Vol. 19, No. 1 • November 2014

Permanence for Older Youth in Foster Care

Permanence. We talk about it all the time in the foster care system. It’s in our laws. It’s in our policy. It’s discussed in court and in case planning.

At the same time, foster care’s relationship with permanence is a little strange. In a way, they’re opposites. If you’re in foster care, you do not have permanence, at least not from a legal standpoint.

Yet foster care is a road to permanence for many children, whether that means returning home to their families, adoption, or something else.

Permanence has a huge influence on a young person’s sense of self, well-being, and the trajectory their lives. It's something we all need to survive and thrive.

This is true even for older youth in foster care. Like all teens, these young people are on the cusp of independence. Many yearn to live on their own. But they need enduring connections to people who will always be there for them just as much as younger children. The need for belonging and support is lifelong.

That’s why, in this issue of Fostering Perspectives, we focus on finding permanence for older youth in foster care.

Download or print a pdf of this entire issue

Contents
We Can All Take Steps to Promote Permanence
NC Permanency Efforts You Should Know About
Reinstatement of Parental Rights in NC: Myths and Facts
Educational and Training Vouchers for Current
and Former Foster Care Youth

Life Books: Sources of Healing and Strength Long Past Age 18

Not What I Imagined
What I learned when my parents started providing therapeutic foster care

Preparing Your Children for the Changes that Come with Fostering

CFTs: A Place to Talk about Tomorrow

What Is Fostering Health NC?

Youth Aging Out of Foster Care and Former Foster Youth Are Eligible for Free Health Care until Age 26

The Special Adult in My Life . . .
Perspectives from youth in foster care

SaySo Update

My Transition to Adulthood
What aging out of foster care was like for me

The CARS Agreement: A Bridge to Independence
Adult Adoption and My Journey to “Forever”
Adult Adoption in North Carolina
NC Foster Parents Eligible to Join Local Gov't Federal Credit Union
North Carolina's Heart Gallery
A Reader Asks
What should I tell people interested in foster care and adoption in NC?
Help Us Find Families for These Children
Writing Contest

References cited in this issue

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