Impact Findings from the Federal Multi-Site Evaluation of Foster Youth Services: Life Skills Training Program

Background and Purpose: Life skills training courses are one of the most common kinds of support provided to foster youth in preparing them for adulthood. One of the programs included in the national evaluation of interventions funded through the Chafee Foster Care Independence Program is the Life Skills Training Program (LST) provided to foster youth in Los Angeles County. LST provides a set of services typical of other such programs around the U.S. (i.e., classroom and practicum based training) as well as an extensive outreach component. The curriculum consists of 10 three-hour classes held twice a week in community colleges. Instructors have the flexibility to design their own classes and activities. Outreach advisors are responsible for recruiting youth, providing short-term case management, and documenting services. This study examines the services provided by and impacts on selected outcomes of the LST program. Methods The study involved three in-person interviews over two years. The sample consisted of youth in out-of-home care, 17 years old, and deemed appropriate for LST. 482 youth were deemed eligible and 234 were randomly assigned to the LST (treatment) group and 248 were assigned to the control group. 97% of eligible cases were interviewed at baseline and 88% of these were interviewed at the second follow-up. Some members of the control group received services (e.g., attended one or more LST classes), complicating analysis of impacts. Overall, 76.5% of the youth in the LST group enrolled in LST, 70.1% attended a session, and 65% “graduated.” 26.6% of the youth in the control group enrolled in the program, while 25% attended at least one class and 22.6% graduated. Outcomes assessed included youth's sense of preparedness in 18 areas of adult living and measures of the transition to adulthood, including: education; employment; economic well-being and hardship; and receipt of financial assistance. Intent-to-Treat analyses were conducted to compare outcomes between the treatment and control groups. Additional impact analyses included regression models with baseline covariates and instrumental variable regression models that account for potential bias introduced by the presence of control group crossovers. Covariates in the analysis included physical and mental health, substance abuse, level of social support, and deviant behavior. Results Across all outcomes there were no statistically significant differences between LST and control group youth. A striking finding of the evaluation is the extent to which foster youth received help acquiring life skills regardless of LST participation; the levels of reported receipt of most independent-living services by follow-up did not differ between assignment groups. Non-program youth report having received independent living services from several sources, including family, foster parents, and other social service programs. Conclusions and Implications: The LST evaluation calls into serious question the notion that classroom-based life skills training is likely to have much impact on foster youth in transition to adulthood. The large percentage of foster youth who received help acquiring life skills from sources other than LST calls into question whether classroom-based life skills training can add much to what foster youth already obtain from other sources.