IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/cysrev/v82y2017icp280-300.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Interventions for youth aging out of care: A scoping review

Author

Listed:
  • Woodgate, Roberta L.
  • Morakinyo, Oluwatobiloba
  • Martin, Katrina M.

Abstract

Youth aging out the child welfare system are being transitioned out of the child welfare system with few interventions in place to support their move to independence. In developed countries, compared to their peers, youth aging out of care face poorer outcomes when it comes to education, employment, and housing. A better understanding of the effectiveness of the existing interventions that support youth in care is warranted. This paper presents a critical scoping review of the available evidence on interventions available to youth who are aging out of the child welfare system and identifies gaps for future research. Arksey and O'Malley's framework for scoping reviews shaped the process of this review. A total of thirteen databases were searched resulting in the retrieval of 1978 articles. Of the 1978 retrieved, only 68 met the review's criteria. Studies included were in English, described an intervention that was implemented and evaluated in developed countries, and published within the last 20years. Interventions were categorized as: housing, employment, education, mentorship, independent living, and health. The majority of studies fell under the independent living category which provide cohesive resources to improve education, housing, and employment. Studies evaluating these programs generally reported positive outcomes on youth's ability to complete their education and attain part- or full-time employment. Methods of evaluations were found to be methodologically weak with respect to determining the effectiveness of interventions in ensuring youth's successful transitions to independence. Future research should look at longitudinal outcomes of youth and cost-benefit analysis of supporting youth transitioning out of the child welfare system. Recommendations also include policy changes extending the age of eligibility for youth transitioning out of the child welfare system.

Suggested Citation

  • Woodgate, Roberta L. & Morakinyo, Oluwatobiloba & Martin, Katrina M., 2017. "Interventions for youth aging out of care: A scoping review," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 280-300.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:82:y:2017:i:c:p:280-300
    DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2017.09.031
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0190740917306102
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.childyouth.2017.09.031?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Hernandez, Liliana & Naccarato, Toni, 2010. "Scholarships and supports available to foster care alumni: A study of 12 programs across the US," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 32(5), pages 758-766, May.
    2. Wexler, Lisa Marin & DiFluvio, Gloria & Burke, Tracey K., 2009. "Resilience and marginalized youth: Making a case for personal and collective meaning-making as part of resilience research in public health," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 69(4), pages 565-570, August.
    3. Gallagher, Bernard & Green, Adam, 2012. "In, out and after care: Young adults' views on their lives, as children, in a therapeutic residential establishment," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 34(2), pages 437-450.
    4. Jones, Loring, 2011. "The first three years after foster care: A longitudinal look at the adaptation of 16 youth to emerging adulthood," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(10), pages 1919-1929, October.
    5. E.S. Everson-Hock & R. Jones & L. Guillaume & J. Clapton & A. Duenas & E. Goyder & J. Chilcott & J. Cooke & N. Payne & L.M. Sheppard & C. Swann, 2011. "Supporting the transition of looked-after young people to independent living: a systematic review of interventions and adult outcomes," Post-Print hal-00800435, HAL.
    6. Lawler, Michael J. & Sayfan, Liat & Goodman, Gail S. & Narr, Rachel & Cordon, Ingrid M., 2014. "Comprehensive residential education: A promising model for emerging adults in foster care," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 10-19.
    7. Wells, Melissa & Zunz, Sharyn, 2009. "Challenges and strengths among Chafee Education and Training Voucher eligible youth: The rural service providers' perspective," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 31(2), pages 235-242, February.
    8. Kroner, Mark J. & Mares, Alvin S., 2009. "Lighthouse independent living program: Characteristics of youth served and their outcomes at discharge," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 31(5), pages 563-571, May.
    9. Lindsey, Elizabeth W. & Ahmed, Fasih U., 1999. "The North Carolina independent living program: A comparison of outcomes for participants and nonparticipants," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 21(5), pages 389-412, May.
    10. Lemon, Kathy & Hines, Alice M. & Merdinger, Joan, 2005. "From foster care to young adulthood: The role of independent living programs in supporting successful transitions," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 27(3), pages 251-270, March.
    11. Flynn, Robert J. & Tessier, Nicholas G., 2011. "Promotive and risk factors as concurrent predictors of educational outcomes in supported transitional living: Extended care and maintenance in Ontario, Canada," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(12), pages 2498-2503.
    12. C Donkoh & K Underhill & P Montgomery, 2006. "PROTOCOL: Independent living programmes for improving outcomes for young people leaving the care system," Campbell Systematic Reviews, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 2(1), pages 1-17.
    13. Montgomery, Paul & Donkoh, Charles & Underhill, Kristen, 2006. "Independent living programs for young people leaving the care system: The state of the evidence," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 28(12), pages 1435-1448, December.
    14. Brown, Stephanie & Wilderson, Dina, 2010. "Homelessness prevention for former foster youth: Utilization of transitional housing programs," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 32(10), pages 1464-1472, October.
    15. Collins, Mary Elizabeth, 2004. "Enhancing services to youths leaving foster care: Analysis of recent legislation and its potential impact," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 26(11), pages 1051-1065, November.
    16. Lenz-Rashid, Sonja, 2006. "Employment experiences of homeless young adults: Are they different for youth with a history of foster care?," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 28(3), pages 235-259, March.
    17. Waldinger, Gloria & Furman, Walter M., 1994. "Two models of preparing foster youths for emancipation," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 16(3-4), pages 201-212.
    18. Gypen, Laura & Vanderfaeillie, Johan & De Maeyer, Skrallan & Belenger, Laurence & Van Holen, Frank, 2017. "Outcomes of children who grew up in foster care: Systematic-review," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 74-83.
    19. Dworsky, Amy, 2005. "The economic self-sufficiency of Wisconsin's former foster youth," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 27(10), pages 1085-1118, October.
    20. Bender, Kimberly & Yang, Jessica & Ferguson, Kristin & Thompson, Sanna, 2015. "Experiences and needs of homeless youth with a history of foster care," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 222-231.
    21. Kääriälä, Antti & Hiilamo, Heikki, 2017. "Children in out-of-home care as young adults: A systematic review of outcomes in the Nordic countries," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 107-114.
    22. Jones, Loring & Lansdverk, John, 2006. "Residential education: Examining a new approach for improving outcomes for foster youth," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 28(10), pages 1152-1168, October.
    23. Dworsky, Amy & Pérez, Alfred, 2010. "Helping former foster youth graduate from college through campus support programs," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 32(2), pages 255-263, February.
    24. Forsman, Hilma & Vinnerljung, Bo, 2012. "Interventions aiming to improve school achievements of children in out-of-home care: A scoping review," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 34(6), pages 1084-1091.
    25. Powers, Laurie E. & Geenen, Sarah & Powers, Jennifer & Pommier-Satya, Summer & Turner, Alison & Dalton, Lawrence D. & Drummond, Diann & Swank, Paul, 2012. "My Life: Effects of a longitudinal, randomized study of self-determination enhancement on the transition outcomes of youth in foster care and special education," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 34(11), pages 2179-2187.
    26. Green, Rex S. & Ellis, Peter T., 2007. "Linking structure, process, and outcome to improve group home services for foster youth in California," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 30(3), pages 307-317, August.
    27. Marks, Michael B., 2012. "Time banking service exchange systems: A review of the research and policy and practice implications in support of youth in transition," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 34(7), pages 1230-1236.
    28. Edge, Sara & Newbold, K. Bruce & McKeary, Marie, 2014. "Exploring socio-cultural factors that mediate, facilitate, & constrain the health and empowerment of refugee youth," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 117(C), pages 34-41.
    29. Charles Donkoh & Kristen Underhill & Paul Montgomery, 2006. "Independent Living Programmes for Improving Outcomes for Young People Leaving the Care System," Campbell Systematic Reviews, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 2(1), pages 1-34.
    30. Greeson, Johanna K.P. & Garcia, Antonio R. & Kim, Minseop & Thompson, Allison E. & Courtney, Mark E., 2015. "Development & maintenance of social support among aged out foster youth who received independent living services: Results from the Multi-Site Evaluation of Foster Youth Programs," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 1-9.
    31. Kirk, Rosalind & Day, Angelique, 2011. "Increasing college access for youth aging out of foster care: Evaluation of a summer camp program for foster youth transitioning from high school to college," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(7), pages 1173-1180, July.
    32. Scott Jr., Lionel D. & Munson, Michelle R. & White, Tony, 2009. "Satisfaction with counseling among black males in transition from the foster care system," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 31(1), pages 161-168, January.
    33. Van Ryzin, Mark J. & Mills, Donna & Kelban, Steven & Vars, Masiel Rodriquez & Chamberlain, Patricia, 2011. "Using the bridges transition framework for youth in foster care: Measurement development and preliminary outcomes," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(11), pages 2267-2272.
    34. Greeson, Johanna K.P. & Usher, Lynn & Grinstein-Weiss, Michal, 2010. "One adult who is crazy about you: Can natural mentoring relationships increase assets among young adults with and without foster care experience?," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 32(4), pages 565-577, April.
    35. Nesmith, Ande & Christophersen, Kaitlin, 2014. "Smoothing the transition to adulthood: Creating ongoing supportive relationships among foster youth," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 1-8.
    36. Katz, Colleen C. & Courtney, Mark E., 2015. "Evaluating the self-expressed unmet needs of emancipated foster youth over time," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 9-18.
    37. Kroner, Mark J. & Mares, Alvin S., 2011. "Living arrangements and level of care among clients discharged from a scattered-site housing-based independent living program," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(2), pages 405-415, February.
    38. Abrams, Laura S. & Shannon, Sarah K.S. & Sangalang, Cindy, 2008. "Transition services for incarcerated youth: A mixed methods evaluation study," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(5), pages 522-535, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Harder, Annemiek T. & Mann-Feder, Varda & Oterholm, Inger & Refaeli, Tehila, 2020. "Supporting transitions to adulthood for youth leaving care: Consensus based principles," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    2. Lindquist-Grantz, Robin & Downing, Kimberly & Hicks, Meredith & Houchin, Cherie & Ackman, Victoria, 2022. "Watch Me Rise: An evaluation of Wraparound with homeless youth with a child welfare history," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 141(C).
    3. Hareket, Erdem & Kartal, Ayça, 2021. "An overview of research on children’s rights in primary school: A meta synthesis," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 131(C).
    4. Pierce, Stephanie Casey & Grady, Bryan & Holtzen, Holly, 2018. "Daybreak in Dayton: Assessing characteristics and outcomes of previously homeless youth living in transitional housing," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 249-256.
    5. Glynn, Natalie, 2021. "Understanding care leavers as youth in society: A theoretical framework for studying the transition out of care," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 121(C).
    6. Tordön, Rikard & Bladh, Marie & Svedin, Carl Göran & Sydsjö, Gunilla, 2020. "Challenging intellectual, behavioral and educational prerequisites for interventions aimed at school aged children in foster care. A compilation of Swedish test results," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 108(C).
    7. Doucet, Melanie M. & Greeson, Johanna K.P. & Eldeeb, Nehal, 2022. "Independent living programs and services for youth 'aging out' of care in Canada and the U.S.: A systematic review," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 142(C).
    8. Leathers, Sonya J. & Holtschneider, Casey & Ludington, Melissa & Ross, Ellen V. & Barnett, James L., 2023. "Mentoring, employment assistance, and enhanced staff outreach for older youth in care: Outcomes from a randomized controlled trial," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 153(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Doucet, Melanie M. & Greeson, Johanna K.P. & Eldeeb, Nehal, 2022. "Independent living programs and services for youth 'aging out' of care in Canada and the U.S.: A systematic review," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 142(C).
    2. Gunawardena, Nathali & Stich, Christine, 2021. "Interventions for young people aging out of the child welfare system: A systematic literature review," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 127(C).
    3. Liu, Chun & Vazquez, Christian & Jones, Kristian & Fong, Rowena, 2019. "The impact of independent living programs on foster youths' educational outcomes: A scoping review," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 213-220.
    4. Randolph, Karen A. & Thompson, Heather, 2017. "A systematic review of interventions to improve post-secondary educational outcomes among foster care alumni," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 602-611.
    5. Kim, Youngmi & Ju, Eunsu & Rosenberg, Rachel & Farmer, Elizabeth (Betsy) M.Z., 2019. "Estimating the effects of independent living services on educational attainment and employment of foster care youth," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 294-301.
    6. Montgomery, Paul & Donkoh, Charles & Underhill, Kristen, 2006. "Independent living programs for young people leaving the care system: The state of the evidence," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 28(12), pages 1435-1448, December.
    7. Courtney, Mark E. & Valentine, Erin J. & Skemer, Melanie, 2019. "Experimental evaluation of transitional living services for system-involved youth: Implications for policy and practice," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 396-408.
    8. Opsal, Tara & Eman, Rebecca, 2018. "Invisible vulnerability: Participant perceptions of a campus-based program for students without caregivers," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 617-627.
    9. Nesmith, Ande, 2017. "Coping with change: Using the Bridge's Transitions Framework with foster youth," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 41-47.
    10. Blakeslee, Jennifer & Miller, Rebecca & Uretsky, Mathew, 2022. "Efficacy of the Project Futures self-determination coaching model for college students with foster care backgrounds and mental health challenges," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 138(C).
    11. Kinarsky, Alana R., 2017. "Fostering success: Understanding the experience of foster youth undergraduates," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 220-228.
    12. Greeson, Johanna K.P. & Garcia, Antonio R. & Tan, Fei & Chacon, Alexi & Ortiz, Andrew J., 2020. "Interventions for youth aging out of foster care: A state of the science review," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).
    13. Jay Miller, J. & Benner, Kalea & Kheibari, Athena & Washington, Earl, 2017. "Conceptualizing on-campus support programs for collegiate foster youth and alumni: A plan for action," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 57-67.
    14. Mares, Alvin S. & Kroner, Mark J., 2011. "Lighthouse Independent Living Program: Predictors of client outcomes at discharge," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(9), pages 1749-1758, September.
    15. Lee, Chris & Berrick, Jill Duerr, 2014. "Experiences of youth who transition to adulthood out of care: Developing a theoretical framework," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 78-84.
    16. Arnau-Sabatés, Laura & Dworsky, Amy & Sala-Roca, Josefina & Courtney, Mark E., 2021. "Supporting youth transitioning from state care into adulthood in Illinois and Catalonia: Lessons from a cross-national comparison," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).
    17. Robin Dion & Amy Dworsky & Jackie Kauff & Rebecca Kleinman, "undated". "Housing for Youth Aging Out of Foster Care," Mathematica Policy Research Reports b930407795cb42658ce31bfc3, Mathematica Policy Research.
    18. Brännström, Lars & Karlsson, Henrik & Vinnerljung, Bo & Hjern, Anders, 2018. "Childhood risk factors for disability pension among adult former Swedish child welfare clients: Same or different as for majority population peers?," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 94-102.
    19. Blakeslee, Jennifer E. & Best, Jared I., 2019. "Understanding support network capacity during the transition from foster care: Youth-identified barriers, facilitators, and enhancement strategies," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 220-230.
    20. Day, Angelique & Riebschleger, Joanne & Dworsky, Amy & Damashek, Amy & Fogarty, Kieran, 2012. "Maximizing educational opportunities for youth aging out of foster care by engaging youth voices in a partnership for social change," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 34(5), pages 1007-1014.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:82:y:2017:i:c:p:280-300. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/childyouth .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.