Creating Post-Secondary Opportunities for Youth in Transition from Foster Care

Creating Post-Secondary Opportunities for Youth in Transition from Foster Care
Creating Post-Secondary Opportunities for Youth in Transition from Foster Care

On October 29th, 2014 the American Youth Policy Forum convened representatives from research, policy, and practice at the federal, state, and local levels to discuss the challenges and opportunities of serving youth in transition from foster care. Below are several highlights and resources from the day’s conversation.

Panel 1: Sustainable Social Capital

Comprehensive and individualized services with knowledgeable and trained staff can help youth from foster care as they learn to navigate the challenges of education, housing, employment, and other supports. During this panel, presenters shared research, practice, and opportunities to support youth from foster care through strategic services and interventions.

Panel 2: Permanency Supports

Youth in transition from foster care also have difficulty accessing and maintaining safe and stable housing, financial assistance, health insurance, and other basic necessities. Presenters provided a national overview of these challenges and an example of the policy options that California has utilized to address some of these needs:

Panel 3: Postsecondary Opportunities

During this panel, participants heard about the challenges facing youth in transition from foster care who try to access and maintain post-secondary education and workforce opportunities. Panelists presented examples of policy and practice that have proven effective at supporting these students:

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The American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF), a nonprofit, nonpartisan professional development organization based in Washington, DC, provides learning opportunities for policy leaders, practitioners, and researchers working on youth and education issues at the national, state, and local levels. AYPF events and publications are made possible by contributions from philanthropic foundations. For a complete list, click here.