In recent years, the number of young people in foster care in Westchester County has hovered at about 825. Of these, between 93 and 170 have a goal of "independence," meaning that they will most likely remain in foster care until they "age-out" at age 18 or 21. When they leave foster care, they will be legally and practically responsible for themselves.

We believe these young people —just like those not in foster care — need and deserve a variety of supports and services to help them make a successful transition to independence. Some of these supports are already in place in Westchester, but others either do not exist or are inadequate. Without these supports, foster care youth are being shortchanged by the very system designed to help them grow and thrive.

WCA has interviewed numerous participants in the foster care system, including administrators and workers from the Department of Social Services, private foster care agencies, mental health service professionals, educators and foster youth themselves. Based on these interviews, and on research into how other communities have responded to this challenge, WCA has developed a series of detailed recommendations on how to better support aging-out youth by providing

• knowledge and skills for independence (e.g., how to open a bank account, how to drive)
• psychological and social supports (e.g., coping with the loss of family, navigating new relationships)
• concrete services and supports (e.g. housing, medical insurance)
  
  

WCA has convened a group of government, non-profit and other interested parties to explore how Westchester can do a better job of supporting young people aging-out of foster care. In the coming months, we will work with DSS and others to identify resources to support these changes.