skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Young Adults Face Struggles Leaving Foster Care

play audio
Play

Wednesday, November 14, 2018   

AUGUSTA, Maine — Maine is doing relatively well in helping young people in foster care transition to adult life, but there's room for improvement.

A new 50-state report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation said young people transitioning out of foster care lag behind their peers in educational attainment, employment and secure housing. But in Maine, 94 percent earn a high school diploma or GED by age 21, better than the national average.

Ahmen Cabral, policy associate at the Maine Youth Transition Collaborative, said one reason is that youth in Maine can opt to stay in foster care to age 21, rather than "aging out" at 18.

"That's something that we need to keep in mind, is making sure that we're providing opportunities for our young people to get connected to lifelong, permanent connections that can support them through those transitions to young adulthood,” Cabral said.

While a smaller percentage of youth in Maine are in group foster homes than the national average, a higher-than-average percentage experience multiple placements.

Leslie Gross, director of the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative, pointed out that establishing and maintaining lifetime connections with adults is a key factor in helping young people make the transition from foster care to independence.

"This really means supporting biological families so that young people can stay at home,” Gross said; “and if they have to be in care, policies that support young people as well as foster families who are willing to care for older youth."

She added the data show that young people of color are far more likely to be in foster care, to have multiple placements, and to leave care without a permanent family.

Cabral noted that to make foster care work better for teens, providers and policymakers need to ask those most affected by the policies.

"We can continue to listen to the ideas and the voices of our young people, continue to partner with those who have been through the foster care system, and identify the pieces that really helped them to achieve their goals,” she said.

The report emphasized the need for state laws and policies that make finding permanent placements and family for teens in foster care an urgent priority.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021