Tennessee youth aging out of foster care need support to achieve

Reports provide data on challenges faced by youth transitioning
from foster care and recommends policies to
help them overcome these challenges

NASHVILLE, TN — Two recent reports highlight problems faced by Tennessee youth aging out of foster care and efforts to help them adjust to adulthood. The Annie E. Casey Foundation released “Fostering Youth Transitions: Using Data to Drive Policy and Practice Decisions,” a brief report including data from all 50 states. In October, TCCY released the “Youth Transitions Advisory Council Annual Report,” detailing Tennessee’s efforts to assure youth released from state custody without supportive families or caregivers succeed. It also recommended strategies to improve their opportunity for success.

“Fostering Youth Transitions” states 41 percent of Tennessee’s foster care population, or 5,745 youth, were ages 14 or older in 2016, compared to one in four foster youth nationally. When compared to youth in the general population, these youth, dealing with issues such as the long-term effects of maltreatment and abuse, a lack of consistent relationships with caring adults, etc., have worse outcomes.

By age 21, according to the KIDS COUNT report, these young adults are less likely to be employed or to have obtained a high school credential. They are more likely to be parents. Tennessee transitional age foster youth are more likely to receive financial assistance for education and room and board, but less likely to participate in employment programs and vocational training than the national average, according to the KIDS COUNT report.

The Youth Transitions Advisory Council (YTAC) was established by the Tennessee General Assembly to draw on the expertise of private service providers, mental health advocates and other stakeholders to advise the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services (DCS) in serving the needs of youth who age out of the child welfare and juvenile justice system. It is staffed by the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth.

“The members of the Youth Transition Advisory Council are committed to improving the transition to adulthood for youth aging out of care,” said Steve Petty, TCCY policy advocate. “Difficult as growing into adult responsibilities is for children with supportive families, it is even more of a struggle for these young people.”

While federal funding for child welfare services began in 1934, federal legislation to assist youth aging out of foster care began in 1985. In 1999 this program was expanded as the Chafee Independent Living Program. The Tennessee Department of Children’s Services implements these funds. Tennessee achievements reported by YTAC include:

• Funding by the Tennessee Housing Development Agency prioritized to address housing needs of youth aging out of foster care, including dedicated housing units in Davidson, Cumberland, Sullivan and Williamson counties.
• Intensive case management services provided by Youth Villages’ YVLifeSet program, which has served nearly 10,000 young people in Tennessee since its inception in 1999.

The YTAC Report, submitted to the Tennessee Legislature annually as required by law, includes the advisory group’s recommendations. Some of the recommendations include the following:

• DCS should expand eligibility for extension of foster care services to additional categories of youth available under federal law, including those youth working 80 hours per month or engaging in activities that lead to employment but need other assistance.
• Tennessee law should be amended to implement the 2018 federal Families First Prevention Services Act, expanding eligibility for Extension of Foster Care Services to age 23.

The KIDS COUNT report “Fostering Youth Transitions: Using Data to Drive Policy and Practice Decisions,” is available online.

The Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth’s Youth Transition’s Advisory Council Annual Report is available online.

The Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth is an independent agency created by the Tennessee General Assembly. Its primary mission is to advocate for improvements in the quality of life for Tennessee children and families. Information on the agency is available at www.tn.gov/tccy.

The Annie E. Casey Foundation creates a brighter future for the nation’s children by developing solutions to strengthen families, build paths to economic opportunity and transform struggling communities into safer and healthier places to live, work and grow. For more information, visit www.aecf.org. KIDS COUNT® is a registered trademark of the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

Published November 17, 2018