Aging out of foster care, the struggle is real.

Turning 18 is normally a rite of passage and a time to celebrate becoming an adult. That

is not always the case for children in the foster care system. In foster care, 18 can mean

uncertainty and displacement due to aging out of the system. These teens are forced to leave

the foster homes that have provided them with a sense of security and family, only to face

adulthood with a lack of support.

Every day children are removed from their homes most often due to abuse or neglect.

After removal, these children are placed in the state's custody and placed in foster homes and

occasionally group homes. They remain in the state's care while their parents are given the

opportunity to work towards reunification. All too often reunification is not an option, and the

courts relinquish the parent's rights. Once this has occurred, the children then become

available for adoption and the caseworkers work towards finding them kinship placement

(placement with other family members) or foster homes that are looking to adopt. There are

vast numbers of kids waiting to be adopted in Utah and only a few adoptive homes. As the

children age in the system, it becomes more difficult to find them a forever home. It is common

for these children to remain in the foster care system until the age of 18 when they "age out."

"Between July 2013 and June 2014, 4,693 children were served in foster care" (DCFS, 1) in the

state of Utah. When permanent placement is not readily available, the children end up in foster

homes, sometimes being moved from one house to another.

 As these children age in the system, it becomes more difficult to find families willing to

adopt older children. This does not mean it is impossible though.

Here we can see the age ranges for children in the foster care system nationwide.

This graph shows just how many children are in the foster care system in the United

States in 2015, there are over 20,000 in each of these age groups, 15, 16, & 17.

Many of the youth in foster care have been subjected to traumas that will require

mental health treatment to correctly process their feelings and work to correct any underlying

behavioral issues that may arise. The foster care system places the children on Medicaid to

ensure that each child can get all the necessary medical evaluations and any needed medical

treatments. Foster parents are required to take 40 hours of training before becoming licensed,

and a caseworker is assigned to ensure the child is well taken care of, safe, and progressing in

school and therapy. The caseworker reports to an appointed judge every few months to show

that the youth is on track and safe. Each foster family is paid based on the level of training they

have; for example, foster parents that have the primary training will not make as much as a

Proctor family that has been trained in dealing with more challenging cases.
 Once the youth turns 18 in the state of Utah, they are no longer kept in the foster care

system. They are referred to the TAL program that assists them in finding affordable housing,

employment, (including some job-specific training) and transportation. Often these new

adults struggle to finish school and find meaningful employment. If a child leaves the system

before graduating high school, the likelihood of them finishing is dramatically reduced.

In this graph, we see the national number of children leaving the foster care system and

the reasons for their departure.

In the above chart, we see the main reasons for children leaving the foster care system in the

United States. 2015 had over 20,000 kids exiting the foster care system through emancipation

this is from aging out.

There is a massive deficit between the number of foster families in Utah and the

number of children needing placement in foster homes. You may have heard that Utah is

experiencing a surge in the number of children being placed in foster care because of abuse or

neglect. In fact, the Division of Child & Family Services (DCFS) is having trouble finding foster
homes for even young children. Many of these young children also have older brothers and

sisters, and that means they need to be placed together, in the same home. (Lindner 1).

These youth that are aging out of foster care face many hurdles as they try to acclimate

to a world in which new responsibilities are thrust upon them with little to no support network

to fall back on. Rita Soronen shows us in this chart the immensity of this issue.

Glancing over the chart, it is clear that these teens are confronted with odds that are not in

their favor. Having gone through a rough and disruptive time when removed from their

parents custody, these kids are being tossed into another uncertain, disruptive and life

changing situation with little to no resources. Could we make a difference by nurturing these

kids until they are 21, using this time to help them acclimate into adulthood? Could this extra

cost be offset by helping these teens to avoid jail time, welfare assistance and other public

services? The youth are our future and our future is in trouble.