Outcomes for Youth Aging out of Foster Care: A Secondary Analysis of Service Provision Using the National Youth in Transition Dataset

Background and Purpose:

Youth who have aged out of foster care and been emancipated as young adults face a myriad of obstacles to success. Research demonstrates that youth who have aged out of foster care have lower educational outcomes, higher rates of unemployment, increased homelessness, and more frequent contact with the criminal justice system. Funding provided by the Chafee Foster Care Independence Program allows states to provide services to youth to prepare them for adulthood. Studies have independently examined specific services among small samples of youth who have exited care; however, no national longitudinal examination of a large cross-section of services has been completed. The purpose of this research is to examine the relationship between service provision for youth exiting care and subsequent outcomes in young adulthood by analyzing a nationally representative longitudinal dataset. We hypothesize that youth who receive a cross-section of services designed to build independence will result in improved outcomes in education, stability, and employment.  

Methods:

This secondary data analysis was conducted using Services and Outcome data from the National Youth in Transition Dataset for the first complete cohort of youth collected from 2011 to 2015. Services data are collected annually from administrative reports reported at the local jurisdiction level. Services include independent living needs assessments, academic and post-secondary supports, career preparation, risk prevention, mentoring, housing education, health and risk prevention, and room and board financial assistance. Outcomes data are collected biennially through self-report of youth who are 17 years old in care.  Follow up years occur when the youth is 19 and 21. Outcome measures include employment, public assistance, education level, homelessness, incarceration, and having children. For this analysis, only youth who responded in the baseline year in 2011 and who responded at both follow up reporting periods will be included.

Logistic regression was used to predict outcomes based on the service provision for youth controlling for demographic variables. Only youth who had responded to all outcome questions at all three data collection points (17, 19, and 21 years old) were included in this study (n=6884).

 

Results:

Results from the analysis show strong correlation to multiple services and positive outcome measures for youth. Stepwise likelihood ratio logistic regression show that for each outcome measure (i.e., full-time employment, part-time employment, public assistance, homelessness, incarceration, and having children) the resulting model significantly predicted the outcome measure through multiple services. Ten services (i.e., housing, health, special education, post-secondary financing, budgeting, educational funding, independent living, room and board financing, mentorship, and career planning) were significantly predictive in at least one model. Housing education and management was the most predictive service, showing significance in five of the six outcome measures.

Conclusions and Implications:

The results from this study indicate a need for further development of comprehensive intervention services for older youth. Wraparound services aimed at providing an array of support may best serve the needs of youth who exits systems of care. Services aimed at building self-sufficiency may be especially salient for youth as they exit foster care into young adulthood.