Findings from the California Youth Transitions to Adulthood Study (CalYOUTH): Conditions of Youth at Age 21

This report presents findings from the "CalYOUTH Wave 3 Youth Survey." CalYOUTH (the California Youth Transitions to Adulthood Study) is an evaluation of the impact of the California Fostering Connections Act on outcomes during foster youth's transition to adulthood. CalYOUTH includes collection and analysis of information from three sources: (1) transition-age youth; (2) child welfare workers; and (3) government program data. The study, directed by Dr. Mark Courtney at the University of Chicago and conducted in collaboration with the California Department of Social Services and County Welfare Directors Association of California (CWDA), is being carried out over a 6-year period from 2012-18. The study addresses three research questions: (1) Does extending foster care past age 18 influence youth's outcomes during the transition to adulthood (e.g., outcomes in education, employment, health, housing, parenting, and general well-being)?; (2) What factors influence the types of support youth receive during the transition to adulthood in the context of extended foster care?; (3) How do living arrangements and other services that result from extending foster care influence the relationship between extending care and youth outcomes? The "CalYOUTH Wave 3 Youth Survey," conducted when the young people participating in CalYOUTH were 21 years old, follows up on surveys of the same young people when they were approaching the age of majority in California's foster care system and again when they were 19 years old. Results from the "CalYOUTH Wave 3 Youth Survey" are summarized in this report. The report provides feedback for all parties interested in improving youth's transitions from foster care to adulthood. [For "Findings from the California Youth Transitions to Adulthood Study (CalYOUTH): Conditions of Youth at Age 19," see ED614175.]