Findings from the California Youth Transitions to Adulthood Study (CalYOUTH): Conditions of Foster Youth at Age 21 - 2018
The CalYOUTH Wave 3 Youth Survey provides the most comprehensive view to date of young adults making the transition to adulthood from foster care in California, the state with the largest foster care population in the nation, at a point in the transition when they have all exited the California foster care system. What the youth told us about themselves, their relationships with others, and their relationships with the institutions charged with assisting them is valuable information for policymakers, program developers, advocates, and others interested in better meeting the needs of youth transitioning from foster care to adulthood. Policy and practice should be informed by a deeper understanding of the strengths and challenges these young people bring to the transition to adulthood as well as by what the youth say about the effectiveness of services intended to help them. The practical implications of findings from the CalYOUTH Wave 3 Youth Survey will become clearer as future analyses dig beneath the descriptive information provided here, but some broad initial takeaways from the findings are worthy of note.