Aging Out Research Paper

Foster care is supposed to be temporary, but for many teenage youth in foster care it is often a permanent solution. Foster care was never meant to raise children into adulthood. Even though foster care is supposed be temporary, most teenage foster youth reach their 18th birthday and become emancipated and end up living their lives without a family. Currently, 40% of foster youth in the system are between the ages of 11 and 21 (Child Welfare 3). Foster care is supposed to be a temporary arrangement in which adults provide care for children whose parents are unable to do so, due to issues within the family such as neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse, or homeless. The earliest documentation of foster care can date back to the Bible, which

Foster care is a system were a child is put into after the parents gives them up. The child will stay in the system until he or she is adopted. If the child is never adopted they will be released at the age of 20. The children of the foster care system are there because they were voluntarily given up by the parent or taken away if the parent can't fit the role. There are many cons to the foster care system.

Many youth are dependent on their families, receiving financial and emotional support. A youth experiencing foster care does not have the same support network making transition into adulthood challenging. Adolescents in foster care require more intensive monitoring of their health care needs in all aspects. The foster care system in the United States strives on providing care and protecting both children and adolescents from their biological family primarily for reasons of neglect, abuse, and safety concerns. The Child Welfare system refers to children and adolescents from birth to 21 years of age. The goal of the foster

A Critical review of Richards, G. (2014). "Aging Out" Gracefully: Housing and Helping Youth Transition Smoothly out of the Foster Care System. Journal Of Housing & Community Development, 71(4), 18-21.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, every year close to 25,000 youth age out of the foster care system and are faced with cold hard realities of adulthood. This does not include the youth who leave the system, which is estimated to be another 30,000. Most adolescents anticipate their eighteenth birthday, as it brings on a new found sense of independence and most importantly a time of celebration. However when foster children reach eighteen, they begin facing the challenges of transitioning to adulthood. These children disproportionately join the ranks of the homeless, incarcerated, and unemployed. These youth are unprepared for the independent life they are forced to take on. The average age that young adults who have never experienced foster care leave their family home for good is 24, and 40% return home again at least once afterwards (Margolin, 2008). With these facts being stated, we yet expect youth who has dealt with rejection after rejection to leave “home” of the state custody permanently and fin for themselves. These youth sometimes have fewer than $250 in cash, only one-third have drivers licenses, and fewer than one-quarter have the basic tools to set up a household, let alone the skills to know what to do with the tools (Krinsky, 2010). Youth exit care with no more than a garbage bag of their belongings, finding themselves alone at the age of eighteen, with little reason to celebrate what is supposed to be an exciting milestone

For many teenagers, their 18th birthday is long awaited for and an exciting milestone in their life. This is where becoming a legal adult and the ability to make their own decisions without the permission of their parents. But not all teens feel this same sense of joy about turning 18, instead it is dreaded. For the hundreds of thousands of children living in foster care in the United States, this new found freedom brings anxiety and fear. Teenagers who turn 18 and have been living in foster care are now released and expected to live on their own and are no longer cared for by the government, this is known as aging out of foster care. Most people are aware of foster care programs but most are not aware of the difficulties and challenges that these teens face when trying to support themselves. Numerous studies have already been conducted on this specific topic but this research is being conducted on the assumption that it will provide a better understanding of aging out of foster care and the difficulties that a teen come face to face with when trying to become successful after the transition into adulthood without guidance and resources as well as possible ideas to help these teens get on their feet.

For many teenagers, their 18th birthday is an exciting time in their lives. They are finally becoming a legal adult, and are free from the rules and restrictions created under their parents. But not all teens feel the same joy about this coming of age. For the hundreds of thousands of children living in foster care in the United States, this new found freedom brings anxiety and fear. Where will they live after turning 18? How will they get the medications they may need? How will they find a job with little to no experience? How will they put themselves through school? Aging out of foster care is a serious issue among America’s youth. Every year, 20,000 children will age out with nowhere to go, being expected to be able to survive on their

Approximately 26,000 youth age-out of foster care at 18 each year. They lack a parental safety net and face significant challenges in meeting their needs for health care, education, housing, employment and emotional support. One attempt to mitigate their challenges focuses on raising the end age of foster care and continuing to provide support services. Even most any young adults rely on some parental assistance until 26, the U.S. average age of sustainable independence.

Foster youth are become more independent and usually leave the parental home at age 23. In the article Mental Health Care of Families Affected by the Child Welfare System by Manny J. Gonzalez; it states, “Given that young children under age 5 are more likely to be placed in out-of-home placements and to spend a significant portion of their lives in foster care, their unique mental health needs are highlighted.” Children placed in foster care systems may end up getting a mental health condition so if a family tries to

Of these individuals who exited, 22, 392, or 9%, exited due to emancipation, more informally identified as “aging out” (AFCARS Report, 2015). In 2013, only 48.3% of individuals who were previously in foster care obtained employment in New York State when interviewed at age 26, while same-aged peers towered over employment statistics in comparison, with 79.9% being currently employed. The average annual earnings of the 48.3% were only $13,989, as compared to $32,312 of same-aged peers. Additionally, 45.1% reported being experiencing economic hardships, as compared to 18.4% of same-aged peers (Children’s Aid Society, 2013). According to Columbia Law School (2016), 800 individuals between ages 18 and 21 aged out of foster youth just miles away from half of our target population, Nassau County, Long Island in New York City. Of these 800 individuals, 231 individuals had to utilize homeless shelters for their basic needs of food and shelter. Additionally, nationwide one out of five individuals who aged out of foster care at age 18 became homeless (Jim Casey Youth,

Although the unique circumstances facing youth aging out of foster care have been discussed by researchers, policy makers, and clinicians for over 30 years, the more than 400,000 youth in US foster care are still not being adequately prepared for the challenges of adult living.1 In addition to educational deficiencies, employment challenges, and a lack of family support, the American Academy of Pediatrics has declared that one area of particular concern among former foster youth is their health.2 Studies have repeatedly found serious health challenges within this population, including increased likelihood of chronic health conditions, behavioral/mental health disorders,2 acute health problems,3 and unmet medical needs.4 Fortunately, steps have been taken to provide greater availability of health resources to these individuals. In addition to state-run Independent Living Programs that prepare foster youth for the challenges of adult

Abrams, Laura, and Susanna Curry. "Housing and Social Support for Youth Aging Out of Foster Care: State of the Research Literature and Directions for Future Inquiry. ." EBSCO Academic Search. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal Apr2015, Vol. 32 Issue 2, P143-153. 11p. ., Apr. 2015. Web. 20 June 2016. This article is very informative. The author writes about housing and support for youth who have aged out of foster care. Meaning when a child turns eighteen they are just put out on their own. The author works in the social work field and has firsthand experience in the area. The author wants to focus more on the topic of building programs for these youth. The audience would be anyone who has an interest in the foster system. This source

Every year, teenagers in foster care are “aging out” of the social system ill prepared for what lies ahead of them. Currently, there are about 400,000 foster youth in the U.S. and 13,461 (3.4 %) of these youth live in Arizona (The AFCARS report, 2012, p. 1 ). In 2012, it was estimated that 23,000 youth emancipated out of the foster system in the United States (The AFCARS report, 2012, p. 3). These foster youth are become legal adults with little or no family support. Overwhelmed by this life transition, they feel defeated and frightened by

transitioning out of foster care into the real world. Although every child are entitled to education services under federal, state, and local laws, the specific educational needs of the children and youth in care often go incomplete. There are some differences in the educational achievement of youth in care when compared to youth not in foster care. In result of this it may be because lack of residential stability, non-supportive home life, and lack of ability. This particular population tends to pay for the worse educationally than the general population of youth staying with their families.