Bridge to Adulthood: A Discussion on California's Extended Foster Care System

California became one of the first states to extend foster care when the federal Fostering Connections to Success Act became law, offering states the opportunity to extend foster care to the age of 21 with financial assistance. Last year, The Imprint produced an in-depth series looking at the first decade of the program in California, exploring what holes still existed in a new safety net that overall has helped ease the transition to adulthood for teens in the system. 

This episode of The Imprint Weekly Podcast features a panel discussion hosted by Fostering Media Connections on the state of extended foster care in the Golden State. Imprint reporter Sara Tiano moderates a discussion that features perspectives from two young leaders who experienced the system before and after the extension to 21; an expert in California child welfare policy; and one of the nation’s leading researchers on the experience of older youth in foster care. 

Guests:

• Janay Eustace, California Youth Connection
• Jordan Sosa, California Youth Connection
• Amy Lemley, John Burton Advocates for Youth
• Mark Courtney, University of Chicago

Reading Room

Fostering Adults: The State of Care
https://imprintnews.org/special-series/fostering-adults-state-extended-care

Behind the Stats: Mark Courtney on His Newest Study on Transition-Age Foster Youth in California
https://imprintnews.org/analysis/behind-the-stats-mark-courtney-on-his-newest-study-on-transition-age-foster-youth-in-california/31833

Report: Extended Foster Care in California Boosts Wealth, Stability
https://imprintnews.org/child-welfare-2/report-extended-care-foster-care-in-california-boosts-wealth-stability/33508

Study Finds Foster Youth Fare Better When They Receive Care Until 21
https://imprintnews.org/news-2/study-finds-foster-youth-fare-better-receive-care-21/18007