Transition to Independence

Preparing transition age foster youth for independence

Independent Living Program

The Independent Living Program (ILP) is a federally and state funded program designed to help eligible youth to develop the skills needed in preparation for adulthood. If you are a young person between the ages of fourteen and twenty-one who are currently in foster care or who were in foster care sometime on or after your sixteenth birthday, you are eligible for ILP services. Your Child Welfare Worker can refer you to ILP and will need to include a copy of your TILP.

To find out more, visit Alameda County ILP or call the main ILP number at: (510) 667-7696.

Extended Foster Care and AB 12

Assembly Bill 12 (AB 12), the California Fostering Connections to Success Act is a law that went into effect January 1, 2012, and extends services and a youth's financial foster care rate benefits for youth who are over 18 years old. The assistance under this law can last until the youth turn 21 years old (an extra 3 years). In addition to Extended Foster Care (EFC) benefits, extended benefits are now also available for youth receiving Kinship Guardianship Assistance Payment Program (Kin-GAP) benefits and Adoption Assistance Payments (AAP) and, and for certain youth living with a former non-related legal guardian.

If you are not yet 18 and already in foster care, talk with your Child Welfare Worker about how EFC works. See Extended Foster Care for more detail.
If you think you want to re-enter extended foster care (EFC) and you live in Alameda County, call our Hotline at (510) 259-1800 to see if you are eligible. See Re-Entry for more detail.

Remember that to participate in EFC, you will have to do one of the following:

Be in high school or a similar program.
Attend college, community college, or a vocational education program.
Work at least 80 hours a month.
Participate in a program or activity designed to remove barriers to employment.
Be unable to do one of the above requirements because of a medical condition.

Being in EFC also means that you will:

Meet with your Child Welfare Worker each month to work towards the goals of your Transitional Independent Living Case Plan.
Live in an eligible placement.
Sign an agreement that you will meet the requirements of the EFC program (what is listed above).

Being in EFC is up to you. As long as you are eligible, you can decide whether you want to participate.