Transition-Aged Youth Publications

Child Welfare

Featured Publication

Aging Out of the Foster Care System to Adulthood: Findings, Challenges, and Recommendations

Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies Health Policy Institute (2007)

This report documents the research conducted on the unmet needs of youth aging out of the foster care system.

A Reason, a Season, or a Lifetime: Relational Permanence Among Young Adults with Foster Care Backgrounds (PDF)

Chapin Hall Center for Children (2008)

Discusses the results of a study that examined the social support networks and relational wellbeing among youth aging out of the foster care system, and explores the impact of these networks in developing and maintaining supportive relationships into adulthood.

Challenges in the Transition to Adulthood for Youth in Foster Care, Juvenile Justice, and Special Education (PDF)

Network on Transitions to Adulthood (2004)

Examines how youth in foster care, the juvenile justice system, and special education fare over time given the special challenges they face, paying particular attention to the effectiveness of programs designed to support these youth during their transition.

Connected by Age 25: A Plan for Investing in Successful Transitions for Foster Youth (PDF)

Finance Project, Foster Care Work Group (2004)

Presents a strategic approach to improving the economic wellbeing and financial success of young adults leaving foster care, an investment work plan, and a results model.

The Mental Health of Vulnerable Youth and Their Transition to Adulthood: Examining the Role of the Child Welfare, Juvenile Justice, and Runaway/Homeless Systems (PDF)

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2009)

Examines how the mental health of youth affects their experience as they transition to adulthood, and if contact with one or more service systems affects their outcomes.

Report for Congress: Youth Transitioning From Foster Care: Background, Federal Programs, and Issues for Congress (PDF)

Fernandes, A. L., Congressional Research Service (2008)

Describes the characteristics of older youth in foster care, the types of outcomes experienced by youth who have recently been emancipated, and provides an overview of provisions in Federal and State foster care law and other supports intended to help prepare youth for adulthood.

When Should the State Cease Parenting? Evidence from the Midwest Study (PDF)

Chapin Hall Center for Children (2007)

Reviewing a multi-state study, compares the outcomes of youth who must exit the foster care system before the age of 18 with those eligible to receive foster care services into early adulthood.