A Family for What Comes Next: Supporting Teens in Illinois Foster Care
- Foster Parent Education
- September 2, 2026
A Family for What Comes Next: Supporting Teens in Illinois Foster Care
There is a common misconception about teenagers in foster care: They are almost grown, so they need less from a family.
In reality, the years between adolescence and adulthood are filled with decisions, milestones and challenges that most young people navigate with the support of family. Learning to drive. Applying for a first job. Choosing what comes after high school. Figuring out finances. Moving into a first apartment. Making mistakes and having someone to call when things do not go according to plan.
For thousands of teenagers in Illinois foster care, having that kind of lasting support is not guaranteed.
According to the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, 15,017 children and young people were in care statewide as of August 31, 2026. Of those, 3,050 were between the ages of 13 and 17. Another 1,527 were 18 or older.
That means roughly one in five young people in Illinois foster care is a teenager.
For Let It Be Us, those numbers underscore an important part of our mission: A young person does not become too old to need a family.
Permanency is about more than a placement
When a teenager enters foster care, the goal is not simply to find somewhere for that young person to live.
Foster care is designed to provide safety while families work toward a permanent outcome. When it is safe and possible, that can mean reunification with a young person’s family. For others, permanency may come through guardianship or adoption.
For teenagers, permanency can be especially meaningful because adulthood is approaching quickly.
Consider how often young adults continue to rely on their families well beyond age 18. Parents and other trusted adults help with college applications, job interviews, transportation, health care decisions and finances. They offer a place to return to during school breaks and holidays. They celebrate graduations, new jobs and birthdays.
Perhaps most importantly, they are often the people young adults call when something goes wrong.
Research has shown how difficult the transition to adulthood can be for young people who leave foster care without sufficient support. Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago followed more than 700 young people from Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin through its Midwest Evaluation of the Adult Functioning of Former Foster Youth. Researchers examined outcomes related to education, employment, housing and other measures as participants transitioned into adulthood.
The study found that young people who aged out of foster care fared poorly compared with their peers in several areas, including education, employment and housing. Researchers also found evidence that allowing young people to remain in foster care beyond age 18 was associated with better outcomes in some areas.
Illinois allows eligible young people to remain in care until age 21, giving them additional time and support as they prepare for adulthood.
But services alone cannot replace lasting relationships.
Finding permanency for a teenager can mean making sure that when foster care eventually ends, the relationships supporting that young person do not end with it.
A permanent family cannot change everything a teenager has experienced. It can change what that young person has to face alone.
There are still so many firsts ahead
There is another misconception about fostering or adopting a teenager: that a family has somehow missed the most important years.
Teenagers still have an extraordinary amount of life ahead of them.
There may be a first driver’s license, first job and first paycheck. There may be prom, graduation, college, trade school or a new career. There will be birthdays, holidays, accomplishments and setbacks.
There will also be ordinary moments that become meaningful because someone was there for them.
For a foster or adoptive parent, welcoming a teenager does not mean entering at the beginning of someone’s story. It means being willing to become part of what comes next.
That willingness is particularly important because older youth can be more difficult to place. Teens may enter foster care after experiencing trauma, instability or multiple placements. Families caring for them may need additional preparation, resources and support.
This is where Let It Be Us works to make a difference.
Connecting Illinois teens with families
Let It Be Us works throughout Illinois to help children and teens in foster care connect with foster and adoptive families.
One of the organization’s most visible resources is the Heart Gallery of Illinois, managed by Let It Be Us in partnership with the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. Through the Adoption Listing Service of Illinois, the Heart Gallery introduces prospective adoptive families to children and teens who are waiting for permanent families.
The profiles help families see more than a young person’s circumstances. They highlight personalities, interests, talents and hopes for the future.
For older youth, that visibility matters.
Let It Be Us also works to recruit foster families across Illinois and educate people who are considering becoming foster or adoptive parents.
Through foster parent recruitment events and educational opportunities, prospective parents can learn more about Illinois foster care, what becoming licensed involves and the different ways families are needed.
That work includes encouraging prospective foster parents to consider something they may not initially have imagined: opening their homes to teenagers.
Let It Be Us also works to connect child welfare professionals with licensed foster homes when children and teens need placements. Through its placement-focused programs and statewide network of licensed families, the organization helps make connections between young people who need homes and families who may be able to meet their needs.
For a teenager waiting for the right home, one connection can matter enormously.
One family can change what comes next
The number of teenagers in Illinois foster care can feel overwhelming.
More than 3,000 young people ages 13 to 17 were in care in Illinois this spring. No single foster parent, adoptive parent, donor or advocate can change that number alone.
But no family is being asked to help 3,000 teenagers.
They are being asked to consider one.
One teenager who needs someone to show up for a school event.
One young person who needs help figuring out what comes after graduation.
One new driver who needs someone willing to sit in the passenger seat.
One college student who needs somewhere to come home to during winter break.
One young adult who needs to know there is still someone to call.
There are many ways to be part of that work.
Prospective parents can learn about fostering or adopting an older child. Licensed families can explore the Heart Gallery of Illinois. Community members can attend a Let It Be Us informational event, share information about the need for families and introduce others to the possibility of fostering or adopting a teenager.
And even for someone who is not in a position to foster or adopt, raising awareness matters. The more people who understand the need, the greater the opportunity to reach the family who might be ready to say yes.
Because turning 18 may mark the beginning of adulthood.
It should not mark the end of having a family.
Sources
Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. “Youth in Care by Demographic.” Data as of August 31, 2026.
Marketing and Technology Specialist & Recruitment Event Manager
Daisy holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Relations from DePaul University. She has experience as a creative strategist specializing in social media management, content creation, and digital marketing. She is equipped with cutting-edge knowledge in Google Analytics and consumer behavior used to develop visionary marketing campaigns that drive brand growth. Daisy’s strong marketing background will support the Let It Be Us Adoption Listing Service leadership in Illinois child welfare.
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