Foster Youth Bill of Rights

While in high school, Ella Bat-Ami's experience in Tennessee foster care drove her to draft mock legislation that was the impetus for the state's Foster Youth Bill of Rights.

Advocates seeking to codify the rights of foster youth in Minnesota are making a last-minute push to have the bill considered by lawmakers.

I am inspired to continue to use my voice to help improve the child welfare system for youths and young adults, writes Antonica Frazier.

When Marcellia Goodrich was growing up in Los Angeles County foster homes, identifying as queer was a source of friction. She recalls one foster mom refusing to send her to prom because she would have taken another girl as a date.

This summer has seen a lot of action around youth-centric legislation in Hawaii. In July, Gov. David Ige (D) signed a number of new laws governing the state’s child welfare and juvenile justice systems.

In 2001, California passed the sweeping Foster Youth Bill of Rights into law. The law’s goals were ambitious. It intended both to inform the state’s 63,000 foster youth of the full range of social services available to them as well as to clarify their basic rights in the state’s foster youth system.