Amplifying Older Youth Voice and Choice In Foster Care: A Process Evaluation of Soul Family Permanency

Background/Purpose:

When young people age out of foster care without legal permanency, they frequently experience negative outcomes in a range of life domains (e.g., education, employment, mental/physical health, relationships). With leadership from Annie E. Casey Foundation, one midwestern state passed legislation to establish the nation’s first SOUL Family statute, providing older youth (ages 16+) with a new legal permanency option. This process evaluation examined SOUL Family over its first 18 months. The study was guided by an advisory group of lived experts, providers, and community partners. The study’s research questions asked: (1) In comparison to eligible youth, what were demographic, geographic, and case characteristics among youth who achieved SOUL Family?; and, (2) What challenges and strengths were identified in the SOUL Family implementation?

Method:

Three key data sources allowed a mixed method design. First, administrative data were collected on youth who experienced SOUL finalizations (N=48) and the eligible population of older youth in care (N=2,316). Metrics included demographic (e.g., age, race, sex, disability), geographic (urban/rural, region of state, judicial district), and case characteristics (e.g., placement type, placement stability, time in care, re-entry, runaways). Second, surveys of youth, caregivers, and birth parents provided data on experiences of SOUL. Third, document review from community-based meetings over an 18-month period provided implementation data. Given a small sample of SOUL finalizations, quantitative analyses applied descriptive statistics, exploring patterns among SOUL youth and the eligible population. Qualitative analysis was conducted in Dedoose. Initial results were presented to the advisory group to gather feedback and finalize results.

Results:

Quantitative results showed that in comparison to the eligible youth population, youth who achieved SOUL had less representation of Black youth (Eligible=13%, SOUL=4%), higher initial rates of relative/kin placements (Eligible=33%, SOUL=52%), higher rates of stable placements (i.e. 1-3 moves) (Eligible=40%, SOUL=56%), fewer runaway events (Eligible=30%, SOUL=25%), and shorter stays in care (Aging Out=31 months, SOUL=22 months). Prevalent qualitative themes suggested SOUL was effective for giving youth more choice and voice; the one-time stipend was meaningful to youth and caregivers; and, SOUL offered older youth a shorter timeline to permanency. Challenges identified that youth in more complex situations may have been missed; caseworkers needed access to clear information and opportunities to build competence and confidence in navigating hard conversations around SOUL; and, court/legal key actors also required precise knowledge of SOUL, especially around state policy and tuition waivers.

Implications/Conclusion:

This study’s results align with prior studies that demonstrated the challenges of older youth in foster care (Cancel et al, 2022) and implementation of policy reforms (McTavish et al., 2022). However, our results contribute insights into a new legal permanency option for older youth, offering some lessons learned that may support others in facilitating strong implementation of SOUL. While additional investigations are important, this study suggests that to maximize use of SOUL it is tical to build strong and practical supports for caseworkers and court/legal professionals. Additionally, future research should include deeper investigations of SOUL successes, challenges, and future outcomes.