On their own: The experiences of youth after foster care

This study used multiple means to identify 55 young adults who had left foster care in recent years. The young adults who had all emancipated from foster care under the auspices of social services were most often identified by former foster parents, social workers, or other foster youth. This sample of former foster youth are often struggling with ill health, poor educations, severe housing problems, substance abuse, and criminal behavior. Yet the youth in this sample may be surviving more ably than the many former foster youth whom we could not reach.The author thanks Rich Clarke, Pat Lovelock and Sharon Ikami. This study was prepared under Contra Costa County Contract #20-719.