Virginia Advocates Work to Extend Foster Care to 21
Photo credit (above): Bobby Brown, Richmond Times-Dispatch. Pascal Nzoronka, left, and Thomas Roseman, right, listen during a meeting in the State Capitol in Richmond, VA Friday, Jan. 15, 2016. They were part of a group of foster children who are about to leave or who have recently left the foster system because they are too old. A group called Voices for Virginia's Children is trying to get legislation passed that would help pay for housing as long as the children are in school or are working.
Eight years ago, the country enacted a federal law to encourage states to extend foster care to age 21 (Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act, 2008). To date, about half of all states have passed laws or policies to extend care past age 18, and Virginia is poised to soon join the group. The state is expected to approve a budget amendment to extend foster care until age 21 for youth who are in school or working, and the state also has a related bill pending in the House (HB 203). This is an important milestone for thousands of Virginia’s youth who age out of foster care without permanent family connections, putting them at greater risk for homelessness, drug addiction, unemployment, and many other hardships. Voices for Virginia’s Children, a child policy and advocacy organization, has played a pivotal role in pushing the state to extend foster care past 18. And by using a youth-centered approach, Voices ensured that current and former foster youth were front and center, leading recent discussions with policymakers.
More states need to pass laws or policies that extend care past age 18 and require child welfare agencies to prioritize finding permanent family connections for older youth. And, it’s important that foster youth have a voice in developing these policies. Juvenile Law Center advocates for laws and policies that ensure that all youth in foster care find a permanent, supportive family and that the safety net of extended foster is available if this isn’t achieved. Learn more about our work on extended foster care and our youth engagement programs.