Foster Youth and the Transition to Adulthood: Lessons Learned from the Midwest Study

Whatever it Takes: Strategies for Preventing and Addressing Youth Disconnection New York City December 1, 2011

How many young people age out of foster care each year?
AFCARS Data
600,000 35000 30000 25000 400,000 20000 300,000 15000 200,000
Number of children in care Number of youth emancipating

500,000

10000 5000 0

100,000

0 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 Year 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

What is being done to prepare foster youth for the transition to adulthood?
Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 created the Chafee Foster Care Independence Program (CFCIP) Promoting Safe and Stable Families Amendments of 2001 added the Education and Training Voucher (ETV) Program Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 Significant variation in policies and programs across (and within) states

What do we know about what happens to young people who age out of foster care?
No national data.until now
Implementation of NYTD began in October 2010 Outcome data were collected from 17 year olds Data will next be collected in 2012 when they are age 19

Use of administrative data

Limited number of outcomes measured Primarily employment and public assistance receipt

Survey data from a handful of studies, but few longitudinal

What do we know about what happens to young people who age out of foster care?
Lag behind their peers across a variety of domains Postsecondary educational attainment Employment and earnings Far too many struggle to become self-sufficient Homelessness and housing instability Public assistance receipt Economic hardships Situation often exacerbated by other challenges Early parenthood Criminal justice system involvement Mental health problems

What is the Midwest Study?

Longitudinal study of foster youth from IA, WI and IL Entered care before age 16 for reasons other than delinquency Still in care at age 17 Collaboration involving Chapin Hall at the U of Chicago, U of Wisconsin Survey Center and state PCWAs Generalizability?

Wave

Year

Age

Number Interviewed

Response Rate

1 2 3 4 5

02 03 04 06 08-09 10 11

17 18 19 21 23 - 24 26

732 603 591 602 596

96% 82% 81% 83% 83%

Educational Attainment at Age 26 by Gender

100% 83% 80% 77% Young Women Young Men

60% 45% 40% 33%

20%

11% 5%

0%
High school diploma/GED At least a year of college College degree(AA/BA)

School Enrollment at Age 26 by Gender

100% Young Women Young Men 80%

60%

40% 26% 20% 21%

18% 11%

0%
Enrolled in school or training program Enrolled in college

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Employment by Gender
100%

Young Women
80%

Young Men
74% 63%

60% 52% 39%

40%

20%

0%
Currrently employed Ever employed past year

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Criminal Justice System Involvement Gender

100%

Young Women
80%

Young Men
68% 64%

60% 42% 40% 33%

20%

0%
Arrested since leaving care Incarcerated since leaving care

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Family Formation by Gender

100%

Young Women Young Men

80%

72%
65%

60%

53% 38% 37%

40%

24%
20%

0%
Married/Cohabiting Any living children Living with any children

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Homelessness Since Leaving Care

100%

80%

60%

40%

29%
20%

33%

17% 7%

0%
Age 19 Age 21 Age 23/24 Age 26

What lessons have we learned from the Midwest Study?

Despite state and federal efforts aimed at helping foster transition to adulthood, young people continue to age out of care unprepared to make it on their own Yet some Midwest Study participants have managed to beat the odds Evidence of resiliency

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Where do we go from here?

Some states have responded to the Fostering Connections Acts older youth provisions by extending foster care to age 21
What impact will this have on outcomes? Why (i.e., housing, access to services)?

Need more methodologically sound evaluations of services and supports Why do we expect foster youth to make it on their own at age 18 or even 21?