What happens to Foster Children when they turn 18?

Question

Are there organizations who assist these teens. Can you provide links?

Thanks.

Answer 1

When children "age out" of foster care, there are some agencies which will continue to help, but not too many.  Some states will continue housing and financial support and pay for college until age 21/graduation.  Some have transition programs, basically independent living apartments to assist older independent foster teens as well.  This is a huge problem, as many have no where to go, no family, no training, no connections and little education.  I heard about a good program in Texas, but don't recall the name.

Answer 2

I'm in Canada but was raised as a crown ward (permanent foster child one that has no chances of being placed back with their family) When I reached 17, I was placed in what's called the independent living program. That means you have your own apartment, you receive a monthly check every month which you are responsible for paying your own bills with all the while you must stay in school.

At 18, that monthly check was cut off and my safety net was cut. I was now technically an adult & left to fend on my own. I wasn't given any say in the matter or any options.

Was it a good thing?? No way. No teen should ever be placed in that situation. I think there should have at least been some options. Something... even if it was only to continue receiving the financial aid while I finished high school

EDIT:    Spanky... I turned 18... 13 years ago, if there were any of those options availible then, no body ever bothered to make me aware of them, but I'm glad to hear that there is something availible to help teens coming out of foster care. (other than regualar old welfare which we all know barely covers (if it does that) the cost of a room.)

I felt I had no other choice but to drop out of school & take one low end job after another, until I finally took my ged & went on to college.

SPANKY: Thank you so much for your concern, and yes I am now doing great.I've been married for the past 9 years, I have 4 beautiful children of my own, and 2 wonderful nephews that are technically our foster children. This all happened to me in Ontario, although now I reside in New Brunswick. This year I'll be graduating with a degree from UNB in nursing. Long haul.....but I have the most wonderful life I could have hoped for.

Spanky: Yes we're in Fredericton. And my nephews living with us is a new arrangement, it's only been 5 weeks. We're all adjusting. We're expecting that it will be permanent.

Yes the CAS system in Ontario needs some serious reform. I lived in the Kawarthas, and was placed in nothing but "good respectable" homes that had passed the quality assurance program of the CAS. I saw plenty of slave labor, corporal punishment, and other various forms of abuse.

Answer 3

In the US (if they are finished HS) they are "kicked out" of the system and on their own.......thousands of kids "age out" each year with no mean of financial or parental support.

If they were lucky to have kind and decent foster parents they are allowed to stay in the home......but the checks STOP.

It is so terribley unfair to leave these kids in a system bounced from home to home to only be left with NO PARENTS.

Answer 4

This question is why so many teens want to be adopted.  To me 18 is still a baby and one of the most difficult times in a young person's life.  Throwing them out into the streets because a check stops coming is one of the harshest realities of the foster system.  There are so many families that continue a relationship with the kids, but just as many that don't.  I have never heard of any specific organization to assist these kids.  Being an orphan is a lifetime proposition for so many people.  I can't imagine that it is a pleasant prospect for any teen in foster care.  It breaks your heart.  Well, it breaks my heart anyway.

Answer 5

18 years old, your grown. they do what ever they want. UNfortunantly for the parents there Monthly check gets cut off though.

here you go, hope this helps

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articl...

Answer 6

most of the time ... no .. they are just turned out to the streets to be on their own ... unless the foster parents they have are awesome and allow them to stay with out getting paid for them.

Answer 7

Hey. Well, I'm 18 and I've been in foster care since I was 13.. and still am.

I live in Orange County, CA.. so over here and in LA county, they have this program where they emancipate the kids when theyre 18 and put them into transitional housing (apts. that they live in while they work and save money or go to school). The kids can stay in these until usually 21, sometimes 22.

Or, if the "child" chooses to stay in a foster home, usually the court will allow it also, until theyre 20 or 21.. AS LONG AS theyre going to school and have a plan to take care of themselves once emancipated.

I'll be 19 in March and have court in June, I'm going to tell the court I have a plan to get some early childhood education credits from Cypress college in Fall and should be working and able to emancipate from the system by my 20th birthday.

I often hear of kids just "aging out of the system", where they turn 18 and are kicked out.. to be honest, Im not familiar with other areas, but I know in CA they help you as much as they can as far as paying for college goes, and housing until the age of 21.. the kids who age out are usually the ones who dont want to work or go to school, and there's not much foster care can offer them if theyre not going to work on becoming independant.

I'm having a baby this March, so... although they can't help me financially with that (I don't want to take welfare, id rather just work, seeing as foster care pays the foster parents to let me live here, and I wouldnt have any other bills), they are still helping with me and are far from "dropping" me.

I hope this info helped!

Answer 8

There is this woman ( http://sunshinegirlonarainyday.blogspot.... ) and she is a huge advocate for foster children, she was one. She works in partner with Foster Care Alumni ( http://fostercarealumni.org/ ) and they're trying to reform the system right now to prevent this and other things from happening to foster youth as much as possible. I would ask her this question, she could give a better answer than myself.

Check out her new video she just made its GOOD!

Her blog is informative and on key for foster youth issues.

http://sunshinegirlonarainyday.blogspot.... theres her link again. :)  

Infact just by visiting her blog, you'll see one of her newest posts is about the Campaign for YOUTH http://www.campaignforyouth.org/  which is a campaign to help youth transition from youth to adulthood with the qualities and necessities needed to be productive.

Answer 9

I'm in the United States.  Upon reaching 18, the young person is then "aged out" of the system, and on his/her own. A good number of these young people end up incarcerated, homeless or living otherwise unstable lives because they did not come from stable backgrounds, nor did they learn the skills necessary to make it on their own.

Some may be placed in adult care type homes if they have psychiatric conditions.  

Unlike young people who go out on their own but still have families to fall back on for support, these people have no one, really. It's exponentially more difficult for them to make it out there because of their unstable backgrounds, lack of skills and lack of ongoing support. That's not to mention the emotional problems and other issues related to difficulties with trust, love and attachment.

Because services in the US are so lacking for children who've aged out, some states are looking into the issue.  Currently private charities and churches provide the most support, but it's not much.

Answer 10

Like everyone else said once they turn 18 they age out of the system.  However, there are choices that the foster youth have.  For example, if they turn 18 but still have not completed high school they have the option to remain in foster care until they receive their high school diploma.  Unfortunately I have worked with many teens who just want to get out of foster care so badly that they end up doing so, which leads many of them to drop out of high school.  

There are services that are available and once a foster child turns 15 they are referred to and Independent Living Program (ILP) services.  The ILP services teach independent living skills and hook them up resources that will assist them with applying and attending college and obtaining a job.  There is also transitional housing programs in which the foster youth participates in living independently in an apartment and is involved with school and/or a work program.  In California there is the California Youth Connection in which former foster kids advocate and devolop new policy in the hopes of helping current foster children.  

Services are available and what it comes down to is it is the decision of that foster youth to decide if they are going to take advantage of the services.

Here are some links:  www.caseylifeskills.org, www.childsworld.ca.gov/transition, and www.childwelfare.gov/outofhome/independe...

Answer 11

Samone hit it dead on. Here in Canada at 18 a foster child ages out of the system. If the foster child has a child of their own they qualify for welfare, if not they are out of luck. Very few foster kids live with foster families until they age out. Most are on assisted living for their latter teen years.

Here in Edmonton there are some agencies who continue to assist these kids after they age out. But the amount of assistance goes way down. If they are in school they can get student financing or loans to pay rent, bills and necessities. If they aren't they can apply for welfare but that is never a guarantee and welfare rates for a single person are currently sitting at $394 a month, average rent for a studio apartment is around $950 right now. Even renting a room will cost you over $600 a month.

McMan family services provides financial and life skills assistance until the age of 20

http://www.mcman.ca/html/programs_servic...

Student Finance provides financial assistance as long as the person is enrolled in a high school program

http://www.alis.gov.ab.ca/studentsfinanc...

Welfare will assist with temporary basic needs until a job can be secured, without a medical need the time span can be as little as three to six months

http://employment.alberta.ca/cps/rde/xch...

***edit

Samone what province are you in and are you doing ok now? If you need help please, please let me know. I may be able to direct you to agencies that can still help you even though you are older now.

***edit

Samone, oh so good to hear that you are doing so well now. You are a survivor and an awesome role model for foster children! Kudos to you!

Ontario is not a good place to be in care and it never has been, I am so very sorry to hear you had to endure that system. But N.B. is awesome LOL. I miss Fredricton sooo much!

Answer 12

it depends on the situation. Most of the foster children are no longer wards of the state so the state stops paying the foster parents. Unless they have good foster parents, the kid is on their own.

Answer 13

I would sincerely hope the family that raised them would still be their family. But some are just turned loose.

Answer 14

In TX, they can go to a state college/university for free.  But once they age out of the system they are pretty much on their own.