Friday, 14 January 2005 - 2:00 PM

This presentation is part of: Foster Care

Midwest Evaluation of the Adult Functioning of Former Foster Youth

Midwest Evaluation of the Adult Functioning of Former Foster Youth: Conditions of Youth Preparing to Leave State Care

Each year, about 20,000 adolescents leave the foster care system and attempt to live independently. In all but a few jurisdictions, youth are discharged from foster care at the age of 18 or shortly thereafter; in other words, they “age out” of care, and are thus “on their own” at a relatively early stage in the transition to adulthood. There is currently a great deal of interest on the part of policymakers in the well-being of youth aging out of foster care. Nevertheless, very few studies have focused on the transition to adulthood among foster youth.

This presentation describes findings from the first of three waves of data collection from the Midwest Evaluation of the Adult Functioning of Former Foster Youth. The study follows the progress of a representative sample (n = 732) of foster youth in Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin from age 17 through 21. At the time of the first interview, these youth had all reached the age of 17 while placed in out-of-home care due to abuse or neglect, and had been in care for at least 1 year prior to their seventeenth birthday. Interviews were conducted between May 2002 and March 2003 (response rate = 95.4%).

The study collects data across a wide range of domains of youths’ experiences and functioning, including: youth demographics and characteristics of the youth’s family of origin; experiences in out-of-home care; relations with family of origin and foster care providers; social support; receipt of independent living services; health and mental health status; receipt of health and mental health services; education; employment; and delinquency. In many cases the study employs measures that have been used with nationally-representative samples of youth, thereby allowing for comparison of findings for the study sample to national norms.

Selected findings: • Many youth experienced considerable instability while living in out-of-home care, with over two-fifths experiencing four or more foster home placements and nearly one-half having run away from out-of-home care • One-third suffers from a diagnosable affective or substance use disorder. • Over one-third reports having spent at least one night in a correctional facility. • Many of the youth suffered from significant educational disadvantages. Over half cannot yet read at a 7th grade level. About a third had repeated a grade. More than two thirds have received out-of-school suspensions and nearly one-fifth has been expelled. Nevertheless, the youth had high educational aspirations, with the vast majority hoping and expecting to graduate from college. • In spite of their removal from home, the majority report close relations with a variety of family members and generally strong social support. • In spite of the challenges they face, the youth are generally optimistic about their future.

The findings from the first wave of this longitudinal study are used to argue for changes in child welfare policy and practice that could improve the prospects for foster youth during the transition to adulthood.

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