Aging out

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Aging out is American popular culture vernacular used to describe any time a youth leaves a formal system of care designed to provide services below a certain age level.

Contents

There are a variety of applications of the phrase throughout the youth development field. [1] In respect to foster care, aging out is the process of a youth transitioning from the formal control of the foster care system towards independent living. It is used to describe anytime a foster youth leaves the varying factors of foster care, including home, school and financial systems. [2] The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services defines an "aging out" case as, "a situation referring to a person's petition to become a permanent legal resident as a child, and in the time that passes during the processing of the application, the child turns 18 and ages out.". [3]

Usage

Often used to highlight the problems traditional foster care approaches face, aging out affects foster youth in a variety of ways. An estimated 30,000 adolescents age out of the foster care system each year in the United States. [4]

Former foster youth in education

Children who grow up in foster care have lower rates of high school and post-secondary education completion. Using the PRISMA methodology (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses), Gypen et al. (2017) systematically gathered published research articles from electronic databases such as PsycINFO, Springer, Science Direct, and Google Scholar. Their comprehensive review included articles under the terms "Foster care" or "Foster alumni" or "foster children" and "long-term perspectives" or "long-term results". [5] The studies included participants aged 17 years and older (no age cap) gathering data from family service systems and child protective systems.

Dworsky and Courtney (2009) found that in child protective systems, only 64% had completed high school by the age of 19 [6] and Pecora, Williams et al. (2006) found that by the age of 29, 85% had completed high school or completed a GED. [7] The family service systems showed that 45% of foster students completed high school. Compared to the general population of 73%, this is considerably low. [7] By the age of 23, that number increased to 73%, which is closer to the 83% of students not in foster care. [5] Jackson and Cameron (2012) found similar findings. By the age of 18 only 33% had a high school diploma and by the age of 24, that number grew to 73%. [8] Gypen et al. (2017) suggests that this means that if given more time, children who grew in foster care, have a higher chance of getting a high school diploma or GED. [5]

When it comes to higher education, research shows that the number of students completing a two year, four year, or masters program to be even lower than high school completion rates. [5]  They also found that during the first year of college, children who age out of foster care were two times more likely to drop out, [9] although there are indications that women have better outcomes than men (Naccarato et al. 2010). [10] Pecora, Williams et al. (2006) found that 42.7% started education after high school but by the age of 25, only 9.6% were still enrolled. [7] For those in the family service system, only 7.2% completed their bachelor’s and by the age of 23, only 1% had a Master's degree. [5]

Naccarato et al. (2010) suggested a buddy system to help foster students through their educational journey, just like families provide similar support systems for those students not in foster care. [10]

Statistics

The Child Welfare League of America reports that as many as 36% of foster youth who have aged out of the system become homeless, 56% become unemployed, and 27% of male former foster youth become jailed. [11] The San Francisco Chronicle reports that less than half of emancipated youth who have aged out graduate from high school, compared to 85% of all 18- to 24-year-olds; fewer than 1 in 8 graduate from a four-year college; two-thirds had not maintained employment for a year; fewer than 1 in 5 was completely self-supporting; more than a quarter of the males spent time in jail; and 4 of 10 had become parents as a result of an unplanned pregnancy. [12]

Responses

In 1970, Title X of the Public Health Service Act started providing for the federal family planning program, designed to provide resources for health services and counseling to low-income or uninsured individuals who may otherwise lack access to health care, including young people aging out of foster care. The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development's Family Unification Program provides Housing Choice Vouchers to young people aging out of the foster care system.

The Administration for Children's Services, and the federal Office of Housing Policy and Development, in cooperation with the New York City Housing Authority, has a Section 8 Priority Code for young people aging out of the foster care system. [11]

In 1999, President Clinton signed the Foster Care Independence Act, which doubled federal funding for independent living programs and provides funding for drug abuse prevention and health insurance for former foster care youth until age 21. [13]

Now programs and laws, such as the Chafee Foster Care Independence Program, are starting to make headway into ways to compensate foster children who have become adults. $140 million is to be funded for this program, including states matching 20%. [14]

See also

Related Research Articles

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A child (pl. children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. It may also refer to an unborn human being. In English-speaking countries, the legal definition of child generally refers to a minor, in this case as a person younger than the local age of majority, regardless of their physical, mental and sexual development as biological adults. Children generally have fewer rights and responsibilities than adults. They are generally classed as unable to make serious decisions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foster care</span> System of non-parental temporary child-care

Foster care is a system in which a minor has been placed into a ward, group home, or private home of a state-certified caregiver, referred to as a "foster parent", or with a family member approved by the state. The placement of a "foster child" is normally arranged through the government or a social service agency. The institution, group home, or foster parent is compensated for expenses unless with a family member.

A runaway is a minor or a person under a specified age who has left their parents or legal guardians without permission.

Foster children in Canada are known as permanent wards. A ward is someone, in this case a child, placed under protection of a legal guardian and are the legal responsibility of the government. Census data from 2011 counted children in foster care for the first time, counting 47,885 children in care. The majority of foster children – 29,590, or about 62% – were aged 14 and under. The wards remain under the care of the government until they "age out of care." This age is different depending on the province.

Child protection is the safeguarding of children from violence, exploitation, abuse, and neglect. It involves identifying signs of potential harm. This includes responding to allegations or suspicions of abuse, providing support and services to protect children, and holding those who have harmed them accountable.

Child protective services (CPS) is the name of an agency in many U.S. states responsible for providing child protection, which includes responding to reports of child abuse or neglect. Some states use other names, often attempting to reflect more family-centered practices, such as department of children and family services (DCFS). CPS is also sometimes known by the name of department of social services, though these terms more often have a broader meaning.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Residential treatment center</span> Live-in healthcare facility

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foster Care Independence Act</span>

The Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 aims to assist youth aging out of foster care in the United States in obtaining and maintaining independent living skills. Youth aging out of foster care, or transitioning out of the formal foster care system, are one of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged populations. As youth age out of the foster care system at age 18, they are expected to become self-sufficient immediately, even though on average youth in the United States are not expected to reach self-sufficiency until age 26.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foster care in the United States</span> System of non-parental care in America

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References

  1. ↑ Pittman, K. (1996) "Aging Out or Aging In?" Archived September 29, 2007, at the Wayback Machine Youth Today. January 1996. Retrieved 5/8/07.
  2. ↑ (2006) Trial Home Visits in Relation to "Aging Out of Foster Care" 624-10-01-40-05. State of North Dakota. Retrieved 5/8/07.
  3. ↑ (nd) [How Do I Prevent My Child From Losing Benefits at Age 21 ("Aging Out")?] United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. Retrieved 5/8/07.
  4. ↑ Brackett, E. (2005) Aging Out of Foster Care, Newshour television show, PBS. May 19, 2005. Retrieved 5/8/07.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Gypen, Laura; Vanderfaeillie, Johan; De Maeyer, Skrallan; Belenger, Laurence; Van Holen, Frank (May 2017). "Outcomes of children who grew up in foster care: Systematic-review". Children and Youth Services Review . 76: 74–83. doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2017.02.035. ISSN   0190-7409.
  6. ↑ Dworsky, Amy; Napolitano, Laura; Courtney, Mark (December 2013). "Homelessness During the Transition From Foster Care to Adulthood". American Journal of Public Health . 103 (S2): S318–S323. doi:10.2105/ajph.2013.301455. ISSN   0090-0036. PMC   3969135 . PMID   24148065.
  7. 1 2 3 Pecora, Peter J.; Williams, Jason; Kessler, Ronald C.; Hiripi, Eva; O'Brien, Kirk; Emerson, John; Herrick, Mary A.; Torres, Dan (August 2006). "Assessing the educational achievements of adults who were formerly placed in family foster care". Child & Family Social Work. 11 (3): 220–231. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2206.2006.00429.x. ISSN   1356-7500.
  8. ↑ Jackson, Sonia; Cameron, Claire (June 2012). "Leaving care: Looking ahead and aiming higher". Children and Youth Services Review. 34 (6): 1107–1114. doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2012.01.041. ISSN   0190-7409.
  9. ↑ Day, Angelique; Dworsky, Amy; Fogarty, Kieran; Damashek, Amy (November 2011). "An examination of post-secondary retention and graduation among foster care youth enrolled in a four-year university". Children and Youth Services Review. 33 (11): 2335–2341. doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2011.08.004. ISSN   0190-7409.
  10. 1 2 Naccarato, Toni; Brophy, Megan; Courtney, Mark E. (July 2009). "WITHDRAWN: Employment outcomes of foster youth: The results from the Midwest evaluation of the adult functioning of foster youth". Children and Youth Services Review. doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2009.07.017. ISSN   0190-7409.
  11. 1 2 (nd) Programs and Resources for Youth Aging Out of Foster Care Archived April 9, 2007, at the Wayback Machine . Child Welfare League of America. Retrieved May 8, 2007.
  12. ↑ (2005) Foster care – hope emerges. Reform efforts gain momentum. San Francisco Chronicle. 12/22/05. Retrieved 5/8/07.
  13. ↑ Rhodes, L. (2006) "Young writers finding a powerful voice. Archived 2007-05-02 at the Wayback Machine " Retrieved 5/8/07.
  14. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-11-05. Retrieved 2009-11-12.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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