What advice to do you have for foster kids aging out of the system?

Answer 1

I would say use your government resources such as public assistance and grants. In some states welfare office will pay for job training. Take any assistance you can at this point.

There is an incredible documentary made by Roger Wiesberg on this very issue. I'de say check out your local library and see if they have it available or if you have the means order the film from PBS because it is ABSOLUTELY worth watching.

There are links to online resources on the website as well as detailed overviews of the documentary. The link to the website for the documentary is:
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/agingout/index-hi.html

Answer 2

Be secure financially before you get out because once your out, your really on your own. Get housing arrangements set up, get your license and a car that will get you from point a to point b. Get a good paying job or two jobs and work hard. Don't spend money unneccesarily. Always have a plan b. And if you plan on going to college file for financial aid asap. I've been through it and its a tough transistion but it'll be ok. As an ex foster kid who came of age in the system, and with no help or contact from my parents, i have a place to live, i make my own money, and i'm a full time college student.

Answer 3

Go to college. Most foster children are wards of the state and are entitled to a nearly free education. This guarantees you to four years of stability, and education. You'll likely get room and board and as long as you do well in school, your scholarships will likely stay put.

Once you graduate, you'll be better equipped to take care of yourself...find an apartment (even with a roommate) and get a good job.

This will not only guarantee you being provided for, but it will do wonders for your self-esteem. Just remember that you are wanted and valuable person and you have a lot to offer.

Answer 4

WHAT YOU AND THE FOSTER CHILD SHOULD DO IS SET
A DATE FOR JOB HUNTING. BECAUSE HE/SHE WILL BE
NEEDING IT. DON'T WAIT UNTIL THE LAST DAY, AT AGE 16
THE CHILD IS OLD ENOUGH TO GET A JOB AND STILL MAIN-
TAIN TO GO TO SCHOOL, BUT IF HE/SHE PROVES THAT HE/
SHE CAN'T BECAUSE THE GRADE IS GOING DOWN. THEN
QUIT HIS/HER JOB AND STAY IN SCHOOL UNTIL GRADUATION. AS SOON AS THE STUDENT GRADUATES
START LOOKING FOR A JOB BECAUSE THAT IS THE TIME
HE/SHE WILL BE NEED THE MONEY TO SUPPORT HIM/HER
SELF FOR LIFE. HE/SHE CAN ALSO ATTEND COLLEGE
TO GET SOME KIND OF TRADE. IF YOU TWO HAVE SOME
KIND OF AN ARRANGEMENT AND THEY ARE WELCOME TO
STAY AND PAY RENT, THEN DO SO. IF NOT THEY NEED TO
THINK A HEAD AND GET AND APARTMENT BY THEMSELVES
OR ROOM MATES. I MY SELF AM A FOSTER MOM, BUT
THE ONLY DIFFERENT BETWEENT YOU AND I IS THAT, THE
CHILDREN (NOW YOUNG ADULTS 18 AND 20) I TOOK IN
WERE MY OWN NEPHEWS. THE OLDEST MOVED OUT AND
THE 18 YEAR, JUST TURNED 18 AND STILL IN SCHOOL.
BUT I ALSO TOLD HIM HE NEEDS TO GET A JOB BECAUSE
HE NEEDS TO SUPPORT HIMSELF. I AM STILL GIVING HIM
ROOM AND BOARD, FOOD ON THE TABLE AND THE REST
WOULD BE UP TO HIM. I ALSO TOLD HIM TO START THINKING LIKE A YOUNG MAN. I REALLY DIDN'T UNDERSTAND THE SYSTEM BECAUSE THEY GIVE THIS
CHILDREN A HOME BUT WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO THEM
GROWING UP THEY FORGET ALL ABOUT THEM AND LEAVE
IT ALL UP TO US. THEY WASH THEIR HANDS AND DON'T LOOK BACK AND THESE YOUNG PEOPLE DON'T KNOW
WHAT OR WHERE TO GO. THAT IS WHY I TOLD MY NEPHEW TO START THINKING LIKE A YOUNG MAN AND GET
HIMSELF A JOB AND GET AND APARTMENT SO HE CAN
HAVE A PLACE OF HIS OWN TO CALL HOME AND HE AND
HIS BROTHER CAN LIVE TOGETHER OR UNTIL HE FINDS
SOMEONE TO LOVE AND START HIS OWN LITTLE FAMILY.

Answer 5

I aged out in 1999 and I still volunteer within the foster care system and train foster parents, so this is from personal experince.

Finish high school. A GED is good, but a diploma is a better idea for a lot of reasons.

Go to college or get other vocational training. Visit orphan.org to learn about a national scholarship program for foster youth. Learn about how you can get help from your state to attend college at statevoucher.org. Apply for the Pell Grant by getting a FAFSA form. You can get these in any college or community college financial aid office. If you aged out of care, be sure to mark the box that says you were a ward of the court and DO NOT write down anyone's income but your own. As someone who aged out of foster care, you are not required to claim the income of your foster or birth parents and you will be eligible for more free money for college as a result.

Be aware that you are eligible for low income housing, food stamps and other things available to people who do not have a lot of money.

Get a job before you age out.

Make sure you have your social security card and birth certificate before you leave foster care.

Never burn your bridges with adults who do not hurt you. You will need the support of loving adults as you leave care and start your own life. Take any help and support they will offer you if it helps you out and always show that you are grateful for their help.

If you know what you want to do for a career, shadow people in that field and take internships and entry levels jobs in that area.

Try not to run right back to your birth family too quickly. While you probably love and miss them, keep in mind that they might not be everything you built them up in your mind as being.

If you are not sure about college yet, look into organizations like Job Corps and Americorps for opportunities to gain job skills and live on a campus with other people who are learning the same types of things as you are.

In certain states, you may continue to qualify for the same medical insurance you have had while in foster care, but you may have to ask for it and fill out some forms to keep it. It is worth all this effort, as you never know when you might need a wisdom tooth taken out, a broken bone fixed or treatment for an unexpected illness.

Practice abstinence or safe sex. You have your whole life to be a parent and now is a great time to learn about yourself and plan for your future if you do not already have the resposibility of caring for a child.

If you want a copy of the file your human services agency has kept on you, request it immediately, as they can destroy the documents in the file after they have been in there for five years. By the time I aged out of care, half of my file was already gone because I was in care for ten years and the first five years was destroyed.

Consider joining a support group or advocacy group for foster youth and foster care alumni, such as Elevate (www.elevate2inspire.com) or another similar group in your area.

Check out fyi3.com for a supportive on-line community.

Start saving money if you have not already, so you have something to fall back on when you have unexpected expenses.

There are intership programs especially for foster kids to work on Capitol Hill in Washinton DC or other federal offices or to intern for Foster Club. The links to those internship programs are below.

Answer 6

properly to be trustworthy i dnt have little ones yet i stay wth my sister and her 2 little ones and that they are no common job. thats assorted resposiblity for one individual thats why i help her out. as for being in charge for infants the roles is harder cus they are in a word between person hood and nonetheless beging a new child. so they choose greater training then the different time of their life. they going to do issues that are undesirable, so they are able to in good shape into the gang. submit to in ideas they have a ideas of their very own so they dnt fairly care what yu ought to declare.every person with any age little ones can permit you be attentive to it isnt common fantastically be a single foster mom. wats going to take place whilst yu get attache and theyre long previous. bless yur heart cus i wuldnt positioned myself by way of all that for infants i could nt save. purely knw that childrens % to have lots of their very own area so they wnt % to spend assorted time wth you.

Answer 7

Go create the life that you want. It is not your circumstances but your choices that make you who you are.

Answer 8

Believe and know that you can accomplish your goal. love and be loved