Providing Foster Care for Young Adults: Early Implementation of California’s Fostering Connections Act
Until recent decades, youth in foster care who “aged out” of the system when they turned 18 faced challenges ranging from homelessness and poverty to criminal justice involvement. To ease their transition to independent living, legislators approved extended foster care, allowing them to remain in care until age 21. This report explored the process of implementing extended care in California, an early adopter of this new approach to child welfare. It outlines how policymakers amended state law to allow for extended foster care, major themes that emerged through observations and interviews regarding the implementation process, and how youth affected by this legislation viewed their experiences. Findings offer valuable information to stakeholders in the child welfare system, including policymakers and providers in other states interested in expanding foster care eligibility beyond age 18.