Samantha McCartney, Jessie Neel, and Carson Pennypacker
Slide 2
Today, youth who age out of the nations foster care system are
at high risk of having difficulty managing the transition from
dependent adolescence to independent adulthood. They experience
high rates of educational failure, unemployment, poverty,
out-of-wedlock parenting, mental illness, housing instability, and
victimization. The government takes children away from their
parents under the presumption that the government can provide for
them better.
Slide 3
The government tries to reunite the youth with their families,
but when that isnt possible they try to find them another permanent
home through adoption. At the end of the day it is the government,
acting as parents, that decides when foster youth are ready to be
on their own.
Slide 4
According to estimates from the federal Adoption and Foster
Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS), 542,000 children lived
in out- of-home care on September 30, 2001. Of these children, 55%
were black and/or Hispanic 52% were male 48% lived with nonrelative
foster parents 24% lived in relative foster care 18% lived in group
homes 4% in a pre-adoptive home 3% were living at home during a
trial home visit 2% had run away from care
Slide 5
Child welfare agencies are required to make reasonable efforts
to prevent placement of children in out-of-home care, usually in
the form of social services for their families. If the children and
youth cannot return to the care of their families, the child
welfare agency and the court attempt to find another permanent home
for the child through adoptive or legal guardianship.
Slide 6
Wulczyn and Brunner Hislop analyzed placement histories and
discharge outcomes of all youth in twelve states. Few youth who age
out of care actually grow up in the foster care system. This should
not be surprising given that the median age of children entering
foster care is less than nine years, and about half of all children
leave care within one year of entry. 47% of these youth were
returned to their families at discharge from the child welfare
system.
Slide 7
What responsibility should the child welfare system bear for
preparing foster youth for independent living?
Slide 8
Former foster youth must face the transition to independence
with significant deficits in educational attainment, and they do
not appear to make up for these deficits during the transition.
These deficits put them at a significant disadvantage in the labor
market and are likely to contribute to some of the other negative
outcomes they experience. Researchers found that: 66% of the
eighteen-year-olds discharged from care in had not graduated from
high school
Slide 9
Former foster youth suffer from more mental health problems
than the general population. They face sexual and physical
victimization. 25% of the males and 15% of the females reported
experiencing physical victimization Former foster youth experience
mental health problems during the transition to adulthood, which
raises concerns about their ability to maintain healthy
relationships and employment.
Slide 10
Not much research has been conducted on substance use among
former foster youth, because youth who have serious substance abuse
problems may end up moving from the child welfare system into the
juvenile corrections system due to behavior associated with their
substance abuse before they age out of foster care. 6% of
alcoholics reported lived in out-of-home care 39% of those were not
clinically diagnosed
Slide 11
Former foster youth have a higher rate of involvement with the
criminal justice system than the general population. 28% of males
and 6% of females from a New Orleans study had been convicted of
crime. A criminal record can limit the future employment and
housing prospects of these youth.
Slide 12
Former foster children tend to have higher rates of marital
separation and divorce, lower rates of marital satisfaction, are
more likely to remain single, and have higher rates of premarital
births than their peers. 31% of former foster children surveyed
were single mothers
Slide 13
46% of former foster youth reported having children with higher
rates of health, education, and behavior problems than their peers.
Many of these former foster youth make for unfavorable marriage
partners because of these mental health, education, and behavior
problems.
Slide 14
Research implies former foster children are less financially
independent, depending more on public assistance than their peers.
30% reported having public assistance after leaving care 53%
reported having serious money problems after leaving care 1/3
reported doing something illegal to earn money Former foster youth
tend to have higher rates of unemployment and lower wages, which
eventually results in poverty.
Slide 15
Research indicates former foster children have higher rates of
mobility, housing instability, and homelessness. 32% surveyed lived
in six or more places after being out of foster care for two and a
half to four years 25% were homeless for at least one night after
leaving care
Slide 16
Most research notes former foster youth have higher rates of
social isolation and lower rates of civic engagement than their
peers. Only 30% of former foster children surveyed indicated
belonging to any organization.
Slide 17
Do you think former foster care children should keep in touch
with their biological parents after they leave foster care?
Slide 18
Research suggests former foster youth do keep in touch with
their mothers and to their fathers, but to a lesser degree.
Research indicates 1/3 1/2 of former foster youth keep in touch
with their mothers monthly. 88% reported visiting with their
siblings at least once after leaving care.
Slide 19
Contact with their biological and foster families suggests a
source of natural support for former foster youth during their
transition into adulthood. 54% of former foster youth reported
living with a relative after leaving care. Even though former
foster youth may stay in touch with their families, some still
report not having a psychological parent they can turn to for
advice.
Slide 20
Children enter foster care because their safety is at risk in
their own homes. 1/5 of former foster children suffer from
maltreatment, which results in physical and mental health problems,
difficulties in forming interpersonal relationships, impaired
cognitive development, reduced educational attainment, and
increased rates of delinquency. Therefore, children age out of
foster care and suffer from pasts of trauma and neglect.
Slide 21
The foster care system should protect children from
maltreatment and help them from the maltreatment already
experienced to improve their transition to adulthood. Research
suggests foster care does not have positive or negative effects on
children removed from their homes.
Slide 22
Because foster care removes children from unsafe homes, it is
believed to save children, but when three certain characteristics
of foster care are present, foster care can actually have negative
effects on children. These three characteristics include placement
instability, poor attention to educational needs, and inadequate
medical care.
Slide 23
Childrens placement numbers predict their readiness to live
independently once they are older adolescents. Fewer placements for
foster care children are associated with higher rates of life
satisfaction, better physical functioning, higher educational
attainment, and lower levels of criminal activity.
Slide 24
Foster care children enter care behind in educational
achievement and never catch up while in care. 1/3 of elementary-age
foster children and 2/3 of high school-age foster children repeated
at least one grade. Because of their frequent placements, special
needs in the classroom are unnoticed by teachers, caseworkers, and
foster care parents.
Slide 25
Foster care children dont receive adequate medical care,
contributing to health problems which continue into emerging
adulthood. 78% of foster children are at risk for HIV, but only 9%
are tested
Slide 26
Since 1961, the federal government has reimbursed the states
for the cost of foster care provided to poor children taken from
their home by court order 1980s: child welfare advocates started to
push for funding to help foster care youth prepare for
adulthood
Slide 27
1985: The Independent Living Initiative provided funds to the
states to help adolescents develop skills to live on their own
Reauthorized in 1993: Independent Living Program Services available
to youth ages 16-21 Outreach programs Training in daily living
skills Education and employment assistance Counseling Case
management ILP can NOT be used for room and board
Slide 28
After the creation of the ILP (Independent Living Program) the
government did not require a lot of reporting from the states The
ILP had no established method to review the states progress in
helping youths in the transition from foster care. 1998: Only about
60% of all eligible youth received some type of independent living
service
Slide 29
1999: The FCIA amended Title IV-E to give states more funding
and flexibility to help support teens who are transitioning into
independent living Doubled independent living services funding up
to $140 million per year Allowed states to use up to 30% of these
funds for room and board Enabled states to assist 18-21 year olds
who have left foster care Permits states to extend Medicaid
eligibility An amendment to this law allowed congress to
appropriate $60 million per year for education and training
vouchers of up to $5000 per year for youth up to 23 years old
Slide 30
Under the FCIA, state performance is a much higher priority The
department of HHS (Health and Human Services) is required to assess
state performance in managing independent living programs, and
states are required to collect data on the outcomes 1.5% of funding
is set aside for rigorous evaluations of promising independent
living programs The program created under the FCIA is called the
Chafee Foster Care Independence Program referred to as the Chafee
Program Named after John Chafee, a senator who was a legislative
advocate for foster youth
Slide 31
Independent Living Services Describes a wide range of
approaches to meeting the needs of youth who are expected to age
out of foster care or who already have No way to categorize all
services provided by Independent Living Services By categorizing
the services it can give a false impression that programs
specialize in only certain areas Public and Private agencies
provide multiple services, serve broad populations, and focus on
multiple outcomes Life skills training, mentoring programs,
transitional housing, health and behavioral services, educational
services, and employment services
Slide 32
What are some independent living services that you think would
help foster care teens transition into adulthood and
independence?
Slide 33
Life Skills Probably the most common element of independent
living programs Practice skills they will have to master to survive
on their own Mentoring Services Establish connections between youth
and caring adults, and some peer mentorship programs also exist
Housing One of the most important areas because youth are
responsible for obtaining their own housing The FCIA helped by
extending funding for room and board through 21 years old, but the
funding isnt usually enough
Slide 34
Educational Services Increase literacy Help teens to start a
career path Connect them with educational/vocational programs These
services are NOT available to all foster youth 2/5 of eligible
foster youth do NOT receive independent living services For those
who do receive services, it is unlikely that they receive all
available to them
Slide 35
Doubled federal funding for independent living services Allowed
states to spend some new funds on housing for youth of 18 to 21
years old Advocates for foster youth believe housing is essential
for helping youth achieve independence Federal Reimbursement for
costs of Medicaid for former foster youth 18 to 21 years old Before
FCIA, former youth could only receive Medicaid if they were
eligible for other reasons (ex: poor young women with children) New
Focus on outcomes and program evaluation FCIA is the first federal
child welfare legislation that specifies measure of well-being for
the state to monitor
Slide 36
$140 million increase is significant, but is only a small
amount compared to the population size The FCIA allows states to
use the Chafee Program Funds to provide services to those under 16
In September 2001, there were 100,056 youth 16+ in foster care =
$1,400 available per year per eligible youth This does not include
those who have aged out of care or left foster care There are about
60,000 eligible youth for housing assistance. If the the state
spends the maximum 30% of the Chafee Funds on housing, there would
be $700 per person to spend. The success of the FCIA in achieving
it goals will require more funding that what is provided
currently
Slide 37
Only a few states have chosen to extend Medicaid eligibility
for former foster youth Poor knowledge base supporting independent
living services Finding answers to what works in helping foster
youth successfully transition to adulthood is hard to find Most
important limitation: Target Population Few youth actually age out
of foster care Include all foster youth who spent time in foster
care after 16 years old ILS rarely reach out to those who leave
foster and are discharged to family members
Slide 38
Children who run away from foster care are the most at risk of
poor adult outcomes This group of teens may be the most help in
finding out what is missing from current efforts to help foster
teens prepare for independence The lack of the Independent Living
Programs to try and reengage runaway youth and of policies to
target their needs shows a reluctance to serve the most needy
foster youth
Slide 39
The adolescent population in the child welfare system is the
most needy group on their transition to adulthood These teens are
the victims of their own kin The current policy for foster youth is
not ideal, and the resources available to these youth are still
inadequate There is hope that the current support will lead some
states or jurisdictions to set an example for others to follow
These examples would hopefully lead to needed changes in our
federal policy Want these youth to be treated as our children