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Best Practices for Transitioning Youth

Updated June 5th, 2006

Ten strategies that service providers can implement to increase their capacity to meet the needs of youth in foster care are:

  1. Complete a thorough needs assessment.

  2. Develop an Independent Living Plan (ILP) collaboratively with the county social worker, caretaker, and the youth. This plan must include:

    • educational goals
    • employment goals
    • addressing physical and mental health needs
    • transportation goals
    • housing plan with an alternative plan if the first option falls through
    • budget
    • identification

      • NOTE: A housing plan should never include a homeless shelter as a housing option.

  3. Follow-through of the ILP. It is one thing to create a plan, another to actually carry it out. The county social worker should be meeting with the youth and caretaker at least monthly to review the plan, evaluate progress, and develop next steps.

  4. Collaboration of all supportive individuals and agencies involved in the youth’s life, such as a county social worker, caretaker, school counselor, probation officer, therapist, mentor, or case manager.

  5. Youth should receive Independent Living Skills training before they age out of the system, including daily living, financial management, healthy relationships and boundaries, conflict resolution, employment, education, transportation, self-care, and tenant skills.

  6. When youth leave care, they should have all forms of identification. This includes a state I.D. or driver’s license, school I.D., library card, medical insurance card, and copies of school transcripts.

  7. Youth should be receiving one-on-one case management.

  8. When they age out, youth should already have enough money saved for their first month’s rent and damage deposit.

  9. All people working with youth should be accepting in terms of the youth’s racial or ethnic identity, sexual orientation, gender identity, and religion–these parts of the youth’s identity must be defined by the youth themselves, not by the caretaker or other service provider.

  10. The inherent dignity and worth of each youth must be respected by all caregivers and service providers.

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