Special Programs for Youth in Foster Care

Services and resources available to children in foster care can vary and are important to publicize to foster children on your caseload.

  • United Friends of the Children is a nonprofit dedicated to improving the lives of foster children by supporting them in their educational and housing goals.
     
  • SparkAction.org is an especially important site for information about child welfare and education topics such as early childhood, the federal budget, health, after-school and youth development, college and work, juvenile justice, and more. SparkAction's site and e-newsletters are a one-stop shop for news and tools to make a difference in the lives of children and youth. They gather, synthesize, and promote the best information on a range of child and youth issues.
     
  • California Chafee Grant for Foster Youth is a website where current and former foster youth who meet eligibility requirements may apply for a $5,000 grant that can be applied towards college or vocational training.
     
  • Foster Club provides information and facts, questions and answers, stories, topics, blogs, articles, news, and more about transitioning out of foster care. A national network for young people in foster care, it also helps pave the way for young people to transform their lives and provides a forum where they can raise their voices. The state of California also has a foster club: Foster Club (California).
     
  • The DMV provides information to foster youth on how to obtain a driver's license, in addition to the CDSS Foster Care Youth Wellness Webpage.
     
  • The Transitional Housing Program (THP)-Plus is a transitional housing placement.
     
  • Foster Youth Education Toolkit - walks school administrators and educators through steps to meet the basic education needs of foster youth.  The toolkit provides comprehensive information on the education rights of foster youth along with step-by-step procedures and easy-to-use implementation tools to help districts engage in best practices for foster youth education.