Young people who have experienced foster care bring firsthand knowledge of what the system gets right, what it gets wrong, and what it needs to change. Policy is more effective when it listens to, responds and builds solutions with young people. Many organizations want to engage lived experience meaningfully into their policy work and are looking for guidance in how to start or how to improve.

Over the past two years, FosterClub partnered with a small group of members from the State Policy Action and Reform Center (SPARC) to increase meaningful youth engagement in state policy agendas. Here's what they learned.

Move Beyond Consultation Toward Real Partnership

One of the clearest takeaways from cohort members was that checking a box isn't enough. Inviting a young person to sit on a panel or review a draft document is not the same as partnership. Authentic engagement means Lived Experience Leaders help shape priorities, strategies, and solutions from the very beginning, not after the decisions have already been made.

For the organizations in this cohort, that shift required intentional culture change, not just new programs.

Good Engagement Takes Work and That's the Point

Meaningful engagement doesn't happen by accident. Cohort members identified several practices that made a real difference:

• Compensate Lived Experience expertise the same way you would any professional expertise. Young people's time and knowledge have value; treat them that way.
• Meet people where they are. Design engagement opportunities around participants' lives, not around organizational convenience.
• Create multiple pathways through in-person events, virtual meetings, surveys, leadership roles, advocacy opportunities so more people can participate in ways that work for them.
• Policy is complex. Engaging young people in policy work requires time and a commitment to educate young people on key policy issues, who makes decisions, and how the political process works.
• Preparation is key. Significant time needs to be invested in preparing young people who are engaged in discussions with policymakers. This includes strategic sharing and policy education.
• Count Second Impressions. As one cohort partner put it: young people who are involved in policy work are often experiencing their own transitions, healing from trauma and dealing with limited support. Give grace to a young person and multiple chances to find their path in policy work.
• Close the feedback loop. When young people contribute input, tell them how it was used. This builds trust and keeps people engaged over time.

Start Where You Are

Not every organization is ready to bring Lived Experience Leaders into the policy development process and that's okay. The cohort showed that organizations at every stage of engagement have room to grow. Whether you're just beginning to think about where LEx engagement fits your mission, or you're ready to bring young people into the process of setting priorities, there are concrete steps you can take right now.

FosterClub has developed tools to help your organization assess where you are and find your next steps. Start with our Lived Experience Engagement Framework and accompanying How-To Guide to get started. 

Ready for deeper support? Reach out to FosterClub to learn about training and partnership opportunities. Email us at [email protected].