Running head: YOUTH AGING OUT OF THE FOSTER CARE SYSTEM

Youth Aging Out of the Foster Care System Comprehensive Paper Katherine E. Kutzli Michigan State University FSHS 713-Adolescents and Their Families April 16, 2012

Youth Aging Out of the Foster Care System

Abstract Approximately 24,000 youth in foster care age out of the system each year (Gardner, 2008, p. 3). Not surprisingly, the research that exists on outcomes for foster care alumni shows that these youth are at a higher risk for homelessness, unemployment, illness, incarceration, welfare dependency, and sexual and physical victimization than their peers (Gardner, 2008, p. 3). With numerous potential economic, social, and psychological barriers in addition to challenges stemming from the child welfare system, this group of youth is entering a world in which they are ill prepared. With a solid support system and assistance, these youth have the potential to become healthy, self-sufficient adults. By identifying and implementing best practices for youth aging out of the foster care system, this group of youth can make a successful transition into adulthood.

Youth Aging Out of the Foster Care System

Introduction When a parent or guardian is unable to provide nominal care and a safe environment for their children, the children are often placed into the child welfare system where they become permanent or temporary wards of the state. The purpose of foster care in Michigan is to provide a safe, stable, lasting family environment where youth can grow and prosper if reunification with a family member or guardian is not feasible (Department of Human Services, 2011, p. 1). Having a supportive permanent foster family however, is not a reality for many youth in the system. Being shuffled from placement to placement, attending numerous schools, having few personal possessions, and being separated from their siblings is not out of the norm. It is because of the reality that foster youth are faced with that is it absolutely vital to support these youth during this time and through their transition into adulthood. The four biggest barriers for this group of youth include employment, suitable housing, health care, and educational attainment. While all of these are areas that youth face at some point, youth aging out of foster care have the additional complication of doing it alone. For some who are fortunate, their foster families will continue to provide support as they become independent. However, most are not this fortunate, and without a support system in place, the likelihood of success decreases dramatically. Nationally, in 2009 there were an estimated 435,00 youth in foster care (Childrens Bureau, n.d., p. ii). For those who have not reached a permanent status with a parent or guardian, or been adopted, they continue to live in the foster care system until they age out or reach the age of majority. For many states like Michigan, the age of majority is 18. Approximately 29,400 youth aged out of the foster care system in 2009,

Youth Aging Out of the Foster Care System 1,118 in the state of Michigan (McCoy-Roth, DeVooght, & Fletcher, 2011, p. 1,6). The focus of this paper is on youth aging out of foster care, their needs, potential outcomes, available research, current policy, and best practices. My interest in this topic stems from a desire to help change the lives of at-risk youth. Those in the foster care

system, those who drift along with little to no support or encouragement, those who need a stable, secure, safe environment. By researching I hope to move one step closer to helping those in need. Youth Aging Out of the Foster Care System When youth reach the age of majority in the general population, its a celebration, a move toward adulthood. When youth in the foster care system reach the age of majority, it can be terrifying. Many lose their housing, healthcare, and financial backing. They are, in a sense, being abandoned. Left ill prepared for the harsh realities of independent living, with a lack of a solid support system and limited knowledge of necessary life-skills. In the United States, the typical youth is partially dependent on their parents until they reach the age of 24 (Hanaway, 2010, p. 5). Financially, parents may continue to help with insurance, groceries, school tuition, cell phone and health care payments, etc. (Hanaway, 2010, p. 5). Emotionally, parents may serve as a support system for their children when they need advice or just someone to talk to. Many youth transitioning out of foster care do not have this safety net put in place. While the lifestyle of youth in foster care can vary greatly, many experience periods of emotional, physical, and psychological distress. Youth staying with foster families are more likely than youth staying with their family of origin to struggle adapting to changing school environments and have substandard health (Scannapieco,

Youth Aging Out of the Foster Care System Connel-Carrick, & Painter, 2007, p. 425). Many females transitioning out of the foster care system will end up giving birth to at least one child. Scannapieco, Connel-Carrick,

and Painter (2007) state that over 60% of women will have a child out of wedlock within four years of exiting the system (p. 426). High rates of crime exist for those aging out of the foster care system. According to Atkinson (2008) 41% of youth transitioning out of foster care spent time in a correctional facility (p. 190). In addition to high rates of criminal activity, youth are more likely to be victimized, homeless, charged with a crime, victims of violence, and women are more likely to be sexually assaulted (Atkinson, 2008). There was a clear correlation between the number of placements a youth had been in and the likelihood of having a prison record; and the more placements, the greater likelihood of violence in their relationships (Atkinson, 2008). Education is an important component for the success of youth in foster care. Unfortunately, many foster care youth do not graduate from high school nor do they get a GED. Some of this is due to multiple foster placements, school changes, and the fact that most foster youth come in to the system following abuse and/or neglect. Atkinson (2008) says that many foster youth suffer academically because they do not have a caring adult who shows an interest in them or in their education. Additionally, 65% of foster youth report that they never had a parent or guardian attend a parent/teacher conference. The message this sends to the foster youth is that theyre not important or worthy and their education is not a priority. This is additionally unfortunate since many foster youth say they want to go on to college. Lack of a high school diploma or GED puts an immediate stop to that, and no education, agency, foster parent, or parent support to help them reach that goal makes it a virtual impossibility. It is estimated that every time a youth changes

Youth Aging Out of the Foster Care System

schools, they lose 4-6 months; given an average of seven school changes from elementary through high school, that means a loss of 28-42 months of schooling (Atkinson, 2008). Low scores in math and reading, performing below peers on standardized tests Youth who are about to age out of the foster care system without a high school diploma or GED are set up for failure. Particularly with the economic downturn this country has been facing, looking for and getting a job is much more problematic. Jobs just arent available for people without what is considered a most basic education. These youth are going out into the world with very little if any support. Most dont have families to help them set up an apartment, help with transportation, food, health care, clothing or to give moral support. As someone who has recently transitioned out of college, I know first hand what it takes to be completely on your own. Foster youthmany at age 18-are being put out into the world without adequate education or the knowledge of how to be self-sufficient. Finding an apartment, signing a lease, health insurance, finding a doctor, transportation, grocery shopping, meal preparation, getting a bank account, writing checks, developing a positive credit history, and for those with a chance to go to college, filling out the FAFSA forms, writing college applications, looking for scholarships and grant, and then moving on to the next portion of life. And to do any of this all by yourself? Is it any wonder that so many foster youth aging out do so unsuccessfully? Youth who have aged out of the system also dont have the option of returning home as many non-foster youth do. If they have gone on to college, they have no place to return to for vacations or weekends. Assuming there is not an ongoing relationship that has been formed with foster parents, there is nobody to celebrate birthdays or holidays with. Youth at 18 are not ready to do this flying solo. Positive

Youth Aging Out of the Foster Care System youth development does not support this either. Approximately half of the general population between the ages of eighteen and twenty-four live at home. Close to two-thirds of young adults in their twenties receive economic support from their parents. Therefore, it is unrealistic to expect those in foster care to be fully prepared for independence at age eighteen with no support, financial or otherwise (Atkinson, 2008, p. 193). It has been established here that youth aging out of the foster care system at 18 is not in their best interest, nor is it in their best interest to age out at any point without the

proper support, education, and information being provided to them. The problem is twofold: aging out too early and not being prepared. Some changes are coming in both areas, fortunately. According to Governor Snyders office, legislation was signed into law in Michigan in November, 2011 that would give 18-20 year olds the option of continuing to live in a foster home or in a supervised independent living setting. Case management, living skills, counseling, and medical care would continue to be provided. The youths responsibility is to be enrolled in college, vocational education school, or work 80 hours a month. States are given the option of utilizing matching federal funds set aside by the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 (Office of the Governor, 2011). The new law in Michigan, called the Young Adult Voluntary Foster Care Act, was based on statistics that half of foster youths in Michigan aging out and only 10% will enroll in college or any training program (Office of the Governor, 2011). Allowing youth an extra three years of support is likely to make an enormous difference in their ability to become successful adults and reduce their risk of

Youth Aging Out of the Foster Care System incarceration, unemployment, and homelessness.

The other part of the issue is providing program support. Antle, Johnson, Barbee, and Sullivan (2009) suggest that creating interdependence instead of independence as youth are approaching the time at which they will age out of the system. They recommend that, involving youth at every stage of the casework process, fostering collaboration between the different systems that serve youth, teaching youth when and how to rely on external resources, and encouraging relationships between youth in care (p. 309) will help empower them to be responsible for themselves and their decisions. Parents (or foster parents) who allow and encourage their youth to gradually accept responsibility for what they do, talk through the decision making process, look at different angles of issues and problems, and connect natural consequence to bad decisions made are supporting their children as they get older. Being able to take care of yourself doesnt happen overnight, not even in the best family situations. When you take an already stressful time of life-adolescence-and add the trauma of abuse or neglect and from living in foster care, and then tell a youth at age 18, Sorry, youre all on your own now. Hope you have a good life, continues the cycle of abuse and neglect. These youth are, in fact, being neglected when this happens. Massinga and Pecora (2004) suggest that existing programs do not include enough normal activity instruction including meeting people, social skills, making and keeping friendships, or appropriate work interactions. As is true in many programs, there needs to be more balance. Another issue faced by youth aging out of foster care from non-kinship placements is whether or not to establish, re-establish, or continue a relationship with biological parents and other family members. If youth have been living in kinship care,

Youth Aging Out of the Foster Care System

they likely have a built-in support mechanism, as family members are more involved and feel some obligation to provide care. The information and education these foster youth need is different than the help needed by those living with non-family members. Depending on whether or not parental rights were terminated or how dedicated the case worker has been at facilitating family visits, foster youth may or may not have had any contact with their biological family. Immediate or extended family members can be critical for foster youth. According to Antle et al. (2009), when foster youth leave the system, they are likely to initiate or increase contact with their birth family and more than half of the youth surveyed returned home to a family member. There may or may not be risks involved with such reconnections, either physical or emotional. Youth may be disappointed (often again) if family members dont respond to them. Promises can be made (just as during foster care) and broken. Their expectations may have to be adjusted. This issue can be part of the aging out process, of discussing with a case worker, counselor, or in a group setting, the dangers of reconnecting, weighing the risks with the potential positives, and developing a way to approach the situation. As Massinga and Pecora (2004) suggested in their work, Antle et al. (2009) say that, Preparation of foster youth for adulthood (independent living) often focuses more on technical or hard skills than on soft or interpersonal and emotional self-regulation skills (p. 310). Working through the issues of reconnection with family is an example of a soft skill; it focuses on the emotional and interpersonal part of life. Providing a mentor for youth nearing the time of aging out would be beneficial for them (actually, providing a mentor for any youth in foster care is a good idea). Avery (n.d.) says that there are federal funds specifically, to provide personal and emotional

Youth Aging Out of the Foster Care System

10

support to children aging out of foster care, through mentors. (p. 10). These funds are made available through the Foster Care Independence Act of 1999. If efforts were made to match youth with a mentor well before aging out, with the requirement that the mentor understand the relationship is being designed to last over a period of years rather than the more traditional one-year commitment, then this adult would be available to the youth when s/he ages out of the system. The mentor could provide at least part of what parents (or foster parents) can and should provide to their youth as they move to independence. All children and youth need adults they can depend on, regardless of the situation or circumstances, someone they can turn to for anything. Foster youth are in a situation in which it is very possible that they will have no adult to fill that position. A mentor who is willing to make a long-term commitment would be a perfect solution for this role. Placement stability and school stability are two other critically important areas for foster youth. A move from one foster home to another can happen quite suddenly and without any warning for the child/youth, even though the foster parents have either requested the change or have been aware of the change. Foster youth are already in a tenuous situation, suffered abuse and/or neglect, having been taken away from the family and removed from their home, and taken to complete strangers. If any kind of relationship has been formed with foster parents, changing the placement further damages the youths sense of self-worth and his/her ability to rely on anything. As Stott (2012) explains, they often are not afforded the opportunity to say good-bye to friends or teachers (if they are changing schools, too), no chance of staying in touch with peers is given, personal items may be left behind, and their schedule is disrupted. Youth become apathetic, not caring about their lives or their futures. Being hesitant and distrustful of

Youth Aging Out of the Foster Care System relationships can interfere with the maintenance of healthy and respectful intimate relationships and decrease youths inclusion in positive social networks wherein risky behaviors are not condoned (Stott, 2012, p. 64). Changes in placement often result in

11

school changes, unless efforts have been made by the case manager to ensure the school placement remains, at least through the end of the school year. Changing schools frequently reinforces a cycle of emotional trauma of abandonment and repeated separations from adults and friends (Atkinson, 2008, p. 193). Additionally, instability in placement and school inevitably leads to poor academic performance, lower scores on standardized tests, increases in risky behavior, reduced self-esteem, higher rates of incarceration, unintended pregnancy, and participation in illegal activities. To summarize, Wertheimer (2002) shares that in 1988, 38% of those youth who aged out of foster care were categorized as emotionally disturbed, 50% had used illicit drugs, and 25% had some involvement with the legal system other than that of foster care p. 5). Additionally, 48% had a high school diploma, 38% were still employed 2-4 years after they had aged out of the system, 48% had held a full-time job, and the median weekly salary was $205 (Wertheimer, 2002, p. 5). One of The Carnegie Council (n.d.) recommendations includes the following statement: Given the complex influences on adolescents, the essential requirements for ensuring healthy development must be met through the joint efforts of a set of pivotal institutions that powerfully shape adolescents experiences. These pivotal institutions must begin with the family and include schools, health care institutions, a wide array of neighborhood and community organizations, and the

Youth Aging Out of the Foster Care System mass media (para. 4, item six).

12

This statement and recommendation can and should hold true for all children and youth in foster care. While clear issues with family exist, it is possible to utilize either a foster family or an extended adult support network in its place. I suggest that child welfare agencies and those who have the power to set legislation and policy that affects foster youth. There needs to be a strong, working relationship among the child welfare agency, school, and foster family. Better independent living programs, support services that address more than just the nuts and bolts of living on your own, mentoring, ensuring access to funds provided by a wide variety of state and federal programs, universally extend the aging-out age to 21, providing as much placement and school stability as possible, and offering access to other youth aging out are all suggestions that would have a positive impact on youth aging out of the foster care system. Conclusion We as a nation would benefit from a solid child welfare system. A system that provides emotional, physical, psychological support in addition to independent living programs, fixed funding for transitioning youth, year round educational housing, and added financial backing for those past the age of majority (Hanaway, 2010, p. 6). If those in charge of state funding looked at the impact, on the system, former foster youth who end up incarcerated, homeless, as single parents with their own children in the foster system (repeating the cycle) make, they would not contest funding the necessary programs that former foster youth need to thrive. (Hanaway, 2010, p. 6) Even though the realm of research is expanding and foster care programs are improving,

Youth Aging Out of the Foster Care System there is a consequential lack of regularity across independent living programs and a

13

significant lack of funding for foster youth. When children enter the child welfare system the state presumably takes responsibility for them and then relinquishes their rights when these young adults reach the age of majority. These youth deserve to not be abandoned. They deserve the support of the federal and state government and they deserve to have the opportunity to thrive in this world.

References

Youth Aging Out of the Foster Care System

14

Antle, B.F., Johnson, L., Barbee, A., & Sullivan, D. (2009). Fostering interdependent versus independent living in youth aging out of care through healthy relationships. Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services, 90, 309-315. doi: 10.1606/1044-3894.3890

Atkinson, M. (2008) Aging out of foster care: Towards a universal safety net for former foster care youth. Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review, 43, 183-212.

Avery, R.J. (n.d.). The potential contribution of mentor programs to relational permanency for youth aging out of foster care. Child Welfare 90(3), 9-26.

Carnegie Council. (n.d.). Great transitions: Preparing adolescents for a new century. Retrieved from %20TRANSITIONS.pdf carnegie.org/fileadmin/Media/Publications/PDF/GREAT

Childrens Bureau. (n.d.). Statistics and research. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children & Families. Retrieved from www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/stats_research/index.htm#afcars

Hanaway, L. M. (2010) Foster Care Smoother Transitions. Lexington, KY: CreateSpace.

Massinga, R. & Pecora, P.J. (2004). Providing better opportunities for older children in the child welfare system. The Future of Children (14)1. pp. 151-171. Retrieved

Youth Aging Out of the Foster Care System from:

15

http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/contentdelivery/servlet/ERICServlet?acc no=EJ795829

McCoy-Roth, M., DeVooght, K., Fletcher, M. (2011). Number of youth aging out of foster care drops below 28,000 in 2010. Connections Analysis No. 5, 1-8. Retrieved from http://www.fosteringconnections.org/resources?id=0009

Office of the Governor: Rick Snyder. (2011). Governor Snyder signs fostering connections legislation. Retrieved from http://www.michigan.gov/snyder/0,4668,7-277--266082--,00.html

Scannapieco, M., Connel-Carrick, K., Painter, K. (2007) In their own words: Challenges facing youth aging out of foster care. Child Adolescence Social Work Journal, 24, 423-435. doi:10.1007/s105060-007-0093-x

Spencer, R., Collins, M. E., Ward, R., & Smashnaya, S. (2010). Mentoring for young people leaving foster care: Promise and potential pitfalls. Social Work, 55(3), 225234. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.msu.edu/login? url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/754911499 ?

State of Michigan. Department of Human Services. (2011). Foster care program. Retrieved from http://www.michigan.gov/dhs/0,4562,7-124-5452_7117-14769--

Youth Aging Out of the Foster Care System ,00.html

16

Stott, T. (2012). Placement instability and risky behaviors of youth aging out of foster care. Child Adolescent Social Work Journal, 29, 61-83. doi: 10.1007/210560-0110247-8 Wertheimer, R. (2002). Youth who age out of foster care: Troubled lives, troubling prospects. Child Trends Research Brief. 2002-59. Retrieved from www.childtrends.org/files/Child_Trends-2002_12_01_RB_FosterCare.pdf