state ManaGers series

Bulletin for 

professionals

January 2013

What’s inside:

•	 What is a transition plan? 

•	 What are the Federal 

legislative requirements for 

transition plans?

•	 What should transition 

plans include? 

•	 What are States doing?

Use your smartphone to 

access this bulletin online.

Child Welfare Information Gateway

Children’s Bureau/ACYF

1250 Maryland Avenue, SW

Eighth Floor

Washington, DC 20024

800.394.3366

Email: info@childwelfare.gov

https://www.childwelfare.gov

Working With 

Youth to Develop 

a Transition Plan

In an effort to improve outcomes for 

youth exiting foster care, the Fostering 

Connections to Success and Increasing 

Adoptions Act of 2008 included planning 

provisions to help youth better transition to 

independent living and adulthood. 

This factsheet is intended to help child 

welfare professionals and others who work 

with transitioning youth to understand 

the Federal legislative requirements for 

transition plans and partner with youth 

to develop a plan that builds on their 

strengths while supporting their needs. 
Working With Youth to Develop a Transition Plan https://www.childwelfare.gov

2 This material may be freely reproduced and distributed. However, when doing so, please credit Child Welfare 

Information Gateway. Available online at https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/transitional_plan.cfm

 What is a 

The Foster Care Independence Act of 

1999 created the John H. Chafee Foster 

Care Independence Program (CFCIP) that 

allowed States to provide financial, housing, 

employment, education, and other support 

services to youth who left foster care at 18 but 

had yet to turn 21. The Promoting Safe and 

Stable Families Amendments of 2001 amended 

the Chafee Program to extend support services 

to youth to age 23 if the youth is enrolled in 

a program of higher education. The act also 

created the Educational and Training Voucher 

(ETV) program that provides annual stipends of 

up to $5,000 for education-related expenses. 

The Fostering Connections Act built on this 

foundation and permitted States to allow 

youth who aged out of foster care at 18 but 

are younger than age 21 to remain in or return 

to foster care, so long as they are enrolled 

in school, are employed for at least 80 hours 

each month, or are participating in programs 

to attain gainful employment (American 

Bar Association [ABA], 2011). Fostering 

Connections also included the following 

transition plan requirement: 

“ during the 90-day period immediately 

prior to the date on which the child will 

attain 18 years of age, or such greater age 

as the State may elect under paragraph 

(8)(B)(iii), whether during that period 

foster care maintenance payments are 

being made on the child’s behalf or the 

child is receiving benefits or services 

under section 477, a caseworker on 

the staff of the State agency, and, as 

appropriate, other representatives of the 

child provide the child with assistance 

and support in developing a transition 

plan that is personalized at the direction 

of the child, includes specific options on 

housing, health insurance, education, local 

opportunities for mentors and continuing 

support services, and work force supports 

and employment services, and is as 

detailed as the child may elect” (P.L. 110-

351, title II, § 202(3)

Information about the CFCIP, Fostering 

Connections, facts and statistics about 

youth transitioning from foster care, and 

other resources are available on the website 

of the National Resource Center for Youth 

Development (NRCYD): 

http://www.nrcyd.ou.edu/
Working With Youth to Develop a Transition Plan https://www.childwelfare.gov

3 This material may be freely reproduced and distributed. However, when doing so, please credit Child Welfare 

Information Gateway. Available online at https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/transitional_plan.cfm

DefInITIons:

A Transition Plan is required by the 

Fostering Connections to Success and 

Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 for each 

youth exiting foster care. Ninety days 

prior to a youth’s 18th birthday (or the age 

required by the State for aging out of care), 

the youth, his or her caseworker, and other 

representatives of the youth’s choosing 

must develop the plan. Specific elements 

such as housing, education, employment, 

mentoring, and continued support services 

must be included. The Patient Protection 

and Affordable Care Act amended the 

transition plan provision to require that 

youth be educated about the importance 

of designating someone who can, when 

necessary, make health care decisions 

on their behalf. Transition plans must be 

personalized at the direction of the child. 

Independent Living (IL) services are 

provided to youth in out-of-home-care 

to help them prepare for self-sufficiency. 

Services often include assistance with money 

management skills, educational assistance, 

household management skills, employment 

preparation, and other services. For more 

information on IL services and resources, 

visit the Child Welfare Information Gateway 

website: https://www.childwelfare.gov/

outofhome/independent/

 What are the federal 

legislative requirements 

for transition plans?

The Fostering Connections Act provides 

practitioners in the field with a concrete 

timeframe and formal structure for transition 

planning. The transition plan must be 

finalized no later than 90 days prior to the 

youth’s transition from care. Although the 

legislation is not overly prescriptive, it gives 

clear guidance on benchmark elements that, 

when combined with the Individuals with 

Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the 

Affordable Care Act (ACA) requirements, 

create a solid foundation for meeting youth 

needs. The most challenging, yet critical, 

element of the Fostering Connections Act 

is the provision that each plan should be 

“as detailed as the child may elect.” This 

requirement shifts the focus for child welfare 

workers to educating and supporting youth 

in planning for themselves. In addition, 

the transition plan requirement creates 

an opportunity to bring together, in one 

structured conversation and process, 

several new requirements for working with 

youth, including ACA’s health care proxy 

requirement, IL conditions, and more. 

The Administration for Children and Families 

(ACF) issued a Program Instruction (PI) in 2010 

on the Fostering Connections Act to provide 

guidance and reiterate other requirements for 

planning. For example: 
Working With Youth to Develop a Transition Plan https://www.childwelfare.gov

4 This material may be freely reproduced and distributed. However, when doing so, please credit Child Welfare 

Information Gateway. Available online at https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/transitional_plan.cfm

•	 Case plans must include a written or 

recorded description of the programs and 

services available to help youth in foster 

care, who are 16 or older, prepare for the 

transition from care.

•	 Permanency hearings for youth 16 or older 

must determine the necessary services to 

help him or her transition from foster care 

to independent living.

The complete PI is available on the ACF 

website: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/

resource/pi1011

The National Foster Care Coalition published 

a Q&A paper on the Fostering Connections 

Act that tackles several questions pertaining to

transition plans. The document asks and answers 

important questions about such topics as how 

States should engage youth in the development 

of the personalized transition plan, what role the 

court plays in transition planning, and more. 

Fostering Connections to Success and 

Increasing Adoptions Act, Frequently Asked 

Questions on the Provisions Designed to 

Impact Youth and Young Adults is available 

on the ABA website: http://www.americanbar.

org/content/dam/aba/publications/center_

on_children_and_the_law/empowerment/

nfcc_faq_olderyouth.authcheckdam.pdf

The July 2011 issue of the Judge’s Page, 

a National CASA Association newsletter, 

spotlights the Fostering Connections Act. 

One article focuses specifically on the 

transition plan requirement and the role 

the courts play in implementation. The 

entire issue is available here: http://www.

casaforchildren.org/site/c.mtJSJ7MPIsE/

b.7522045/k.DD83/July_2011.htm

For more information on Fostering Connections 

and other child welfare legislation, read 

Information Gateway’s Major Federal Legislation 

Concerned With Child Protection, Child Welfare, 

and Adoption: http://www.childwelfare.gov/

pubs/otherpubs/majorfedlegis.pdf

nATIonAL YouTh In 

TrAnsITIon DATAbAse

The CFCIP required that the Children’s 

Bureau establish a system to track the 

services States provide to youth currently 

and formerly in foster care, as well as 

collect outcomes data that could be used 

to assess State performance in providing 

services. Thus, the Children’s Bureau 

developed the National Youth in Transition 

Database (NYTD).

Every May and November, States report 

data to NYTD about the demographics of 

youth served by CFCIP and information 

about the services provided. The National 

Resource Center for Child Welfare Data and 

Technology (NRC-CWDT) and the NRCYD 

provide technical assistance to help States 

with data collection, reporting, and other 

NYTD data elements and requirements. 

The NRC-CWDT website provides several 

NYTD materials, including factsheets, 

training and technical assistance briefs, 

State examples, and Federal guidance 

resources. The Children’s Bureau’s NYTD 

Community of Practice is an informationsharing website for States that is focused 

on NYTD implementation.

For more information on NYTD, visit the 

Children’s Bureau website: http://www.acf.hhs.

gov/programs/cb/research-data-technology/

reporting-systems/nytd
Working With Youth to Develop a Transition Plan https://www.childwelfare.gov

5 This material may be freely reproduced and distributed. However, when doing so, please credit Child Welfare 

Information Gateway. Available online at https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/transitional_plan.cfm

 What should transition 

The Fostering Connections Act provides a 

general list of elements that must be included in 

transition plans, such as housing, employment, 

mentoring services, and education. How these 

specific components are covered or addressed 

can vary by State and even by agency. 

FosterClub’s Transition Toolkit provides youth 

with a step-by-step process for thinking about 

leaving care and provides transition plan 

templates. The guide is centered on 10 critical 

areas: finances, employment, life skills, identity, 

permanence, education, health, housing, 

transportation, and community. The toolkit is 

available on Foster Club’s website: http://www.

fosterclub.com/files/transition_toolkit_v3.pdf

Foster Club also produced Transition Toolkit 

Companion Tools for professionals working 

with transitioning youth. The toolkit for 

professionals includes guidance on asset 

mapping, an assessment tool to evaluate 

needed services, and worksheets for youth, 

each centered on a component of the 

transition plan. The worksheets also provide 

a readiness scale to help professionals and 

youth evaluate his or her readiness on each 

component and areas for improvement. 

Access the toolkit companion tools here: 

http://www.fosterclub.com/_transition/article/

transition-toolkit-companion-tools

The NRCYD produced a literature review of 

transition planning practices. The literature 

review provides recommendations for transition 

planning across several fields, including child 

welfare, juvenile justice, mental health, and 

special education. It also includes promising 

practices in States. Transition Planning With 

Adolescents: A Review of Principles and 

Practices Across Systems is available on the 

NRCYD’s website: http://www.nrcyd.ou.edu/

publication-db/documents/transition-planningwith-adolescents.pdf

While it is not a Federal legal requirement, 

transition plans should ensure the collection of 

important documentation and paperwork that all 

young adults need, including birth certificates, 

Social Security cards, credit reports, and more. 

A list of 15 recommended documents is 

available in the ABA’s publication Sample State 

Legislation to Extend Foster Care, Adoption 

and Guardianship Protections, Services and 

Payments to Young Adults Age 18 and Older

(page 32) http://www.americanbar.org/content/

dam/aba/publications/center_on_children_and_

the_law/empowerment/sample_leg_18_with_

cover_final.authcheckdam.pdf

What are states Doing?

Before the passage of Fostering Connections 

in 2008, many States required transitional or 

independent living plans for youth in outof-home care who were 16 or older. Child 

Welfare Information Gateway’s State Guides 

and Manuals database provides links to State 

publications regarding child welfare services 

and guidance for professionals: https://www.

childwelfare.gov/systemwide/sgm/
Working With Youth to Develop a Transition Plan https://www.childwelfare.gov

6 This material may be freely reproduced and distributed. However, when doing so, please credit Child Welfare 

Information Gateway. Available online at https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/transitional_plan.cfm

A number of States have developed resources to 

address the requirement for transition plans. The 

following are a few readily available examples:

•	 In hawaii, EPIC ‘Ohana, Inc.—the State’s 

lead agency for the national Jim Casey Youth 

Opportunities Initiative—employs the Ohana 

Circles program, a culturally appropriate 

program for working with youth to develop 

their transition plan. Youth who are preparing 

to leave foster care identify members of their 

Circle, who come together to help plan for 

housing, education, employment, physical 

and mental health, and other needs. A 

summary of the Circle and transition plan is 

provided to the youth and Circle participants 

after the Circle. More information is available 

on the ‘Ohana, Inc. website: http://www.

epicohana.info/youthcircle.aspx

•	 Minnesota’s Department of Human 

Services produced a best practices guide 

for child welfare professionals to help 

youth transition from out-of-home care to 

adulthood. The guide provides sample 

goals and objectives for an Independent 

Living plan, guidance and resources, 

curricula information, and information on 

how caregivers can help youth transition 

to independent living. Helping Youth 

Transition From Out-of-Home Care to 

Adulthood is available here: http://www.

positivelyminnesota.com/Programs_

Services/Youth_Services/Shared_Youth_

Vision/Inter-Agency_Projects/Transition_

Services_Best_Practices.pdf

•	 Iowa has a Transition Planning Specialist 

(TPS) in each of its five regions. The TPS 

provides training and technical assistance 

to staff, providers, and others on transition 

planning and resources. Each youth referred 

to a TPS are provided with a Transitioning 

Information Packet with tips on education, 

housing, money management, and more 

to help them plan for their transition to 

independent living. More information on 

Iowa’s TPS, information packet, and other 

resources is available on Iowa’s Department 

of Human Services website: http://www.

dhs.iowa.gov/Consumers/Child_Welfare/

Transition_Services/Transitioning%20to%20

Adulthood.html

•	 Texas requires a transition plan for all youth 

14-years-old and older in out-of-home 

care. The State revised this requirement 

after Fostering Connections to include a 

transition meeting 90 days prior to the 

youth’s 18th birthday and 90 days prior 

to the youth’s transition from care. View 

Texas’s Preparation for Adult Living program 

and other transitional living services here: 

http://www.dfps.state.tx.us/handbooks/

CPS/Files/CPS_pg_x10200.jsp

•	 oregon’s Department of Human Services’ 

(DHS) Youth Transitions Policy provides 

clear guidelines and requirements 

for transition plans and the roles and 

responsibilities caseworkers and supervisors 

must play in the development of the 

plan. The policy also outlines steps for 

reviewing the plan, as well as benchmarks. 

The policy is available on the State’s DHS 

website: http://www.dhs.state.or.us/policy/

childwelfare/manual_1/i-b235.pdf

•	 The California Social Work Education 

Center (CalSWEC) provides training 

resources on transition plans. One resource 

is geared toward supervisors and managers, 

and the other resource is intended for 

child welfare workers: http://calswec.

berkeley.edu/training-resource-transitionalindependent-living-plan
Working With Youth to Develop a Transition Plan https://www.childwelfare.gov

7 This material may be freely reproduced and distributed. However, when doing so, please credit Child Welfare 

Information Gateway. Available online at https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/transitional_plan.cfm

•	 Indiana’s The Villages (the State’s largest 

not-for-profit child and family services 

agency) offers community-based, life-skills 

training and other services to transitioning 

youth. Youth have access to scattered-site 

apartments and 24-hour case management, 

and many participants qualify for 6 months of 

support after completing the program: http://

www.villages.org/transitional_living.php

•	 Washington state created a youthfriendly website detailing the elements of 

its Independent Living Program, eligibility 

requirements, and contact information: http://

www.independence.wa.gov/programs/ilp.asp

For more promising practices from States and 

Tribes, in addition to training and technical 

assistance resources, evidence-based practices, 

and more, visit the National Resource Center 

for Permanency and Family Connection’s 

website: http://www.nrcpfc.org/fostering_

connections/emancipating_older_youth.html

Information Gateway’s State statutes database 

links to State laws on a variety of relevant 

topics: https://www.childwelfare.gov/

systemwide/laws_policies/state/

additional resources

•	 FosteringConnections.org provides a 

bevy of resources and materials related 

to the Fostering Connections Act. Its 

Implementation News and Resources page 

provides State-specific information: http://

www.fosteringconnections.org/

•	 The NRCYD provides several resources on 

transitioning youth, including The Solutions 

Desk’s information-sharing community, 

the Fostering Connections section with 

plain language explanations of the law’s 

provisions, and strategies and materials for 

engaging youth: http://www.solutionsdesk.

ou.edu/transitioning-youth.html

•	 Strategies from the California Connected 

by 25 Initiative: Tips and Resources to 

Improve Outcomes for Transition Age 

Foster Youth provides key strategies for 

community partnerships, youth engagement, 

and evaluation across five core focus 

areas: http://74.81.204.52/Files/CC25I_

PromisingStrategies.pdf 

•	 The Center for Juvenile Justice Reform and 

the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative 

published Supporting Youth in Transition 

to Adulthood: Lessons Learned from 

Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice. The 

publication addresses the many challenges 

the two systems face in preparing youth for 

adulthood: http://cjjr.georgetown.edu/pdfs/

TransitionPaperFinal.pdf

•	 Foster Club’s Leaving Foster Care 

webpage provides several FAQs aimed at 

transitioning youth: http://www.fosterclub.

com/questionsanswers/leaving-foster-care

•	 FLUX: Life After Foster Care is a book that 

includes contributions from more than 100 

alumni of foster care. The book examines 

the emotional transition from foster care 

to adulthood and serves as a resource for 

both foster care alumni and social workers: 

http://www.fostercarealumni.org/resources/

FLUX.htm
Working With Youth to Develop a Transition Plan https://www.childwelfare.gov

•	 The National Association of Public Child 

Welfare Administrators, in partnership with 

Casey Family Programs, administered the 

Fostering Connections Implementation 

State Survey to all 50 States and the 

District of Columbia. Responses provide 

State-specific information regarding the 

implementation of the Federal legislation, 

including information States’ Independent 

Living plans: http://www.napcwa.org/

Legislative/fostering.asp

American Bar Association. (2011). The option 

to extend care beyond age 18: An important 

opportunity for States. Judge's Page

retrieved from http://www.casaforchildren.

org/site/c.mtJSJ7MPIsE/b.7522097/k.CB71/

JP6_ABA.htm

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 

Administration for Children and Families 

Administration on Children, Youth and Families 

Children’s Bureau