Many will simply “age out” of the system when they turn 18, without a family and without the skills to make it on their own. In 2019, more than 20,000 young people — whom states failed to reunite with their families or place in permanent homes — aged out of foster care, simply because they were too old to remain.

Beam says that the problems foster kids face are so intractable because they are also society’s problems. She says it is impossible to address the foster care problem without tackling broader issues of drug abuse, domestic and sexual abuse, and poverty. “They are a meter of our social problems,” Beam says.

A 2013 study by the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative showed that, “on average, for every young person who ages out of foster care, taxpayers and communities pay $300,000 in social costs like public assistance, incarceration, and lost wages to a community over that person’s lifetime.

When a person turns 18, they receive certain rights, like the right to vote; but they are also deemed to be the age of majority. This means that they are no longer a child, but rather, are an adult and are emancipated.

Challenges

• Unstable housing or homelessness.
• Lack of adequate elementary and secondary education.
• Lack of employment and job training.
• Problems with physical health, behavioral health, and general well-being.
• Lack of access to health care.
• Justice system involvement.
• Lack of social connections.

Nearly 18,000 foster youth were not reunited or placed in permanent homes in 2018, aging out of foster care. Over 17,000 more had emancipation (leaving without a family or home) as their goal.

Being removed from their home and placed in foster care is a difficult and stressful experience for any child. Many of these children have suffered some form of serious abuse or neglect. About 30% of children in foster care have severe emotional, behavioral, or developmental problems.

Leaving care age All statutory support from the local authority will end by age 25. Some 16 or 17-year-olds actively choose to leave care, while they are still children in the eyes of the law – too young to smoke, drink or vote.

Aftercare services and continuing care Young people can leave care at 16 but, if it is in their best interests, they should not have to leave before they are 18. There are special arrangements for young people leaving care.

Some of the most common reasons for a child or young person being taken into care include abuse, neglect, family breakdown or a parent or child’s illness or disability.

20 is about a local authority (social services / childrens’ services) providing accommodation for children who do not have somewhere suitable to live. It is sometimes called ‘voluntary care’ or ‘voluntary accommodation’ because usually parents must agree to the child being accommodated.