This book is aimed at young adults (aged between 16 and 25) in England who have recently left care, or are in the process of leaving care. Leaving care and moving into adult life is a big change to go through. This book provides useful information, advice, and activities to help care leavers get used to living independently and make decisions…

To measure the outcomes of youth transitioning out of foster care, states are required to administer the national Youth in Transition Database (NYTD) survey to cohorts of youth at ages 17, 19 and 21. The Children's Bureau shares highlights that compare the outcomes reported by youth in the first NYTD cohort at ages 17 and 19. With the second wave…

The Children's Bureau released highlights from state National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD) data submissions from Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2013 (October 1, 2012 to September 30, 2013). In this third year of data collection, states reported information on (1) all youth and young adults who received independent living services during FFY 2013…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the components of independent living training and services to determine their effectiveness in preparing foster youth in Tennessee for adulthood, and whether the youth's perceived effectiveness of these services affected their educational motivation. Support factors (i.e., family, financial,…

This report presents findings from a rigorous evaluation of the Life Skills Training Program (LST) in Los Angeles County. LST provides 30 hours of life skills training over five weeks to foster youths ages 16 and older. The classes are held on community college campuses throughout Los Angeles County. The program is staffed by workers tasked with…

Presents a variety of living arrangement options for foster adolescents, many of which are designed to promote self-sufficiency and independent functioning. Describes existing options beginning with the most structured and restrictive environments and moving toward options that require lesser amounts of adult supervision. (RJC)

A National Evaluation of Title IV-E Foster Care Independent Living Programs for Youth was conducted to evaluate the influence of the Independent Living Initiatives, Public Law 99-272, on States' development of programs, policies, and services; and the impact of services on outcomes for older youth discharged from foster care. The first phase of…

This article presents findings from a survey mailed to caseworkers, who answered questions about special needs, independent living skills, educational attainment, and services for 416 randomly selected foster youth in Illinois. A third of the adolescents had a mental health disorder, developmental disability, or other special need that their…

The child welfare field is uncertain how to best prepare older foster wards for independent living. Research priorities in this area are discussed in five categories: (1) education and school-to-work transitions; (2) formal assessments of readiness for self-sufficiency; (3) provision of transitional supports; (4) support networks; and (5)…

This article presents early descriptive findings on youths and their experiences in the first 12 to 18 months after leaving foster care as part of the state of Wisconsin's Foster Youth Transitions to Adulthood Study. Findings suggest that the transition to independence is a difficult time for youth leaving the out-of-home care system. (Author/SD)

This document presents the final report of a study undertaken to: (1) identify and describe programs and services provided to prepare and support adolescents in their transition from supervised substitute care placements to independent living; (2) describe the differences between adolescents who received independent living services and those who…

This document contains the final report on the Life Skills for Adolescents Project in northwestern Texas. The report is in the form of a process evaluation of progress toward achieving the project goal of enabling adolescents leaving substitute care to be better prepared to manage their own lives. The report describes the efforts of the project…

Reviews data on the skill level and readiness for independence of adolescents who are placed in the substitute care system in Washington State. Findings suggest that many of these youth do well in terms of skill learning and performance, and are prepared for independence upon emancipation. Nevertheless, remedial training is suggested to better…

Responsibility, self-care, supportive environment, and employment were analyzed as significant indicators of readiness for independent living for adolescents in foster care. Results indicated that school performance, mental health problems, hours worked per week, total number of placements, contact with father, ethnicity, and caretaker perceptions…

Compares two models for delivering emancipation preparation services to foster youths on pragmatic, structural, and client outcomes dimensions. The models differ primarily on the extent of caseworker involvement. Suggests that a model which incorporates both skill-building programs and an intensive and integrated case management function holds…