Exiting Out of the Foster Care System

¶ … exiting out of the foster care system and consistent research points to the value of a support network in helping them do so.

Law necessitates that foster children exit the foster care system between the ages of 16-18. However, study after study shows the difficulties that these individuals face upon release. Many of them are unable to throw themselves into independence and very few are able to grapple with the struggles of life. Studies and analysis (* e.g.) show that most of these individuals are unemployed,50% leave foster care without a high school diploma, 7% were incarcerated in a state prison, 2% reported experiencing homelessness, 30% experience health problems, 32% need health care, and 55% have no type of health insurance. Further studies (*e.g.) show that youths with more foster care placements are more likely to have encountered violence in their dating relationships, were more likely to have spent time in jail and were associated with higher rates of pregnancies.

Social support, therefore, is extremely important for young adults existing out of the foster care system. In fact, the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (*), found that mentored foster youth fared better on self-reports of health, educational attainment, physical aggression, suicide risk, and risk of sexually transmitted infection than did non-mentored foster care youth. Supportive relationships include caseworkers, foster parents, therapists, original family members, and mentors. Youths maintaining positive supportive relationships are associated with more positive outcomes risk of sexually transmitted infection than did non-mentored foster care youth.

One of the organizations that is reputed for meeting these needs and providing just such a social support framework is the Anderson Educational Employment Center that is located in El Cajon, California and is established for young adults (aged 16-18)exiting out of the foster care system who live throughout the San Diego County. This specific organization was chosen as target for study since it deals with a population that is most in need of support and care given its recent displacement from the foster Center. It was for this reason that Anderson Educational Employment Center was chosen as subject of this essay.

The organization's mission statement is "to provide supportive community-based services for youths moving from the foster care system to adulthood."

This organization has a solid track record of 25 years with providing professional services such as job placement skills, financial workshops, educational assistance, interviewing skills, resume writing, and career building skills. Additionally, 90% of the foster care youths go on to complete their college degrees, join the military, and seek steady employment.

The objective of this study is to investigate whether or not, and in which way, the Anderson Educational Employment Center succeeds in transitioning children from the foster homes into effectively independent and well-functioning adults.

An observational case study will be held where two assistants and the author will solicit permission from the Center to observe the place for a period of a month. We will observe each of the programs, read promotional publications of the Center, conduct online and offline research on the Center, interview students and faculty as well as contacting past graduates and follow up with them on their experiences in the Center and on the effect of the Center in their lives. In short, we will aim to obtain as complete a report as possible on all aspects of the Center. The study will be qualitative in that it will consist of open-ended interviews, observation, and possibly participatory observation too. One aspect of the study will be phenomenological where, in order to obtain as rich an experience as possible, we will enter into the lived experience of the participants and attempt to see it from their perspective.

Data analysis will proceed by singling and summarizing themes that emerge form observation, interviews, and accumulated research. Finally, in order to assess success of the mission, we will return the report to administrators and certain participants (perhaps those of the phenomenological group) for feedback in order to corroborate accuracy and objectivity of interpretation (Hycner 1985).

We will also be cognizant of limitations in order to address them in possible future attempts. Our first attempt may, in fact, be a pilot study, in order to research and address possible limitations.

The contributions of this study will enable us to transplant the model of the Anderson Educational Employment Center to other potential and current services that seek to help individuals exiting the foster care system.