All had received independent living services, the most common being individual therapy, educational support, skill-building seminars, and housing assistance. I know it sounds odd, but I just spent the last 3 years of my life with very little, if any, ability to dictate my own schedule. Additional questions targeted only those youth who left care before age 21 and those who returned to live with their biological families. She is active in numerous national organizations devoted to the practice and teaching of macro social work. The continued involvement of the child welfare agencies made it possible for the researchers to maintain their role on the rare occasion when a youth needed a referral. One need only take note of the “adverse events” participants faced to appreciate the number and frequency of challenges confronting them. Sunny Harris Rome 1. This study suggests that it is unrealistic to expect youth to achieve self-sufficiency during the first year after leaving care. To minimize any conflict of interest, the team notified the participant as part of the informed consent process, and assigned that youth to the graduate research assistant rather than to one of the student’s potential academic advisors or instructors. Eligibility for benefits and services must be flexible enough to help support youth during their transition to independence. Furthermore, Northern Virginia has one of the highest housing costs in the nation. Vulnerability of the participants complicated the role of the researchers, who were repeatedly challenged to maintain the integrity of the research in the face of requests for assistance or advice. Consequently, she was unable to work in the field for which she was trained and instead took a job as a cashier, earning far less than would otherwise have been possible. Finally, youth aging out are more likely to suffer from poor physical and mental health (Courtney, 2007; Lopez & Allen, 2007). FundingThe author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: The research was conducted with support from the Office of the Provost at George Mason University. Our findings are more consistent with studies showing that, for some youth, being a parent has a positive effect; these youth, who experience their children as a source of motivation and stability, are more likely to transition successfully (Haight, Finet, Bamba, & Helton, 2009; Stein, 2008). Six of the biological fathers were identified as living, and nine were listed as “unknown.” Sixteen of the youth had had contact during the past year with the family members from whom they had been removed. The first few weeks with a new foster or adopted child is very stressful. The parenting youth were also more successful than those in national studies, who exhibit lower rates of college completion, higher unemployment, and lower earnings than their peers (Courtney et al., 2007). Youth were interviewed about their ongoing contact with biological family, their foster families, and the child welfare agency. All had received independent living services, the most common being individual therapy, educational support, skill-building seminars, and housing assistance. The email address and/or password entered does not match our records, please check and try again. The youth were itinerant, moving from one temporary living situation to another, in and out of employment, and in and out of school. Please read and accept the terms and conditions and check the box to generate a sharing link. Which are most challenging? Although some could name no one, others identified a range of individuals. Most of the youth first thought about college while in high school, and many credited their social workers for helping them. At the end of the study, one youth was meeting all her financial obligations without assistance, eight were living independently, 12 were either in school or working, 12 were managing without government assistance, and 15 had stable living arrangements. Adverse events began immediately and many youth were unsure how to navigate the system to get help. Most youth relied on two to three sources of income to cover their living expenses. In some ways, the youth in this study appear to have fared better than those depicted in the literature (Courtney, 2009; Geenen & Powers, 2007). As one youth stated, “Being an adult is harder than being a student, and it’s more expensive. Recommendations include providing specialized services that target youth as they exit the system, and emphasizing stability rather than self-sufficiency. Rather than being retrospective (Fowler et al., 2011; Schiff, 2006; Stott, 2012) or capturing data at fairly substantial longitudinal intervals (Dworsky, Napolitano, & Courtney, 2013; Yates & Grey, 2012), this study involved contemporaneous data collection as each youth moved through the first 12 months after exiting care. Participants were most successful in education; they displayed high rates of school attendance and completion. Despite earlier preparation for independent living, many remain unprepared to meet the challenges of adulthood. Parry and Weatherhead (2014) conducted a metasynthesis of nine qualitative and mixed-methods studies, from three countries, that examined the narratives of youth who were transitioning or had transitioned out of care. For nearly 40%, the initial living situation lasted less than 3 months. Ten of the youth left care at age 21; nine left prior to 21. One youth said, “Foster care helps you, but it makes you a slave to the system. FundingThe author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: The research was conducted with support from the Office of the Provost at George Mason University. The researchers routinely reminded youth of the number of remaining meetings and, following the final interview, gave youth the opportunity to reflect on their participation and offer feedback. (, Courtney, M. E., Dworsky, A., Brown, A., Cary, C., Love, K., Vorhies, V. (, Courtney, M. E., Dworsky, A., Cusick, G. R., Havlicek, J., Perez, A., Keller, T. (, Courtney, M. E., Piliavin, I., Grogan-Kaylor, A., Nesmith, A. Adverse employment events were the most common, with disruptions to relationships, housing, and education being both less common and more or less equally likely to occur. As no one else came forward, it fell to the youth (age 21) to notify other family members, procure copies of the death certificate, arrange for the burial, and plan the memorial service. The study revealed several protective factors that can help position youth for greater stability after leaving care. The semistructured interviews focused on four of the primary domains identified in the scholarly literature as important to long-term success: housing, education, employment, and relationships. Contact us if you experience any difficulty logging in. The majority entered due to neglect, the child’s behavior, and/or parental alcohol abuse. For all study participants, special care was taken in effectuating termination. For two thirds, returning home was in the transition plan negotiated with the child welfare agency. Housing experiences of former foster youth: How do they fare in comparison to other youth? Similar approaches might be useful with other groups of vulnerable adolescents including runaways and those who are homeless or involved with the justice system. The first research question concerns participants’ experience with housing, employment, education, and relationships. The first concerns the precariousness and vulnerability of even those youth who are most successful in negotiating the transition out of foster care. The same questions were asked each month by the same interviewer, allowing the researchers to track changes as they occurred. Emergent themes included navigation and resilience, the psychological impact of survival, and complex relationships. When children enter foster care the primary goal is to help families resolve their challenges and reunite safely. While their living situations were often tenuous, only one youth became homeless. All of the domains examined—housing, employment, education, and relationships—show a pattern of uncertainty. Taking a snapshot at the beginning and end of the year would have masked these realities which tell us so much about the experience of transitioning out of foster care. To explore these correlates, the researchers identified two extremes within the sample: those youth who were doing well across all domains at the end of the study period (n = 8) and those who were clearly at risk (n = 3). More than half continued their education during the study period, with more than one third attending 4-year colleges. of young people who experience foster care and enable them to become the best versions of themselves. Eligibility for benefits and services must be flexible enough to help support youth during their transition to independence. Collaborative agreements were negotiated between the researchers and the public child welfare agencies in four local jurisdictions. Research should test innovations in benefits, programs, and service delivery targeted at the first 12 months, and evaluate the impact in relation to both long-term outcomes and cost. Help for states implementing Family First! This suggests that to mitigate long-term negative effects, additional services should be introduced immediately upon emancipation. Please check you selected the correct society from the list and entered the user name and password you use to log in to your society website. None of the youth who had been assigned official mentors found them to be especially helpful; instead, they found their own informal mentors, ranging from an upstairs neighbor to a staff person at the local community college. One youth successfully completed the course work required for a nursing position but could not afford the US$150 fee for the actual certificate. In our first son’s case, the foster family felt they needed to say goodbye quickly for their own emotional concerns. This is because they were not receiving Medicaid at the time they aged out of care. Of those doing well across all domains, 13% were African American, 25% entered care at age 14 or younger, and 12% had four or more foster care placements. For example, it might be possible to increase employment stability by providing job coaches while youth are still in foster care and having them remain with the youth throughout the transition. Sharing links are not available for this article. Finally, consistent with other research, having a relationship with a stable and caring adult emerged as a protective factor. Lean Library can solve it. The operating assumption was that the first 12 months after exiting foster care can be a pivotal time in determining a youth’s longer term trajectory. One mother pressured the youth to supply her with marijuana (at the youth’s expense). Responses to some of the questions were tallied; however, a premium was placed on capturing the essence of the personal narratives and rich detail of the interviews to gain insight into the participants’ subjective experience. Five months after exiting foster care, he owed US$1,400 in rent and was threatened with eviction. For more information view the SAGE Journals Sharing page. Because her sister could not afford to support her, she left 1 month later and moved in with her cousin, only to return to her sister the following month. Their biggest stressor, by far, was money. Risk factors include being on probation, accumulating fines, and losing government assistance. Study participants held a wide range of jobs including model, nursing assistant, handyman, dishwasher, art teacher, and prostitute. Here are few topics to focus on first. All of the participants’ biological mothers were living, including one who was incarcerated. All had completed high school or were in school when they left care. Miriam Raskin . The sample was divided a second time to account for the entire population of youth in the study. It investigates: whether extending foster care past age 18 influence youths' outcomes during the transition to adulthood; the factors that influence the types of support youth receive; and how living arrangements and other services that result from extending foster care influence the relationship between extending care and youth outcomes. . Six of the biological fathers were identified as living, and nine were listed as “unknown.” Sixteen of the youth had had contact during the past year with the family members from whom they had been removed. The average hourly wage was US$9.48—more than the state’s minimum wage of US$7.25/hour but less than the local “living wage” of US$12.75/hour. Lack of money also interfered with youth having reliable transportation, computer access, and cell phone service. The authors used monthly, contemporaneous interviews to explore domains including housing, employment, education, and relationships with trusted adults. As one youth remarked, “Each kid has a different path that they can take; even a good path has crap along the way.” Said another, “When you’re in the gutter, you must not falter. Seven participating youth returned to live with their biological families (or other caregivers from whom they had been removed). However, when that is not achieved children can become free for adoption. Get involved. In describing her experience, one youth advised, “Set limits, especially with your biological family.” Knowing who to trust was mentioned as an ongoing challenge by several youth, as was difficulty managing anger. For example, although only one youth became homeless, many (particularly those returning home) experienced profound housing insecurity, which can be equally disruptive to success. Taking a snapshot at the beginning and end of the year would have masked these realities which tell us so much about the experience of transitioning out of foster care. Despite these limitations, the results (derived from monthly contact with participants over the course of a year) provide a valuable narrative that sheds light on the lived experience of youth during the first 12 months after leaving foster care, adding texture to existing quantitative data and raising questions that can lead to the development of hypotheses and further empirical research. By the end of the year, however, he had lost all three jobs—one due to an altercation with a customer, one due to recurrent tardiness, and one due to downsizing. The results of this qualitative, phenomenological study are not intended to be generalized. As a result, participants were more inclined to divulge sensitive details. Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. A list of 2020 and 2019 state legislation and additional guidance can be found on our Family First Legislation page. As the oldest child, she felt responsible for her sibling’s safety and well-being. Contact Us. But, as a prospective foster parent, you may have questions about why children are separated from their parents and how you would support that reunification plan. One participant solicited money from the researcher. The semistructured interviews focused on four of the primary domains identified in the scholarly literature as important to long-term success: housing, education, employment, and relationships. The average hourly wage was US$9.48—more than the state’s minimum wage of US$7.25/hour but less than the local “living wage” of US$12.75/hour. In addition, the group that was “doing well” included all the youth who were parents. Table 1. Finally, participation was optional; this self-selection may have favored youth who had positive experiences with the child welfare system. Create a link to share a read only version of this article with your colleagues and friends. A longitudinal study of youth aging out in three Midwestern states found that only 46% were employed at age 26, most earned too little to meet their basic needs, and over half relied on government assistance (Courtney et al., 2011). Testimony before the subcommittee on income security and family support, committee on ways and means, U.S. house of representatives, The difficult transition to adulthood for foster youth in the U.S.: Implications for the state as corporate parent, Early outcomes for young adults transitioning from out-of-home care in the USA, Foster youth transitions to adulthood: A longitudinal view of youth leaving care, Homelessness during the transition from foster care to adulthood, Emerging adulthood and leaving foster care: Settings associated with mental health, “Tomorrow is another problem”: The experiences of youth in foster care during their transition into adulthood, The beliefs of resilient African-American adolescent mothers transitioning from foster care to independent living: A case-based analysis, Support and challenges in the process of leaving care: A Swedish qualitative follow-up study of foster youths lived experiences, Families of origin, foster care experience, and the transition to adulthood, Leaving care: Looking ahead and aiming higher, Approaching the transition to adulthood: Distinctive profiles of adolescents aging out of the child welfare system, Addressing the health needs of adolescents transitioning out of foster care, A critical review of qualitative research into the experiences of young adults leaving foster care services, Educational and employment outcomes of adults formerly placed in foster care: Results from the Northwest Foster Care Alumni study, Protecting adolescents from harm: Findings from the National Longitudinal Study on Adolescent Health, Leaving care: Retrospective reports by alumni of Israeli group homes, Placement instability and risky behaviors of youth aging out of foster care, Adapting to aging out: Profiles of risk and resilience among emancipated foster youth, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2015, Courtney, Piliavin, Grogan-Kaylor, & Nesmith, 2001, Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative, 2011, https://www.chapinhall.org/sites/default/files/old_reports/387.pdf, http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2013/08/01/a-rising-share-of-young-adults-live-in-their-parents-home/, https://thenationalcampaign.org/resource/science-says-27, http://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/cb/afcarsreport22.pdf, Striving and Dreaming: A Grounded Theory of the Transition to Adulthood for Cross-Systems Youth. 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