Extend care for foster children up to age 21

In Hawaii, we mark the transition from child to adult with overflowing love at a graduation ceremony.

The crowded auditorium is jammed with not only family and friends but pride, love and excitement as well.

In the middle of each huge cluster of people, one can find a young person with a toppling tower of lei. Each lei is a sweet-smelling token of love and support.

Yet, in this happy setting that is unique to Hawaii, there may be a foster child with very little or no support. Standing alone on the edge of the crowd, these students, without lei, may be experiencing fear and uncertainty about the futures they face alone.

The goal of child welfare services and the Family Court system is finding permanent homes and connections for children who cannot be reunified with their parents. Even though the Department of Human Services and the Family Court work valiantly to reach that goal, each year more than 100 children "age out" of the system.

The state House and Senate are considering legislation that would allow youth to voluntarily remain in care to the age of 21. Senate Bill 1340 represents an investment to minimize the homelessness, premature parenthood, poor educational outcomes and criminal justice involvement that we know this population experiences without support.

It makes economic sense for Hawaii to support these young people as they transition to adulthood. If we are able to help just one year’s worth of young people "aging out" achieve the same results as their peers in the areas of employment, health, education and avoiding criminal behavior, Hawaii would save an estimated $29.5 million.

In our community, many resource caregivers — foster parents — continue supporting their foster children after age 18, using their own resources out of a heart of love. Voluntary care would provide these youth with support that could help ease the burden on resource caregivers. This initiative would also help youth who do not have resource caregivers willing to remain in their lives after age 18 find support in the community.

Since 1997, EPIC ‘Ohana has been a nonprofit partner to the Department of Human Services, providing ‘Ohana Conferencing and Family Finding to the families in the state child welfare system.

Since 2004, we have also provided Youth Circles for transitioning youth, connecting them with resources such as housing, education and financial resources. While there may be a transition plan in place, we know that foster youth are often not ready to be independent at age 18. Very few children are ready for independence at 18 — even those who have intact families and have not faced the challenges of being a foster child.

There is formidable research about adolescent brain development that tells us that youth are still maturing during this time frame. This is not just a wild guess that with support we may be able to avert the negative outcomes these youth experience. The Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the federal Children’s Bureau and many other agencies have demonstrated best practices that improve outcomes for youth. These best practices indicate that positive supports during this time can help alleviate some of the harmful consequences of early trauma.

The foster youth in Hawaii are our children, and we need to offer them our lei of love and support just like the lei we give the children in our own biological families. It is not only our duty, but a very good investment for the future. Above all else, it is the right thing to do.