Helping foster youth prepare to age out of care
July 10th 2007 by Lisa in Fostering Adoption Parenting
Article by: Sunshine Girl On A Rainy Day *Please see note below
According to Child Protection Australia, between 1996 and 2006, the number of foster children in Australia increased by 82%.
Their research reveals that children between the ages of 15-17 years old are more likely to be placed in residential placements (40.6%). Only 375 of these older teenagers are enrolled in independent living programs.
It’s time to take a look at the prospects for teenagers aging out of foster care. In Australia, in the United States, and all over the world.
Every year, 20,000 of the 542,000 children in the United States for care system “age out” of foster care and enter the adult world. Meanwhile, half of the young adults between the ages of 18 - 24 in the general population live at home with their parents.
Young people often rely upon their families for assistance with a place to live, financial support and other guidance as they transition to adulthood.
Because young people aging out of foster care often lack the “roots” relied upon by young people from entact families, they will need to work to create and recreate their circle of support.
Therefore, it is vital for foster care alumni to build a circle of support for themselves.
Here is a diagram that I have created with examples:
In Australia, there are two additional resources for teenagers in foster care to investigate:
Care Leavers of Australia Network is a support and advocacy group for people who were separated from their family as state wards or Home children raised in Children’s Homes, orphanages or other institutions, or in foster care. Members also include anyone who has a close family member who was placed in foster care.
Club Create is a free membership club for any Australian child or young person in care. Over 2,500 children and young people are currently participate.
* Please note: This is part of a series of articles that were originally posted earlier this year, but due to a technical malfunction, readers were unable to access the full articles. Because Imaginif is committed to sharing child protection information with readers, we are republishing this series for your convenience.
Stumble it!
July 11th, 2007 at 11:45 am
I have read about situations in this country where foster children grow up and age out of the system. In the stories that I read, the kids didn’t have the usual skills that kids get from the parents (learning to drive, handling money, etc.). The reason for that was because they hadn’t been with one family long enough to learn them or the foster parents didn’t teach them. So, now they are 18 and on their own with less skills for living than 18-year olds who still live with their parents. It can become a vicious cycle …
Thanks for all the hard work that you do for this cause.