by Kathryn Carley, Commonwealth News Service
The number of children transitioning out of the foster care system has dropped significantly in Massachusetts, according to a new report.
The number of teens age 14 and older leaving foster care in the Commonwealth fell from 48% in 2006, to 28% in 2021.
Grey Hilliard-Koshinsky, program manager for the Massachusetts Network of Foster Care Alumni, said foster youth transitioning to college on their own face unique challenges in feeling as if they belong.
“You’re going onto campus and seeing other people who live very differently than maybe you grew up when you were in foster care,” Hilliard-Koshinsky explained. “We all need people who have been through what we have to know that success is possible.”
Hilliard-Koshinsky pointed to Bridgewater State University, where a special housing program helps foster youth without a place to go during school breaks, and the University of Massachusetts at Lowell, where the Navigators Club helps foster youth in need of additional academic and social support.
Nationally, child welfare systems find families for fewer than half of teenagers and young adults in foster care, leaving many students to rely on school counselors to help them navigate the college application process.
Todd Lloyd, senior policy associate for the Annie E. Casey Foundation, said extending foster care to people after age 18 offers them a greater chance of success.
“We really encourage states to consider ways that they can encourage young people to remain in foster care after the age of 18 If they don’t have a permanent family,” Lloyd emphasized.
While Massachusetts allows young people to remain in the foster care system until age 22, Lloyd acknowledged very few actually use extended foster care. He stressed foster youth deserve the help of supportive adults to ensure a successful transition to adulthood.
