Youth Transition Services

Youth Advisory Board

Franklin County Children Services (FCCS) strives to provide the highest quality of services, counseling, and life skills instruction to every young adult aging out of foster care; and to successfully transition each young adult from the care of FCCS to a state of productive independence.

Download Youth Transition Services Brochure

All youth ages 14 and older under the custody of FCCS are eligible for independent living assessment and planning services. Each youth will work with a provider to complete an independent living assessment and plan to set their independent living plan in motion.

If you are a young adult who aged out of foster care at or after age 18 and are in need of post-emancipation services, please call our 24-Hour Child Abuse Hotline at 614-229-7000 to request post-emancipation services.  

Transitional Living is a generally-supervised living arrangement for youth age 18 years and older who have emancipated from FCCS custody. During the day, youth should be attending school, studying for the GED, or working. 

Staff monitor the activities of the youth and provide:

• Independent living counseling
• Support groups
• Daily living skill development
• Household management
• Job and educational assistance

Full-time staff are on duty 24 hours per day.

In cases where the goal is to enable youth to live independently, staff assist youth in establishing themselves in the community and the neighborhood most suited to their roots, preferences and income level. Even at this stage of independence, staff will continue to check on the youth weekly (as they establish themselves, contacts may be reduced) and provide case management services as needed.

Independent living services include:

• Tutoring assistance
• Senior high school fee assistance
• College tours
• Apartment application assistance
• Rent and utility assistance
• Furniture and housewares
• Groceries
• Bus passes and transportation
• Pre ACT or SAT assistance
• ACT or SAT fee assistance
• College/ university / vocational school application assistance
• College/ university / vocational school dorm setup
• Resource guides
• Aftercare: a time-limited service for youth that have exited the system

All youth ages 14 and older under the custody of FCCS are required to participate in life skills training. FCCS offers a 10-week life skills training program three times per year in the fall, winter and spring. Life skills training is designed to provide youth with the necessary skills for independent living. Topics include: money management, establishing a household, job readiness, and much more.

Support is also available for those youth who decide to pursue higher education. They can be linked to financial resources for college or vocational training. The agency also has a special mentoring program for college-bound youth.  Adults serve as mentors to help prospective students plan for their education and maintain their focus. Ongoing connections like these are vital for these young people who are striving to make it on their own.

Click here to learn more about the College-Bound Mentoring Program

Click here to download the FCCS Post Secondary Education Resource Guide