Lives in motion: A review of former foster youth in the context of their experiences in the child welfare system

In light of the poor prospects facing many former foster youths during the transition to adulthood, it is surprising that so little attention has been given to substitute care contexts during child welfare system involvement. A review of child welfare research finds that many former foster youths go through an alarming number of placement changes and report a high rate of placement into congregate care settings and other unplanned events. Future research should take explicit account of substitute care contexts in designing and carrying out studies examining the adult outcomes of aging out foster care populations. Interventions intended to circumvent high rates of movement in foster care should also be broadened to target multiple aspects of substitute care contexts.

► The focus of this article is on the contexts provided to aging out foster youth during foster care.
► Studies suggest movement and deep end care settings may be common experiences.
► Missed opportunities may exist for preparing youth effectively for adulthood.