Foster kids can benefit from receiving support through age 21

By Staff Writer

Children in foster care who are not adopted by their 18th birthday are often released from care with little to no support. In an effort to give these children an opportunity to become independent before going into the adult world, an expert in the field and professor from the University of Missouri is campaigning for an extension of foster care benefits to 21 years old.

The professor suggests that children who receive care through age 21 can have better outcomes than those who lose support at 18. Through the Fostering Connections to Success Act of 2009, the federal government is required to match state benefits through age 21. Yet the expert notes that many states choose to end benefits at 18.

Support such as financial aid, housing and mentoring can be greatly beneficial to these individuals. Without a place to stay, savings, a job or reliable transportation, young adults have little chance of being successful.

In a 2009 study published by Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, the professor found that the benefits of continued care outweighed the costs by a two-to-one ratio.