HANDOUT
The What, Who, Why and How of the Improving Outcomes
for Youth Exiting Foster Care Data
WHAT: California has adopted a set of EXIT OUTCOMES to measure the
performance of the child welfare system in meeting the needs of youth that are
transitioning from foster care into young adulthood.
These outcomes are part of California’s Outcomes and Accountability System, and
promote the larger outcomes of permanence and well-being for older youth in out-ofhome placement. Counties are required to report these outcomes to the state on a
quarterly basis, and data must be collected and reported on ALL youth who are exiting
the foster care system due to “aging out”.
For each youth who is transitioning out of care, child welfare social workers fill out the
SOC 405E. All counties submit their data to the CDSS, and the aggregate data is
reported (as measure 8A) for all counties at the Center for Social Services Research
(CSSR) website: http://cssr.berkeley.edu/ucb_childwelfare/CdssFiles.aspx?report=8A.
County performance is measured in several domains:
Domain
Description
General information
Information on whether the youth is a parent, and whether their
whereabouts are known at the time that the case is closed.
Information on the youth’s educational status, and on their future
educational plans.
Information on all possible means of support that a youth may
have (employment, military enlistment, bank accounts, financial
aid, SSI, etc.)
Information on future arrangements that the youth has for
housing.
Information on whether the youth has health insurance, and what
type.
Educational
Attainment
Financial
Support/Resources
Housing
Arrangements
Health Care
Insurance
WHO: The data are collected only for youth who age out of care, not for those who
return home or enter adoption or guardianship. The data reflect the youth’s status
during the month they leave care.
Foster youth who age out of the system face many challenges in adjusting to life as a
young adult. Two recent studies that examined the experiences of youth following exit to
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“independent living” (the Midwest Evaluation of the Adult Functioning of Former Foster
Youth and the Northwest Foster Care Alumni Study) found that transitioning youth:
o often struggle to complete their educations;
o frequently have significant health and mental health problems;
o often are unemployed or underemployed and face poverty;
o all too frequently experience homelessness and housing instability;
o are at risk of becoming involved in crime or becoming the victims of crime; and,
o tend to be more socially isolated than their non-foster care peers. (Courtney et al,
2005; Pecora et al., 2006).
WHY: We all want foster youth to have all of the tools that they need to be
successful as young adults.
Youth who remain in out-of-home care and are likely to exit the child welfare system by
“aging out” require all child welfare staff to work with, and assist the youth in transitioning
to successfully independent adults.
All child welfare professionals working with these youth should be aware of the
outcomes that the state uses to measure performance, for several reasons:
1) Social work practice should promote good performance in these outcomes;
2) Youth will be served better if we systematically evaluate how each child is doing
in the specific areas that define good performance;
3) Accurate data collection and tracking will allow the child welfare system to serve
foster youth more effectively, and determine whether the system is improving or
declining in its performance.
Remember: The best way for youth of all ages to achieve good outcomes is
for them to achieve permanency through adoption or guardianship.
o Without families, young people do not have the comfort and security that
belonging to a family network brings, and they lack models for creating resilient
families, successful work lives, and strong cultural and ethnic identities.
Importantly, as they approach adulthood, they lack a vital safety net. Support
from family is recognized as an important contributor to successful adolescent
transitions to adulthood. 1
o If outcomes for young people at risk of aging out of foster care are to improve, it
is essential that youth be safely connected with their own families or have the
benefit of new families through adoption or guardianship. To thrive, young people
need strong relationships with families who are committed to them and effective
preparation for adulthood, including life skills development; a strong education
1
CW 360: A comprehensive view on a child welfare issue.(2009) permanency and aging out:
adolescents in the child welfare system. Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare, University
of Minnesota School of Social Work. page 4.
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coupled with job readiness and career planning; and access to quality housing
and health care.” 2
HOW: Follow county procedures to make sure the SOC 405E is filled out properly
for each youth leaving foster care and entering young adulthood.
For each youth who is transitioning out of care, child welfare social workers fill out the
SOC 405E. All counties submit their data to the CDSS, and the aggregate data is
reported (as measure 8A) for all counties at the Center for Social Services Research
(CSSR) website: http://cssr.berkeley.edu/ucb_childwelfare/CdssFiles.aspx?report=8A.
Complete instructions for the SOC 405E, as well as a sample of the form, can be found
in All-County Letter No. 08-33:
http://www.dss.cahwnet.gov/lettersnotices/entres/getinfo/acl08/08-33E.pdf. Check with
your supervisor to determine the procedure used to collect this data in your county.
References:
Permanency or Aging Out: Adolescents in the Child Welfare System. CW360°.
University of Minnesota School of Social Work. Spring, 2009. Available at
http://www.cehd.umn.edu/SSW/CASCW/attributes/PDF/publications/CW360_2009.p
df
Courtney, M.E., Dworsky, A., & Pollack, H. (2007). When Should the State Cease
Parenting? Evidence from the Midwest Study. Chicago: Chapin Hall Center for
Children at the University of Chicago. Available at
http://www.chapinhall.org/article_abstract.aspx?ar=1355.
Pecora, P.J., Kessler, R.C., O’Brien, K., White, C.R., Williams, J., Hiripi, E., English, D.,
White, J., & Herrick, M.A. (2006). Educational and employment outcomes of adults
formerly were placed in foster care: Results from the Northwest Foster Care Alumni
Study. Child and Youth Services Review, 28, 1459-1481.
2
ibid page 5.
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