SUPPORTING OLDER YOUTH AFTER FOSTER CARE
Providing independent living skills, brokering resources and navigating adulthood as foster youth transition beyond the care of the Department of Child Services.
Supporting Older Youth After Foster Care
The experience of being in foster care is challenging on many levels. The possibility of aging out of foster care and into adulthood can amplify those challenges and create additional stressors due to the lack of supports that a traditional support system might be able to provide. While many youth and young adults may be eager to exit care, the weight of independence can be difficult to carry alone.
Our older youth services program is designed to bridge this gap by offering a variety of services including home-based independent living education case management, transitional living services and extended foster care placement and supervision. Our Independent Living Case Managers work to help these young adults develop the independent living skills they need to reach a level of interdependence through the development of resources, social capital and community resources.
Eligibility for our older youth services is defined by the Indiana Department of Child Services and all eligible participants are between the ages of 16-23.
Voluntary Services
Voluntary Services is an independent living case management program for young adults who have been discharged from foster care. Eligibility begins at 18 and goes to age 23 if your services with the Department of Child Services ended after age 16 and if you had spent at least 6 months in foster care. Young adults in this program can continue with their previously assigned Independent Living Case Manager. This program provides former foster youth with ongoing support and resources to help navigate adulthood, especially as they take on increased responsibilities that could include housing, education, employment, and personal finances.
Placement and Supervision
Our placement and supervision program allows youth, who have effectively aged out of the foster system but were previously under the care of the Department of Child Services and probation, to continue receiving certain support services. This program allows our case managers to provide financial assistance for rent, utilities, food, clothing and other incidentals based on individual need. The program is designed to help these teens and young adults develop independent living skills. Participants need to be employed full time or attending school with part-time employment.
Independent Living Program
The independent living program provides teens in the foster system with one-on-one case management services focused on building self-reliance skills. The support program is open to older foster youth and young adults ages 16 to 21, although the Department of Child Services determines individual eligibility.
