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Abstract
This study examines employment outcomes for youth who age out of foster care through their middle twenties in three states: California, Minnesota, and North Carolina. The study linked child welfare, Unemployment Insurance (UI), and public assistance administrative data to assess outcomes. Results suggest that youth who age out of foster care continue to experience poor employment outcomes at age 24 and generally follow one of four employment trajectories as they transition to adulthood.
Introduction
A youth’s departure from home marks the beginning
of adulthood and a new stage in life. This
critical juncture and the surrounding years, often
referred to as the “transition to adulthood,” is
increasingly being recognized as a distinct developmental
stage between adolescence and
adulthood (Arnett, 2004). Youth who reach this
stage and are living in foster care are often at a
significant disadvantage. In 2005, over 24,000
youths found themselves in this circumstance
(DHHS, 2006). They “aged out” of the foster
care system and entered into the world of adulthood
relatively alone.
Research suggests these youth do not fare well.
Youth who age out of foster care often have
bouts of homelessness, criminal activity, and
incarceration (Courtney, Piliavin, and Grogan-
Kaylor, 1998; Courtney, Piliavin, Grogan-Kaylor,
and Nesmith, 2001). Many suffer from physical
and mental health challenges as a result of past
abuse or neglect.
A primary task in transitioning to adulthood, and
the focus of this report, is finding and sustaining
employment. Studies of former foster youth who
age out of foster care find that these youth generally
experience high unemployment, unstable
employment patterns, and earn very low incomes
in the period between ages 18 and 21
(Cook, 1991; Courtney et al., 2001; Dworsky
and Courtney, 2001; Goerge, Bilaver, Lee,
Needell, Brookhart and Jackman, 2002). Studies
also document consistently low rates of high
school completion and welfare receipt (Courtney
et al., 1998; Courtney et al., 2001; Festinger,
1983; McMillen and Tucker, 1999; Pecora,
Kessler, Williams, O’Brien, Downs, English, et
al., 2003).
What is less known about these youth is how
they fare in their mid-twenties, after they have
made the initial transition into adulthood. It might
be hypothesized that some would experience
unstable employment in their initial attempts to
connect to the workforce, but that these patterns
would stabilize when youth reached their
mid-twenties. If these patterns do not stabilize,
however, addressing job readiness and educational
needs early in the transition to adulthood
may be important to shaping the future trajectories
of these youth.
The Department of Health and Human Services
(DHHS) Office of the Assistant Secretary for
Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) requested this
study to examine employment and earnings outcomes
for youth, through their mid-twenties,
who age out of foster care. Key findings suggest:
- Low rates of employment persist through
age 24: About three out of five youth who
age out of foster care are working at age 24
in all three states, a rate lower than that of
youth nationally and youth from low-income
families.
- Low earnings persist through age 24:
Average monthly earnings for youth who
age out of foster care remain low at age 24
in all three states ($690 in California, $575
in Minnesota, and $450 in North Carolina).
These earnings are substantially lower than
earnings for youth nationally, who earn
$1,535 a month.
- Four patterns of connectedness to the
workforce emerge: Never connected
youth have a consistently low probability of
employment between ages 18 and 24. Consistently
connected youth maintain a high
probability of employment during this period
and achieve earnings comparable to national
averages. Initially connected youth
have a high probability of employment
around ages 18 and 19, but this probability
declines sharply by age 22. Later connected
youth have a slow start but steadily increase
their probability of employment through age
24.
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Disclaimer: The nonpartisan Urban Institute publishes studies, reports, and books on timely topics worthy of public consideration. The views expressed are those of the authors and should not be attributed to the Urban Institute, its trustees, or its funders.
