief makes recommendations for how federal, state, and local governments can use provisions in the Fostering Connections Act to help young people in and transitioning out of foster care to get the education and health services they need to avoid teen pregnancy.
• Fostering Connections to Success: Extending a Social Safety Net for Youths Facing Homelessness and Poverty
  A journal article on the Act's effect on older youth aging out of foster care.
• Transition Programs in Indian Country
  Provides an initial understanding of programs available to American Indian youth and services provided within American Indian communities.
• Improving Access to Independent Living Services for Tribes and American Indian Youth.
  Describes how Tribes can access independent living services for Indian youth and be involved in the development of culturally appropriate services to assist Indian youth as they begin the transition from tribal and state foster care systems to adulthood.
• The role of housing in the transition process of youth and young adults: A twenty-year perspective.
• Needs and Demographics of Former Foster Youth Entering California's THP-Plus Program: Findings from the Statewide Participant-Tracking System
  The report provides the findings of an analysis of data collected from 1000 former foster youth who entered California's THP+ Housing Program with supportive services.
• What Works for Older Youth During the Transition to Adulthood
  This fact sheet examines the role that programs for older youth can play in promoting positive development and subsequent self-sufficiency in adulthood. It synthesizes the findings from 31 rigorous evaluations of programs; all of the programs evaluated youth outcomes during the transition to adulthood (ages 18 to 25), but programs varied in the ages of targeted youth.

Analysis

• Summary and Section-by-Section Description of the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 (H.R. 6893)
  This memorandum provides a section-by-section overview of major provisions included in the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008.
• Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoption Act of 2008: New Opportunities for Children in Foster Care and Beyond.
  This Powerpoint presentation provides an introduction to the new law, background on key provisions, the potential impact on children and families, and an information to guide implementation.
• Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act: Implementation Issues and a Look Ahead at Additional Child Welfare Reforms
  This brief summarizes the Fostering Connections Act and examines implementation issues.
• The Cost Savings of Extended Foster Care
  This edition of On-the-Line with CWLA features important insights from the March 2009 report that examines the potential costs and benefits of extended foster care
• Resources from CLASP on policies and programs related to the Fostering Connections Act
  An array of resources by the Center for Law and Social Policy on policies and programs related to the Fostering Connections Act.
• Resources from CWLA on policies and programs related to the Fostering Connections Act
  An array of resources by the Child Welfare League of America on policies and programs related to the Fostering Connections Act.
• Resources from CDF on policies and programs related to Fostering Connections Act
  An array of resources by the Children's Defense Fund on policies and programs related to the Fostering Connections Act.
• Connected By 25: Effective Policy Solutions for Vulnerable Youth

Training

• WEBINAR: Designing Foster Care to 21
  A powerpoint presentation from the Feb 8, 2010 webinar on how to design foster care to age 21 hosted by the Fostering Connections Resource Center in conjunction with The Finance Project and the National Foster Care Coalition.