This resource from the Capacity Building Center for States in the U.S. provides guidance on adapting child welfare services to better meet the needs of youth (ages 15 to 24) in care. It outlines the need for a particular focus on youth welfare within the child welfare system. It also offers suggestions for shifting the lens from child welfare to youth welfare, including shifting from reactive to proactive, from case-driven to youth-driven services, from protection-focused to normalcy-focused, and from past/present-focused to future-focused. The resource provides an overview of the experiences of youth in care, including the impacts of trauma on the adolescent brain. It explains the core components of a youth welfare system and reviews how to assess needs with youth. It includes with guidance on how to connect youth to quality services using a good-better-best continuum and offers case studies as example. Finally, the resource concludes with suggestions for capacity-building in the youth welfare system.
