The field of neuroscience provides evidence that adolescence is filled with opportunities for young people to heal, grow and develop the skills necessary to thrive in adulthood. Learn about how to better understand and support young people in and transitioning from foster care during this developmental window to promote their well-being and success.
With knowledge of how the adolescent brain matures, adults can do more to ensure that the road to leaving foster care will lead young people to self-sufficiency and successful adulthood.
This collection of five printable handouts focuses on the individual recommendations from The Road to Adulthood, with quick bullet points, fact boxes and easy-to-use prompts for conversations with young people. Resources include:
This animated primer discusses adolescent brain development and the ways child welfare systems inhibit or encourage opportunities for the successful transition to adulthood, summarizing topics explored in The Road to Adulthood.
This report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine presents an evidence-based examination of adolescent development and how it can be applied to institutions and systems so that adolescents can prosper.
This set of tools — developed with funding from the Casey Foundation — helps judges and lawyers more effectively engage young people in foster care in court hearings and case planning.
This report outlines new research findings on adolescent brain development and the implications for young people aging out of foster care.
This fact sheet explains how the latest findings in adolescent brain research reinforce the need to create a better path for young people transitioning from foster care.
This issue brief describes how having the right support systems can enable young people in foster care to develop resilience and better cope with, adapt to and recover from even the most substantial challenges.
This issue brief explains why young people who have been in foster care need diverse social networks comprised of quality relationships with their families, schools, communities and peers — and how child welfare policies and practices can promote these networks.
This issue brief shows how trauma-informed practice supports and promotes healthy recovery and optimal brain development throughout adolescence and emerging adulthood.