Vol. 9, No. 2• May 2005

Finding employment for youth who age out of foster care

Research shows that employment is an area of difficulty for a great many of the teens who “age out” of foster care. A 1991 study found that only 49% of youth discharged from foster care were employed, compared to 65% of other youth aged 16 to 24 (Freundlich & Barbell, 2001).

Another study found that two to four years after they left the system, only 38% of former foster youth had stayed employed and only 48% had held a full-time job. Of those who had held a full-time job, the median weekly salary was only $205 (Wertheimer, 2002). Earnings at this level make independent living very difficult.

In her report Getting the Job Done: Effectively Preparing Foster Youth for Employment, Linda Lewis urges child welfare professionals, employers, and foster parents to do the following to safeguard the futures of adolescents who age out of foster care:

• Ensuring stable living arrangements for older foster youth is one of the best ways to improve their educational and employ-ment success.
  
  
• Ensure that no child leaves the foster system without a lifelong connection to a committed, caring adult.
  
  
• Prior to emancipation, every foster youth should understand his or her rights and the process by which the court can ensure maximum privacy of juvenile records. Foster youth also need training in how to handle past legal issues when completing job applications.
  
  
• Every youth, beginning at age 12 and no later than 14, needs to have a comprehensive transition plan that is updated annually. There must be accountability from team members for achieving plan goals and linking the youth to services that support their achievement.
  
  
• A transition plan should include a workforce preparation package to prepare youth for employment. This package should include a progressive program of job tours, job shadowing and mentoring, aggressive outreach to engage youth in opportunities for internships and volunteer experiences, and opportunities and support for part-time work beginning no later than age 16 and continuing through their emancipation from care.
  
  
• Provide information to employers, particularly small businesses, on potential tax credits as an incentive for hiring foster youth.
  
  
• Engage employers as partners with foster youth in such roles as mentor, tutor, and job coach.
  
  
• Provide bus passes for foster youth who are in school and/or employed. Determine require-ments for school, training, and work attendance associated with receiving the bus pass.
  
  
• Develop support networks for emancipated youth through age 24.
  
  
• Establish reasonable, flexible guidelines and a simplified “exception” process for safety and supervision of youth participating in age-appropriate independent activities (e.g. cooking, laundry, work experience, after-school sports, clubs).
  

References
Freundlich, M. & Barbell, K. (2001). Foster care today. Washington, DC: Casey Family Programs.

Lewis, L. (2004, Summer). Getting the job done: Effectively preparing foster youth for employment. Foundation Consortium for California’s Children & Youth. Sacramento CA. <www.foundationconsortium.org>

Wertheimer, R. (2002, December). Youth who “Age Out” of foster care: Troubled lives, troubling prospects. ChildTrends Research Brief [Publication #2002-59]. Washington, DC: ChildTrends. <www.childtrends.org>

Copyright © 2005 Jordan Institute for Families