Memo from CalYOUTH: Relationships between Youth and Caseworker Perceptions of the Service Context and Foster Youth Outcomes
A key to improving extended foster care is understanding the associations between services provided in care, youth’s satisfaction with those services, and their outcomes. This study relied on survey data from youth and child welfare workers, paired with administrative data, to understand these relationships. Specifically, it explored how child welfare workers perceive the availability of training and services for youth transitioning out of the care system, how they view collaboration between county child welfare agencies and other systems, and whether youth’s satisfaction with services are linked to outcomes in education, employment, health, and homelessness. Findings support the need for more collaboration among systems that serve foster youth, more affordable housing options for those transitioning out of care, and more attention to whether youth are satisfied with the services they receive.