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Bill proposes foster care ‘age out’ changes

Posted: Apr 29, 2013 5:35 PM EDTUpdated: Apr 29, 2013 6:21 PM EDT

By Clifton French
FORT MYERS -Right now, children in foster care are kicked out of the system as soon as they turn 18. There are programs that help them find jobs, get an education and give them financial support, but they’re forced out of a home with a family. That could all change next year with a bill that’s getting major support in the state legislature.

SB 1036, known as the “Nancy C. Detert Common Sense and Compassion Independent Living Act“, would increase the age from 18 to 21.

“We’ve adopted 6 kids through the foster care system,” Rebecca Hoskins, a long time foster parent, said.

Hoskins has fostered 90 kids in 9 years. She adopted 6 of them so they have a permanent place to live.

She says she is a strong supporter of the new bill.

“If a child ages out at 18 and they’re not adopted, they’re forced to move from the people that have taken care of them, they don’t have anyone to go to,” she said.

Her oldest daughter is a good example. Now 19, she’s still finishing up high school, something that would have been tough if she wasn’t adopted.

“She would have stayed with me as long as possible, but I don’t know what they would have told her, ‘OK, you’re 18 sorry,'” Hoskins said.

The new legislation would give a foster child the option to leave the system at 18, but would also give them the option to come back before their 21st birthday.

“Our agency supports anything that’s good for children,” said Aimee McLaughlin with the Children’s Network of Southwest Florida.

McLaughlin believes the new legislation will help older foster children.

“They can have support form an agency, the courts can look in on them,” she said. “For a child who’s living in a foster home that might be in high school, it means they can continue a relationship with a parent that they have built a bond with.”

McLaughlin says if all 28 children in foster care turning 18 this year in Southwest Florida were to decide to stay in foster care longer, it would cost about $100,000 to implement the new program – a number that would grow in the next couple of years.

She also says it’s hard to predict how much it will cost because they don’t know how many children will wish to stay.

Experts do believe the change will save money in other social services areas.

The bill unanimously passed the Senate and is expected to pass the House within the next couple of weeks.

 

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Alexia Nechayev

FYS Events & Meeting Chair
(Palm Beach/Miami)

Alexia Nechayev, from Miami, Florida, is a dedicated advocate for youth with lived experience in foster care and with homelessness. After being placed in foster care as a teenager, Alexia experienced firsthand the stigma surrounding the system, as well as the challenges of navigating a system that didn’t provide support for her to advocate for herself. This experience motivated her to create change, ensuring that other youth in care have the tools and resources she lacked.

She graduated with a B.A. in Psychology from Florida International University, and upon graduation worked as a Hope Navigator with the Department of Children and Families which allowed her to assist clients through individualized care plans, further deepening her commitment to improving the lives of marginalized youth. Alexia is now applying to law schools with the goal of advancing her advocacy work through a legal career. As the Events and Meetings Chair for Florida Youth SHINE (FYS), she creates opportunities for foster and homeless youth to collaborate and push for meaningful change. She is also an active member of the Policy and Initiative Team for Florida Youth SHINE, where she helps create and shape policies that directly impact youth in foster care. One of her proudest accomplishments is helping to develop the Foster Care Bill of Rights, a law that she feels would have made a difference during her own time in care.

In addition to her work with FYS, Alexia serves on the Board of Directors for the parent organization of FYS, Florida’s Children First. In this role, she contributes to strategic decision-making while advocating for the rights and welfare of children statewide.

Every year, she travels to the state capitol to advocate for bills she and her peers have helped shape, including key pieces of legislation that benefit foster and homeless youth. However her advocacy extends beyond her state, as she represents Florida Youth SHINE at national conferences such as the National Leaders 4 Change Conference.

Through her internship with the National Foster Youth Institute, Alexia continues to refine her advocacy skills, preparing for a future where she can contribute meaningfully to both policymaking and the legal system. Guided by the belief that “the blue sky is always there,” she remains committed to ensuring that every youth in foster care has the power and support to advocate for themselves.

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