Foster Care & Extended Foster Care

Making Reunification Possible for Older Youth

June is the only month many child welfare systems formally celebrate reunification, but this is a mistake. Reunification should be celebrated every day of every month for our children and youth. While we often don’t discuss how important returning to family, community and belonging is for teens and older youth, we know it is transformational. On that note, this piece, co-written by YLC’s Executive Director Jennifer Rodriguez and our friends Jennifer Pokempner and Dominique Mikell from Juvenile Law Center highlights why we need to double down on our efforts to support reunification for older youth in foster care and how agencies, communities, and individuals can support these efforts.