Independent Living Services for Foster Children (LINKS)

The Independent Living Services for Foster Children (NC LINKS) provides services and resources to:

  • Young adults in foster care age 16-18
  • Young adults who are between the ages of 18-21 and are participating in a Contractual Agreement for Continuing Residential Support (CARS)
  • Young adults who aged out of foster care at age 18 and are not participating in CARS

The NC LINKS Program

The young adult’s caregiver must complete an assessment of the youth's strengths as well as their needs for further information and training. A NC LINKS supervisor will create a plan based on the assessment. This plan will include the young adult's interests, goals and their responsibilities.

Limited funding is available to reimburse county Departments of Social Services for expenditures made on behalf of NC LINKS participants.

County Departments of Social Services are required to offer LINKS services to children and young adults in DSS custody who either lived in a licensed foster care facility or lived with a relative.

If you or someone you know needs this service, please contact your local Department of Social Services and ask for the foster care supervisor or LINKS coordinator

The Education Training Voucher Program

This program provides grants of up to $5000 to apply toward costs of attendance for students who are eligible for the LINKS program and who either were:

  • In NC DSS foster care on or after their 17 birthday
  • Adopted from NC DSS foster care after the age of 16

Apply to the Education Training Voucher Program

NC Reach

NC Reach is an Education Support Scholarship program for students who were adopted from NC Foster Care:

  • On or after their 12 birthday
  • Aged out of NC foster care

This program offers these students the balance of the costs of attendance at any branch of the University of North Carolina or any public North Carolina community college.

If you or someone you know require this service, contact your local Department of Social Services.

Contact Social Services

Back to top