Transition Aged Youth and Extended Foster Care

Transition Aged Youth (TAY) refers to young adults who are transitioning from adolescence to adulthood, roughly ages 15-25. In California, many TAY who have been involved in the foster care system participate in Extended Foster Care (EFC), a program that allows eligible youth, who are designated as “nonminor dependents” (NMDs), to participate in foster care beyond age 18 up to age 21.

Providing trauma informed, developmentally appropriate supports for TAY is crucial to ensuring their lifelong success and protecting them from the disparate outcomes many youths aging out of foster care experience.

This page serves as an access point to training and resources related to Transition Aged Youth (TAY) and Extended Foster Care (EFC) for Child Welfare professionals.

What's New

Harm Reduction eLearning

Legs of teens on steps with backpack; blue banner reading "HARM REDUCTION"

This free introductory 30-minute eLearning is designed for social workers and other service providers seeking a foundational understanding of harm reduction. Participants will explore the core principles and definitions of harm reduction and examine practical scenarios to support applying a harm reduction approach in real-world settings. This training serves as a baseline for understanding a concept that is integrated throughout more advanced practice and professional development opportunities.

Access the eLearning
For California social work professionals who need their completion tracked and accredited:
To receive credit for taking the Harm Reduction eLearning and have it included to your training history, you will need access the Harm Reduction eLearning by logging into the statewide California Child Welfare Training learning management system (CACWT), where you can self-register for this eLearning via the Course Catalog page.
For those who do not need to have their online course completions tracked in the statewide CACWT system:
Access the Harm Reduction eLearning immediately with no login required*
*The public version of this training is provided as a public service and records of completion history or certificates will not live in the CACWT system or any database managed by CDSS. We strongly encourage all participants to keep track of their completion records. CACWT administrators will have limited capacity and access to recover historical records.
If you have questions, please visit the CACWT support website.
For additional offerings specific to your region, please contact your CalAcademy for additional information.