Research & Reports

• Fostering Connections Aging Out Brief
• 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.
• Missouri Fostering Connections Act Implementation Report
  Provides an overview of the state's child welfare population, budget, native tribes, and the progress (as of 2009) the state has made in implementing the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act.

National Resources

Research & Reports

• Sample State Legislation to Extend Foster Care, Adoption and Guardianship Protections, Services and Payments to Young Adults Age 18 and Older
  Gives sample legislation for in regards to the Older Youth provision of the law.
• 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 16th, 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
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Extending Foster Care to 21: Measuring Costs and Benefits in Washington State
  This report gives information on the costs and benefits of extending foster care to 21 in the state of Washington.
• "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.
• 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.