What is a Chafee Plan?

A Chafee plan is a plan written by each individual state to outline the state’s implementation of the Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 (FCIA), or John H. Chafee Independence Program. FCIA was signed into law on December 14, 1999, and replaced the former Title IV-E Independent Living Initiative (established in 1986). The law offers help to youth transitioning from foster care. Among other improvement, the new Chafee Independence Program:

· Increases funding for independent living activities,
· Offers increased assistance, including room and board, for young people ages 18-21 who are leaving foster care,
· Emphasizes the importance of securing permanent families for young people in foster care,
· Expands the opportunity for states to offer Medicaid for young people transitioning from care, and
· Increases state accountability for outcomes for young people transitioning from care.

For more information on the Foster Care Independence Act of 1999, you can download FAQ and FAQ II from the National Resource Center for Youth Services website.

What does Chafee say about educational assistance?

A primary purpose of the John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence Program is to provide financial, housing, counseling, employment, education, and other appropriate support and services to former foster care youth between the ages of 18 and 21, to complement their own efforts to achieve self-sufficiency and to assure that program participants recognize and accept their personal responsibility for preparing for and then making the transition from adolescence to adulthood.

Some states are making great strides in providing educational assistance to youth. This assistance may help youth complete high school or a GED. It may also allow them to afford to go to college or a vocational school. Assistance may come in the form of a tuition waiver, payment towards room and board, or financial assistance for books and other fees incurred as a result of being in school.

What are Education and Training Vouchers?

The passage of the Promoting Safe and Stable Families Legislation of 2001 added a sixth purpose to Chafee that mandated specific money for education and training vouchers. This provision was funded for fiscal year 2003, and states are in the process of implementing these programs. Youth who age out of foster care or are adopted after age 16 from foster care could be eligible for up to $5000 a year towards post-secondary education. For more information on this program go to the ETV information page at: