Date of Award

6-2014

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Social Work

Department

School of Social Work

First Reader/Committee Chair

Dr. Janet Chang

Abstract

This study examined the outcomes for young adults in Extended Foster Care. Extended Foster Care is a relatively new program within the Child Welfare system, which provides services for former foster youth between the ages of 18 and 21 to become more successful, independent young adults. Before the implementation of Extended Foster Care in 2012, most of the foster children were left to fend for themselves after they turned 18, which resulted in negative outcomes. Extended Foster Care is a seemingly helpful program; however, due to its new existence there has been very limited research regarding the outcomes of these young adults in Extended Foster Care. This study used secondary data from the San Bernardino County Legislative, Research and Quality Support Services Unit. After data retrieval, independent t-tests and chi-squared tests were conducted using SPSS version 21. The independent variable of days spent in Extended Foster Care was compared to the following dependent variables: disability status, education status, housing status, and employment status and its barriers. The results of this study showed that the longer a young adults stays in Extended Foster Care, the higher their likelihood is of positive housing, employment, and education status. This study suggests it is critical to continue to provide Extended Foster Care services and further research needs to be conducted to ensure program quality and to continue to improve the services to this vulnerable, young adult population.

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