Coming of Age: Employment Outcomes for Youth Who Age Out of Foster Care Through Their Middle Twenties
Description:
A six-year longitudinal study of employment rates and earnings for 24-year-olds that aged out of foster care of three states. The study compared the findings in those three states to national figures for employment and earnings for all 24-year-olds. The authors of the study found that while 92 percent of all 24-year-olds with previous work experience are employed, only three-fifths of 24-year-olds that aged out of foster care with equivalent experience are employed. To remedy this inequality, the study suggests extending services for children aging out of foster care through age twenty-four, focusing on initial employment among 16 to 18-year-old foster children, and helping aged out youth based upon individual level of connectedness. Additionally, the authors recommended further research to consider the effects of the Chafee Foster Care Independence Act of 1999, which was enacted after the study began. (NCEH)
Type of Resource:
Report
Publication Date:
2008
Location:
Washington, D.C.