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The Fall 2001/Winter 2002 issue of AdvoCasey focuses on foster teens in transition. It highlights what communities and child welfare agencies are doing (and not doing) to help them. It includes a fact sheet, case studies, and an interview with Gary Stangler, director of the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative. Complete listing and access info »

To assess and ultimately help meet the needs of youth who age out of foster care in the United States, the Joint Center Health Policy Institute (JCHPI) -- with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and in partnership with the Black Administrators in Child Welfare Inc. (BACW) -- conducted reconnaissance on the unmet needs of these youth. This project was undertaken to guide the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in thinking about steps they might take to help meet the needs of youth who age out of foster care in this country. Conducting a literature review, a telephone survey, and listening sessions enabled us to develop insights into the workings of the foster care system and the experiences of youth while in the system and when aging out of it. Complete listing and access info »

This report describes CPYP's permanency work with several California county child welfare departments. It contains final outcomes for four pilot counties (Alameda, Monterey, San Mateo and Stanislaus) and a progress report on the ten counties that commenced the implementation of the project during the second half of 2005 (Contra Costa, Fresno, Humboldt, Kern, Los Angeles, Orange, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Luis Obispo and Sonoma). Complete listing and access info »

CPYP began permanency work with four pilot California counties (Alameda, Monterey, San Mateo, and Stanislaus) in January 2003. After refining the project based upon lessons learned in these four counties, in early 2006 CPYP began working with ten new counties: Contra Costa, Fresno, Humboldt, Kern, Los Angeles (Metro North Region), Orange, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Luis Obispo, and Sonoma (the "project counties"). The information included in this report pertains to the permanency work with these ten project counties throughout 2006, 2007, and early 2008. Complete listing and access info »

This publication examines how the Chafee educational and training vouchers and other state-based supports for higher education have been working for these young adults. The National Foster Care Coalition (NFCC) has worked closely with six states to examine the implementation of the Chafee ETV Program since its inception in 2003: California, Maine, Montana, New York, North Carolina, and Wyoming. These states were selected to provide a diverse view of ETV program implementation, including state- and county-administered child welfare programs, urban and rural programs, and programs serving either very large or very small populations of youth. This publication documents a select number of young people's experiences with the ETV program and also shares recommendations from constituents and other stakeholders on how to improve this unique and important postsecondary education and training program. Complete listing and access info »

Statistics and indicators on Foster Care including number of children, type of placement, and length of stay. Complete listing and access info »

The transition from childhood to adulthood is often a precarious journey -- filled with opportunity and risk. Adolescence can be a time of tremendous discovery, growth, and developing independence. With proper guidance and support, young people explore their unique talents and interests; develop knowledge, skills, and aspirations; and acquire the relationships and connections that they will depend upon for a lifetime. Most young people, with the support of their families and community networks, make this transition successfully. Unfortunately, there are also many young people in our communities who lack adequate nurturing, guidance, and support. For these youth, the risks of adolescence often overshadow the opportunities. And for too many, the result is that they enter adulthood with little hope or preparation for a successful future. Developing a strategy for public- and private-sector investments to help youth in foster care become connected by age 25 poses a significant challenge. Foster youth not only have to cope with the trauma of separation from families unable or unwilling to provide proper care, but they also must live within a child protective system that is overburdened and, in many cases, ill-equipped to provide even a basic level of stability, safety, and nurturing. This investment plan calls for government, foundations, community organizations, and individuals to mobilize their energy and resources with a greater focus on the future of foster youth and those aging out of foster care. This is not to deny the urgent need to provide basic protections for those in care. Rather, it is to emphatically assert that it is not enough to address risks and remediate problems; it is also essential to build on individual strengths and develop personal assets in order to help young people acquire the motivation and the means to be successful throughout their lives. Accordingly, this plan outlines five strategies aimed at helping foster youth to achieve economic success, which is a critical building block for future success in a number of fundamental aspects of adult life, including housing, family stability, safety, health, and social well-being. We hope that it leads to increased investments and supportive policies that have a significant positive impact on the future economic wellbeing and financial success of the thousands of young people who spend time in the child welfare system. Complete listing and access info »

In an effort to strengthen philanthropic investments among its membership, the Youth Transition Funders Group (YTFG) asked a group of policy experts to provide recommendations on how foundations can work to encourage effective policy solutions on issues affecting youth in transition to adulthood. The issue brief offers a summary of those recommendations, focusing on four primary transition points that often threaten the ability for youth to be connected by age 25 to the institutions and support systems that help them succeed throughout life. Complete listing and access info »

In an effort to strengthen philanthropic investments among its membership, the Youth Transition Funders Group (YTFG) asked a group of policy experts to provide recommendations on how foundations can work to encourage effective policy solutions on issues affecting youth in transition to adulthood. The primary challenge was to think beyond the systemic silos that so deeply shape the services and expectations of youth and move towards an overall framework that could produce improved outcomes. YTFG's work is based on the Connected by 25 framework, in which all youth reach the following outcomes by age 25: <ul><li>Educational achievement in preparation for career and community participation, including a high school diploma, post-secondary degree, and/or vocational certificate training</li><li>Gainful employment and/or access to career training to achieve life-long economic success</li><li>Connections to a positive support system -- namely, guidance from family members and caring adults, as well as access to health, counseling, and mental health services</li><li>The ability to be a responsible and nurturing parent</li><li>The capacity to be actively engaged in the civic life of one's community</li></ul> This issue brief offers a summary of those recommendations, focusing on four primary transition points that often threaten the ability for youth to be connected by age 25 to the institutions and support systems that help them succeed throughout life. Complete listing and access info »

This strategy brief is one of a series of briefs exploring strategies for financing supports and services that help foster youth make successful transitions to adulthood. It was written by The Finance Project with support from the Foster Care Work Group. The Foster Care Work Group (FCWG) is one of three work groups of the Youth Transition Funders Group (YTFG), a collaboration of foundation leaders dedicated to improving the lives of the nation's most vulnerable young people. Foundation leaders participating in the YTFG are committed to achieving a common vision -- ensuring that vulnerable youth are connected by age 25 to institutions and support systems that will enable them to succeed throughout adulthood. The FCWG brings together foundation leaders with a shared interest in preparing youth in foster care for their transition out of the child welfare system and providing them pathways to lifelong economic well-being. Complete listing and access info »