Our Approach

On any given day in the United States, more than 400,000 children are in the foster care system, and over 82,000 of them are youth older than 14. These young people, particularly transition-age youth of color, are more likely to experience disparate treatment and outcomes. They are more likely to be removed from their homes, less likely to receive family preservation services, and tend to experience longer stays in foster care. Many of these youth ultimately leave care without a family support system, making them circumstantially independent and lacking the social connections and concrete supports that guide young people into thriving adulthood. Often, they feel compelled to remain connected to the child welfare system to receive essential supports because holistic policy solutions that could support their transition to independence are not in place.

Deep-rooted and persistent systemic and structural inequities across the ecosystem in which these young people live both create and compound these circumstances. Despite best intentions, public systems too often harm rather than help youth. These young people, who grow up under the overly watchful eye of the child welfare system, are denied the experiences and opportunities that would empower them and set them on a path toward thriving adulthood. Efforts to support older youth within the child welfare system have frequently minimized or even undermined the community and individual relationships crucial to ensuring that youth can be healthy, successful, and connected in the communities where they live.

We believe that with the right combination of innovation, authentic youth engagement, and community collaboration, we can begin to change that.

In 2021, the Center for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP) launched a three-year initiative, Designing and Implementing Meaningful, Anti-Racist Supports for Transition-Age Youth (TAY), funded by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. The aim of this work is to drastically address the systemic challenges that transition-age youth of color, who are or have been involved in the foster care system, face. We intend to achieve this by centering youth empowerment, policy development, and narrative change.