Extended Foster Care (EFC) Engagement

Extended Foster Care (EFC) Engagement

The Extended Foster Care program offers young adults leaving foster care the opportunity to voluntarily continue receiving services while transitioning to independence. The additional support provided by EFC services has been linked to improved outcomes in adulthood. Former foster youth can choose to enter or leave EFC at any time during their years of eligibility (ages 18-21). DCYF tracks both initiation of EFC and longer-term utilization of services as a balancing indicator for our support of successful youth transitions. While the number of eligible young adults has decreased over the past five years, resulting from smaller numbers of children and youth in out-of-home care more broadly, the percentage of eligible young adults who initiate and utilize EFC services has consistently increased over the same time period.

READ THE OIAA DATASHEET ON ANNUAL EXTENDED FOSTER CARE ENGAGEMENT RATES

READ THE EFC REPORT FROM THE RESEARCH AND DATA ANALYSIS DIVISION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL AND HEALTH SERVICES

Extended Foster Care Engagement among Former Foster Youth (Ages 18-21), State Fiscal Years 2021-2025

  Combination column chart and line graph showing percentages of eligible former foster youth who initiate extended foster care (EFC), utilize it, or do not engage at all with it, and the count of eligible young adults. Across all five years, the utilization rate of EFC is within 2 percentage points of the initiation rate. While the raw eligibility numbers have decreased each year, resulting from fewer children and youth in out-of-home care each year, the percent of eligible former foster youth who initiate and utilize EFC has grown each year, and the percent who do not engage at all with services has decreased each year. In state fiscal year 2025, 96% of the eligible population initiated EFC services, receiving them for one day or more since turning 18, 94% utilized EFC services, receiving them for at least 6 months since turning 18, and only 4% of eligible former foster youth did not engage at all with EFC
 
Child Welfare
Strategic Priority Balancing Indicator
Youth
Create Successful Transitions into Adulthood for Youth and Young Adults in Our Care