Publications on Child Welfare

This report presents final process and impact study findings from one of four programs evaluated as part of the Multi-Site Evaluation of Foster Youth Programs. Impact findings were based on a two-year follow-up of youth in foster care in Los Angeles County who participated in a random assignment evaluation of the Life Skills Training Program. Youth were 17 years old at the time of random assignment to either a treatment group that was offered access to Life Skills Training or to a control group.

This report presents final process and impact study findings from one of four programs evaluated as part of the Multi-Site Evaluation of Foster Youth Programs. Impact findings were based on a two-year follow-up of youth who participated in a random assignment evaluation of the Early Start to Emancipation Preparation (ESTEP)Tutoring Program. The program was designed to improve reading and math skills of foster youth aged 14 and 15 who are one to three years behind grade level in reading or math. Youth who participated in the evaluation were randomly assigned to either a treatment group that was offered access to ESTEP-Tutoring or to a control group.

The Urban Institute partnered with local research organizations in three sites to learn more about children of incarcerated parents through the merging and analysis of local and state level criminal justice and human services data. The purpose of the project was to better understand the experiences and needs of children of incarcerated parents in each locality and to explore the involvement of affected families with the criminal justice, child welfare, and social welfare systems. This report presents findings from the sites and lessons learned regarding the merging and analysis of administrative data on this population.

The increasing recognition of the importance of marriage for the social and economic well-being of children has led to demonstrations aimed at strengthening and stimulating healthy marriages. The next step is to ensure that factors closely linked with healthy marriages are addressed as well. This paper brings together research findings and policy ideas about the interactions between marriage, employment, and family functioning. It presents a framework and proposes several demonstrations aimed at improving employment and family outcomes for disadvantaged populations. The appendix reviews an extensive body of research on specific linkages between marriage, employment, and family functioning.

This study examines employment outcomes for youth who age out of foster care through their middle twenties in three states: California, Minnesota, and North Carolina. The study linked child welfare, Unemployment Insurance (UI), and public assistance administrative data to assess outcomes. Results suggest that youth who age out of foster care continue to experience poor employment outcomes at age 24 and generally follow one of four employment trajectories as they transition to adulthood.