The Economic Well-Being of Youth Transitioning from Foster Care: Opportunity Passport Participant Survey Results Show Employment Helps Many Thrive

Type
Brief
Year published
2017
Accession number

25653

Title

The Economic Well-Being of Youth Transitioning from Foster Care: Opportunity Passport Participant Survey Results Show Employment Helps Many Thrive

Series

Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative

Organization

Annie E. Casey Foundation

Abstract

The Jim Casey Initiative’s Opportunity Passport program is a matched-savings intervention to help improve the financial capabilities of young people as they transition from foster care to adulthood. This research brief presents key findings from the survey data of program participants since 2008. The employment data includes rates, full-time status, average hours worked per week, hourly wages, and training experiences. Results indicate that Opportunity Passport participants seem to be faring well in employment. A higher proportion of Opportunity Passport participants are employed compared with young people in the general population as well as 17- and 19-year old National Youth in Transition Database respondents. However, some participants lagged behind others in employment gains, including young parents and young people in group placements.The brief provides recommendations for how policymakers and service providers should use this information to more effectively support young people. 

Availability details

Available free of charge on the Annie E. Casey website at: https://www.aecf.org/resources/the-economic-well-being-of-youth-transit…

Keywords