Assigned to HHS & APPROP FOR COMMITTEE
ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Seventh Legislature, First Regular Session
REVISED
FACT SHEET FOR S.B. 1303
extended foster care service model
Purpose
Requires the Department of Child Safety (DCS) to prepare a scope of work for an Extended
Foster Care Comprehensive Service Model (Model) that includes supportive services and case
management provided by contracted community providers for young adults who participate in the
Extended Foster Care Program. Requires the Model to include an extended foster care success
coaching program and prescribes program requirements.
Background
DCS foster care services are generally limited to individuals under the age of 18, however,
DCS may provide extended foster care services through the Extended foster care program to
qualified young adults who: 1) were in DCS custody as a dependent child at the time of turning 18
years old; 2) are 18, 19 or 20 years old and are completing education, employed at least 80 hours
per month, participating in a program that promotes employment or removes barriers to
employment, or are unable to be a full-time student or be employed because of a documented
medical condition; and 3) sign a voluntary extended foster care agreement with DCS between the
young adult's 18th and 21st birthdays (A.R.S. § 8-521.02).
Laws 2023, Chapter 141 requires DCS, for FY 2024, to prepare a scope of work for a
Model that includes supportive services and case management provided by contracted community
providers for young adults who are between 17.5 and 20 years of old who participate in the
Extended Foster Care Program. The Model scope of work must include but is not limited to:
1) weekly engagement with each young adult; 2) life skills training; 3) mental and physical health
and well-being; 4) relational permanency; and 5) education and enrollment assistance. The Model
must also include an extended foster care success coaching program to promote permanent
connections, assist young adults in accessing secure housing, build skills for developing personal
agency and link young adults to appropriate services that address physical and behavioral health
needs. In FY 2024, $12,550,000 was appropriated from the state General Fund (state GF) for the
implementation of the Model. In FY 2025, the FY 2024 appropriation was reduced by $2,720,000
for a total appropriation of $9,830,000 (JLBC).
The Joint Legislative Budget Committee fiscal note estimates that S.B. 1303 will cost
$6,400,000 annually to the state General Fund for costs associated with continuing the Model
(JLBC).
Provisions
1. Requires DCS, within 10 days after the general effective date, to prepare a scope of work for
a Model that includes supportive services and case management provided by contracted
community providers for young adults who participate in the extended foster care program. FACT SHEET – Revised
S.B. 1303
Page 2
2. Requires the Model scope of work to include:
a) weekly engagement with each young adult;
b) life skills training;
c) mental and physical health and well-being;
d) relational permanency;
e) education and enrollment assistance;
f) assistance with accessing safe housing attainment and stability for young adults;
g) career and employment planning and readiness;
h) assistance with accessing transportation services for young adults; and
i) flexible funding to support the unique needs of the young adult, including educational
services and job training or workforce development.
3. Requires the Model to include an extended foster care success coaching program for young
adults in the extended foster care program.
4. Prohibits each extended foster care success coach from having a caseload of more than 20
young adults.
5. Requires the extended foster care success coaching program to:
a) be based on a practice that is youth driven;
b) promote permanent connections;
c) support the development of an educational foundation and skill set that enables young
adults to gain and maintain employment to support their financial needs;
d) assist young adults to reside in safe, stable and secure housing;
e) link young adults to appropriate services that address physical and behavioral health needs;
f) build skills for developing personal agency;
g) ensure that young adults have the cognitive and social-emotional competencies essential to
survival;
h) operate from an evidence-based framework;
i) ensure that the young adults served are aware of their rights to normalcy;
j) assist young adults to advocate with caregivers to experience activities and opportunities
that meet individual interests;
k) support caregivers in identifying root causes of behaviors that present barriers to transition
and provide opportunities that assist young adults in healing and addressing underlying
trauma;
l) develop feedback that allows young adults to communicate their needs and satisfaction
with provided services; and
m) deliver interventions that are tailored to each young adult's strengths and experiences.
6. Requires DCS to supervise and monitor the success of the extended foster care success
coaching program.
7. Requires each extended foster care success coach to:
a) successfully complete a DCS-administered foster care success coach training program;
b) possess a bachelor's or associate's degree or have equivalent credits equal to an associate's
degree;
c) exhibit the belief that all young adults have the capacity to be successful in life; and
d) have experience working with youth or young adults. FACT SHEET – Revised
S.B. 1303
Page 3
8. Allows, in lieu of a degree or credits, an extended foster care success coach to possess skills
acquired through alternative routes such as relevant job training, community college
attendance, military service or an apprenticeship.
9. Requires DCS to:
a) solicit agencies to administer the Model within 30 days after the general effective date and
select an agency within 90 days after the general effective date;
b) implement the Model within 150 days after the general effective date; and
c) adopt rules to implement the Model, the administration of the Extended Foster Care
Comprehensive Service Model Fund (Fund) and the extended foster care success coaching
program.
10. Requires DCS to establish an Extended Foster Care Quality Review Committee (Review
Committee) within DCS consisting of DCS staff members.
11. Requires the Review Committee to confirm that a young adult who participates in extended
foster care:
a) meets eligibility criteria;
b) has connections to a permanent family and supportive adults who are actively involved in
the young adult's life;
c) has a person-centered case and transition plan that supports the young adult's identified
goals and future planning; and
d) is acquiring individualized skills to develop the tools that are needed to thrive outside of
the Extended foster care program.
12. Requires DCS, by November 1 of each year, to submit a report on the developed Model to the
Joint Legislative Budget Committee (JLBC), the Senate Health and Human Services
Committee and the House of Representatives Health and Human Services Committee.
13. Requires the report to include data and statistics on:
a) the support and services to be offered by the Model;
b) the Extended foster care program's eligibility requirements;
c) the young adult's program responsibilities;
d) case and transition planning opportunities;
e) health insurance coverage for young adults in the extended foster care program;
f) educational opportunities for young adults in the extended foster care program;
g) opportunities for mentors through the extended foster care program;
h) transportation services for young adults in the extended foster care program, including
obtaining a driver license; and
i) housing, including semi-supervised living arrangements if such arrangements best meet the
young adult's needs.
14. Requires DCS to provide to JLBC a quarterly report that includes:
a) the number of young adults served in the Model;
b) the young adult's participation in regular reviews with extended foster care staff; and
c) other performance measures as updated by the Review Committee and as determined by
the chairperson of JLBC. FACT SHEET – Revised
S.B. 1303
Page 4
15. Establishes the Fund, consisting of legislative appropriations, to be administered by DCS for
purposes of implementing the Model and the extended foster care success coaching program.
16. Specifies that the Fund monies are continuously appropriated and exempt from lapsing.
17. Defines terms.
29. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
Revisions
• Updates the fiscal impact statement.
Prepared by Senate Research
March 20, 2025
MM/ci