The Imprint highlighted each of the policy recommendations made this summer by the participants of the Foster Youth Internship Program, a group of seven young people that experienced foster care and have completed congressional internships. The program is overseen each summer by the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute. Each of the participants crafted a policy recommendation during their time in Washington, D.C.

Each year, the proposals by Foster Youth Internship Program participants suggest approaches to either rethink how the federal government supports the child welfare system, or how to fill unintended gaps in policy. Some of the issues addressed in this year’s proposals include increasing federal spending on transition-age youth, stronger housing protection for those aging out of the system, and better surveillance of youth mental health.