Missing Voices

The Midwest Study, which involves child welfare agencies in Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin, is the largest long-term study of young people transitioning out of foster care.* The study found that:

• Almost 60% of participants who were exposed to a traumatic event experienced symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder within the last year, but only 20% of that population received mental health care services.

• Nearly one-third of participants had been pregnant before age 18. By age 26, 72% of women and 56% of men had a child, and 8% of the birth mother’s children were living with foster or adoptive parents

• One-third of men and 18% of women reported engaging in illegal behaviors in the past year, and a majority of the women and more than four-fifths of the men reported having been arrested at some point.

• Earnings of former foster youth were, on average, not enough to raise them out of poverty and only half were currently employed.**

A study of New York City shelters, “the most extensive shelter system of any U.S. city,” found that former foster youth are twice as likely to enter public shelters (22%) compared to youth who only receive preventive child welfare services (11%).***

The Texas Foster Care Alumni Study Technical Report, which tracks outcomes of alumni at age 23 or 24, found that foster care alumni in Texas also fare worse than the general population.****

• 72.1% completed high school compared to 92.7% of the general population.

• 4.9% completed a bachelor’s degree compared to 24.2% of the general population in the same age group.

• 29.2% were unable to pay their rent or mortgage in the past year, and 37.7% experienced homelessness after leaving foster care.

• 9.9% of alumni with children had a child placed in foster care

• 68.0% of men and 40.5% of women were arrested since leaving foster care

While this research paints a bleak picture, it sheds light on actions that can lead to more positive outcomes. These actions include improving access to mental health care, reducing the number of placements (e.g., living with one foster family instead of moving frequently from home to home), and providing more resources to youth after leaving foster care.*****

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*Foster, L. J. J., Beadnell, B., & Pecora, P. J. (2015). Intergenerational pathways leading to foster care placement of foster care alumni’s children. Child & Family Social Work, 20(1), 72–82. https://doi.org/10.1111/cfs.12057

**Naccarato, T., Brophy, M., & Courtney, M. E. (2010). Employment outcomes of foster youth: The results from the Midwest Evaluation of the Adult Functioning of Foster Youth. Children and Youth Services Review, 32(4), 551–559. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2009.11.009

***Park, J. M., Metraux, S., Brodbar, G., & Culhane, D. P. (2004). Public Shelter Admission among Young Adults with Child Welfare Histories by Type of Service and Type of Exit. Social Service Review, 78(2), 284–303. https://doi.org/10.1086/382770

****White, C. R. (2012). Texas Foster Care Alumni Study Technical Report. 81.

*****Pecora, P. J., Kessler, R. C., O’Brien, K., White, C. R., Williams, J., Hiripi, E., English, D., White, J., & Herrick, M. A. (2006). Educational and employment outcomes of adults formerly placed in foster care: Results from the Northwest Foster Care Alumni Study. Children and Youth Services Review, 28(12), 1459–1481. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2006.04.003

Research on youth aging out of the foster care system has shown that providing independent living support after the age of 18 can lead to better outcomes.* This research has resulted in action.

Federal law now requires child welfare agencies to help youth develop personalized transition plans.** The Federal Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-351) gives states the option to allow youth to remain in foster care after age 18,*** and most states have adopted this. In 48 states, youth are able to extend their placement and receive services until age 21. In 33 states, youth can return to care after leaving, until age 21, if they attempt to live independently but find that they need additional support.

Further research, including narrative-based research from the perspectives of former foster youth,**** continues to explore how state governments and foster care agencies can improve the transition from foster care to independent living.

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*Collins, M. E. (2001). Transition to Adulthood for Vulnerable Youths: A Review of Research and Implications for Policy. Social Service Review, 75(2), 271–291. https://doi.org/10.1086/322209

**What available supports and resources are in place for youth transitioning from foster care? (n.d.). Retrieved October 4, 2022, from https://www.acf.hhs.gov/cb/faq/foster-care7

***Extension of Foster Care Beyond Age 18. (n.d.). 5.

****Collins, M. E., & Ward, R. L. (2011). Services and outcomes for transition-age foster care youth: Youths’ perspectives. Vulnerable Children and Youth Studies, 6(2), 157–165. https://doi.org/10.1080/17450128.2011.564226

Limited but valuable sources of first-person narratives from former foster youth can be found in various places. Youth Communication’s Represent Magazine features an extensive library of stories written by foster youth on topics such as trauma, family, school, immigration, dating, bullying, and more. Rise Magazine features articles “written by parents who have faced the child welfare system,” including those who spent time in foster care and whose children did as well. Texas Woman's University highlights students who have experience with the foster care system via its Frontiers Program blog. And The Texas Tribune has profiled foster care alumni at Texas State University.

The stories of foster care alumni can also be found in memoirs such as Three Little Words: A Memoir by Ashley Rhodes-Courter (2008) and The Last Black Unicorn by Tiffany Haddish (2017).

In Three Little Words: A Memoir, Rhodes-Courter writes about living with her biological family, her experience being placed in 14 different homes during her nine years in foster care, and what life was like after adoption. She speaks to the importance of resilience, the difference that it can make to have one reliable adult in your life, and how complicated familial relationships can be.

In The Last Black Unicorn, Haddish shares experiences ranging from physical childhood abuse, adolescent sexual abuse, living in a group home and with a foster family, abusive adult relationships, housing instability and more. She also shares how her positivity, resiliency and drive made it possible to reach her goals, and the importance of creating your own community.