Finding Stability for Youth
One in four youth exiting foster care do not have lasting connections to family or supportive adults. FosterClub believes that meaningful relationships post-care significantly enhance youth's chances to thrive.
Why It Matters
Young people in foster care often struggle to form lasting, supportive relationships. These lasting and supportive relationships have proven to help former foster youth in getting housing, education, and stable jobs. Professionals working with these youth should prioritize reconnecting them with birth families, chosen families, and other supportive figures through various means, including mentorship and community involvement.
There are 3 different types of permanence:
Legal Permanence
Legal family relationships like adoptive parents
Relational Permanence
Emotionally supportive relationships like a teacher or mentor
Cultural Permanence
Feeling connected to one’s culture/traditions
Quick Facts
- Youth who exit care without permanence are more likely to experience homelessness, poverty, and/or mental health challenges. (National Institutes of Health)
- Black and Native American youth are less likely to have supportive adult relationships after exiting foster care. (The Chronicle of Evidence Based Mentoring)
- 1 in 4 youth in foster care will live in a group placement setting. Youth in group placements are less likely to have supportive relationships with adults after exiting care. (Casey Family Programs)
“When I started high school, my life was in a downward spiral. I was fortunate enough to have some people that recognized that I had something better to offer and that I had the choice to change my life around. Without these people, I don’t know if I’d be here today.”
— Former foster youth
Tools You Can Use
- This fact sheet from Child Welfare Information Gateway highlights the importance of communication and maintaining relationships that center a youth’s well-being.
- FosterClub created this resource with information for youth about permanence, designed to discuss emotional connections and lifelong support, while offering information that is relevant and accessible.
- This Casey Family programs brief highlights the importance of family visitation and maintaining connections for youth. It explains how regular contact with family can support emotional well-being.
How We're Working on This Issue
Journey to Success Campaign
FosterClub helps lead the Journey to Success Campaign, championing the rights of older foster youth, especially their right to permanence.
Through Washington DC visits, virtual training for child welfare professionals, and informative briefs, FosterClub collaborates with partners like Think of Us, American Academy of Pediatrics, Youth Law Center, and Partnership for America’s Children to amplify its impact.
National Foster Care Youth & Alumni Policy Council Priorities
The National Policy Council's members inform federal policymakers about real foster care experiences and advocate for vital child welfare reforms. Many recommendations include calls to focus on permanency for youth.
FosterClub's Permanency Pact
FosterClub's Permanency Pact is a collaborative tool, developed with youth and adult input, and designed to assist youth and their support teams in achieving lasting permanence.
“Permanency is essential to a youth feeling like they belong and can have a stable future. Without permanency, a lot of youth feel like they are just a leaf caught in the wind and don’t really know which direction they are going. Permanency can be that anchor that grounds them and shows them they can have a future.”
— Ethan B, former foster youth
Want to Learn More?
A resource about prioritizing family ties from the Journey to Success Program.
Data from the Casey Foundation shows how youth transition out of foster care and emphasizes the need for resources and advocacy.
A study with helpful data that explores the role of relationships and permanence in the lives of foster youth transitioning into adulthood.
Blogs on Permanence
New Priority Released: Supporting Immigrant Youth & Children in Foster Care
The National Foster Care Youth & Alumni Policy Council is pleased to release its 19th priority statement: Supporting Immigrant Children & Youth in Foster Care. Recent years have seen an increase in attention to children who enter the United States as immigrants. While the focus has largely been on those who enter via the southern border, the experiences of youth...
Improving How We Support Young People in Achieving Permanency
Written by Aleks Talsky, Member of the ACF All-In Youth Engagement Team Policymakers, agencies, and professionals continue to expand and develop best practices around achieving permanency for young people served by the child welfare system. Whether it is adoption, reunification, or guardianship, the path to permanency can look very different depending on the situation and the best interest of the...
New Recommendations Released - Historic Opportunity for Reform in Child Welfare: Older Youth Successful Transition to Adulthood
Today, the National Foster Care Youth & Alumni Policy Council released a new statement: A Historic Opportunity to Reform the Child Welfare System: Youth & Alumni Priorities on Older Youth Successful Transition to Adulthood with 4 priorities with consideration on how to move towards a 21st Century Child Welfare System. Priority 1: Well-Being: We need continuity of health services that...
The All-In Campaign: Every Child with a Forever Family!
Introducing the All-In campaign and the Youth Engagement Team - made up of 11 young people with lived experience in foster care, supported by Joshua Christian Oswald, who served as the Youth Engagement Coordinator under Associate Commissioner Jerry Milner. 2020, Assistant Secretary of the Administration of Children and Families (ACF) Lynn Johnson launched the All-In Campaign with the goal of...
*New* Recommendations from the Youth Engagement Team: Improving Permanency & Well-Being
Today, the All-In Youth Engagement Team released it's recommendations on Improving Permanency and Well-Being. These recommendations come from three roundtable discussions were held with the Youth Engagement Team and ACF Assistant Secretary Lynn Johnson, Commissioner Elizabeth Darling, and Associate Commissioner Jerry Milner. The topics discussed were 1) supporting permanency with kin, 2) supporting relational permanency and 3) supporting successful older...
All-In Campaign: Youth Engagement Team Members
In October 2020, the All-In Campaign Youth Engagement Team was launched with eleven young people with lived experience in foster care, led by Youth Engagement Coordinator, Joshua Christian Oswald. Learn more about why these young leaders are passionate about permanency and successfully supporting young people in permanency. Alex Oleson.png Alex Oleson is currently a member of the Youth Engagement Committee...