Established in December 1999 when the Foster Care Independence Act passed into law, the Chafee Foster Care Independence Program
- Emphasizes securing permanent families for youth in care
- Increases funding for independent living activities
- Increases assistance for youth transitioning from foster care
- Expands Medicaid opportunities for transitioning youth
- Increases state accountability for transitioning youth
In 2001, Congress also authorized the Chafee Education and Training Voucher Program to meet the needs of transitioning youth .
With support from Casey, the national Foster Care Coalition has published a series of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) helping state agencies, child welfare professionals, advocates, and young people to use and understand Chafee programs:
- FAQ I (February 2000) focuses on Foster Care Independence Act (FCIA) basics, highlighting differences between FCIA and previous legislation. The FAQ includes information about program eligibility, funding amounts and administration, Medicaid, and accountability.
- FAQ II (December 2000) updates FAQ I, and provides new information about housing, youth involvement, convening stakeholders, young people with special needs, and tribal involvement.
- FAQ III (May 2005) updates FAQs I and II, and provides information about Education and Training Vouchers, other education and vocation supports, and youth development and engagement.
To download PDFs of each of the FAQs, click the links in the upper-right corner of this page.
Order hard copies of the Frequently Asked Questions III.