National Collaborative for Transition Age Youth at #CWLA2025
Every year, the Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) brings together people working to improve the foster care system — leaders, advocates, professionals, and those with lived experience. This year’s conference, held in Washington, D.C., was themed Inspiring Change, Igniting Progress — a perfect fit for the work of the National Collaborative for Transition Age Youth (TAY).
The Collaborative is on a mission to shift how support is provided to young people aging out of care — moving away from systems making decisions for TAY and instead centering lived experience and self-determination. Right now, we’re developing a Playbook of Best Practices to spotlight what actually works in supporting transition age youth.
At CWLA 2025, we led a workshop to share the work we’ve been doing — and what’s next.
Meet Our Awesome LEx Leaders
- Jasmine Green (age 26, California)
- Dina Santos (age 23, Florida)
Two of FosterClub’s Lived Experience (LEx) Leaders and members of the Collaborative traveled to D.C. to represent the group. They didn’t just show up — they led the conversation in front of an audience of deeply receptive professionals, advocates, and state and local child welfare leaders.
Jasmine and Dina’s Reflections
“I learned how to advocate for myself, because I realized no one was going to speak or stand up for me. How do we teach young people to advocate for themselves?”
- Jasmine Green (age 26, California)
“It doesn’t [just] matter if you’re trauma-informed. What are you doing to put it into action? When I’m in these spaces, I want people to understand that everyone in the room is human. Imagine being told, “you don’t have a seat at the table that we want your help building.””
- Dina Santos (age 23, Florida)
Key Takeaways
- Power of Partnership: When young people with lived experience and system leaders work together in the right way — like in the National Collaborative for Transition Age Youth — everyone benefits. Young people see that change is possible and that some professionals truly care. System leaders gain insights that help them create policies and programs that better meet real needs.
- Connection and Supportive Relationships: Young people need more than programs — they need genuine relationships. Mentors and peer support networks provide critical emotional anchors that formal systems often can't. The most effective support comes when these relationships are authentic, consistent, and extend beyond program timeframes or system involvement.
- Self-Advocacy and Self-Determination: Systems often silence the voices of young people, particularly in restrictive settings like juvenile, residential, and other similar facilities. Teaching self-advocacy isn't just about empowerment — it's about survival. We need to create environments where young people can practice using their voice safely, while simultaneously making systems more responsive to that voice without placing the entire burden of change on youth themselves.
Why It Matters: Too often in foster care, young people feel unheard. The National Collaborative for Transition Age Youth is working to change that — by ensuring youth with lived experience are leading conversations, co-designing solutions, and holding systems accountable.
The energy at CWLA 2025 was a powerful reminder: when youth are in the room — not just as participants, but as leaders — change doesn’t just feel possible. It is.
Stay tuned for what’s next with the Collaborative:
About the Collaborative
The National Collaborative for Transition Age Youth is a joint initiative between APHSA (American Public Human Services Association), FosterClub, and Youth Villages. Together, we're working to improve outcomes for young people ages 16 to 24, transitioning from foster care to adulthood.