Session: Anything but Average: Understanding the Diversity of Early Adult Experiences, Identities, and Challenges during the Transition from Foster Care (Society for Social Work and Research 31st Annual Conference)

Schedule:

Friday, January 22, 2027: 5:30 PM-7:00 PM

Golden Gate 5 (Hilton San Francisco Union Square)

Cluster: Adolescent and Youth Development

Symposium Organizer:

Anthony Gómez, PhD, Transition-Age Youth Research and Evaluation Hub at UC Berkeley

Transition-age youth (TAY) in foster care face significant challenges during the transition to adulthood due to childhood adversity, limited family support, and structural barriers. Compared to their peers never placed in foster care, TAY tend to experience worse outcomes across education, employment, behavioral health, housing security, and other indicators of early adult well-being. The U.S. Congress aimed to address this issue by passing the Fostering Connections to Success Act (2008), which allows states to claim federal reimbursement for foster care costs for youth until age 21. Beginning in 2012, California implemented one of the most extensive and inclusive iterations of extended foster care, providing a crucial case study in the state with the largest foster care population.

The California Youth Transitions to Adulthood Study (CalYOUTH) is the most comprehensive longitudinal study of California’s extended foster care policy and TAY leaving foster care. Beginning in 2013, CalYOUTH surveyed a representative statewide sample of 727 TAY at ages 17, 19, 21, and 23. Youth were included in the sample if they were aged 16.75-17.75 at baseline and had been in out-of-home care for at least six months. Response rates were high across waves: 95% at age 17, 84% at age 19, 85% at age 21, and 86% at age 23. Caseworker surveys and administrative records on TAY foster care histories, postsecondary education, employment and earnings, and public aid use complemented youth survey data.

After concluding in 2022, CalYOUTH transitioned to the Transition-Age Youth Research and Evaluation Hub (TAY-Hub) within the California Child Welfare Indicators Project at UC Berkeley. Grounded in collaboration with the child welfare services community and youth with lived experience, the TAY-Hub enhances California's capacity to generate data and research on TAY, providing publicly accessible resources and studies that inform policy for young adults leaving care.

CalYOUTH and TAY-Hub studies have consistently demonstrated the benefits associated with California’s implementation of extended foster care. However, much remains to be understood about the heterogeneity of youth experiences throughout the transition to adulthood. Our symposium features four presentations by TAY-Hub researchers that explore the diverse experiences and identities of TAY. Studies leverage longitudinal CalYOUTH survey data and population-level administrative records from California’s Child Welfare Services Case Management System. Paper 1 investigates changes in congregate care placement location following California’s Continuum of Care Reform, and its implications for permanency during adolescence. Paper 2 explores patterns of child maltreatment and child protection system involvement among sexual minority and heterosexual TAY in care at age 17. Paper 3 compares the behavioral health outcomes and service utilization of sexual minority and heterosexual TAY throughout early adulthood. Finally, Paper 4 examines TAY characteristics and experiences associated with their satisfaction with foster care during the transition to adulthood.

The presented studies reflect the varied experiences, identities, and challenges of young people transitioning from foster care. Together, these findings highlight existing practices that support TAY, as well as future opportunities to tailor services and programs to the diverse needs of young people exiting care.

* noted as presenting author

Location, Location, Location: Examining out-of-County and out-of-State Congregate Care Placements Among Adolescents In California Foster Care
Anthony Gómez, PhD, Transition-Age Youth Research and Evaluation Hub at UC Berkeley; Keunhye Park, PhD, Michigan State University; Andrea Eastman, PhD, University of California, Berkeley; Mark Courtney, PhD, University of California at Berkeley

Child Protection System Histories Among Sexual Minority Youth: A Latent Class Analysis Using Linked Administrative Data
Rebecca Rebbe, PhD, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Ankur Srivastava, PhD, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Andrea Eastman, PhD, University of California, Berkeley

Behavioral Health Outcomes and Access to Behavioral Health Treatment Among Sexual Minority Youth Transitioning from Foster Care In California
Svetlana Shpiegel, PhD, Montclair State University; Wendy Zeitlin, PhD, Montclair State University; Rachel Ludeke, PhD, MSW, MPH, Wayne State University; Nathanael Okpych, PhD, University of Connecticut

Predictors of Young People’s Satisfaction with Foster Care over Time
Mark Courtney, PhD, University of California at Berkeley; Anthony Gómez, PhD, Transition-Age Youth Research and Evaluation Hub at UC Berkeley; Sunggeun Park, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor

See more of: Symposia

Session: Anything but Average: Understanding the Diversity of Early Adult Experiences, Identities, and Challenges during the Transition from Foster Care (Society for Social Work and Research 31st Annual Conference)

167 Anything but Average: Understanding the Diversity of Early Adult Experiences, Identities, and Challenges during the Transition from Foster Care