Post-18 Support for Adopted and Reunified Youth
The Imprint is highlighting each of the policy recommendations made this summer by the participants of the Foster Youth Internship Program, a group of 12 former foster youth who have completed congressional internships.
The annual program is overseen by the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that raises awareness about the needs of children without families. Each of the participants crafted a policy recommendation during their time in Washington, D.C.
Today we highlight the recommendation from Jessica Herrera Twitchell, a recent graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles.
The Proposal
Twitchell proposes that Congress amend two federal programs that have bolstered support for older youth in foster care. She thinks the extended foster care benefits that are now offered to those ages 18 through 21 should be expanded to include young teens who were reunified or adopted between the ages of 16 and 18. She would also push for an expansion of the federal Education and Training Vouchers, or ETV, to include all teenagers who experience foster care, including those who are adopted or reunified before 18.
The Argument
Twitchell points out that a recent major study of extended foster care in California found that one additional year in foster care increases the likelihood of enrolling in college by 10% and adds an average of $404 to personal financial savings.
In Their Own Words
“I found myself feeling like I had to choose between adoption and going to college. As a result, I opted to stay in the system and aged out of foster care at 18 rather than being adopted.”
