Here you will find tools, analyses and research related both specifically to the new Fostering Connections law, but also to the relevant topics contained in the law, such as kinship/guardianship, adoption, tribal issues, older youth, health and education. If you know of any resources available that do not appear in our library, please send us an email at with the suggested resource, author and website URL for consideration.
Older Youth: 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
