Tatiana is 18 years old, and she is still waiting for a family to call her own. Featured this week on the long-running Wednesday's Child segment, Tatiana enjoys connecting with others and says she would love a family that enjoys spending quality time together.
Her profile aired as part of a broadcast partnership that has quietly shaped Massachusetts child welfare outreach for decades. According to CBS News Boston, Wednesday's Child began in July 1981 as a joint effort between WBZ-TV, the Massachusetts Adoption Resource Exchange, and state child welfare officials to profile children waiting for adoptive homes. The program's reach has been substantial over the years: longtime WBZ-TV anchor Jack Williams hosted the segment for 34 years, featuring more than 1,000 waiting children and helping raise millions of dollars for adoption support services, per historical reporting on the broadcast's legacy.
Turning 18 Doesn't End the Search for a Family
Reaching adulthood does not automatically close the door on state support for young people like Tatiana. Under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 119, Section 23, youth who turn 18 while in foster care can voluntarily remain in state care and receive supportive services up to age 22 by signing a Voluntary Placement Agreement, according to background compiled from state and legal sources. Those who sign on can receive support payments of approximately $40 per day plus clothing allowances, totaling about $16,700 annually for independent living expenses, the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation notes.
The scale of this population is significant. At the start of fiscal year 2024, the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families served 2,073 young adults aged 18 and older who chose to extend their care past adulthood through Voluntary Placement Agreements, per state data. During fiscal year 2025, the Massachusetts Adoption Resource Exchange served 921 youth, and the organization noted that 97% belonged to priority groups including teenagers, young adults, children of color, youth with disabilities, sibling groups, and LGBTQ+ youth.
The Stakes for Older Foster Youth
National data underscores why finding a permanent family connection matters so much for teens aging through the system. Non-profit organization HopeWell reported in June 2022 that only 3% to 4% of youth who age out of foster care earn a college degree, while 40% experience homelessness by age 24. Massachusetts has made some progress on this front: a May 2023 report covered by Public News Service showed that the percentage of teenagers age 14 and older leaving the Massachusetts foster care system without a permanent family dropped from 48% in 2006 to 28% in 2021.
There is a fiscal dimension to permanent placements as well. Hoodline previously reported that the Massachusetts Adoption Resource Exchange estimates placing a waiting foster child into a permanent adoptive home saves state taxpayers approximately $13,000 per child annually in avoided foster care maintenance costs, a detail raised in coverage of two waiting foster brothers profiled last month.
A Legal Fight Over Support Payments
Financial support for young adults like Tatiana who remain in extended care is currently the subject of litigation. In July, attorneys with the Children's Law Center of Massachusetts filed a lawsuit in Suffolk Superior Court challenging a DCF policy that denies the $40-a-day young adult support payments to 18-year-olds in voluntary extended care if they move in with a biological parent, according to the Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation. The case highlights ongoing debate over how the state structures financial safety nets for young people navigating the transition out of foster care.
For now, Tatiana's story remains one of hope amid a system built to support her past childhood but not guaranteed to deliver the permanent family she wants. She is one of several older Massachusetts foster youth recently profiled through state and media adoption outreach, following a 16-year-old named Jacob spotlighted earlier this month. As Massachusetts continues to refine its policies for young adults aging out of care, families interested in learning more about children like Tatiana can seek information through the state's adoption exchange programs.
