CONNECT Act

The Chafee Opportunities for New Networks and Existing Connection Trust Act, or CONNECT Act, aims to significantly update the John H. Chafee Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood . This legislation revises the program's core purposes to reflect current research and the experiences of youth, highlighting the critical role of long-term, supportive relationships in future success. Specifically, the bill mandates that the program assist children aged 14 and older in foster care in developing and maintaining sustained connections with adults, including kin, mentors, and peers, to reduce isolation and ensure youth build lifelong support networks . It also supports youth in exercising their rights to participate in permanency planning and facilitates pre- and post-permanency peer support and mentoring to achieve their permanency goals. The Act further requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to issue comprehensive guidance within one year, developed with input from youth with lived experience. This guidance will provide examples of federally fundable services, outline best practices for fostering connections, and establish protocols for documenting these relationship-building activities within a child's case plan.