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Many youth aging out of foster care have a difficult time acquiring the skills and competencies they need to transition from adolescence to adulthood. Over the past three decades, policymakers have increased supports for these youth, but gaps remain in what the child welfare...
For many decades, child welfare agencies, with few exceptions, only served children. State responsibility for the safety and well-being of youth in foster care ended at age 18 (or 19, at the state’s discretion, in the case of youth who were completing high school). In 2008, the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act amended Title IV-E of the Social Security Act by giving states the option to extend the age of eligibility...
For many decades, child welfare agencies—with few exceptions—only served children. State responsibility for the safety and well-being of children in foster care ended at age 18 (or 19, at the state’s discretion, in the case of youth completing high school). But in the past 10 years, many states have extended foster care eligibility to age 21, and some provide supportive services through age 23...