Description:

Every year, 23,000 children will age out of the foster care system without a loving family to take care of them. How can child welfare agencies, government, and public policy help these kids achieve upward mobility and ensure that they learn the important skills needed to have a successful life?

In this episode, Naomi and Ian are joined by Tim Keller, Senior Vice President and Legal Director at Gen Justice, an organization based in Arizona dedicated to fighting for foster care children at the federal and state level. Tim shares Gen Justice’s proposal to establish fostering independence accounts—a state-funded initiative that provides financial support to kids if they are willing to stay in the foster care system and accept guidance on everything from education and job training to housing and financial literacy courses. Finally, Tim also speaks to the importance of prioritizing the needs of the child when thinking about child welfare.

Resources:

Cash accounts can help youth aging out of foster care succeed | Gen Justice

Foster care agencies take thousands of dollars owed to kids. Most children have no idea | Eli Hager | The Marshall Project and NPR

Show Notes:

01:50 | What is the average profile for a kid who ages out of foster care?

05:00 | What are fostering independence accounts and how do they work?

08:35 | The risks associated with the new California Universal Basic Income law

12:00 | Should the focus be on supplying cash assistance or life skills to kids who age out of foster care?

18:45 | Thinking about a child-centric view of child welfare