Exploring the Use of an Emancipation Checklist for Older Youth (18‐21) Exiting Foster Care

• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/jfcj.12122
• Author: Alicia Summers,Corey Shdaimah,Victoria A. Knoche
• Date: 01 December 2018
• Published date: 01 December 2018

Exploring the Use of an Emancipation Checklist

for Older Youth (18-21) Exiting Foster Care

By Alicia Summers, Corey Shdaimah, and Victoria A. Knoche

ABSTRACT

This paper examines the efforts of a court to improve outcomes for older youth

who are exiting foster care by implementing an Emancipation Checklist (EC) to

guide discussion around 12 stability indicators thought to improve youth transition

to adulthood (e.g., education, employment). Over 90% of youth had medical insur-

ance, all personal documents, a permanent connection, and could identify their core

values. Less than half were employed or engaged in educational or vocational train-

ing. Youth who exited when they were older and who attended more of their court

hearings had more stability indicators. Implications and future research directions

are discussed.

Key words: Emancipation, Foster Care, Judicial Checklist, Older youth.

INTRODUCTION

Adolescence is a formative developmental stage, when youth are in the process of

acquiring and coordinating educational, vocational, social, and behavioral skills (Cauff-

man & Steinberg, 2012). Development towards psychosocial maturity is influenced by

environmental conditions such as a parents or guardians, prosocial peers, and participa-

tion in extracurricular, educational, and employment activities (Cauffman & Steinberg,

2012). For the majority of individuals this process of psychosocial development extends

Alicia Summers, Ph.D., is the Director of Data Savvy Consulting, LLC. She received her

PhD in Social Psychology from the University of Nevada, Reno. Dr. Summers can be reached at

Alicia.d.summers@gmail.com.

Corey Shdaimah, LL.M., Ph.D., is Associate Professor at the University of Maryland, School of

Social Work and the Academic Coordinator of the MSW/JD Dual Degree Program. Dr. Shdaimah relies on a

variety of primarily qualitative methods to elicit people’s insights about improving systems in which they

work and interact, including child welfare courts. Dr. Shdaimah can be reached at

CSHDAIMAH@ssw.umaryland.edu

Victoria A. Knoche received bachelor’s degree in psychology and anthropology at the University of

Nebraska, Lincoln. She is currently a PhD student in the Interdisciplinary Social Psychology Program at

University of Nevada, Reno. Ms. Knoche can be reached at vknoche@nevada.unr.edu

Juvenile and Family Court Journal 69, No. 4

©2018 National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges

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into early adulthood (Cauffman & Steinberg, 2012). Adolescent brains are not fully

developed until the mid-twenties, when important changes in brain functioning take

place such as a strengthening of activity in self-regulation brain systems, responses to

rewards, and increased brain regions responding to arousing stimuli during late teens

and early twenties (Steinberg, 2013). While many teens are capable of making mature

decisions at this age, adolescents are less likely to make mature decisions when they are

experiencing emotional arousal or subjected to peer pressure (Steinberg, 2013). Youth

placed in the foster care system due to abuse or neglect by a parent are likely to be experi-

encing emotional arousal and may be at increased risk to make poor choices.

More than two decades of research has clearly documented the poor outcomes for

youth who are emancipating from (“aging out”) or nearing emancipation from foster care

(Courtney, Piliavan, Grogan-Kaylor, & Nesmith, 2001; Courtney, Terao, & Bost, 2004;

English, Kouidou-Giles, & Plocke, 1994; Katz & Courtney, 2015; Pecora et al., 2005).

These youth demonstrate poorer educational outcomes than the general population with

lower rates of high school graduation and decreased likelihood of obtaining secondary

education (Courtney et al., 2004). They are more likely to be involved in the criminal

justice system than their non-foster care peers (Brandford & English, 2004; Pecora et al.,

2005). They exhibit higher rates of mental health concerns, are less likely to have medi-

cal insurance (Pecora et al., 2005), and are more likely to need mental health services

(Leslie et al., 2000) than the general population. Youth who exit foster care are also at

increased risk of homelessness, with studies indicating that 25-39% of youth from foster

care had experienced homelessness or sleeping on someone’s couch after leaving care

(Dworsky & Courtney, 2010a; Pecora et al., 2005). Further, a majority of youth exiting

care struggle with finding and maintaining gainful employment, with nearly half report-

ing no earnings and a majority reporting earnings within poverty range (Naccarato, Bro-

phy, & Courtney, 2010). Research has also shown that, while the majority of the youth

feel like they are ready for independent living, their caregivers are less likely to think so

(English et al., 1994).

The federal government has recognized the need to support youth transitioning out

of care. With the addition of the Independent Living Initiative, section 477 to title IV-E

of the Social Security Act (Public Law 99-272), states are authorized to use funds to assist

older youth in transitioning to independent living. These independent living services

may include education services to help facilitate high school graduation, GED or voca-

tional training, daily living skills, individual counseling, or other services designed to

improve their transition. The type, frequency, and quality of independent living services

youth receive vary significantly by state, with the most common types including skill

teaching of money management, job readiness, and nutrition (United States General

Accounting Office (USGAO), 1999). In one study of foster care alumni, the majority of

youth reported some independent living services. The most commonly reported service

was decision-making and problem-solving skills training at 89%, while the least com-

mon were legal skills (60%) and parenting skills (61% reporting receiving this training;

Courtney et al., 2001).

The effectiveness of independent living services is still largely unknown (Mont-

gomery, Donkoh & Underhill, 2006; USGAO, 1999). In a study of foster care alumni,

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