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California Child Welfare Indicators Project
Subawards
We support a national network of researchers conducting applied studies to improve outcomes for transition-age youth with foster care experience.

We are working to continuously expand research and analysis to support providers, policymakers, and young people themselves in advancing outcomes for transition age youth. Partners, including individuals with lived expertise, communities disproportionately impacted by structural inequities, providers with unique youth connections, and state and county youth-serving agencies, are key to making the research relevant and successful.

In 2023, we selected our inaugural cohort of research grantees – research teams who have demonstrated a commitment to enhancing knowledge about TAY. Their work is generously supported by our partners. The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation and Tipping Point Community granted subawards to conduct this research, and the Walter S. Johnson Foundation supported the 2024 Transition-Age Youth Research & Evaluation Hub Convening. We invite you to learn more about their findings. A summary of all completed projects is available here.

In January 2025, we announced a second round of subawards and requested letters of interest for applied research aimed at enhancing policies and practices for young people living in or transitioning out of foster care. Subawards were announced in Fall 2025, and the awardees and their research are detailed below.

The Awardees and Their Research

Mayra Cazares-Minero

PhD, MSW, Research Analyst, Center for the Transformation of Schools, UCLA
Better Than Expected: Unpacking the Student and College Characteristics Behind Successful Outcomes for Youth with Foster Care Experience in Community Colleges

Project Summary: This study examines factors contributing to community college success for youth with experience in foster care (YEFC) in California. Over 80% of YEFC who go to college enroll in community colleges, but these institutions are understudied. Using linked data from the California Department of Social Services and the California Community College Chancellor’s Office, we will explore student and college-level factors that predict academic outcomes. We also investigate whether participating in NextUp, a campus support program for YEFC, improves academic outcomes. Finally, we will identify colleges that achieve better-than-expected outcomes for YEFC to understand practices they use to promote success.

Dr. Cazares-Minero is a child welfare and education researcher focused on the nation’s most vulnerable youth—those in foster care, the juvenile justice system, experiencing homelessness, or migration. Her work examines their characteristics, needs, and historical trends, translating research into policies and practices that advance educational and socioemotional well-being. With a career dedicated to bridging data and advocacy, she brings a nuanced understanding of the systemic barriers these youth face and the strategies that promote their stability, opportunity, and long-term success.

Katie Massey Combs

PhD, Senior Research Associate, University of Colorado Boulder
Access to Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare for Transition Age Youth in Los Angeles County: A Mixed Methods Study

Project Summary: This mixed methods project uses the social ecological model to examine multi-level factors that shape access to sexual and reproductive healthcare for transition-age youth in Los Angeles County. This study will analyze relevant policies and protocols to identify macro-level influences and conduct interviews (n=20) and surveys with child welfare professionals to understand perceived barriers and facilitators to sexual and reproductive health services and education. By integrating qualitative and quantitative data, the project aims to identify actionable strategies to improve access to sexual and reproductive health services and education for transition-age youth.

Katie Massey Combs, PhD, MSW, MSPH is a Senior Research Associate at the University of Colorado Boulder. Her work focuses on reproductive health, child welfare, and preventive interventions. Katie’s training is steeped in public health and social work, and her research is driven by direct work with youth and families. In addition to testing preventive interventions, Katie conducts research to understand access to reproductive healthcare and education for young people with child welfare involvement and has collaborated on multiple studies with child welfare partners. Methodologically, she leads randomized controlled trials, uses advanced statistics in secondary datasets, and applies mixed methods.

Brianna Harvey

PhD, MSW, Assistant Professor, California State University, Fullerton
A Socio-ecological Examination of the Educational and Life Trajectories of Young Men of Color with Foster Care Experience

Project Summary: This study explores the postsecondary educational experiences of young men of color with foster care backgrounds in California. Using the Socioecological Outcomes Model as a framework, it examines how race, masculinity, and foster care experience intersect to shape their academic and life journeys. Through in-depth interviews, the research identifies challenges they face, strategies they use to navigate systems, and key supports that promote success. Findings will inform policies and programs designed to advance equity, improve educational outcomes, and enhance well-being for this often-overlooked population.

Brianna Harvey, Ph.D., MSW is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at California State University, Fullerton. With over 14 years of experience as a community-based social worker, her interdisciplinary research examines how systems of power sustain inequities in the lives of historically marginalized youth and families, including those impacted by the foster system, and how they resist, navigate, and transform these conditions. Dr. Harvey conducts community-rooted qualitative research aimed at advancing liberation. She previously received the Ford Foundation Pre-Doctoral Fellowship and holds a Ph.D. in Education from UCLA and a Master of Social Work from USC.

Stephanie “Essie” Hengeveld

MEd, Senior Professional Research Assistant, Center for Resilience + Well-Being, University of Colorado Boulder
Access to Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare for Transition Age Youth in Los Angeles County: A Mixed Methods Study

Project Summary: This mixed methods project uses the social ecological model to examine multi-level factors that shape access to sexual and reproductive healthcare for transition-age youth in Los Angeles County. This study will analyze relevant policies and protocols to identify macro-level influences and conduct interviews (n=20) and surveys with child welfare professionals to understand perceived barriers and facilitators to sexual and reproductive health services and education. By integrating qualitative and quantitative data, the project aims to identify actionable strategies to improve access to sexual and reproductive health services and education for transition-age youth.

Stephanie “Essie” Hengeveld, M.Ed. is a Senior Professional Research Assistant at the Center for Resilience + Well-Being at the University of Colorado Boulder. A former special education teacher, she now specializes in implementing and evaluating programs that support youth and caregivers. Essie uses both quantitative and qualitative methods to study prevention strategies for improving health outcomes. She holds degrees in economics and education and is pursuing a Master of Public Health. Essie has supported projects to disseminate trauma-responsive practices statewide and also serves as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for children in dependency and neglect cases.

Blayne D. Stone Jr.

PhD, Qualitative Research Methodologist Consultant, BDS Consulting Services
A Socio-ecological Examination of the Educational and Life Trajectories of Young Men of Color with Foster Care Experience

Project Summary: This study explores the postsecondary educational experiences of young men of color with foster care backgrounds in California. Using the Socioecological Outcomes Model as a framework, it examines how race, masculinity, and foster care experience intersect to shape their academic and life journeys. Through in-depth interviews, the research identifies challenges they face, strategies they use to navigate systems, and key supports that promote success. Findings will inform policies and programs designed to advance equity, improve educational outcomes, and enhance well-being for this often-overlooked population.

Blayne D. Stone, Jr., Ph.D. (Research Associate) is a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Pittsburgh. He is an interdisciplinary scholar that employs critical qualitative methodologies to explore postsecondary trajectories of Black youth with foster care backgrounds. He has over 14 years of experience in student affairs, along with extensive expertise supporting children and families impacted by the foster care system. He holds a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, an M.A. in Human Development Psychology from Cornell University, and a M.Ed. in Higher Education and B.A. in Liberal Arts, both from Florida International University.

Rachel Ludeke

PhD, MSW, MPH, Assistant Professor, Wayne State University
The Role of Social Support Networks in Education and Employment Outcomes for Transition-Age Foster Youth

Project Summary: The team of researchers will study how emotional, tangible, and guidance-based support at ages 19 and 21 influence educational attainment and employment stability at age 23 for youth transitioning from foster care. Using an integrated analytic approach, the study will draw on CalYOUTH survey data from Waves 2–4 and apply advanced quantitative methods to assess patterns, timing, and impact of support, as well as the role of social strain. The goal is to deepen understanding of how different types and timing of support shape long-term outcomes and to inform strategies that strengthen relationships and services for foster youth.

Rachel Ludeke, Ph.D., MSW, MPH is an assistant professor in the Wayne State University School of Social Work. Her research focuses on social support, education, and employment outcomes for youth transitioning from foster care, with an emphasis on racial and ethnic disparities. She also examines network-based approaches to improving services and long-term well-being for transition-age youth.

Kate Musen

PhD Candidate, Columbia University
From Foster Care to College and Beyond: Educational Sorting and Outcomes by Placement Type and Stability

Project Summary: The objective of this study is to bring econometric techniques to child welfare research to better understand the causal relationships between foster care policy, placement type, and educational outcomes of youth who have been in foster care. In past work, we found that youth of differing backgrounds and placement histories experienced different benefits of extended foster care. We will investigate the mechanisms driving these heterogeneous treatment effects to identify potential targeted interventions that support youth in extended care. We will also more broadly evaluate the relationship between foster care histories and educational decision making and outcomes.

Kate Musen is a PhD Candidate in economics at Columbia University and an NSF graduate research fellow. Her research lies at the intersection of labor, health, and public economics, with a focus on policies affecting the wellbeing of low-income and otherwise vulnerable children and youth. Kate’s current work with CCWIP leverages new linked administrative data and quasi-experimental research methods to evaluate the effects of policy reforms affecting current and former foster youth. Prior to graduate school, she was a pre-doctoral fellow at Opportunity Insights at Harvard University. She graduated with highest honors from Swarthmore College in 2018, where she majored in economics and minored in psychology and mathematics. Her research is informed by lived experience with the child welfare system.

Nathanael Okpych

PhD, MSW, Associate Professor, University of Connecticut
Better Than Expected: Unpacking the Student and College Characteristics Behind Successful Outcomes for Youth with Foster Care Experience in Community Colleges

Project Summary: This study examines factors contributing to community college success for youth with experience in foster care (YEFC) in California. Over 80% of YEFC who go to college enroll in community colleges, but these institutions are understudied. Using linked data from the California Department of Social Services and the California Community College Chancellor’s Office, we will explore student and college-level factors that predict academic outcomes. We also investigate whether participating in NextUp, a campus support program for YEFC, improves academic outcomes. Finally, we will identify colleges that achieve better-than-expected outcomes for YEFC to understand practices they use to promote success.

Dr. Nate Okpych is an Associate Professor at the University of Connecticut’s School of Social Work. He studies the transition to adulthood for youth in foster care, focusing on factors, policies, and programs aimed at increasing college access and success. Nate earned his PhD from the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice at the University of Chicago. He also holds master’s degrees in biostatistics and epidemiology (Chicago), social work (Rutgers), and clinical psychology (Duquesne). Nate’s research is informed by his professional experience providing mental health services to youth in residential, school, and community settings, as well as working for several years in college residence life.

Sunggeun (Ethan) Park

PhD, MBA, MSW, Associate Professor, University of Michigan
County-level Variations in Transitional Housing Placement Program and Foster Family Agency Administration and Their Impacts

Project Summary: California’s county child welfare departments often depend on nonprofit providers for specialized care and placement services in supporting TAY with high acuity (e.g., TAY with complex needs and not ready for independent living). Our study examines various ways these departments make placement referrals for transitional housing placement programs for non-minor dependents (THPP-NMD) and foster family agencies (FFA) – two main placement options designed to support TAY with high acuity. The study findings could have several implications, including standardizing referral practices across counties to ensure equitable access to appropriate care levels and providing guidelines for fostering effective public-nonprofit partnerships in child welfare.

Sunggeun (Ethan) Park is an associate professor at the University of Michigan School of Social Work. Park is an organizational scholar with an overarching research question: “How can health and social service organizations provide more responsive and effective services?” He is deeply interested in (1) how to ensure users’ meaningful representation in service decision-making processes (e.g., youth’s engagement in independent living plan development) and (2) how public-private collaborations (e.g., between county child welfare departments and nonprofit providers), contextual factors (e.g., county-level contexts and provider-level attributes), and social policies and programs (e.g., extended foster care) shape the experience of vulnerable service users. Park’s study spans multiple fields beyond child welfare, including substance use disorder treatment, homeless-serving regional networks, services for older adults, and asset building.

Selena Liu Raphael

Senior Advisor for Transition Age Youth Initiatives and Senior Policy Advocate for Behavioral Health at the California Alliance of Child and Family Services/The Catalyst Center
County-level Variations in Transitional Housing Placement Program and Foster Family Agency Administration and Their Impacts

Project Summary: California’s county child welfare departments often depend on nonprofit providers for specialized care and placement services in supporting TAY with high acuity (e.g., TAY with complex needs and not ready for independent living). Our study examines various ways these departments make placement referrals for transitional housing placement programs for non-minor dependents (THPP-NMD) and foster family agencies (FFA) – two main placement options designed to support TAY with high acuity. The study findings could have several implications, including standardizing referral practices across counties to ensure equitable access to appropriate care levels and providing guidelines for fostering effective public-nonprofit partnerships in child welfare.

Selena Liu Raphael is currently serving as the Senior Advisor for Transition Age Youth (TAY) Initiatives and the Senior Policy Advocate for Behavioral Health at the California Alliance of Child and Family Services/The Catalyst Center. Before joining the Alliance in 2022, Selena spent the majority of the previous 20 years working in child welfare for several foster family agencies (FFAs) in Los Angeles County. She has contributed as an affiliate researcher with the TAY-Hub in a prior round and co-authored the paper on “Exploring Provider Perspectives: County Factors Impacting Utilization of Transitional Housing Programs for Non-Minor Dependents (THPP-NMD) in California” (2024). She has presented on housing and TAY issues at several conferences, including the most recent Southern California Association of Non-Profit Housing (SCANPH) in 2024 and the Association of Children’s Residential and Community Services (ACRC) in 2025.

Rebecca Rebbe

PhD, MSW, EDM, Assistant Professor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Child Protection Histories and Young Adult Employment of Sexual Minority Youth Who Aged Out of Foster Care

Project Summary: Sexual minority youth (SMY) are nearly 2.5 times more likely to experience foster care placement than their heterosexual peers and face heightened risks for economic hardships in young adulthood. Yet, detailed information about the experiences of SMY with CPS involvement remains largely unknown. This project’s objectives are to document the CPS histories of transition-age SMY who exit foster care, compare these histories to their peers, and assess the relationship between these histories and young adult employment outcomes using three linked data sources. This evidence is critical to improve CPS services for SMY, a population that continues to face discrimination and barriers in their home and social lives.

Rebecca Rebbe is an assistant professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Social Work. Rebecca is a child welfare researcher who specializes in using population-based linked administrative datasets and data science techniques to better understand child maltreatment and children’s experiences with child protection systems. Her research is informed by 6 years of post-MSW practice working in a public child welfare agency, including 2 years as a supervisor of a specialized unit focused on adolescents and transition-age youth in extended foster care. Rebecca earned her PhD in Social Welfare from the University of Washington, received a MSW from Boston College, and has a master’s degree in education from Harvard University.

Ankur Srivastava

PhD, MPhil, MSW, Assistant Professor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Child Protection Histories and Young Adult Employment of Sexual Minority Youth Who Aged Out of Foster Care

Project Summary: Sexual minority youth (SMY) are nearly 2.5 times more likely to experience foster care placement than their heterosexual peers and face heightened risks for economic hardships in young adulthood. Yet, detailed information about the experiences of SMY with CPS involvement remains largely unknown. This project’s objectives are to document the CPS histories of transition-age SMY who exit foster care, compare these histories to their peers, and assess the relationship between these histories and young adult employment outcomes using three linked data sources. This evidence is critical to improve CPS services for SMY, a population that continues to face discrimination and barriers in their home and social lives.

Ankur Srivastava is an assistant professor at the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill School of Social Work and core faculty at the Global Social Development Innovations Center. His research addresses behavioral health inequities among LGBTQ+ youth, with a focus on intersectional stigma and diversity of experiences among those negotiating multiple minority identities. Drawing on nearly a decade of community-based work in the U.S. and India, he examines sexual identity development, identity management, and social safety. He uses qualitative and quantitative methods to explore how LGBTQ+ young people navigate multiple minority identities and the impact on their health and wellbeing.

Bryan Victor

PhD, Associate Professor, Wayne State University
The Role of Social Support Networks in Education and Employment Outcomes for Transition-Age Foster Youth

Project Summary: The team of researchers will study how emotional, tangible, and guidance-based support at ages 19 and 21 influence educational attainment and employment stability at age 23 for youth transitioning from foster care. Using an integrated analytic approach, the study will draw on CalYOUTH survey data from Waves 2–4 and apply advanced quantitative methods to assess patterns, timing, and impact of support, as well as the role of social strain. The goal is to deepen understanding of how different types and timing of support shape long-term outcomes and to inform strategies that strengthen relationships and services for foster youth.

Bryan Victor, Ph.D. is an associate professor in the Wayne State School of Social Work and an associate editor at the Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research. His child welfare research examines system responses to domestic violence exposure and primary and secondary approaches to maltreatment prevention. His work also explores the use of AI in social work practice and research.

Kenyon Lee Whitman

PhD, Assistant Professor of Higher Education, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
A Socio-ecological Examination of the Educational and Life Trajectories of Young Men of Color with Foster Care Experience

Project Summary: This study explores the postsecondary educational experiences of young men of color with foster care backgrounds in California. Using the Socioecological Outcomes Model as a framework, it examines how race, masculinity, and foster care experience intersect to shape their academic and life journeys. Through in-depth interviews, the research identifies challenges they face, strategies they use to navigate systems, and key supports that promote success. Findings will inform policies and programs designed to advance equity, improve educational outcomes, and enhance well-being for this often-overlooked population.

Kenyon Lee Whitman, Ph.D. (PI) is a scholar-practitioner whose research centers on underrepresented students in higher education, particularly students and their families who have been impacted by the U.S. foster care system. Whitman is an Assistant Professor of Higher Education at UNLV. As a former foster youth himself, Whitman has over 15 years of experience in higher education, including leading UC Riverside’s Office of Foster Youth Support Services and Guardian Scholars Program for six years. Whitman holds a Ph.D. from UC Riverside in Higher Education Administration and Policy and was a UC Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Scholar at UCLA. As a community-engaged, critical researcher, Whitman has published in leading journals. He serves as Chair-elect of NASPA’s Socioeconomic and Class Issues Knowledge Community and leads Baldwin’s Brothers, an affinity group for Black male educators.

Eunhye Ahn

PhD, MSW, Washington University in St. Louis
Understanding the Nature of Adolescent Neglect and the Role of the Child Protection System (CPS)

Research goal: Examine youths’ experiences of neglect, and better understand the supports that would help mitigate the impact of neglect.

Maltreated adolescents are highly and disproportionately vulnerable to adverse outcomes in early adulthood, but unlikely to be adequately served by child protective services (CPS) following a report. This study leverages unique detailed narratives and quantitative CPS case records to characterize the nature and context of adolescent neglect and to identify the unmet service needs of the adolescents who encounter CPS due to allegations of neglect.

Eunhye Ahn is an Assistant Professor at Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis. She is also an affiliated researcher at the Center for Innovation in Child Maltreatment Policy, Research and Training and Children’s Data Network. She leverages data to improve the outcomes of children and families who come to the attention of the system, advancing broader social goals of equity and justice. Her research agenda includes informing child welfare policy and practice through rigorous examination of racial and socioeconomic disparities, developing predictive models to support frontline workers’ decision-making, and understanding the ethics and fairness of machine learning applied to child welfare.

Julia Arroyo

PhD, College of Charleston
Nature, Determinants, and Impacts of Family-of-Origin Relationship Networks among California’s Transition-Age-Youth

2024 Research goal: Dr. Arroyo’s study examines how family networks, and child welfare agency efforts to support them, affect TAY well-being.

This project uses Cal-YOUTH data, a longitudinal survey of youth aging out of formal foster care settings in California. First, they analyze the initial responses collected when youth were about 17 years old to describe youths’ close family relationship networks and examine factors that shape whether youth report that child welfare agencies did enough to promote their close relationships with members of their family of origin. Next, they use survey responses collected at ages 19, 21, and 23 to examine how youths’ adolescent family networks, and agency efforts to support them, are associated with well-being and attainment across early adulthood.

Julia Arroyo is an assistant professor of sociology in the department of Sociology and Anthropology at the College of Charleston. Julia completed her PhD in Sociology at the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL and her BA in Sociology at Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio. Her research broadly focuses on family relationships and well-being as well as how social policy and child protection system practices impact these. She regularly teaches undergraduate courses in introductory sociology, research methods, and child welfare.

Sandra Black

PhD, Columbia University
Leveraging Quasi-Experimental Methods to Evaluate Foster Care Reform in California

Research goal: Examine how TAY policies have impacted the education and labor market outcomes of former foster youth.

The past decade has been a time of momentous change in policies affecting foster youth and former foster youth in California, including the implementation of extended foster care through Assembly Bill 12 and the expansion of Medicaid eligibility to former foster youth up to age 26 under the Affordable Care Act. This project aims to leverage new linked administrative data and econometric methods to provide credible causal estimates of the effects of these policies on the education and labor market outcomes of former foster youth. The first youth to benefit from AB 12 are now finally old enough for meaningful evaluation of their labor market outcomes, making this the right time for rigorous and detailed evaluation of one of the key objectives behind extended foster care.

Kristen Ethier

PhD, MSW, Simmons University
Expectant and Parenting Youth in Foster Care

Research goal: Use learnings to better support parenting youth in foster care.

Expectant and parenting foster youth (EPFY) navigate the complex journey of parenthood with limited support and guidance. This study employs an integrated approach to estimate EPFY prevalence, examine trends, predictors, and outcomes, and explore their experiences and needs using CalYOUTH survey data, administrative data, and interviews. The findings will deepen our understanding of EPFY and contribute to better support for parenting youth in foster care.

Kristen Ethier is an Assistant Professor of Social Work at Simmons University. As an intersectional feminist social work practitioner and scholar, the aim of her research is to transform individual lives, interventions, and systems towards a vision of reproductive justice and family thriving. Her work has long been devoted to promoting sexual and reproductive health equity across several populations and promoting family thriving for mothers and their children who experience oppression. Her most recent research investigates how child welfare involvement shapes the transition to parenthood for young mothers in foster care and interventions aimed at promoting equitable care engagement for young Black sexual men and other adults living with HIV.

Todd M. Franke

PhD, MSW, University of California, Los Angeles
A Case Study of FUPY/FYI Housing Choice Vouchers in Los Angeles: The experiences of young adults, property managers, and case managers

Research goal: Understand barriers and facilitators to Family Unification Program for Youth (FUPY) and Foster Youth to Independence (FYI) uptake and maintenance in Los Angeles.

The Family Unification Program for Youth and Foster Youth to Independence program provide Housing Choice Vouchers (HCVs) to young adults who age out of foster care. Recent reports demonstrate that county-level uptake of FUPY has increased, while FYI has increased the number of HCVs available to young adults exiting foster care, nonetheless FYI is underutilized in California, including the County and City of Los Angeles. Case study methods will facilitate an in-depth and multi-perspective investigation into the FYI program drawing on the experiences of three stakeholder groups: young adults, property managers, and case managers.

Dr. Franke is a Professor at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, Department of Social Welfare. He has 30 years of experience conducting cross-sectional and longitudinal research and evaluation in various related fields focused on youth and families. While his primary focus is child welfare, his work extends into education, juvenile justice, mental health, and adolescent violence. His expertise includes psychometrics and data analysis (multivariate, predictive analytics, machine learning), data visualization, and linking large existing datasets together for the social good. Over the years, Dr. Franke has worked on numerous evaluation projects in these areas. In the area of child welfare, he has done work on multiple levels, including examining the child welfare system and the related systems involved in the lives of children and families (e.g., health, mental health, juvenile justice, education, housing), workers and worker training, as well as children and families. To date, he has received over $130 million in funding. Dr. Franke previously completed a study examining the link between children in out-of-home care and early childhood education through a project funded by the Administration for Children and Families. He is the PI for UCLA’s partnership with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in the QIC-WF work. In addition to working with the Center of Excellence at UCLA around trauma-informed practice/training, Dr. Franke provides and evaluates the training provided to all new and current staff at the Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services as well as the cross-training that is beginning to occur between county agencies and for service providers and families.

Justin Harty

MSW, Arizona State University
Expectant and Parenting Youth in Foster Care

Research goal: Use learnings to better support parenting youth in foster care.

Expectant and parenting foster youth (EPFY) navigate the complex journey of parenthood with limited support and guidance. This study employs an integrated approach to estimate EPFY prevalence, examine trends, predictors, and outcomes, and explore their experiences and needs using CalYOUTH survey data, administrative data, and interviews. The findings will deepen our understanding of EPFY and contribute to better support for parenting youth in foster care.

Justin Harty is an Assistant Professor at Arizona State University School of Social Work. His research interests include the outcomes and preparedness of expectant and parenting foster youth, particularly the experiences and needs of young fathers in foster care as they leave state care and transition to independent adulthood and early fatherhood. He earned his MSW from the Jane Addams College of Social Work at the University of Illinois at Chicago and his doctorate from the University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice. Prior to entering academia, he worked for three years as a foster care worker in Chicago, Illinois. He is a licensed clinical social worker serving child welfare involved fathers and provides father-focused trainings to child welfare, foster care, and family strengthening agencies around father involvement and engagement.

Brianna Harvey

ABD, MSW, CSU, Fullerton
Challenging Anti-Blackness in Education: Amplifying the Voices of Black Foster Youth Students through Counter-Storytelling

Research goal: Provide learnings that will support Black foster youth in overcoming anti-black policies and practices on a path to educational success.

Utilizing qualitative inquiry and a BlackCrit/Black Storywork framing, this study aims to uplift and center the K-12 educational experiences and stories of Black foster youth who are currently enrolled in a four-year public university. Moreover, the study aims to identify the tools and strategies they used to subvert and overcome anti-black policies and practices during their primary schooling journeys.

Brianna Harvey is a PhD Candidate within UCLA’s School of Education whose work seeks to understand the ways that Black foster youth students in K-12 navigate and subvert oppressive systems. She is an award recipient of the Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship as well as the UCLA Fellowship for the Study of Black Lives. Brianna currently serves as the Associate Director for the UCLA Bruin Resource Center where she oversees programs that serve students from specialized populations such as foster youth, formerly incarcerated students, student parents, students in recovery, undocumented students and those experiencing homelessness. She previously worked in the field of social services for over 12 years supporting youth and families from communities that have been historically silenced and minoritized.

John Paul Horn

PhD, MSW, CSU, East Bay
Exploring Navigational Capital for Care Experienced Adults

Research goal: Support a productive path to adulthood for youth who have aged out of foster care.

The team of researchers will study navigational capital (the ability to navigate complex needs to meet one’s needs) in a population of young people who aged out of foster care in California and did not pursue a college education. In their study, they will ask young people to talk about their access to resources, how they learned about what resources were available, and how they decided what resources to use. The hope for the project is to learn more about how people with lived experiences make decisions as they transition to adulthood.

John Paul Horn, PhD, MSW is an assistant professor of social work at CSU East Bay. His work focuses on qualitative and mixed-methods research that advances the voices of care leavers (former foster youth) as they emerge into adulthood. His work uses positive youth development and capital development theories to demonstrate how youth thrive despite unaddressed systemic issues that contribute to negative outcomes in adulthood. He also examines how these systems perpetuate structural violence by reinforcing systemic oppression. His goal is to improve practice and policy by identifying institutional-level barriers that inhibit healthy development for youth.

Sebrena Jackson

PhD, LICSW, University of Alabama
Exploring Navigational Capital for Care Experienced Adults

Research goal: Support a productive path to adulthood for youth who have aged out of foster care.

The team of researchers will study navigational capital (the ability to navigate complex needs to meet one’s needs) in a population of young people who aged out of foster care in California and did not pursue a college education. In their study, they will ask young people to talk about their access to resources, how they learned about what resources were available, and how they decided what resources to use. The hope for the project is to learn more about how people with lived experiences make decisions as they transition to adulthood.

Cornelle A. Jenkins

JD, MBA, Catalyst Center Learning Hub
Exploring Provider Perspectives on County Factors Impacting Utilization of Transitional Housing Programs for Non-Minor Dependents in California

Research goal: Examine various factors that could impact the use of TAY housing programs among non-minor dependents.

The study will draw upon the experiences and data from the 160 member agencies of the California Alliance for Children and Family Services to consider the variables impacting the utilization rates of Transitional Housing Programs vs. Supervised Independent Living Programs across counties in California. The research team will look at comparing county contracts and statements of work, explore the relationships between providers and county partners, cost of housing and services implementation, youth voice and choice as well as funding allocations among others as factors to consider.

Cornelle A. Jenkins currently serves as the Director of Strategic Initiatives of the Catalyst Center and California Alliance of Child and Family Services where his lived experience fuels his drive to effectuate systemic change. Prior to joining the Catalyst/Alliance, Cornelle practiced law for over five years and used his free time to volunteer with organizations and projects aimed at uplifting underserved, neglected communities. At the Catalyst/Alliance and through other community-centered projects, Cornelle advocates for those how have been historically rendered voiceless while engaging and empowering communities in their own healing and wellbeing.

Dominique Mikell Montgomery

ABD, AM, University of Nevada, Reno
Seedless: A Study on the Higher Education Experiences of Youth Impacted by Foster Care with (Dis)abilites

Research goal: Support the development of improved higher education policies and practices for young people with (dis)abilities living in or exiting foster care.

Due to the limited amount of research focused on the college experiences of youth impacted by foster care with (dis)abilities but the significant amount of scholarship that supports that these youth may have unmet educational needs, this study will explore the following question: How do young people with (dis)abilities transitioning out of foster care in California experience attending public 2-year colleges? To answer this, this research team will gather and analyze multiform qualitative data, including intensive qualitative individual interview transcripts and participant-generated photographs through a prompted photo-elicitation method.

Dominique Mikell Montgomery (she/her) is a doctoral candidate at the University of California, Los Angeles, and will begin serving as an Assistant Professor at the University of Nevada Reno in the Fall of 2023. Dominique’s agenda as a researcher and an educator is deeply informed by her experiences as a member of and supporter of communities surviving and thriving despite state-sanctioned oppression in the wake of slavery and colonization. All her scholarly work attempts to push forward the social work discipline in terms of its content knowledge on the experiences and resistance of those impacted by oppressive state interventions such as child welfare interventions and its epistemological frameworks regarding what constitutes knowledge and methods for knowledge generation.

Kate Musen

Columbia University
Leveraging Quasi-Experimental Methods to Evaluate Foster Care Reform in California

Research goal: Examine how TAY policies have impacted the education and labor market outcomes of former foster youth.

The past decade has been a time of momentous change in policies affecting foster youth and former foster youth in California, including the implementation of extended foster care through Assembly Bill 12 and the expansion of Medicaid eligibility to former foster youth up to age 26 under the Affordable Care Act. This project aims to leverage new linked administrative data and econometric methods to provide credible causal estimates of the effects of these policies on the education and labor market outcomes of former foster youth. The first youth to benefit from AB 12 are now finally old enough for meaningful evaluation of their labor market outcomes, making this the right time for rigorous and detailed evaluation of one of the key objectives behind extended foster care.

Kate Musen is a PhD Candidate in economics at Columbia University and an NSF graduate research fellow. Her research lies at the intersection of health and labor economics, with a focus on child health and welfare. Kate’s current work with CCWIP leverages new linked administrative data and quasi-experimental research methods to evaluate the effects of policy reforms affecting current and former foster youth. Prior to graduate school, she was a pre-doctoral fellow at Opportunity Insights at Harvard University. She graduated with highest honors from Swarthmore College in 2018, where she majored in economics and minored in psychology and mathematics. Her research is informed by lived experience with the child welfare system.

Toni Naccarato

PhD, MSW, CSU, East Bay
Exploring Navigational Capital for Care Experienced Adults

Research goal: Support a productive path to adulthood for youth who have aged out of foster care.

The team of researchers will study navigational capital (the ability to navigate complex needs to meet one’s needs) in a population of young people who aged out of foster care in California and did not pursue a college education. In their study, they will ask young people to talk about their access to resources, how they learned about what resources were available, and how they decided what resources to use. The hope for the project is to learn more about how people with lived experiences make decisions as they transition to adulthood.

Lucero Noyola

MSW, University of California, Los Angeles
A Case Study of FUPY/FYI Housing Choice Vouchers in Los Angeles: The experiences of young adults, property managers, and case managers

Research goal: Understand barriers and facilitators to Family Unification Program for Youth (FUPY) and Foster Youth to Independence (FYI) uptake and maintenance in Los Angeles.

The Family Unification Program for Youth and Foster Youth to Independence program provide Housing Choice Vouchers (HCVs) to young adults who age out of foster care. Recent reports demonstrate that county-level uptake of FUPY has increased, while FYI has increased the number of HCVs available to young adults exiting foster care, nonetheless FYI is underutilized in California, including the County and City of Los Angeles. Case study methods will facilitate an in-depth and multi-perspective investigation into the FYI program drawing on the experiences of three stakeholder groups: young adults, property managers, and case managers.

Lucero Noyola spent time in California’s foster care and juvenile justice system. She earned her MSW from the USC School of Social Work in 2020 and now works as a Program Officer for the Carrie Estelle Doheny Foundation. In addition to her position at the foundation, she consults on youth program development and collaborates on research projects.

Carmen Noyola

MUP, University of California, Los Angeles
A Case Study of FUPY/FYI Housing Choice Vouchers in Los Angeles: The experiences of young adults, property managers, and case managers

Research goal: Understand barriers and facilitators to Family Unification Program for Youth (FUPY) and Foster Youth to Independence (FYI) uptake and maintenance in Los Angeles.

The Family Unification Program for Youth and Foster Youth to Independence program provide Housing Choice Vouchers (HCVs) to young adults who age out of foster care. Recent reports demonstrate that county-level uptake of FUPY has increased, while FYI has increased the number of HCVs available to young adults exiting foster care, nonetheless FYI is underutilized in California, including the County and City of Los Angeles. Case study methods will facilitate an in-depth and multi-perspective investigation into the FYI program drawing on the experiences of three stakeholder groups: young adults, property managers, and case managers.

Carmen Noyola spent time in California’s foster care and juvenile justice system. She earned her MUP from the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy in 2020 and now works as an Associate Project Manager and Entitlements Specialist for Linc Housing Corporation. In addition to her position at Linc, she consults on youth program development and collaborates on research projects.

Nathanael Okpych

PhD, MSW, University of Connecticut
Expectant and Parenting Youth in Foster Care

Research goal: Use learnings to better support parenting youth in foster care.

Expectant and parenting foster youth (EPFY) navigate the complex journey of parenthood with limited support and guidance. This study employs an integrated approach to estimate EPFY prevalence, examine trends, predictors, and outcomes, and explore their experiences and needs using CalYOUTH survey data, administrative data, and interviews. The findings will deepen our understanding of EPFY and contribute to better support for parenting youth in foster care.

Nate is an Assistant Professor at the University of Connecticut’s School of Social Work. He studies the transition to adulthood for youth in foster care, focusing on factors, policies, and programs aimed at increasing college access and success. Nate earned his PhD from the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice at the University of Chicago. He also holds master’s degrees in biostatistics and epidemiology (University of Chicago), social work (Rutgers University), and clinical psychology (Duquesne University). Nate’s research is informed by his professional experience providing mental health services to youth in residential, school, and community settings, as well as working for several years in college residence life.

Lindsey Palmer

PhD, LCSW, University of Utah
Understanding the Nature of Adolescent Neglect and the Role of the Child Protection System (CPS)

Research goal: Examine youths’ experiences of neglect, and better understand the supports that would help mitigate the impact of neglect.

Maltreated adolescents are highly and disproportionately vulnerable to adverse outcomes in early adulthood, but unlikely to be adequately served by child protective services (CPS) following a report. This study leverages unique detailed narratives and quantitative CPS case records to characterize the nature and context of adolescent neglect and to identify the unmet service needs of the adolescents who encounter CPS due to allegations of neglect.

Lindsey Palmer is an assistant professor at the University of Utah’s College of Social Work. Her research seeks to understand the nature, extent, and impact of Child Protective Service (CPS) involvement on the safety and wellbeing of vulnerable children, with a particular focus on allegations of child neglect. Lindsey graduated from the University of Southern California with an MSW and PhD in Social Work. She has previously worked as a licensed clinical social worker providing mental health services to adolescents involved with the child protection and juvenile justice systems.

Sunggeun (Ethan) Park

PhD, MBA, MSW, University of Michigan
County-level Variations in Transition-age Youths’ Utilization of Independent Living Programs

Research goal: Better understand the impact of county child welfare practices and policies on the use of transition age youth housing options.

California has a decentralized child welfare administration system, leading to variation in services and outcomes for transition-age youth (TAY). Prior research shows substantial county differences in extended foster care duration and outcomes linked to local contexts. This study examines the prevalence and patterns of Transitional Independent Living Plan (TILP) development and Independent Living Services (ILS) utilization among TAY. Using administrative and CalYOUTH data, it explores how county-level factors influence TILP creation, ILS access, and their relationship. Findings will inform efforts to ensure equitable, need-aligned supports that better prepare TAY for adulthood across California’s diverse county systems.

Sunggeun (Ethan) Park is an assistant professor at the University of Michigan School of Social Work. Park is an organizational scholar with an overarching research question, “how can health and social service organizations provide more responsive and effective services?” He is deeply interested in (1) how to ensure user’s meaningful representation opportunities in service decision-making processes (e.g., youth’s engagement in independent living plan development) and (2) how organizational-level collaborations (e.g., between county child welfare departments and nonprofit organizations), contextual factors (e.g., county-level contexts and provider-level attributes), and social policies and programs (e.g., extended foster care) influence organizational behaviors and shape the experience of vulnerable service users. Park’s study spans multiple fields beyond child welfare, including substance use disorder treatment, homeless-serving regional networks, and HIV prevention service field.

Selena Liu Raphael

Catalyst Center Learning Hub
Exploring Provider Perspectives on County Factors Impacting Utilization of Transitional Housing Programs for Non-Minor Dependents in California

Research goal: Examine various factors that could impact the use of TAY housing programs among non-minor dependents.

The study will draw upon the experiences and data from the 160 member agencies of the California Alliance for Children and Family Services to consider the variables impacting the utilization rates of Transitional Housing Programs vs. Supervised Independent Living Programs across counties in California. The research team will look at comparing county contracts and statements of work, explore the relationships between providers and county partners, cost of housing and services implementation, youth voice and choice as well as funding allocations among others as factors to consider.

Selena Liu Raphael, M.Div. currently serves as a Lead Policy Analyst focusing on Transition Aged Youth at the Catalyst Center/CA Alliance of Child and Family Services. Previously she had over 20 years of experience as a Program Supervisor of Adoption, Foster Care and Intensive Treatment Foster Care, Children’s Support Group leader and Parent and Staff Trainer at several provider agencies in California. She also volunteers as a partner and coach with Social Justice Partners Los Angeles.

Evelyn Karina Rodriguez

Affiliated Researcher
Seedless: A Study on the Higher Education Experiences of Youth Impacted by Foster Care with (Dis)abilites

Research goal: Support the development of improved higher education policies and practices for young people with (dis)abilities living in or exiting foster care.

Due to the limited amount of research focused on the college experiences of youth impacted by foster care with (dis)abilities but the significant amount of scholarship that supports that these youth may have unmet educational needs, this study will explore the following question: How do young people with (dis)abilities transitioning out of foster care in California experience attending public 2-year colleges? To answer this, this research team will gather and analyze multiform qualitative data, including intensive qualitative individual interview transcripts and participant-generated photographs through a prompted photo-elicitation method.

Evelyn Karina Rodriguez (all pronouns) is an advocate, activist, and artist whose purpose is to promulgate law with media art and radical love. Evelyn is dedicated to creating, establishing and supporting spaces of creative opportunities for our communities, specifically, those traditionally underserved.

Svetlana Shpiegel

PhD, MSW, Montclair State University
Socioeconomic Outcomes During the Transition from Foster Care by Sexual Preferences

Research goal: Explore the association between sexual preferences and the economic success and well-being of TAY.

The team of researchers will utilize data from the California Youth Transitions to Adulthood Study (CalYOUTH) to compare the socioeconomic outcomes (i.e., educational and vocational attainment, receipt of public assistance, housing instability, and early parenthood) of youth who did not identify as heterosexual with those of their heterosexual peers. They will also examine a range of mediating and moderating influences that might promote or impede the socioeconomic outcomes and well-being of youth within the two groups.

Svetlana Shpiegel is an Associate Professor at the Department of Social Work and Child Advocacy, Montclair State University, New Jersey. Her research focuses primarily on the functioning of adolescents and young adults “aging-out” of the foster care system. She is especially interested in early parenthood among young people currently or formerly in foster care, and the effects of parenthood on their socioeconomic outcomes. Dr. Shpiegel has expertise working with large administrative datasets, such as the National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD), the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS), and the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS). Her research has been published in several leading journals, including Child Abuse and Neglect, Journal of Adolescent Health, Children and Youth Services Review, and others. Her recent research projects have been funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Vital Strategies Foundation, Center for the Study of Social Policy, and the Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation.

Brenda A. Tully

Affiliated Researcher
A Case Study of FUPY/FYI Housing Choice Vouchers in Los Angeles: The experiences of young adults, property managers, and case managers

Research goal: Understand barriers and facilitators to Family Unification Program for Youth (FUPY) and Foster Youth to Independence (FYI) uptake and maintenance in Los Angeles.

The Family Unification Program for Youth and Foster Youth to Independence program provide Housing Choice Vouchers (HCVs) to young adults who age out of foster care. Recent reports demonstrate that county-level uptake of FUPY has increased, while FYI has increased the number of HCVs available to young adults exiting foster care, nonetheless FYI is underutilized in California, including the County and City of Los Angeles. Case study methods will facilitate an in-depth and multi-perspective investigation into the FYI program drawing on the experiences of three stakeholder groups: young adults, property managers, and case managers.

Brenda A. Tully joined the UCLA Pritzker Center for Strengthening Children and Families as a Research Fellow after earning her PhD in Social Welfare at UCLA in September 2022. Twenty years of social work practice with children, youth, and families inform Brenda’s research. Her research aims to inform systems-level change that addresses racial and economic inequities among young adults and families experiencing the foster and homeless systems. Brenda’s research focuses on the formal and informal housing that youth who are unhoused and young adults exiting foster care navigate, and the ecological conditions that restrict and expand their housing options. Currently, Brenda leads UCLA Pritzker Center research teams on projects rooted in collaboration and movement toward racial equity in Los Angeles County. The studies focus on the crossroads of domestic violence and child welfare, an intervention to reduce racial disproportionality in child welfare investigation substantiations, and facilitators and barriers to uptake of housing choice vouchers for young people transitioning out of foster care.

Wendy Zeitlin

PhD, MSW, Montclair State University
Socioeconomic Outcomes During the Transition from Foster Care by Sexual Preferences

Research goal: Explore the association between sexual preferences and the economic success and well-being of TAY.

The team of researchers will utilize data from the California Youth Transitions to Adulthood Study (CalYOUTH) to compare the socioeconomic outcomes (i.e., educational and vocational attainment, receipt of public assistance, housing instability, and early parenthood) of youth who did not identify as heterosexual with those of their heterosexual peers. They will also examine a range of mediating and moderating influences that might promote or impede the socioeconomic outcomes and well-being of youth within the two groups.

Wendy Zeitlin is an Associate Professor in the Department of Social Work and Child Advocacy at Montclair State University in New Jersey. Her research focuses on public health social work including healthcare disparities and social determinants of health for people experiencing disability. Wendy conducts research across settings including state public health systems and community-based organizations. She has worked closely with national organizations, including the National Child Welfare Workforce Institute. Her expertise includes research design, secondary data analysis, and evaluation. Wendy received both her MSW and PhD from Yeshiva University in New York City.

Awardee Interviews

Seedless: A Study on the Higher Education Experiences of Youth Impacted by Foster Care with (Dis)abilites

Dominique Mikell Montgomery
PhD, AM, University of Nevada, Reno

Evelyn Karina Rodriquez
Community Activist, Advocate, and Artist.

As researchers, we should push ourselves to not just pay lip service to the importance of lived experiences but to fold them into every bit of our work. It’s hard, but it’s critical – not just for reasons of justice, but because it makes the work better. TAY-Hub was one of the few partners who would step up for this kind of work; I hope that others follow their lead.

We invite you to learn more about their unique approach to the research and some early insights from their work.

Read the Interview

County-level Variations in Transition-Age Youth’s Utilization of Independent Living Programs, and
Expectant and Parenting Youth in Foster Care

Sunggeun (Ethan) Park
Assistant Professor of Social Work, University of Michigan

Justin Harty
Assistant Professor, School of Social Work & Assistant Professor, Center for Child Well-Being, Arizona State University

Think about what we call corporate parenting – when a child is removed from their family and the state has to step in as the parent. With TAY, there’s an additional responsibility to prepare for adulthood. I understand intimately how that works because of my research and lived experience, but Ethan is able to help me look at the child welfare system as a SYSTEM.

Read the interview to see how they bring together distinct backgrounds and perspectives on how the child welfare system works with transition-age youth.

Read the Interview