View Research by Author - Erica H. Zielewski

Citation URL: http://www.urban.org/EricaHZielewski

This series examines youth vulnerability and risk-taking behaviors on several outcomes for young adults, using the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, 1997 cohort. Notable results suggest youth follow one of four patterns in connecting to the labor market and school in the transition to adulthood: consistently-connected, later-connected, initially-connected, or never-connected. Second generation Latinos make a fairly smooth transition to young adulthood, but are less likely to engage in post-secondary schooling than whites. Youth from low-income families, distressed neighborhoods, and youth with poor mental health engage in relatively higher levels of adolescent risk behaviors and have relatively lower earnings and levels of connectedness in early adulthood.

This is the sixth and final paper in a technical assistance series on child welfare privatization initiatives, funded by the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The purpose of this paper is to assist public agency child welfare administrators in monitoring and assuring quality of contracted services. It describes the types of monitoring activities, as well as methods for collecting and using monitoring information. The paper provides examples of some of the decisions that must be made about what will be measured and how child welfare agencies have worked with providers to develop approaches to contract monitoring.

This report presents final process and impact study findings from one of four programs evaluated as part of the Multi-Site Evaluation of Foster Youth Programs. Impact findings were based on a two-year follow-up of youth in foster care in Los Angeles County who participated in a random assignment evaluation of the Life Skills Training Program. Youth were 17 years old at the time of random assignment to either a treatment group that was offered access to Life Skills Training or to a control group.

This report presents final process and impact study findings from one of four programs evaluated as part of the Multi-Site Evaluation of Foster Youth Programs. Impact findings were based on a two-year follow-up of youth who participated in a random assignment evaluation of the Early Start to Emancipation Preparation (ESTEP)Tutoring Program. The program was designed to improve reading and math skills of foster youth aged 14 and 15 who are one to three years behind grade level in reading or math. Youth who participated in the evaluation were randomly assigned to either a treatment group that was offered access to ESTEP-Tutoring or to a control group.

This study follows-up on a prior study of child welfare agencies' efforts to identify, locate, and involve nonresident fathers of children in foster care. These analyses use information from the original survey and administrative data on case outcomes to explore three research questions: (1) Is nonresident father involvement associated with case length? (2) Is nonresident father involvement associated with foster care discharge outcomes? and (3) Is nonresident father involvement associated with subsequent child maltreatment allegations? The study finds that having an involved father is associated with shorter case length and a greater likelihood of reunification. Future research is needed to better understand the nature of nonresident fathers' involvement.

This exploratory study, conducted in Washington, D.C. and New York City, sought to examine foster youths' views of adoption, permanency, and adoption recruitment. Using data collected from focus groups with foster youth, ages 11 to 19, the study raised three important findings: (1) foster care experiences influence youths' perceptions of adoption; (2) youth have concerns and fears about adoption; and (3) youth expect autonomy and want to feel empowered. The study's findings suggest that child welfare agencies and caseworkers may have more to do in terms of educating youth about adoption and other permanency options.

This study, conducted in an urban and rural county in two states, Oklahoma and Kentucky, sought to provide a detailed description of how families do or do not connect to services in alternative response system in the two study states. Using data collected from interviews and focus groups with child welfare agency staff, community service providers, and families, the study identified six factors that affect how families connect to needed services, including service network infrastructure, relationships between providers, and service availability, and offered implications as to how these findings could be applied to policy and practice.

This study, commissioned by the National Adoption Day Coalition, provides a first look at legislation specifically related to the adoption of children from foster care introduced in the 50 state legislatures and the District of Columbia between 2002 and 2006. Using data from various legislative databases, the study found that state legislatures are active in the area of foster care adoption, but that legislation may not adequately address known barriers to adoption. The study also looked at several bills to understand the legislative process surrounding adoption and considered how legislation supports families after they adopt children from foster care.

This report marks the fifth time the Urban Institute has collected data from all 50 states and the District of Columbia regarding child welfare spending. States spent at least $23.3 billion on child welfare activities in state fiscal year (SFY) 2004, with the increase in total spending between SFYs 2002 and 2004 driven by increases in state and local spending. Our findings highlight why we see such variation in states' financing strategies. Reasons include the availability and use of various nondedicated funding sources, how states use various funding sources, legal or political factors, and how the child welfare agency budget fits into the "big picture" of states' overall financing strategies.

This exploratory study considered how local jurisdictions in the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area address the issue of children caring for themselves in a "self care" child care arrangement and whether some of these situations overlap with child protective services cases. Researchers conducted focus groups and interviews with child welfare staff and law enforcement officials. Reports of suspected child neglect, specifically reports involving inadequate supervision, were also analyzed. Deciding to leave children home alone is a universal decision that all parents must make. Study findings indicate that how localities respond to reports of inadequate supervision vary by the type of cases accepted, response to these cases, factors considered during the investigation, and how the agency serves the families.

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