Entering and Exiting Care
Nationwide, 28 states and territories have Title IV-E approved extended foster care programs. Within this group, only one state — Oregon — lacks a provision on how youth can re-enter extended care.
This publication reviews promising state approaches to extended foster care. Programmatic elements covered include: eligibility, placement settings, case management models, case review and transition services. The end goal? Help child welfare leaders continue to improve the design of extended care programs and better support the unique needs of older youth.
Under the Family First Prevention Services Act, states offering extended foster care now have the option to provide Chafee aftercare services to young adults until age 23. Family First also gives states an option to extend Education and Training Vouchers up to age of 26 for Chafee-eligible youth.
At the same time, Family First generally prohibits the use of federal IV-E funds for group care that extends beyond two-week mark. As a result, experts and advocates expect dramatic drops in use of group homes for young adults in extended care.