Strengthening Foster Youth Services at the Intersection of Disability and Adulthood Transitions

Background and Purpose: Fifty-three percent of foster youth aging out of care in the U.S. have a disability; however, youth with disabilities are often excluded in studies. Youth with disabilities rely on targeted supports and services that bolster their capabilities and social inclusion during the transition to adulthood. Federal policies in the United States provide states with flexible funding to assist foster youth aging out of care at age 18 with education, employment, and independent living services (ILS). However, understanding service receipt based on disability status is limited. Therefore, we explore the following research questions: (1) What was the overall rate of receiving 3 categories of services (education, employment, and ILS) among foster youth by disability status? (2) To what extent did the receipt of services vary by type of disability across 3 age cohorts? and (3) What are the predictors of service use by disability?

Methods: We analyzed service data from the FY 2017 National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD) merged with the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS), which yielded a total of 16,254 cases. NYTD includes foster youth from all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, and service use is reported in six-month intervals. We conducted bivariate analyses of service categories (independent living, employment, and educational) and disability status during the two-year periods before ages 17, 19, and 21. We also estimated logistic regression models to control for specific disability type (intellectual, sensory, physical, and emotional), demographic characteristics, and child welfare system experiences.

Results: Youth at age 17 with a disability received higher percentages of educational (74.7%) and employment (48.1%) services (p < .001) compared to those without disabilities (65.8% and 44.5% respectively). Service utilization generally increased around age 19, while a divergence emerged at age 21. In the logistic regression models, all disability types were associated with a higher likelihood of education service receipt at ages 17, 19, and 21 compared to foster youth without disabilities. However, mixed results emerged for employment service receipt and ILS receipt by disability type. For example, at age 17, an emotional disability was associated with a higher likelihood of employment service receipt while a physical disability was associated with a lower likelihood.

Conclusions and Implications: The inclusion of foster youth with disabilities is critical for ensuring equitable access to services that facilitate transitions to adulthood. Educational services are more likely to be used by foster youth with disabilities compared to those with no disabilities, but the receipt of independent living services at age 21 varied by disability status. Moreover, employment service use is lower among foster care youth with disabilities compared to other services. Further research is needed to assess the divergence in service receipt from age 19 to 21 to strengthen policies and programs that support a more equitable path to independence.