From Care to Crisis: A Foster Youth's Abrupt Exit

Title: From Care to Crisis: A Foster Youth’s Abrupt Exit

By Suzanne Baeza, MSW Student, USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work

He was doing better. He had a therapist, a case manager, and goals. But the day he turned 18, all of that disappeared. An administrative error removed my son from extended foster care, despite his eligibility. Within a week, he relapsed. Within a month, he nearly died from a drug overdose. This wasn’t just a mistake; it was a system failure.

I adopted my son from foster care in 2012 when he was six years old. Like many foster kids, he has gone through trauma, emotional struggles, and much more. We were able to get him help from the state for mental health treatment and support for drug use. He was healing.

Then he turned 18, and the system dropped him.

According to the California Department of Social Services, the law is clear. Under Assembly Bill 12, foster youth are eligible to receive services until they are 21, as long as they are working in school or enrolled in a job training program. My son qualified. However, his services were dropped on his 18th birthday due to an administrative error. There was no warning, explanation, or transition plan in place.

He was suddenly without a therapist or a case manager. Without support, his stability unraveled.

According to the Foundation for California Community Colleges, approximately 4,000 youth in California are too old to receive foster care-related services each year. Although AB 12 exists to help them transition safely, the protection it promises often gets lost in red tape, underfunded agencies, and miscommunication. When that happens, the results can be fatal.

Murrieta has resources, such as Riverside County’s Transitional Age Youth (TAY) Drop-In Centers, which offer case management, mental health care, and housing referrals for individuals aged 16 to 25. These services are making a difference for many, but they are often stretched thin. Too many young people either do not know they exist or, worse, like my son, get dropped from care.

This is what I am asking our county and state leaders to do:

When a young person is removed from extended foster care before the age of 21, counties must conduct a formal review by asking key questions, such as whether the removal was voluntary or a mistake. One missed form or miscommunication should not result in a total loss of support.

All youth in extended care require transition plans that are regularly reviewed and enforced. If someone disappears from the system, there should be outreach, not silence.

Murrieta and the surrounding areas need more access to youth-focused mental health and housing services. The TAY Drop-In Center should not be the only choice. One mistake should not mean a young person has nowhere to go.

We have laws that work on paper. However, until we ensure that these laws are carried out properly, young people will continue to fall through the cracks.

My son is still here today. We were lucky. Other families may not be.