Resources and Information for Families with Older Youth
Adolescents in Care Bill of Rights and Expectations – The Department of Children and Families (DCF) recognizes the importance of honoring and upholding the rights of youth in the foster care system. This Bill of Rights and Expectations is intended to guide the Department, foster parents and care providers as well as ensure that the permanency, safety, well-being and basic needs of adolescent youth in the foster care system are consistently met… Click here to Download PDF
Parenting Your Adopted Teen – During the teenage years, youth form an identity that is separate from their parents and begin to learn adult life skills. Adoption adds complexity to the normal developmental tasks of teenagers, regardless of the age they were adopted. This fact sheet is designed to help you, the adoptive parent, understand your adopted teenager’s experiences and needs so you can respond with practical strategies that foster healthy development… Click here to Download PDF
Supporting LGBT Youth – Like all young people, LGBTQ youth in foster care need the support of a nurturing family to help them negotiate 
adolescence and grow into healthy adults. However, LGBTQ youth in foster care face additional challenges. These include the losses that brought them into care in the first place, as well as traumas they may have suffered while in foster care. They also include stressors unique to LGBTQ youth…. Click here to Download PDF
Ten Things Youth Want Child Welfare Professionals To Know – …adopted youth and youth in foster care shared their experiences and developed their ideas into tips for child welfare workers. This NRCPFC resource highlights their recommendations for workers when engaging youth in foster care. Click here to Download PDF
Help Me to Succeed – A Guide for Supporting Youth In Foster Care to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. Youth in foster care, in particular, are at a significant risk of teen pregnancy. For instance, a teen girl in foster care is 2.5 times more likely to become pregnant by age 19 than her adolescent peers not in foster care. Also, approximately half of 21-year-old males transitioning out of foster care reported getting a partner pregnant compared to 19 percent of their non-foster care peers… Download Help Me to Succeed here.