The Midwest Evaluation of the Adult Functioning of Former Foster Youth (hereafter referred to as the “Midwest Study”) is a prospective study that was designed, in part, to provide a comprehensive picture of how foster youth as they transition to adulthood since the John Chafee Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 became law.
This report is based on the fourth wave of survey data. These data were collected from 82 percent of the baseline sample between July 2008 and April 2009. Study participants were 23 or 24 years old at the time.
It describes what we learned about how these young people were faring across a variety of domains, including living arrangements, relationships with family of origin, social support, education, employment, economic well-being, receipt of government benefits, physical and mental well- being, health and mental health service utilization, sexual behaviors, pregnancy, marriage and cohabitation, parenting, and criminal justice system involvement.
Click here to read the report.
