Social Work Commons^™

How Does Michigan Fare In The Fight To Improve Outcomes For Youth Aging Out Of Foster Care? A Response From The State And One Of Its Communities, Angelique Day, Deboraha Watson

Social Work Faculty Publications

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, one-half-million children are in foster care at any given time, some of whom are over the age of 16. Every year, typically at the age of 18, approximately 20,000 of these children will age out of the foster care system. Many of these youths fi nd themselves making an abrupt transition to adulthood and independence with little or no assistance from their caregivers, biological families, or the child welfare system. Unlike their same-age peers in the general population, they have no safety net if they fail to succeed at navigating …