With a national moratorium on youth aging out of foster care set to expire on September 30, the Annie E. Casey Foundation is calling on state and federal policy makers to implement immediate reforms to the system and expand support to enable those aging out to thrive.

In a policy brief, From COVID-19 Response to Comprehensive Change: Policy Reforms to Equip Youth and Young Adults in Foster Care to Thrive (12 pages, PDF), the foundation highlights the need to expand the resources, tools, and guidance provided to youth in foster care before pandemic relief measures expire — with a focus on solutions that explicitly address longstanding racial injustices that have led to consistently worse outcomes for youth of color in foster care. According to the brief, low-income families of color are disproportionately the focus of child protective services investigations — for reasons that include historic systemic racism and disadvantage, higher poverty rates, and greater exposure to those who are required to report suspected child maltreatment — while children of color who enter foster care have fewer familial visits, contacts with caseworkers, written case plans, and developmental or psychological assessments than their white peers.

The brief outlines three focus areas for federal policy reforms: prioritize permanent family connections and overall well-being for youth in foster care by requiring agencies to establish adolescent and young adult services divisions; improve access to housing and other resources for young adults while continuing to prioritize family connections by making extended foster care available to youth in all states; and create pathways to success by expanding access to and improving the quality of supportive services for young people up to age 27.

"Temporary federal relief provided during the COVID-19 pandemic has been critical, but the lack of adequate service and support infrastructure across states has been a challenge in realizing its potential," said Casey Foundation senior policy associate Todd Lloyd. "Congress must ensure states are positioned and accountable to a comprehensive and ongoing approach to serving these youth and young adults if they are to thrive. The potential of such an approach is within reach, and swift action by Congress to extend emergency relief could serve as a down payment."

(Photo credit: Annie E. Casey Foundation)