Youth involved with child welfare have a wide variety of needs that are required to be met in order for them to thrive and succeed. There are many resources and tools available to help prepare youth for a variety of events and challenges, such as moving out on their own, pursuing their education, searching for a job, money management, and more. The following resources provide informative briefs and guidelines to aid youth while they are in foster care or preparing to transition from foster care, including state and local examples.
Achieving Higher Education Goals: Resources for Youth in and From Foster Care (PDF - 1,980 KB)
Casey Family Programs (2016)
Includes information on scholarships and other supports available to foster youth that can help them continue their education and plan for pursuing higher education or training.
Considerations for LGBTQ Children and Youth in Foster Care: Exploring Normalcy as It Relates to P.L. 113–183 [Webinar]
Capacity Building Center for States (2016)
Provides an overview of normalcy as it is addressed in the Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families Act (P.L. 113-183) and as it relates to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) children and youth. Registration is required to access this webinar.
Financial Capability for Youth and Child Welfare [Webinar]
Capacity Building Collaborative (2015)
Provides an overview of resources and strategies to enhance approaches for providing financial capability training for youth who are transitioning out of foster care.
Foster Care Alumni of America
Offers opportunities for alumni to know each other, to share support and information, and to become an extended family for each other.
Foster Care to Success: America’s College Fund for Foster Youth
Foster Care to Success
Assists foster youth in pursuing college and postsecondary education, understanding the importance of personal fiscal responsibility, determining career goals, and creating networks of support. Foster Care to Success provides grants, academic coaches, mentors, care packages, and internships to foster youth, allowing them to graduate and transition successfully into the workforce and adulthood.
Foster Care Transition Toolkit (PDF - 1,080 KB)
U.S. Department of Education (2016)
Presents information for foster youth to help them successfully transition into adulthood and continue to postsecondary education and meaningful careers.
iFoster for Youth
Provides youth with resources, such as free and deeply discounted products and services, by partnering with companies, government agencies, and nonprofits.
It's Your Life (PDF - 6,473 KB)
American Bar Association (2017)
Helps lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth in foster care navigate the child welfare system and provides tools and supports for youth, explains their rights, and helps youth determine if their needs are being met.
Job Shadowing and Internships
National Foster Youth Institute (NYFI)
Describes experiential education, job skills training, and internships for current and former foster youth. This information shows how NFYI matches foster youth with mentors and provides job readiness training, job-shadowing opportunities, and more.
Kids Voice: Know Your Rights
Kids Voice
Outlines the rights of children and youth in foster care throughout the process, including the foster home experience and court proceedings.
New Foster Care Transition Toolkit Offers Tips for Helping Foster Youth Succeed as Adults
U.S. Department of Education
Connects to information and resources about Federal guidance on assisting children in foster care within the public school system, including information on educational stability and information sharing.
New York State Network for Youth Success
Provides resources to help youth in care and after care build good relationships with birth parents and foster parents and offers information on how to adjust.
Represent: The Voice of Youth in Care
Represent Magazine (2016)
Presents past issues of Represent Magazine, a resource for youth who are in care or were in care about foster parents, group homes, overcoming challenges, finding support, and other topics.
Resources for Current & Former Foster Youth
Foster Coalition
Offers a collection of resources for current and former foster youth in need, including information on health care, psychotherapy, educational resources, aging out, cooking, and more.
Transition (Aging Out): 21 Things: It's T Time
FosterClub
Provides information and tools to help youth successfully transition from foster care. The website regularly features information about higher education and scholarships, permanency pacts, independent living, and more.
Using Science and Technology Effectively (PDF - 264 KB)
Capacity Building Center for States (2017)
Provides an overview of the links among adolescent brain development, trauma-responsive care, and the importance of normalcy and explains how this information can be used to work more effectively with young people in foster care.
What Happens When You Leave Your Home (PDF - 3,696 KB)
Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada
Explains the process of being placed in foster care to children and youth in a graphic novel format.
What You Need to Know About Your Supplemental Security Income (SSI) When You Turn 18 (PDF - 337 KB)
Social Security Administration (2016)
Describes key resources and information for youth with disabilities receiving SSI. "Helping Young People with Disabilities Successfully Transition to Adulthood," a Social Security Matters blog post, explains the expanded early application period for youth with disabilities leaving foster care, which may help facilitate a smoother transition to adult SSI benefits.
State and local examples
College, Career, & Life Skills Training and Support for Foster Youth
Foster Coalition
Lists resources for college, career, life skills, and leadership support, with national links and links categorized by state.
Foster Youth Services
Foundation for California Community Colleges (2017)
Provides information on programs available to California’s foster youth as they turn 18 and become independent, including support for foster youths' living, academic, and emotional needs in college and beyond.
National Postsecondary Support Map
Fostering Success Michigan (2017)
Presents links and information on state tuition waivers, statewide education support programs, and 4-year campus-based support programs for students in foster care. This resource includes a map that indicates which states support programs or waivers.
Oregon Foster Youth Connection: Resources
Lists resources for foster youth in Oregon on topics ranging from legal rights to housing, education, health care, internships, and community support.
Pennsylvania County-by-County Resource Guide
Juvenile Law Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (2013)
Provides information divided by county regarding the full array of resources available for older youth and young adults who are aging out of the Pennsylvania foster care system.
Resource Links for Youth in Transition
Tennessee Department of Children's Services
Describes the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative Resource Centers in Tennessee that help foster youth ages 14 and older develop financial skills. This source also provides links to local education resources, work resources, and additional information for youth in transition in the state.
TeenForce
Serves current and former foster youth in Santa Clara County, California, by connecting them with internships and employment opportunities in Silicon Valley.
Texas Foster Care Handbook for Children, Youth & Young Adults (PDF - 8,588 KB)
Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (2017)
Provides information for foster youth and young adults transitioning out of foster care in Texas on subjects such as legal rights, transition centers, college benefits, and more.
Transition Resources for Youth and Young Adults
Formed Families Forward (2016)
Presents information for foster youth in Virginia to help them navigate the transition to postsecondary education, employment, and independent living. The site includes regional, state, and national resources that may help prepare for this transition.