Professor calls on states to extend benefits for foster care teens

By Staff Writer

Many adolescents who are not adopted by the age of 18 are released into the real world without a place to stay, money, a job or reliable transportation. Many foster care facilities throughout the country have little choice but to release these young adults because their respective states do not provide the necessary funds to care for them.

These policies must be changed, according to foster care experts at the University of Missouri (UM). Although the Fostering Connections to Success Act of 2009 requires the federal government to match states' expenditures for foster care benefits through age 21, many states opt to discontinue these benefits at age 18.

Clark Peters, an assistant professor at UM's School of Social Work, warns that individuals who are released at 18 are forced to grow up faster than most kids because they do not have the same emotional or financial support. Clark said that foster youths who receive extended benefits until age 21 are more likely to make successful transitions into independent living.

Furthermore, many young adults who develop unhealthy behaviors require guidance to steer them in the right direction. Although it would be ideal if all foster children were adopted by a supportive family, this goal is unrealistic. Peters suggests that extending foster care benefits would be a step in the right direction.

Teens who struggle with their independence or self-identity may benefit from boarding schools, which aim to instill confidence in adolescents.