Extended foster care programs are most beneficial when their implementation fosters the development of young adults with foster care experience and meets them where they are in life. This blog highlights three policies and practices—automatic enrollment, program re-entry after exit before age 21, and robust supportive housing services—that some states have implemented to boost participation and provide these young people with greater access to life skills training and foundational supports.
Extended foster care programs provide a variety of supports to young people ages 18 to 21 as they transition out of foster care and into young adulthood. Nearly all states, Washington, DC, Puerto Rico, and nine Tribes have some form of federal- or state-funded extended foster care program. Programs typically provide young people with case management; referrals to services for education, employment, and well-being; and a monthly stipend for housing, basic needs like food, and other expenses like transportation and recreation. Programs also typically require participants to either be employed, participate in workforce training, or attend school or vocational training. Participation is voluntary, and young people may choose to decline the program and exit foster care at or after age 18. States choose the services and eligibility requirements for their extended foster care program, and implementation varies widely across the country.
Automatic enrollment
Some states automatically enroll eligible foster youth in their extended foster care program, allowing young people to “opt out” of the program instead of requiring them to self-enroll or “opt in. Automatic enrollment policies for programs like Medicaid have been shown to lower barriers to entry and increase participation, and can reduce paperwork burden for program participants and administrators. Such policies applied to extended foster care could help caseworkers and foster youth focus on other tasks as the youth turn 18—for example, seeking employment and educational opportunities. Automatic enrollment can also reduce reliance on program staff members’ capacity to connect youth to services. This shift could help ensure that eligible foster youth from all backgrounds can more reliably access their state’s program without relying on already overburdened caseworkers to help them complete time-consuming paperwork.