National Foster Care Month: Aging out of Care
April Ferguson LCSW-C - Senior Practice Associate Children and Adolescents
May 2025
May is National Foster Care Month and NASW recognizes the work social workers do to secure permanent placement and help young people age out of foster care.
Aging out of foster care can be challenging for young people as they try to navigate housing challenges and financial and mental stress. Before aging out of foster care, social workers support and help foster youth to transition with stable housing, educational/vocational opportunities, appropriate mental health care, and relational connections. Social workers also support and assess youth strength, needs and independent living skills to develop and implement transitional plans. They also help youth access vital documents, such as birth certificates and social security cards. Youth should also be notified of any resources and programs geared towards foster youths’ success. For example, Foster Club offers a help hub that locates resources by state or categories.
Youth also benefit from developing strong social connections that foster a sense of belonging. When youth age-out of care, there may be little to no contact with biological families due to safety considerations and they may not have connections with former foster families after moving from various homes. Youth may find social connections by completing geno-grams, utilizing family finding resources, joining faith-based organizations, participating in mentorship programs and community activities such as sports. Developing new and healthy relationships can foster well-being.
During this month, NASW challenges social workers to find and apply a new resource that will help them support youth that are aging out of care. A few options are below.
NASW Resources
Aging Out of Foster Care: Young People and the Resources and Relationships That Shape Them
Social Work Advocates April/May 2023 Issue
Children, Adolescents and Young Adults (CAYA) Specialty Practice Section
Specialty Practice Section
Child Welfare Specialty Practice Section
Specialty Practice Section
Social Work Talks Podcast
Forever Family for Children in Foster Care
Social Work Talks Podcast
Foster Care: How Social Workers Help
Related Organizations and Resources
AdoptUSKids
https://adoptuskids.org/
Casey Family Programs
https://www.casey.org/
Child Welfare Information Gateway
https://www.childwelfare.gov/
FosterClub
https://www.fosterclub.com/
Independent Living and Transitioning From Foster Care
https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/permanency/independent-living-and-transitioning-foster-care/?top=1402
National CASA/GAL Association for Children
https://nationalcasagal.org/
The Annie E. Casey Foundation: Youth in Transition (Aging Out)
https://www.aecf.org/topics/youth-in-transition
The Center for the Rights of Abused Children: Preventing aging out
https://www.thecenterforchildren.org/about-us/what-we-do/preventing-aging-out/
Youth Villages – LifeSet Program
https://youthvillages.org/services/lifeset/