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Bloom is a nonprofit organization in Georgia that provides safe homes, nurturing care, and essential support for children who have been removed from their homes due to abuse, neglect, or other unsafe conditions.

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Bloom provides support, resources and placements for more than 6,800 foster children in Georgia.

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Dr. Katie New, EdD, LMSW, RN
Clinical Director, Bloom

Dr. Katie New serves as Clinical Director at Bloom, where she leads Bloom University and oversees the implementation and coordination of therapeutic services and programs. In this role, she supports the development of foster parents and child welfare professionals, ensuring clinical fidelity to trauma-informed care models. She holds a Doctorate of Education in Leadership and Learning in Organizations from Vanderbilt University and a Master of Social Work with a focus on children, adolescents, and families from the University of Alabama. With a deep commitment to the well-being of youth impacted by trauma, abuse, and neglect, she champions programs that foster healing and resilience for Georgia’s children.

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Michaela Guthrie, LCSW, is the Director of Bloom Beyond, a program focused on empowering young adults ages 18-26 as they transition out of foster care. In this leadership role, Michaela oversees the strategic development, implementation, and management of services designed to address the unique challenges faced by those aging out of the foster care system, ensuring they receive the support needed for a successful transition to independence.

Michaela has extensive experience in various leadership roles, where she focused on creating trauma-informed, healing-centered environments for children and families facing challenges such as homelessness, food insecurity, and mental health issues. She has also led the development and launch of successful programs designed to support children in foster care, ensuring they receive the resources and care they need.

In addition to her directorial work, Michaela brings over six years of experience as a consultant, providing expertise to both local and national child welfare organizations. Her contributions include speaking at conferences, writing for publications, and conducting needs assessments aimed at improving services for vulnerable populations.

In addition to Michaela's professional expertise, she brings extensive lived experience in child welfare - having spent nine years in foster care herself. She is committed to improving systems to better serve children and families.

Based in Atlanta with her husband and cat, Nala, Michaela enjoys weight training, Netflix, and spending time with loved ones.

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This guide from the Child Welfare Information Gateway offers practical tips and strategies to help foster parents support youth as they transition from foster care to adulthood.

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If you are curious about how the foster care system really works, this iFoster guide breaks it down in a clear, engaging way—perfect for anyone looking to better support youth in care.

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The foster care system is meant to provide a temporary arrangement in which trained caregivers, including kinship or relative caregivers, provide for the care of a child when their biological parent(s) are unable to care for them. While living with a foster family, children will go to school and receive medical care and social services.

How Does The Foster Care System Work?

The foster care system is complex, composed of a combination of federal, state and local organizations working to keep children safe and help them thrive in a home and school environment. The foster care system is not a single entity.

While the primary responsibility of child welfare services belong to the states and counties (depending on if the state is county administered), the federal government plays a supporting role in funding and legislation.

Specifically, The Children's Bureau (CB) implements federal child and family legislation within The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

They develop programs that focus on preventing child abuse and neglect by strengthening families, protecting children from further maltreatment, reuniting children safely with their families, or finding permanent families for children who cannot safely return home, according to the Child Welfare Information Gateway.

What Is Foster Care?

Foster care is meant to be a temporary arrangement in which trained caregivers, including kinship or relative caregivers, provide for the care of a child when their biological parent(s) are unable to care for them.

Over 77% of all foster children are placed with relatives or non-relative caregivers, while the remainder are placed in group homes (any home that has six or more kids in it, which can also be considered a family household), institutions, or supervised independent living.

All ages, from infants to youth between 18 - 21 years old (depending on the state), are represented in the foster care system, with the median age of entry just 6.1 years of age. While designed to be a temporary arrangement, the average time a young person spends in care is almost 2 years (20.1 months) before they are reunified or exited care to permanency, legal guardianship including adoption, or have emancipated from the system.

The goal for all children is to reunify with their family unless reunification is not possible (parents are dead or incarcerated) or it is not in the best interest of the child (i.e. parents present a real, documented and present danger to the life and health of the child).

Each state provides a subsidy to cover some of the basic costs associated with raising a child. Nationally, these subsidies are less than half of the average amount a family spends to raise a child.

According to the most recent Children's Bureau statistics, there were an estimated 437,465 children in foster care on September 30, 2016, which is an increase of approximately 10,000 children compared to the same date the year prior. Of these, there are approximately 108,000 foster children eligible for and waiting to be adopted. Tragically, this stat has stayed consistent for the past five years.

How To Foster A Child

To foster a child, most agencies will expect you to provide 24-hour care and supervision on a daily basis and be able to care for yourself financially without the child's stipend. To foster a child, your home must be free of safety hazards and you must complete a criminal/protective services background check.

There are far too many foster kids in need of a safe place to call home, and not nearly enough foster parents to accommodate them.

Foster families open their homes to care for youth for an extended period of time. Although it's temporary, becoming a meaningful part of a child's life is a huge commitment. It is a challenging, but rewarding opportunity for those who have the means to foster a child.

According to the National Foster Parent Association, most agencies will expect you to:

Provide 24-hour care and supervision on a daily basis

Be able to care for yourself financially without the child's stipend

Be flexible, patient and understanding

Have a sense of humor

Have a home free of fire and safety hazards

Complete a criminal/protective services background check

Have the ability to work as a member of a team

Becoming a foster parent can take up to two years from the time you make the decision, to going through orientation, training, and licensing, to finally being matched to a child in need.

If you're interested in becoming a foster parent, you can reach out to iFoster at support@ifoster.org, and we will help you identify an agency in your area. An agency will ensure you have the capability (and receive the resources and support you need) to meet the physical, emotional, developmental and financial needs of a child.

#iamifoster

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How Does The Foster Care System Work? - iFoster

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The foster care system is meant to provide a temporary arrangement in which trained caregivers, including kinship or relative caregivers, provide for the care of a child when their biological parent(s) are unable to care for them. While living with a foster family, children will go to school and receive medical care and social services.

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Discover how the Annie E. Casey Foundation is shining a light on the challenges youth face when aging out of foster care—and the bold solutions that can change their future.

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More than 23,000 youth exit foster care (known as aging out) and are left to fend for themselves each year. Find resources on the impacts of aging out on…

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Uncover the harsh realities and untold stories of youth aging out of foster care—and how we can be the hope they need—in this eye-opening article from Hope Army.

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23,000 children age out of foster care annually, instantly losing access to nearly every form of support.

This is what happens to them.

20% become instantly homeless.

Picture that. 20% of kids who age out of foster care become instantly homeless. They walk out of their foster home or residential institution with whatever they've managed to hold on while being shuffled from home to home--and have absolutely nothing to catch them. What a desperate, terrifying situation to be put in.

The vast majority of foster youth have faced immense obstacles to learning and personal development, leaving them ill equipped to take care of themselves as independent adults. Most have never been equipped with the personal knowledge and skills to even find the resources that could help them.

Less than 3% earn a college degree by age 26.

Think back on a time when you were dealing with a personal or family issue--maybe you were facing the loss of a loved one, a sibling was critically ill in the hospital, or you were going through a nasty breakup. During that time, did you find it much more difficult to focus at work or in school?

For kids growing up in foster care, there's always something much bigger on their minds drawing focus away from schoolwork. The instability and trauma these children are facing, combined with unmet mental health needs and high rates of learning differences, provides massive barriers to education; only 53% graduate high school--compared to 83% of the general population. They are at the greatest risk of dropping out of school of any student group--3 times greater than low-income children. Less than 3% earn a college degree by 26.

Only 50% find employment by age 24.

Half of all foster youth who age out of the system are able to find a job that can support them. Those who do find employment tend not to earn much money. Those same obstacles to learning that cause so many foster youth to drop out of school are leaving these children undereducated and unqualified for jobs. High risk for substance abuse, crime victimization, and being preyed upon by human traffickers leave many unable to even seek employment.

60% of young women who age out end up in the sex industry.

With low prospects of employment and few career skills, many turn to the sex industry to support themselves. Sex work is a familiar avenue for many of these young women; 60% of all sex trafficking victims have a history in the child welfare system.

Human traffickers are known to prey upon foster youth, who are easy targets because they struggle with feeling unloved and unwanted and lack the support systems to protect them. The average age of entry into sex trafficking is 12 years old. For many of these young women who age out of foster care, entering the sex industry is only a return to what they've known in their youth.

70% of young women are pregnant by 21.

Given the high risk of sexual exploitation in this group, it's unsurprising, yet deeply troubling, that 70% of these young women who age out of foster care become pregnant by 21. These young women are barely able to survive on their own--let alone raise children with so little support. Despite the efforts of these young mothers, these pregnancies often only perpetuate the intergenerational poverty and neglect that sent them into the foster care system in the first place.

25% of youth who age out are dealing with PTSD

Compared to 4% of the general population, 25% of foster youth who age out of the system are dealing with unaddressed PTSD. The vast majority of foster youth enter the system because of abuse or neglect, but even for those who have not been exposed to trauma, the foster care system can be an extremely traumatizing place. Uncertainty, a lack of healthy and stable relationships with adults, and the risk of abuse within foster care leaves many children with untreated PTSD after leaving the system.

Mental health care is the greatest unmet need for foster youth; 80% of foster youth experience significant mental health issues compared to 18-22% of the general population.

Most foster homes--as well as the foster care system in general--are simply not equipped to support youth facing mental health problems; therefore, traumatized foster youth are never given the resources and individual attention needed to heal. When these children leave the foster care system, their unmet mental health needs remain unmet and prevent them from reaching their full potential.

25% will be incarcerated within 2 years of aging out.

The " foster-care to prison pipeline" is swallowing up unprecedented numbers of foster youth into the criminal justice system; 1 in 4 foster youth go to prison after aging out of foster care.

Being labelled a "foster child" plants powerful preconceptions in the minds of every person these children interact with--foster parents, teachers, healthcare providers, and especially criminal justice practitioners. In many cases, foster youth are viewed as more dangerous and volatile than other kids, and people treat them as such; for example, instead of mediating and de-escalating when a fight breaks out in a foster home, the police get called and the child receives a label that can be even harder to shake: juvenile delinquent.

Certain groups of foster youth are at greater risk of incarceration; foster youth placed in group homes are 2.5 times more likely to be incarcerated, 90% of youth with 5 or more foster placements will enter the criminal justice system, and Black foster youth--who are already vastly over-represented in the foster care system--are at greater risk for incarceration as well.

It's easy for people who interact with foster youth to see some of their destructive behaviors without understanding the driving force behind them--that these children are struggling with intense emotional turmoil and trauma, and maladaptive behaviors are often attempts at coping with the loss and fear they're experiencing. Lashing out and behaving irrationally are not signs that these are bad kids who need to be punished; they're signs that these children need compassion and guidance to find more productive ways to deal with their traumatic circumstances.

Systems are not in place to effectively care for foster youth while they are in the system, nor to put them in a position for successful independence when they leave the system. Aging out should not be an option for foster youth who have not been prepared to care for and support themselves. The outcomes speak volumes.

Aging out is not an option at House of Providence. The children we care for are supported and allowed to heal on their own timeline. Explore our website to learn more about our mission and find out how you can get involved!

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What happens to kids who age out of foster care?

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Systems are not in place to effectively care for foster youth while they are in the system, nor to put them in a position for successful independence when they leave the system. Aging out should not be an option for foster youth who have not been prepared to care for and support themselves.

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The Annie E. Casey Foundation blog reveals what really happens to youth aging out of foster care and why urgent action and support are essential for their success.

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What Happens to Youth Aging Out of Foster Care?

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Youth aging out of foster care face challenges with housing, education, employment and more. Learn how these hurdles affect their futures.

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In this heartfelt video, Demetri, former foster youth shares his powerful story of aging out of the system, shedding light on the challenges he faces.

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Challenges Facing Foster Kids Aging Out Of The System

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Youth Villages highlights the tough realities and hopeful journeys of young people aging out of foster care—and the critical support that helps them thrive.

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This PBS NewsHour segment highlights a new Arizona pilot program inspired by Georgia’s success, aiming to reduce the number of teens aging out of foster care by building personalized support teams to connect them with permanent, loving homes.

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How Arizona aims to reduce the number of teens aging out of foster care

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Georgia’s Extended Foster Care program supports eligible youth ages 18 to 21 through the Independent Living Program (ILP), helping them pursue education, gain life skills, secure employment, and transition successfully to independent adulthood.

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Bloom Beyond is a program by Bloom Foster Care that provides vital support, life skills, and guidance to help youth aging out of foster care successfully transition into independent adulthood.

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Personalized navigation Support

Bloom Beyond provides crucial support to young adults (18-26) transitioning from foster care through our innovative Navigator Support Program. We recognize that each young adult's journey is unique. We adapt our support to each person's individual needs and provide practical, hands-on support to help them achieve their goals. By combining tangible resources with dedicated guidance, we create pathways to independence and long term success.

Personalized Navigation: Trained navigators provide individualized support to help each young person access resources, navigate complex systems, and build lasting support networks. This guidance empowers youth to pursue higher education, career opportunities, and develop essential life skills.

Resource Management: Custom E-binders to help organize important documents and available resources

Essential Needs Support: Direct access to necessities through The Bloom Closet reduces financial barriers and increases stability during transition

Comprehensive Support Areas: Our holistic approach includes guidance in housing, education, career development, healthcare access, transportation, and life skills development. This wraparound support helps young adults build lasting community connections and achieve sustainable independence.

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Bloom Beyond: Transition Age Youth (TAY) Program For many youth aging out of foster care, the path to adulthood can be filled with uncertainty as there are often limited resources and support available during this critical transition. Bloom Beyond is designed to bridge this gap by providing comprehensive guidance and...

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Following TJ, a young woman who aged out of Georgia’s foster care system into homelessness and uncertainty, 11 Alive news highlights the state’s failure to connect youth with available federal housing assistance and the urgent need for coordinated support before more young people slip through the cracks.

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Foster care in Georgia | Former foster kid describes aging out of system at 21 years old

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This Annie E. Casey Foundation report provides key statistics on child welfare and foster care in the U.S., revealing trends in placements, permanency, and the urgent need for improved outcomes for children and youth in the system

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Our nation's child welfare system strives to protect children from maltreatment, support families in crisis, keep children safely with their parents when possible, provide temporary out-of-home care for children when needed and ultimately ensure that children have safe, permanent homes with their families, relatives, adoptive parents or legal guardians. This post provides the latest statistics on child welfare in the United States, focusing on foster care statistics, from the Annie E. Casey Foundation's , a robust source of the best available data on child well-being in the nation.

KIDS COUNT includes state-by-state data on child abuse and neglect and children living in out-of-home care from the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System, the federal Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System, and the National Youth in Transition Database. These data help our Foundation and leaders across the country to monitor trends, assess the child welfare system, and advance policies and practices to improve outcomes for children, youth and families - particularly for children of color who are overrepresented in the system and more likely to experience negative outcomes.
Stay up to date with the latest information on child welfare by signing up for our newsletter and exploring our child welfare and foster care resources
Child Welfare by the Numbers

KIDS COUNT offers more than 60 measures of child welfare, encompassing how many children and youth are in the system, the rates at which they enter it, their demographic characteristics (including race and ethnicity when available) and their experiences in foster care, exiting care, being adopted when applicable, aging out of the system and more. In addition to child welfare statistics at the national and state levels, KIDS COUNT also provides data by territory, when possible. Policymakers, child welfare agencies and others have used these data for decades to understand how well the system is meeting the needs of vulnerable children, youth and families, and how it can be strengthened so that all abused and neglected children can heal and grow up with safe, stable families.

Statistics on Emotional, Behavioral and Health Problems Linked to Child Trauma

Children and youth who experience trauma, including abuse or neglect, are at increased risk for long-term emotional, behavioral and physical health problems, among other challenges. KIDS COUNT offers scores of additional measures that describe these types of life challenges for children and youth, ranging from high-risk behavior, such as juvenile justice system involvement and substance abuse, to difficulties with mental health, physical health and academic performance. (These data are provided by state and race and ethnicity, as well as other breakdowns, when possible.) Importantly, the consequences of child maltreatment can be mitigated with equitable access to trauma-informed services and nurturing, lasting family relationships and support.

Child Maltreatment Trends

The likelihood that a child will be abused or neglected in the United States has improved slightly in recent years: 8 in every 1,000 kids under 18 were confirmed victims of maltreatment in 2020 and 2021, after holding steady at 9 per 1,000 from 2015 to 2019. Of approximately 585,000 victims in 2021, three in four experienced neglect, consistently the most common type of maltreatment. About 1 in 6 (16%) of these children were physically abused, 10% were sexually abused, 6% were emotionally abused and 2% experienced medical neglect. Young kids are the most at risk, as 70% of verified victims were 10 and under in 2021, similar to previous years.

Foster Care Statistics

Foster care is meant to provide safe, temporary living arrangements and support services for children who have been removed from their families due to maltreatment, lack of safety or inadequate care. The following selection of foster care statistics from KIDS COUNT describes children who enter care, their demographic characteristics, their living arrangements during foster care, where they go when they exit care and the experiences of youth who never leave and age out of the system. These are critical indicators that can flag areas for system improvement, such as the disproportionate representation of children of color and the need to better support older youth in foster care.

Learn more about the foster care system in a recent Foundation blog post.

Children Entering Foster Care

In 2021, 203,770 children under 18 entered foster care in the United States, a rate of 3 per 1,000. The rate of entry has hovered at 3 or 4 per 1,000 for two decades. Kids ages 1 to 5 make up the largest share () of children entering care. National data also show that Black and American Indian and Alaska Native children continue to be overrepresented among those entering foster care. In 2021, Black children represented 20% of those entering care but only 14% of the total child population, while American Indian and Alaska Native kids made up 2% of those entering care and 1% of the child population. The reasons for this are complex, and efforts to improve racial equity in child welfare have been underway for many years.

Explore more statistics on children entering foster care, including data by state:

Children in Foster Care

Once children enter foster care, the goal is to either safely reunify them with their parents if the family concerns are resolved or secure another permanent family. A total of 391,641 children and youth were living in foster care in 2021 , a figure that has been declining since 2017. One-third of these children are ages 1 to 5 and 7% babies, similar to previous years. Consistent with the inequities described above, national data on children in foster care illustrate the disproportionate representation of Black and American Indian and Alaska Native children, in particular.

Less than half (44% in 2021) of foster children are placed with nonrelative foster families, a slight decline from prior years. In encouraging news, placements with relatives increased from 25% to 35% during 2000-2021, while placements in group homes or other facilities were cut in half, from 18% to 9%. Fewer children are placed in pre-adoptive homes (4% in 2021) or have trial home visits (5%), and some older youth live independently with supervision (2%).

Over a third of foster children and youth experience more than two placements each year, meaning their living arrangements change at least three times a year. At the state level in 2021, this figure ranged from . Child welfare agencies are working to minimize these moves, as they are disruptive, stressful and often traumatizing. Stable relationships and home environments are critical for healthy child and youth development.

Access all statistics on children in foster care, including data by state:

Statistics on children in foster care awaiting adoption:

Related statistics on children in out-of-home care from KIDS COUNT:

Children Exiting Foster Care

The latest data show that 214,542 children and youth exited foster care in 2021 and just under half (47%) were reunited with their parent or primary caretaker, down from 57% in 2000. Adoptions from foster care have increased over the last two decades, from 17% of kids going to adoptive homes in 2000 to 25% in 2021. Children exiting care to live with legal guardians also jumped from 3% to 12% in the same period. Other common outcomes for children and youth who cannot return to their parents include living with other relatives (6%) and emancipation (9%), also known as aging out of foster care.

Of the more than 54,000 kids adopted out of the child welfare system in 2021, over half were young kids ages 1 to 5 , consistent with previous years. Most of these adoptions are by the foster parents (either relatives or non-relatives), who cared for the children while in foster care.

Explore all statistics about young people exiting foster care and those who have been adopted:

Key Findings From the Children's Bureau on How Long Kids Stay in Foster Care

The federal government's Children's Bureau provides additional foster care statistics, such as the length of time children spend in care. They reported that, unfortunately, the median amount of time in foster care has increased over the last decade - from 13.2 months in 2011 to 17.5 months in 2021, based on children who exited care in each year. However, the percentage of kids who spent 5+ years in care declined slightly from 7% to 5% in the same time period. Among children who exited foster care in 2021, about a third (35%) were there less than a year, while nearly half (48%) spent 1 to 3 years in care and 12% stayed in foster care 3+ years. See the Child Welfare Information Gateway, a service of the Children's Bureau, for additional foster care data summaries.

Youth Aging Out of Foster Care

More than 19,000 youth left foster care in 2021 without reuniting with their parents or having another permanent family home, a figure that has declined since peaking at nearly 30,000 in 2008. The transition to adulthood is a significant and challenging developmental phase of life for all young people, but youth aging out of foster care on their own must face this without the support of a stable, loving family. Many also lose access to services and supports offered through the foster care system. Not surprisingly, these youth and young adults are more likely to experience behavioral, mental and physical health issues, housing problems and homelessness, employment and academic difficulties, early parenthood, incarceration and other potentially lifelong adversities. In line with the racial inequities noted earlier, youth of color are more likely to experience these challenges. The trajectories of these young people are not guaranteed, however. They can be positively influenced by policies and practices that ensure these vulnerable youths receive culturally-responsive, trauma-informed transition services and support to navigate the steps to adulthood, achieve stability and reach their full potential.

Recognizing the importance of focusing on this population, the Foundation provides in-depth resources on youth aging out of foster care and 30 indicators describing the challenges they face as well as the support they receive, including academic, employment, health, financial, mentoring and other transition services.

Key findings among youth transitioning out of foster care:

Other Statistics Linked to Childhood Adversity and Trauma

When kids experience trauma - such as abuse, neglect or even hardships during foster care - these events can disrupt healthy development and cause lasting consequences.

KIDS COUNT offers an array of state-level statistics on these issues, with much of it available by race and other demographic factors. This includes data on:

KIDS COUNT offers a vast array of state-by-state statistics on these issues, with much of it available by race and other demographic factors, including data on:

Safety and risky behaviors, such as youth residing in juvenile detention facilities, and teens abusing alcohol or using cigarettes, marijuana and other drugs

Mental and physical health, such as young adults feeling depressed or hopeless, and health conditions (e.g., obesity, asthma and special health care needs)

Academic achievement and related issues; for example, test scores, household internet access, school discipline, students missing school, students not completing high school, teens neither working nor in school and much more

Youth and young adult well-being, which spans 60 measures in areas like employment, poverty, education, health, and family and community issues

Learn More About Child Welfare in the United States

Reports and Resources on Child Welfare and Foster Care

The Annie E. Casey Foundation has been publishing resources and developing new solutions to support vulnerable children and families for more than two decades. Resources like the following reports help child welfare agencies, policymakers and advocates improve the child welfare system:

Stay Connected and Do a Deep Dive With Our Resources

Sign up for the Casey Foundation's newsletter to get the latest reports, data and news on child welfare in the United States, access KIDS COUNT data on child welfare and learn about publications, webinars, podcasts, blog posts other resources. Covered topics include:
See overall child population trends in the US with data from the 2020 census.

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Child Welfare and Foster Care Statistics

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This post shares the latest statistics on foster care, adoption and transitioning youth. Explore the data.

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Trying to find solutions, this Crossnore article offers practical, meaningful ways anyone can support youth aging out of foster care: from mentorship and job opportunities to providing housing and emotional support.

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Melissa Morrissette-Hurst, Senior Director of Community Foster Care & Adoption

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Practical Ways to Help Youth Aging out of Foster Care - Crossnore

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Practical ways to help youth aging out of foster care gives you some ideas of how to support young adults at this critical junction.

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Dr. John DeGarmo offers methods to assist vulnerable youth at risk from the issues that come with aging out of the foster care system.

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15 Ways to Help Youth who Age Out of Foster Care

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Being placed in a foster home is bad enough for a child in foster care. Sadly, for far too many children in foster care, leaving the…

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The Bloom Closet is a free boutique that provides clothing, shoes, and essentials to Georgia’s foster children, helping them feel confident, valued, and cared for.

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When children enter foster care, many arrive with nothing more than the clothes on their backs. The Bloom Closet helps fill that gap by providing foster children with free clothing, books, toys, and school supplies. This program helps support at-risk birth families and foster families so they can better serve…

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Bloom University is a life skills training program designed to equip teens in foster care with the tools, knowledge, and confidence they need to successfully transition into adulthood.

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Bloom University provides comprehensive training programs for foster families, foster care staff, and birth families. This coursework equips families with evidence-based and trauma-informed skills to safely support and parent children. We currently offer a rotating schedule of programs and events (see below) that is open to the public, in addition…

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Although based on data from Arizona, many States face the same percentages with the same problems.

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Aging out of the foster care system- Child Crisis Arizona | Foster care system, Foster parenting, The fosters

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Discover (and save!) your own Pins on Pinterest.

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View the demographics of children in the foster care system.

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GA Division of Family and Children Services

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Demographics of Children in Foster Care - GA Division of Family and Children Services

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Georgia Building Trades Academy YouthBuild empowers young people ages 16–24 with hands-on training, education, and leadership development to build successful careers in the construction industry and beyond.

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Georgia Building Trades Academy YouthBuild

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Georgia Building Trades Academy (GABTA) YouthBuild prepares students to achieve success through innovative partnerships and unique job readiness experiences. They help students meet both their personal and educational goals as they embark on their construction trades careers.

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iFoster connects foster youth and caregivers with essential resources, technology, jobs, and support to help them thrive in school, work, and life.

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iFoster's mission is to ensure that every child growing up outside of their biological home has the resources and opportunities they need to become successful, independent adults. We provide a free platform of resources for foster care youth, caregivers, and organizations.

We create solutions driving collaboration and efficiencies across the child welfare system, and engage the community outside of child welfare to support our nation's most vulnerable children. Learn more about the resources for foster care youth available through iFoster.

Online Foster Care Community

iFoster is the largest and most inclusive online community of young people, caregivers, and organizations in foster care with 60,000 members in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and Guam.

Resources for Foster Care Youth, Caregivers & Organizations

We collaborate with more than 350 corporations, government agencies, and community organizations. This collaboration allows us to provide resources for foster care youth including educational, employment, health, daily living, products, services, and opportunities they need.

Committed to Serving Evolving Needs

Our library of resources for foster care youth, caregivers, and organizations is always growing. Improving the lives of foster youth each year by delivering more than $125 million of new resources into the system annually.

Preparing Youth for Independence

We launch evidence and trauma-informed programs to prepare youth for independence - all evaluated for replication and adoption by the foster care system.

Ensuring Access for Foster Youth

Our library of resources for foster care youth supports our mission of connecting foster youth to resources and opportunities they need to be successful. We collaborate with more than 4,000 child welfare agencies to help youth get the access they need.

My iFoster Resource Portal

Explore resources for foster care youth, how-to knowledge, and skills development that every foster youth needs to become successful, independent adults and reach their full potential.

Third party evaluation for Administration for Children and Family Services has shown that using the resources for foster care youth portal: decreases family needs, improves child and caregiver well-being, and improves placement stability.

60,000 members.

$125 million in resources consumed by youth in care and their families each year, and former foster youth each year.

USC study shows that in combination with iFoster Tech, transition-age youth improve their grades, increase their applications to college and employment, improve life-satisfaction and decrease depression and suicidality.

The #1 foster youth need nationwide is access to technology. Less than 20% of foster youth have regular access to a computer and the Internet. The majority of transition-age youth can't afford a monthly phone bill to stay connected. Learn more about our tech-related resources for foster care youth:

Ground-breaking Federal Lifeline pilot program to provide 33,000 CA foster youth with free smartphones with free, unlimited voice, text, and data; replicated program in NYC.

Thousands of laptops provided annually to college and college-bound foster youth nationwide.

During COVID-19 pandemic, provided over 16,000 CA foster youth students in K-12 and college with a computer and Internet connection.

Award-winning training, internship and employment placement program for transition-age foster youth to ensure they can be financially independent when they leave care. The iFoster Jobs Program offers evidence and trauma-informed curriculum that covers the hard and soft skills employers want.

Over 750 foster youth have earned permanent employment in 4 years.

Program participants have double the retention rate of retail and customer service industries

Over 45 national and regional employer partners, including Fortune 500 employers.

Evaluated by the Administration for Children and Family Services as a promising practice for foster youth employment.

iFoster Jobs Program: TAY AmeriCorps

The innovative iFoster AmeriCorps service program provides an opportunity for foster youth to train and serve as peer navigators and mentors. The TAY AmeriCorps program serves as a stepping-stone for transition-age foster youth, giving them a chance to build public and health service careers.

TAY AmeriCorps members have served over 20,000 TAY in California in the first two years.

100% of foster youth served felt better supported and 88% became more knowledgeable about resources.

88% of Members report learning skills that will help advance their career path.

Honored as Best New AmeriCorps program nationwide 2019.

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iFoster's mission is to ensure that every child growing up outside of their biological home has the resources and opportunities they need to become successful, independent adults. We provide a free platform of resources for foster care youth, caregivers, and organizations.

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Connections Homes is a nonprofit organization that matches young adults aging out of foster care or facing homelessness with committed mentors to provide lasting, life-changing relationships and support.

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Youth Villages’ LifeSet program offers individualized support and guidance to help young people aging out of foster care successfully navigate adulthood, achieve independence, and build a stable future.

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Every year, approximately 20,000 young people turn 18 in foster care; they need comprehensive support as they transition from state services to independence. With few resources, they must work to overcome the impact of childhood adversity as they navigate the adult world. LifeSet puts transition-age youth in the driver's seat of their lives with a trained specialist by their side to help them identify and achieve goals.

What is LifeSet?

LifeSet is an individualized, evidence-informed community-based program that is highly intensive. LifeSet specialists meet with participants face to face at least once each week. They text, email and call young people regularly throughout the week, when needed. Specialists stabilize even the toughest situations and help young people build healthy relationships, obtain safe housing, education and employment. LifeSet is one of the nation's first - and now one of the largest - evidence-informed programs helping young people who age out of foster care. More than 20,000 young people have helped through LifeSet across the country since the program began in 1999.

Learn more about bringing LifeSet to your jurisdiction.

Why is LifeSet needed?

Young people aging out of foster care have so much potential, but without family support, many transition-age foster youth struggle to meet even basic adult needs and expectations.

Some statistics:

Half of older teens who leave foster care age out versus being reunited or connected with a family.

A third have been removed from their home and placed in foster care multiple times.

Half have experienced three or more foster care placements.

A third experienced a group home or institutional placement during their most recent foster care stay.

Less than a quarter of young people receive services to help them with employment, education or housing.

Statistics from: Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative

Rigorous, randomized study

Leading research firm MDRC found LifeSet program participation increases earnings, economic well-being and employment, reduces homelessness, improves mental health, and reduces domestic and partner violence.

These results are from a large randomized controlled trial conducted by Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation.

View the full MDRC report.

How is LifeSet different?

LifeSet is applied with proven practices that are supported through expert guidance. It emphasizes one-on-one engagement with a specialist available 24/7, who utilizes experiential learning, teaching life skills that build confidence and a network of support, resulting in a successful transition to adulthood.

What is Youth Villages' LifeSet program?

LifeSet is an intensive, community-based program that acts as a bridge from foster care to successful adulthood for young people who turn 18 in foster care. It is a comprehensive program that help young people in many areas of their lives including relational permanency, housing, mental and physical health, career and employment, life skills and education.

Why is helping transition-age youth important?

Right now, more than 424,000 children and young people are living in foster homes across the country, removed from their own families because of incidents of abuse, neglect or crisis. Youth Villages believes that we all have a responsibility to help these children find permanency - to be reunited with their families or adopted - so that they can grow up safe and nurtured.

Still approximately 20,000 young people reach adulthood in child welfare systems around the country every year without family support. They are preparing to leave foster care on their own, and statistics show us that they face an array of negative outcomes. They are more likely to be homeless, less likely to complete their education, less likely to earn a living wage, more likely to have their own children younger.

These young people are resilient and capable, but most struggle in the transition to adulthood, especially when working to overcome childhood adversity.

When and where did LifeSet originate?

The LifeSet program grew from a conversation between Youth Villages CEO Patrick Lawler and Memphis Philanthropist Clarence Day of The Day Foundation in 1998. Day wanted to reach a group of young people who were not receiving the help they needed to be successful. Lawler identified young people who 'aged out' of services at age 18. At that time, there were very few programs or services to help them. Youth Villages launched what would become the LifeSet program in 1999 with funding and continued support from The Day Foundation.

LifeSet was one of the nation's first - and now one of the largest - programs helping young people who reach adulthood in foster care.

What makes LifeSet different than other programs for transition-age youth?

We've identified six components of LifeSet that really make a difference to young people.

Engagement: LifeSet uses an intensive, individualized approach that revolves around an in-person, weekly meeting with a highly trained specialist in the community and 24/7 support.

Codified Model: While the interventions with each young person are individualized, adherence to a structured model has allowed LifeSet to be effective in rural and urban settings, with youth from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds, in varying states and jurisdictions across the country.

Best Practices: LifeSet is based on science, evidence and the best practices in child welfare and behavioral health Youth Villages developed LifeSet in 1999 and has 20 years of expertise in helping young people on their journey from foster care to adulthood.

Guidetree™ - Case Conceptualization, Online Resources and Expert Guidance: LifeSet pairs the ongoing guidance of a master's level Licensed Program Expert (LPE) with a robust online platform that contains hundreds of evidence-based, evidence-informed, and other best practices interventions and resources.

Action Oriented: The LifeSet program model emphasizes experiential learning, with specialists practicing skills with the young person and modeling behavior in the real world.

Lasting Impact: LifeSet gives young people the know-how and confidence to problem-solve, build a network of support and conquer everyday challenges.

How can I bring LifeSet to my jurisdiction?

To find out more about bringing LifeSet to your jurisdiction through direct services or partnerships, please reach out to strategic.partnerships@youthvillages.org.

For additional information or questions, please contact strategic.partnerships@youthvillages.org.

As a LifeSet participant, transition-aged youth can qualify to receive extra support as they work toward college degrees or vocational certifications.

stories of hope

Helping children and families live successfully

Sign up for our LifeSet newsletter and get news and updates related to transition-age youth issues around the country.

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LifeSet: The Gift of a Good Start | Youth Villages

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At Youth Villages, our LifeSet program helps provide the most vulnerable young people with the support they need to realize their own amazing potential. Learn more today!

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Georgia EmpowerMEnt is a youth-led initiative supported by MAAC that empowers young people with foster care experience to use their voices, advocate for change, and support one another through leadership and community engagement.

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EmpowerMEnt is an initiative founded by former and current foster youth in Georgia who are working with community leaders to change the foster care system. Our trained advocates are willing to be the voices for youth currently in foster care and collaborate with others to change the system for the better.

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United Way - Assisting for a Better Future

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United Way - Assisting for a Better Future

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CareerReady ATL, powered by United Way of Greater Atlanta, connects young people ages 16–24 with paid apprenticeships, job training, and career pathways to build a successful future.

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CareerReady ATL | United Way Of Greater Atlanta

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He has dreams to live a successful life. We help connect him to a career that makes it possible.

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Too many young people age out of foster care, feeling unprepared and unsupported. But there is something powerful we can do together.
 
Whether you’re a CASA staff member, group home provider, foster parent, teacher, or community partner, your voice matters - and so does your experience.
 
This month, we collaborate with Bloom, a local foster care organization, to explore how to better support youth transitioning out of care. We want to build stronger partnerships that can lead to stronger outcomes.
 

What barriers are young people still facing as they age out?
What real-life tools are still missing?
What’s working in your community?
What stories of success can light the way for others?

 
Let’s create some real actionable ideas and fill that void.

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Average starting annual salary of Year Up graduates

Students served

of graduates employed and/or enrolled in postsecondary education within 4 months of graduation

Campuses across U.S.

of alumni are satisfied with Year Up

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Job Training to Close the Opportunity Divide | Year Up

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We bring talented young adults and top companies together to launch careers, power business, and build community.