Exit Outcomes for Probation-Supervised Youth in Foster Care: An Examination of Past Child Protection Involvement

Background and Purpose:

Research on youth in foster care usually focuses on youth placed for reasons of abuse and neglect rather than delinquency. Few studies have focused on youth in probation-supervised foster care (PSFC), even though an estimated 31 states provide foster care services to youth who are under the supervision of probation for delinquency. Previous studies have suggested that this subpopulation of youth in care is especially vulnerable. In the current study, we describe and examine the extent to which past maltreatment and CPS involvement characterizes youth in PSFC and may be tied to the manner by which they transition from care.

Methods:

State administrative records from California were configured longitudinally to examine five annual cohorts of youth in PSFC placements at age 17. Demographic characteristics, experiences in care, trends over time, and the manner by which youth ultimately exited from care were assessed. The relationship between youths’ history of CPS involvement (number of reports or CPS placement) and their ultimate exit was modeled using multinomial logistic regression. Annual cohorts of 17-year old youths were defined from 2008 through 2012 (N=11,188). Changes over time were examined using a χ² test for trends. χ² tests also compared differences in the indicators of past CPS involvement across exit types. The associations between the two indicators of past CPS involvement and exit type were estimated in multinomial logistic regression models. The outcome variable was final exit type (achieved permanency, aged out, criminal justice involvement, other). Covariates include demographic and case characteristics and cohort year. SAS version 9.4 was used to organize data and analyses were conducted using Stata-MP, version 14.0.

Results:

Overall, 44.4% of youth exited care via permanency, 28.1% aged-out, 12.9 had criminal justice involvement, and 14.6% exited in other ways. Nearly two-thirds of youth had a history of allegations of abuse or neglect prior to placement with probation. A quarter had been reported as alleged victims of maltreatment on six or more occasions prior to PSFC placement. Among all youth, 42.7% had been substantiated for maltreatment and 17.4% had experienced an earlier placement in CPS foster care (n = 1,941). The population decreased 23.5% between 2008 and 2012. Youth with a history of placement in CPS foster care were more likely to age out relative to achieving permanency in comparison to PSFC youth with no maltreatment history (RRR = 2.20; 95%CI = 1.90, 2.55). As the number of reports increased, the likelihood of exiting care by aging out increased relative to achieving permanency (p < .001).

Conclusions and Implications:

Findings document that CPS involvement was common among youth in PSFC, the overlap between CPS and probation was consistent over time, and early experiences were associated with exit outcomes. Findings also highlight that CPS records have the potential to aid in the identification of youth who are particularly vulnerable to negative exits from PSFC. This is meaningful given that information about a youth’s history of maltreatment allegations and CPSFC placements are documented before the child begins the PSFC placement.