Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children’s (PPC) priority legislation HB 1866 passed in the last week of the legislative session and was signed into law by Gov. Wolf on November 3rd. Sponsored by Rep. Boback (R-Luzerne), the new law will improve permanency practices for transition age youth in the foster care system. The legislation was introduced in two consecutive legislative sessions, and we are grateful for Rep. Boback’s sponsorship in helping the bill reach the finish line.
Transition age youth are older youth in the foster care system (ages 14 to 21) transitioning to permanency with a caregiver or aging out of the system to adulthood. These young adults often struggle with this life transition. The new law will help foster youth find permanency by:
- Documenting family finding efforts for youth when they are no longer in the system.
- Expanding opportunities for permanency by increasing the age of the goal of Another Planned Permanent Living Arrangement (APPLA) from 16 to 18 years of age.
- Enhancing court accountability regarding suitable transition plans and overseeing services provided to aid in the transition to adulthood.
- Maintaining supportive adult connections to assist transition age youth with building a social safety net when paid professionals are no longer involved.
- Improving data collection to streamline child welfare data from all 67 counties at the state level.
PPC is proud to have helped shepherd HB 1866 through the General Assembly to be signed into law by Gov. Wolf. We will continue to work to improve Pennsylvania’s child welfare system so that foster youth have the opportunity to succeed in life.