The Transition to Adulthood for Foster Youth:

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• The Transition to Adulthood for Foster Youth
• Early Findings of a Longitudinal Study
• Mark E. Courtney
• Chapin Hall Center for Children and
• School of Social Service Administration
• University of Chicago

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Why Study Youth Aging Out of Care?

• Their well-being, or the lack thereof, is a good
  indicator of how effectively the needs of foster
  youth in general are being met
• They are a good population to study to better
  understand the transition to adulthood for
  vulnerable populations
• U.S. social policy regarding the transition to
  adulthood focuses specifically on this group

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My Purpose Today

• Describe the Midwest Study
• Present some information regarding the conditions
  of the young people at age 19
• Present findings of a preliminary analysis of
  predictors of college enrollment at age 19 among
  study participants
• Discuss some policy and practice implications of
  our findings to date, particularly regarding the
  state as a corporate parent

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Purpose of Study

• Measure the young adult self-sufficiency of
  former foster youth in Illinois, Iowa, and
  Wisconsin
• Provide guidance to 3 states regarding their
  compliance with and implementation of the John
  Chafee Foster Care Independence Act

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Study Design and Sample

• Largest longitudinal study of foster youth making
  the transition to adulthood post-FCIA
• Foster youth in 3 states who
• Were in out-of-home care at age 17
• Had entered care before their 16th birthday
• Had been placed in care due to abuse and/or
  neglect

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Study Design and Sample (continued)

• Baseline survey data collected from 732 youth in
  02-03
• Response rate of 95 percent
• Age 17 or 18 at first interview
• 603 (82 percent of sample) re-interviewed in 04
  when nearly all were 19 years old
• 47 percent were still in care (nearly all in
  Illinois)
• 53 percent had already been discharged
• Third wave of data being collected now study
  participants are now 21

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Demographic Characteristics
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Living Arrangements at Follow-Up
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Closeness to Family of Origin
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Independent Living Services
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Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders at
Follow-Up
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Health and Mental Health Services
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Markers of Transition to Adulthood Educational
Attainment
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Markers of Transition to Adulthood Employment
and Earnings
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Markers of Transition to Adulthood Earnings
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Markers of Transition to Adulthood Partnering
and Parenthood
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Markers of Transition to Adulthood Criminal
Justice System Involvement
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Markers of Transition to Adulthood Selected
Problems
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Markers of Transition to Adulthood
Disconnectedness
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Optimism about the Future
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Educational Status at Baseline (17-18)

• Enrolled in School 695 (94.9)
• Type of School
• High School - 588 (80.3)
• Vocational School - 14 (1.9)
• College - 46 (6.3)
• Other - 47 (6.4)
• Special Education 347 (47.3) Add Health
• Repeated a Grade 272 (37.2) 21.5
• Out of School Suspension 489 (66.8)
  27.8
• Expelled from School 121 (16.5)
  4.6
• Median Grade Equivalent Reading Score (WRAT-3)
  7th Grade

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Receipt of Education-Related Services
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Logistic Regression Model of College Enrollment
at Age 19

• Variables in the model
• Prior to care
• Demographic variables Age at entry Gender,
  Race/ethnicity
• Family risk factors Physical Abuse, Neglect,
  Sexual Abuse, Caregiver problems

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Logistic Regression Model of College Enrollment
at Age 19

• Variables in the model
• After entry to care
• Care history Total of placements, Ever
  reentered care, Ever run away from care
• Behavior/MH problems Delinquency, Ever
  suspended/expelled, CIDI AODA disorder, CIDI
  depressive disorder, CIDI PTSD
• Education related Ever retained in school,
  Reading (WRAT z score), Special education, Missed
  month of school, Plans to complete college
• Has a child
• Ever worked

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Logistic Regression Model of College Enrollment
at Age 19

• Variables in the model
• Intervening factors
• Close to an adult
• Social support (MOS)
• education services
• non-education services
• State
• Care Status at Follow-Up

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Significant Predictors of College Enrollment

• Estimated Effect
• Variable on Odds
• Caregiver problems 1.26
• Delinquency .54
• Retained a grade .47
• Plans to complete college 1.82
• Close to an adult 2.43
• Still in care at 19 6.59

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Summary

• Youth about to age out of foster care in the U.S.
  face considerable challenges including
  educational deficits, limited employment
  experience, and significant psychosocial problems
• They also have significant assets, including
  strong relations with members of their families
  and foster families, connection to the child
  welfare services system, and optimism about their
  future

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Practice Implications

• Service providers and the courts must take into
  account that many foster youth are not prepared
  to make the transition to independence at age 18
• Most young people appear to value and benefit
  from their connections to the child welfare
  system
• Connections with family are, not surprisingly,
  important to the transition process for this
  population

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Policy Implications

• Demographic changes call into question federal
  and state policies that curtail government
  responsibility for wards of the state at age 18
• A variety of policies regarding health care,
  mental health care, education, and employment
  should also be reconsidered in light of these
  demographic changes

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For all reports on this study

• www.chapinhall.org