Meeting the Needs of Young People Transitioning Out of Foster Care

By Aimee Ouellet, Research Analyst

In New York City, approximately 1,600 young people aged 16 or older are currently in foster care and roughly 600 young people transition out of foster care annually without permanent living arrangements. Those who do are at increased risk of unemployment, homelessness, legal system involvement, and mental health challenges.

In response to this need, the Manhattan District Attorney’s office (DANY) funded two programs through the Criminal Justice Investment Initiative’s (CJII) Foster Youth Transitioning to Adulthood (FYTA) initiative: Graham Windham’s Support Lead Achieve Model (SLAM) program provides intensive coaching to help connect young people with educational and employment supports and build a long-term plan towards living wage careers. The Door’s Manhattan Academy Plus (MAP) program connects young people to a suite of resources and provides career and education services, housing support, and health and mental health counseling. Through August 2021, the FYTA initiative has supported 598 young people, with a majority of Graham SLAM youth in foster care at the time of enrollment and the majority of The Door youth having already exited care.

Recent findings from Action Research’s interim evaluation report of the FYTA initiative highlight that youth aging out of foster care have histories of child maltreatment and face mental health problems as young adults that also impact their education, employment, and housing outcomes.

Foster Youth Transitioning to Adulthood Experience Various Trauma

Older youth transitioning to adulthood are typically subjected to numerous adverse childhood experiences. Action Research found that the vast majority of youth eligible for FYTA experienced at least one instance of maltreatment, with 68% of those experiencing three or more instances of maltreatment. Among those with adverse childhood experiences, 96% had experienced at least one substantiated neglect allegation; one in five experienced physical abuse; and one in four experienced educational neglect.

Adverse Childhood Experiences Affect Youth Functioning and Ability to Engage in Programming

Staff from Graham SLAM and The Door acknowledged the prevalence of adverse childhood experiences among young people and spoke to the mental health issues stemming from these early adversities, as well as from the stressors experienced while in foster care. These challenges make it difficult for some young people to complete school or attain necessary employment skills and training, thus impeding their ability to transition to adulthood successfully. Therefore, staff from both programs emphasized the need for FYTA programming to make mental health services a key component and to support youth in healing from trauma. Programs working with foster youth should make sure all staff are trained on trauma principles, can provide culturally competent support, and are equipped to connect them to other wellness resources.

“A lot of the young people in foster care who have mental health issues, they have it a whole lot harder. In terms of being underprepared for adulthood, they are probably the most underprepared.”

-Program Staff

Program Flexibility is Key to Addressing Foster Youth Needs, Especially During a Pandemic

Young people’s mental health issues worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic, as they faced more instability and isolation. The Door and Graham SLAM used their resources to anticipate and respond to these challenges. Both programs implemented telehealth therapy to provide youth a more accessible connection to mental health services. The Door and Graham SLAM also provided other virtual services to allow youth participation from anywhere and created new services to address needs of unemployment and emotional support. Making remote therapy an ongoing part of the program model will help youth access the mental health support they need to achieve successful outcomes during their transition out of foster care. In addition, virtual engagement and flexible service delivery options can expand opportunities for youth to participate from a safer and accessible location.

“Our engagement has increased a lot because we were able to get their feedback on what has been most challenging for them in the pandemic. Mental health was one. So, we have a workshop...30-minute sessions of us just talking about, ‘How was your week? Was your week bad? Why was it bad?’...Now I think it’s better. They’re handling it better.”

-Program Staff

About the Programs and Evaluation

Graham SLAM and The Door are funded through the Foster Youth Transitioning to Adulthood initiative, whose goal is to provide supports to youth transitioning out of the foster care system who are at significantly elevated risk of legal system involvement and other negative outcomes. CJII’s investment in coaching has since been scaled up through the Fair Futures initiative.

The evaluation of Graham SLAM and The Door, conducted by Action Research, is funded through the CJII. Feedback from staff and findings from Action Research’s interim evaluation are useful for understanding the needs and challenges youth transitioning out of foster care face and how programs can help address these needs. Action Research plans to conduct additional interviews and focus groups with youth, analyze youth surveys, and use administrative date to determine the impact of these programs on various outcomes for youth transitioning out of foster care. Findings from the complete evaluation will be shared in 2023 in a final report.

About the Criminal Justice Investment Initiative

The CUNY Institute for State & Local Governance manages the Criminal Justice Investment Initiative (CJII), which was established by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office in 2015. ISLG provides technical assistance, conducts oversight, measures performance, and manages all CJII grantees.

The CJII focuses on three investment areas—crime prevention, reentry and diversion, and supports for survivors of crime. This initiative is part of the CJII’s crime prevention-focused investments in Youth, Families, and Communities.

Photo by SDI Productions on Canva.