Foster Youth and the Transition to Adulthood: Findings from the Midwest Study Mark Courtney Amy Dworsky

1. Foster Youth and the Transition to Adulthood: Findings from the Midwest Study Mark Courtney Amy Dworsky

2. Presentation Outline • Background and Policy Context • Midwest Study • Design and Sample • Natural Experiment • Major Findings • Policy and Practice Implications • Some Recent State Initiatives

3. Why Study Youth Aging Out of Foster Care? • Their well-being is a good indicator of how adequately the child welfare system is addressing the needs of children in state care more generally • Their transition to adulthood is likely to be more challenging than that faced by youth with the financial and emotional supports that parents typically provide • Federal child welfare policy focuses specifically on this population

4. Background • Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980 (P.L. 96-272) established permanency as a fundamental goal for all children placed in state care • Approximately 20,000 foster youth who do not achieve permanency “age out” of care each year • Until 1985, states were not required to prepare their foster youth for independent living and no federal funding was earmarked for this purpose

5. Background • Title IV-E Independent Living Program created in 1985 to help states prepare their foster youth to live on their own • Gradual increase in the provision of independent living services as well as in the population of foster youth eligible to be served • Yet no evidence that that the outcomes of former foster youth had significantly improved • Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 created the Chafee Foster Care Independence Program

6. Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 • Doubled the amount of federal funding available to states • Allowed states to use up to 30 percent of their funds to pay for room and board (prohibited under Title IV-E) • Requires states to provide after-care services to former foster youth until age 21 (state option under Title IV-E) • Granted states the option of extending Medicaid coverage to 18- to 20-year-old former foster youth but only 17states have exercised this option • Education and Training Voucher (ETV) program provides foster youth with up to $5,000 per year for post-secondary education or training (2001 amendment)

7. Purpose of the Midwest Study • Examine the outcomes of foster youth “aging out” of care under the Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 and the Chafee Foster Care Independence Program • Provide states with information they can use to better address the needs of this population

8. Study Design and Sample • Largest longitudinal study of foster youth making the transition to adulthood under FCIA • Sample included foster youth in Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois who: • Were still in care at age 17 • Had entered care before their 16th birthday • Had been placed in care because they were neglected or abused

9. Study Design and Sample (continued)

10. Natural Experiment • State laws differ with respect to extending court supervision of foster youth beyond age 18 • Illinois has been one of the few states that allows foster youth to remain in care until age 21 • 282 of the 603 foster youth interviewed at age 19 were still in care---all but two from Illinois • Comparing their outcomes to the outcomes of the 321 foster youth who were no longer in care at age 19 can help us understand what the effects of permitting foster youth to remain in care might be

11. Demographic Characteristics

12. Findings from Baseline Interviews at Age 17 or 18

13. Placement History Characteristics

14. Educational Risk Factors at Baseline .

15. Psychosocial Risk Factors at Baseline

16. Findings from Follow Up Interviews at Age 19

17. Living Arrangements at Age 19 by Care Status

18. Educational Attainment at Age 19 by Care Status

19. Employment and Earnings at Age 19 by Care Status

20. Health and Mental Health: Problems and Access to Services at Age 19 by Care Status

21. Pregnancy and Parenthood at Age 19 by Care Status

22. Criminal Justice System Involvement and Victimization

23. Receipt of Independent Living Services

24. Optimism about the Future

25. Summary of Findings • Youth aging out of foster care continue to face significant and often multiple challenges during the transition to adulthood and many are still not prepared to live independently • However, foster youth who were still in care at age 19 were faring better across a number of domains than their peers who had left

26. Policy Implications • Results raise questions about the wisdom of federal and state policies that require or encourage states to discharge youth at age 18 • Need for policy change at both the state and federal level so that foster youth can remain in care until age 21 regardless of whether they are working or in school • Federal government could modify Title IV-E so that states can claim reimbursement for foster care maintenance payments made on behalf of youth beyond age 18 • All states could increase access to health and mental health care services by extending Medicaid coverage to former foster youth until age 21

27. Recent Developments at the State Level: Washington State • Under legislation passed in 2006, a maximum of 50 foster youth each year can remain in care until age 21 if they are enrolled in a post-secondary academic or vocational program • Pending legislation proposes to • Extend Medicaid to all youth aging out of care • Create a housing program for foster youth aging out of care that would provide housing stipends and supplemental case management services. • Establish a pilot program for foster youth community coordinators to assist youth with the transition to independent living • Allow former foster youth who are not yet 21 to return to care for no more than 6 months

28. Recent Developments at the State Level: Iowa • Youth are eligible to remain in care on a voluntary basis past their 18th birthday only if they are working toward their high school diploma or GED • However, Iowa recently created the Aftercare Services Network to address the needs of youth ages of 18 to 21 who have aged out of foster care • Youth may be eligible for rent subsidies or a monthly stipend from the Preparation for Adult Living (PAL) Program if they • Have an approved living arrangement • Are enrolled in an education or training program or employed full-time • Demonstrate financial need

29. Recent Developments at the State Level: Vermont and Rhode Island • Vermont Governor proposed to fund voluntary services for foster youth until age 21 if they are working or attending an education or training program • Rhode Island Governor proposed to lower the cutoff age for foster care services to 18 from 21 as part of cost-cutting measures

30. For more information about the Midwest Study: www.chapinhall.org