The following resources address ways to help youth in transition develop connections in their communities and sustain relationships with caring adults and peers.
Because Relationships Matter: Improving Opportunities and Outcomes for Youth in Foster Care (PDF - 418 KB)
Joseph & Feder (2014)
Connecticut Voices for Children
Examines what Connecticut is doing to facilitate the development of permanent relationships for children placed in foster care. It focuses on relationships with five different groups (family, siblings, mentors, attorneys, and social workers) and the role these relationships have in helping youth prepare to thrive in adulthood.
Building and Sustaining Collaborative Community Relationships (PDF - 648 KB)
Capacity Building Center for States (2017)
Explains collaborative child welfare community relationships. It also describes how these relationships shape child welfare strategies and how they are vital to in-home service delivery for families engaged in the child welfare system.
Care and Connections: Bridging Relational Gaps for Foster Youths
Denby-Brinson, Gomez, & Reeves (2017)
Brookings Institution
Explores programs to increase relationship-building skills for youth transitioning out of foster care, including the challenges of implementing and evaluating these interventions.
Foster Care Transition Toolkit (PDF - 1,080 KB)
U.S. Department of Education (2016)
Includes tips and resources to help youth and young adults tackle social, emotional, educational, skills, and resource barriers.
The Importance of Permanent Connections for Youth in Foster Care
Morris (2015)
Child Trends
Explains the need for connection and support during a youth's transition to adulthood.
Measuring Relational Permanence of Youth: Youth Connections Scale (PDF - 513 KB)
Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare (2013)
Introduces a tool to help child welfare professionals measure the emotional and relational permanence of the youth with whom they work. This brief also discusses the pilot validation study of the scale and strategies for implementing the scale as an evaluative and case-planning tool in child welfare.
Relationships First: Creating Connections that Help Young People Thrive
Roehlkepartain, Pekel, Syvertsen, Sethi, Sullivan, & Scales (2017)
Search Institute
Provides an overview of the Developmental Relationships Framework, including how individuals can strengthen one-on-one relationships to help youth learn, grown, and thrive.