Lifelong Connections: Every Youth Deserves a Family

The child welfare system does a good job overall at providing protection, safety, housing, nourishment, training and therapy for youth. Even though youth are provided essential resources—such as shelter, life skills training and counseling—child welfare services do not systematically link youth to family members or significant lifelong connections that will become their support system after emancipation from foster care. Once youth emancipate from the system they are essentially set adrift, some losing everything they have ever known, and are expected to participate and function in mainstream society, even if they do not have the emotional well-being and skills necessary to cope with everyday requirements and challenges. In 2006 Sonoma County began implementing its Lifelong Connections program in effort to strengthen youth’s support systems as they approach emancipation from and aging out of the child welfare system. The core strategies of this program are derived from Catholic Charities of Washington Family Finding model, which directly addresses the critical need of achieving lifelong permanent adult connections for youth in foster care. Findings Sonoma County fashioned a multi-phase implementation plan which included a six-step family finding process, intersecting with a whole host of programs and agencies. The Lifelong Connection program was initially funded by a small grant through the Child Welfare Services Program Improvement Fund. To more fully integrate the Lifelong Connections practices into department policy and procedures, a permanent full-time employee was eventually factored into the local budget. Travel allowances for youth to go and meet family members to potentially develop connections are drawn from Dependent of the Court funds. Sonoma County has been successful using its Lifelong Connections program to connect fifty youth with family or significant individuals that would not have occurred otherwise.