Established in partnership with the Suffolk County Juvenile Court, Boston CASA’s Transitional Age Youth Program (TAY) focuses on young adults in the Suffolk & Middlesex Counties who, for a variety of factors, are unable to reunite with their families or be adopted. Instead, these youth age out of the foster care system as young adults without a consistent adult figure in their lives and without a plan to move forward into adulthood. The TAY Program is grounded in a youth-driven process for young adults to develop necessary life skills and self-advocacy in order to fulfill their needs and thrive. The TAY Program will empower youth to make informed decisions about their futures, which can include continued involvement with the Department of Children and Families (DCF), independence and/or transition into the community.
Who is considered transitional age youth? Here at Boston CASA, we consider our youth to be part of our TAY program as soon as they turn 14. At this age, youth enter a period where they are particularly vulnerable to physical, behavioral, and social issues as they transition to adulthood.
What does transition planning look like? At 16 years old, with the support of CASAs involved in the TAY Program, the youth complete a self-assessment to begin understanding their individual needs and goals. This joint effort helps determine the initial steps for identifying support and creating an advocacy plan.
What happens at 18? Numerous child welfare involved youth are often times not provided the appropriate tools and resources to navigate their lives and transition out of foster care alone at the age of 18. Many youth are not aware of the benefits of remaining in the custody of DCF until they are 22, which can include job training, education-vocational training, healthcare, and support with one’s living arrangement. It is also true that many youth do not know the requirements of maintaining services. Often, youth turn 18 and are sent into community to fend for themselves.
The Transitional Age Youth Program helps educate youth about those requirements and stay in good standing with the Department of Children and Families to sustain these benefits. TAY CASAs also advocate in the courts and community to ensure that youth receive the services to which they are entitled.
For youth who cannot or do not sign on DCF services, TAY CASAs become a lifeline that help these young adults receive guidance and community support at a critical point in their lives when they don’t have family support or DCF involvement.
Youth who have left the system, but would like to return: If a young adult has emancipated from the system, but thereafter recognizes the benefits to “signing” themselves back into services, TAY CASAs are well poised through their relationships with the courts to facilitate re-entry after their 18th birthday by contacting the youth’s previously assigned attorney and DCF area office.
