You're all grown up now: Termination of foster care support at age 18

This article considers the repercussions of discharging youth from foster care at age 18 based on recent research demonstrating that youth at this age are not developmentally prepared to live independently and have a continued need for strong social scaffolding during emerging adulthood. Drawing upon recent research findings, we make recommendations for changes to state and federal policy that provide youth transitioning from foster care an extension of federal/state financial and social support into the third decade of life. We argue for a re-conceptualization of “independent living” as “interdependent living,” and recommend that policymakers require a permanent committed adult be identified for each youth prior to discharge from foster care.