To understand what states are doing, the U.S. Juvenile Law Center created the National Extended Foster Care Review. This is a tool for advocates and policymakers to explore how states are implementing extended care with their laws, policies, and procedures. They surveyed state rules on eligibility, re-entry for youth over age 18, case management services, court oversight, and subsidies that encourage permanency for older youth. They found diverse extended care practices across the country.
The Juvenile Law Center recommends using this tool alongside other valuable resources, such as the National Conference of State Legislature’s webpage on Supporting Older Youth in Foster Care and Child Trends’ publication, Supporting Young People Transitioning from Foster Care: Findings from a National Survey. Together, these resources provide valuable information to help enhance how we serve and support transition-aged youth in the child welfare system. The Review and these existing publications reveal that there is much work to be done to ensure our systems are engaging young people and are serving emerging adults in age- and developmentally-appropriate ways.