New Release! Ways to Grow Social Capital So Foster Youth Thrive
“When I started high school, my life was in a downward spiral. I was fortunate enough to have some people that recognized that I had something better to offer and that I had the choice to change my life around. Without these people, I don’t know if I’d be here today.”
— Former foster youth
This quote comes from the National Foster Care Youth & Alumni Policy Council’s priority, Improving Social Capital for Youth in Foster Care, originally released in 2017. In 2025, the Council took another look at the topic and conducted several polls of current and former foster youth. When asked what supports or tools would have helped them prepare for adulthood, one youth responded:
“Tip Sheets are helpful – but only with the relationship of someone to talk to about it.”
— Former foster youth
There’s a common thread between these reflections – even across an eight-year time span: resources and relationships.
Social capital is the network of social relationships that support healthy lifelong development. Which leads us to what current and former foster youth, including members on the Council, are telling us: supportive relationships and resources are critical, and foster youth are getting the short end of the stick when it comes to accessing them together.
That’s why the Council, reflecting on past recommendations, developed Strategies for Implementation: from Access Granted: Mapping Pathways and Networks That Nurture.
This brief translates lived experience, polling data, and national roundtable insights into actionable strategies for systems and communities working with young people in and from foster care.
Whether you work with young people in foster care and are looking for ways to better support them, or you have lived experience and want tools to strengthen your advocacy, this brief offers something for you.
In case you missed it, the Council also released a brief on Strategies for Implementation from Beyond Therapy: Redefining Mental Health Support in Foster Care.