In December of 1999, President Clinton signed into law "the Foster Care Independence Act of 1999". Title I of the Act is the Chafee Foster Care Independence Program (CFCIP). This legislation helps ensure that young people involved in the foster care system get the tools they need to make the most of their lives. They must have opportunities for additional training, housing assistance, counseling and other services.

In some of its provisions, the Act:

• Provides for flexible funding for distribution to States through grants for program services for youth. 140 million capped entitlement, with 20% state match required on total allocation (allocation is based on the proportion of children in both Title IV-E and state funded FC in the state for the most recent fiscal year). 

• Provides opportunities for States to serve youth who are likely to remain in foster care and those who have aged out of foster care up to 21 years of age.

• Enables youth to make better choices and accept greater responsibility for their own lives. Encourges youth involvement through the development of youth advisory boards. These boards are actively involved in decision making, shaping policy, and monitoring implementation of services for young people. It is also designed so that young people must participate directly in designing their program activities and accept personal responsibility for achieving independence.

• Enables older youth (18-21) to receive housing assistance if needed, as a result of leaving foster care. States may use up to 30% of their program funds for room or board.

• Provides States the option of allowing these young people to remain eligible for Medicaid up to age 21, solely for those who have left foster care on or after the 18th birthday.

All other IL services possible under the Act including life-skills training, case management support, and referral services may be made available to young people both before AND after they turn 18.

The focus is to ensure that IL services are provided concurrently with continued efforts to achieve permanency.

Requires states to use some of the available training dollars under Title IV-E of the Social Security Act to train foster and adoptive parents, group home workers, and case managers.

Reference: Children's Bureau