This longitudinal study follows a sample of young adults as they age out of foster care. The study, which publishes yearly updates here, focuses on three states: Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois. Researchers first interviewed 732 participants when they were 18 or 19 and have conducted follow-up interviews with participants well into their mid-twenties. This comprehensive data set has provided some alarming statistics. Among them, the report has found that female young adults in foster care have a 50 percent chance of becoming pregnant by the age of 19. Researchers also found that 65 percent of foster care youth leave the system without a place to live.
Download The Midwest Evaluation of the Adult Functioning of Former Foster Youth
Research category: Youth