After looking at why it is important to continue to provide support of young adults who were in alternative care on their 18th birthday (HERE) two weeks ago. And looking at the kind of aftercare needed by young adults who grew up in institutions (HERE) last week. This week we are going to have a look at the options for young adults who grew up in foster care.
As was mentioned two weeks ago, children who grow up in their own families do not get pushed out of the door as soon as their 18th birthday comes around. And there is good reason for that. Yet, while foster care claims to be a way to give a child a complete family experience, even though it is not with her own family, in practice, in most countries, that care does end when the child turns 18.
This is irresponsible and just not good enough. Sometimes foster carers recognise this, and although they no longer get paid to be involved with the young adult, they keep the door open to the person who grew up in their home. They provide the kind of secure base that a family would usually provide, allowing the young adult to come back, to ask for advice and to feel secure, voluntarily. It is wonderful that this happens. But it is not good enough to have to depend on the goodwill of individuals. There has to be a structure in place to support young adults who have left care.
Such a structure could include encouraging and supporting foster parents to continue to be available to the foster children who have lived with them after they turn 18. This could either mean allowing the young adult to continue living with the foster family until a more natural point occurs to move out of the house, or to have the young adult move out – with help to find a suitable place to live alone and work to support herself -, but knowing that she is welcome to come back for visits, advice and comfort.
If it is problematic to convince foster families to provide this continued service, you could also look into especially recruiting and training ‘aftercare families’. These families would sign up especially not to have a child live with them, but to be connected with a young adult, to provide support and comfort, as well as a welcoming place to for example spend holidays.
Like with young adults who grew up in institutions, not all young adults who grew up in foster families may need alternative support once they turn 18. In some cases their own family might not have been able to provide the care required by a child, but may be able to provide the back up support needed by a young adult who lives largely independently.
The important thing is that each child’s situation needs to be evaluated, well ahead of the date that she turns 18, to find out what her needs and her options are, so that there is time to have the type of aftercare she needs ready when that birthday comes around.
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