Extended Foster Care Learning Collaborative

Cultivating a Community Committed to the Youth We Serve

Child Welfare social workers and supervisors, people with lived experience, and advocates for transition age youth and nonminor dependents (TAY-NMDs) are invited to join us for a collaborative, dynamic hub for transition aged youth practitioners dedicated to enhancing their skills in working with youth in extended foster care. Join us in this transformative space where best practices are not just learned but actively shared, creating a community committed to the well-being and successful outcomes for the youth we serve.

What We’ll Do

Our primary goal is to prevent premature exits from care through a holistic approach that emphasizes mindful transitions, innovative approaches to removing barriers and effective case management. Within this collaborative, we will foster a culture of shared knowledge and collective problem-solving, enabling case workers to collaboratively find creative solutions to challenges. Join us in this transformative space where best practices are not just learned but actively shared, creating a community committed to the well-being and successful outcomes for the youth we serve. We will discuss a new topic at each session and provide ample opportunities for networking and resource sharing across counties.

While many of the topics will be generated by participants and needs of the group, the collaborative will generally explore:

• Padding the landing: Supports beyond age 21
• Case management & harm reduction with youth exhibiting complex needs
• Preventing premature exits and homelessness through collaborative plans to help remove barriers
• Supporting pregnant and parenting young adults in care
• Youth panel: a lived experience lens
• Crossing the county line-a collaborative approach to youth mobility
• Mindful transitions & placements that fit
• Building financial literacy

These collaboratives will be hosted on an ongoing basis. While this is not a typical training event, participants can expect to walk away with new information, resources and skills to apply toward developing creative solutions . Guest speakers will be invited to share expertise on topic areas the group would like to explore further. The collaboratives will be facilitated to allow a significant amount of time for networking, discussions, and collaborative learning.