Better Futures: a Randomized Field Test of a Model for Supporting Young People in Foster Care with Mental Health Challenges to Participate in Higher Education

Although adolescents are the primary focus of juvenile justice, a significant number of young people involved with this system are considered transition age youth (i.e., 16–25 years of age). The aim of this review is to summarize the specific needs of transition age youth with mental health conditions involved with the juvenile justice system, identify the multiple service systems relevant to this group, and offer recommendations for policies and practice. A comprehensive search strategy was used to identify and synthesize the literature. Findings highlight the paucity of research specific to transition age youth. Thus, we also summarized relevant research on justice-involved adolescents, with a focus evaluating its potential relevance in the context of the unique milestones of the transition age, including finishing one’s education, setting and working towards vocational goals, and transitioning from ones’ family of origin to more independent living situations. Existing programs and initiatives relevant to transition age youth with mental health conditions are highlighted, and nine specific recommendations for policy and practice are offered.

Section: Domain-specific Servicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Juvenile justice, mental health, and the transition to adulthood: A review of service system involvement and unmet needs in the U.S.

Zajac

Sheidow

Davis

2015

“…Social conditions that meet an individual’s innate psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness are believed to be essential for driving self-motivation and fostering overall well-being. Based on this theory and a similar utilization of it in another study (Geenen et al, 2015), we anticipate that participation in FHE will help students gain self-determination skills and believe in their ability to be successful in college.…”

Section: Intervention Development Background and Overviewmentioning

confidence: 90%

Fostering Higher Education: A postsecondary access and retention intervention for youth with foster care experience

Salazar

Haggerty

Roe

2016

Most youth in foster care aspire to obtain higher education, but face daunting obstacles in doing so. While societal interest and effort to support foster youth in achieving higher education has grown, very few supports have evidence to show that they are effective at improving postsecondary outcomes. In an effort to address the dearth of clearly articulated, evidence-based postsecondary support approaches for foster youth, we have developed Fostering Higher Education (FHE), a comprehensive, structured, and evaluable postsecondary access and retention intervention composed of elements (professional educational advocacy, substance abuse prevention, mentoring) that are either evidence based or promising based on the scientific literature and their ability to address the outcomes of interest. This paper describes the development and youth usability and practitioner feasibility testing of the FHE intervention approach, which was developed through funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Youth usability feedback was primarily positive, with the majority of participants indicating they found the FHE activities interesting and useful, and were comfortable participating in them. Practitioner feasibility feedback was also primarily positive, with almost unanimous ratings of the FHE intervention components as very important to provide to youth and that all would be feasible for an organization to implement, though the mentoring components were seen as slightly less feasible than other components. Next steps and implications of this intervention development process are discussed.

“…For foster youth with serious mental health challenges who have not yet completed the postsecondary application or enrollment process, the Better Futures near-peer coaching/mentoring program (Geenen et al, 2015; Phillips et al, 2015) has been found to improve students’ postsecondary preparation and access outcomes. It uses an adaptation of the Take Charge model, a self-determination intervention developed for high-risk youth to improve student engagement (Geenen et al, 2015; Powers et al, 2001).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It uses an adaptation of the Take Charge model, a self-determination intervention developed for high-risk youth to improve student engagement (Geenen et al, 2015; Powers et al, 2001). Students enrolled in Better Futures receive support through one-on-one near-peer coaching, mentoring workshops, and by connecting with experienced alumni of foster care.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Students enrolled in Better Futures receive support through one-on-one near-peer coaching, mentoring workshops, and by connecting with experienced alumni of foster care. Results from a randomized field test found that Better Futures participants were significantly more likely to be enrolled in a postsecondary program, report higher self-determination, and report greater mental health improvements compared to a control group (Geenen et al, 2015). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Professional and youth perspectives on higher education-focused interventions for youth transitioning from foster care

Salazar

Roe

Ullrich

et al. 2016

Youth transitioning from foster care to adulthood access and succeed in college at much lower rates than the general population. A variety of services exist to support youth with their postsecondary goals, but few if any have evidence for their effectiveness. As part of a National Institute on Drug Abuse-funded intervention development project to design Fostering Higher Education, a structured, testable postsecondary access and retention intervention for youth transitioning from foster care to adulthood, focus groups were conducted with community stakeholders to collect recommendations for how to most effectively structure the intervention. Analyses of focus group findings resulted in four theme groups: (1) general recommendations for intervention development; (2) recommendations for an educational advocacy intervention component; (3) recommendations for a mentoring intervention component; and (4) recommendations for a substance abuse prevention intervention component. These themes offered a variety of important insights for developing interventions in a way that is usable for youth and feasible for communities to implement.