Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth

The Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth wants to hear from you! Do you imagine a better future for foster care? How can we improve foster care and lives for foster youth around the country? Tell us here.

[fosteryouth]

Forever families come in all shapes and sizes.

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One in four

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Walk a Mile in My Shoes

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Via Al Jazeera America's The Stream

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Good news for foster youth! The House of Representatives voted to extend and expand the Adoption Incentives program. This legislation provides federal funding to states who find permanent homes for foster youth through both adoption and guardianship. Learn more.

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mcshanerants:

To be clear, I am not writing this to make a political stance, but rather to inform my fellow foster peers how the ACA can help youth. For those of us that have “aged out” of care but are still younger than 26 can get coverage through the ACA via the medicare expansion. There is a provision in the law that allows youth that don’t have a parent whose insurance plan they can join, to get coverage.

[fosteryouth]

[seeingthedifferenceoftheworld]

DNA doesn’t make a family, love does!! 

-The Fosters

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Confronting Sterotypes of Youth in Foster Care (by CatholicFamilyCenter)

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"She’s a very, very special lady. Remarkable. Strong. Everything you’d want in a mother. In a parent. I just wish she could have been the difference in even more kids’ lives." These heartfelt words from NFL quarterback Daunte Culpepper describe his late foster mother, Emma.

[foster-land]

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A manual for foster parents written by a foster child in the system. 

[theworldoffostering]

Just Love

Our therapist said she went to a conference last week. The main point? Kids just need love.

Managing behaviors, creating new neural pathways, potty training, making decisions about futures, teaching, remaining calm, using the right words, knowing the right techniques, researching best practices, cooking the right foods, creating visuals..sometimes it’s too much. 

Just love? That seems feasible. That sounds like something I can do.

I can do that because it’s done for me.

[ileftmysweaterathome]

#15 On being Fostered Youth

These aren’t about me

can’t you see?

—-

They say we score high in situational awareness

Those of us who’ve survived

are adaptable, moldable, never certain

if we are who we are

I’m my mother, my father

My brothers, My sisters

My first family, my second, their third

We know where to hide

in order to avoid black eyes

We know when to cry

in order to get by

We break 

because we aren’t sure if we know, if we are who we are

We don’t want to be

our mothers or our fathers 

As hard as we try we can’t pull them from being inside.

[pickfrommyappletree-deactivated]

(via Broken Foster System Leaves L.A. Youth Unprepared For Adulthood | Neon Tommy)

According to this article 25-40% of youth that age out of the system are homeless within 18 months of leaving the system. They referred to the state as foster youth’s parents, which logically is true, but who can you call when the state is your parent and they are neglecting you?

[fosteryouth]

Walk a Mile in My Shoes

[fosteryouth]

Walk a Mile in My Shoes