Court Appointed Special Advocates Orange County (CASA OC) recently concluded an inaugural survey to evaluate outcomes for CASA youth who have emancipated or aged-out of the system after experiencing the mentorship and advocacy of a CASA volunteer. The goal was to evaluate the longer-term efficacy or impact a CASA can make in the life of a youth who is in the dependency system.
The survey consisted of questions about how these young adults are now doing in a variety of areas of their life including housing stability, employment status, interactions with the legal system and the presence of other trusted adults in their lives. The survey also provides context for some of the challenges Youth Formerly in Foster Care (FFY) face while in the system including substance abuse, mental health issues and placement instability.
This was the first survey of its type for CASA OC, conducted during the summer of 2024 by Jeff Rodersheimer, a current advocate and member of CASA OC’s governing board. Jeff is a data scientist who sought to help CASA OC by combining two of his passions, volunteering and data, to help provide objective analysis to complement the inspiring stories advocates offer through their direct experience. In general, the statistics around outcomes for youth who have emancipated from foster care tend to be somewhat grim, and this survey was part of an effort to glean a better understanding of a CASA’s impact on youth who have emancipated from the system. We plan to refine future efforts to enhance effectiveness and expand reach and are currently exploring tactics to remain more engaged with former CASAs and FFY to better track long term impacts.
CASAs participating in the study offered recommendations for ways to expand future surveys and suggested ways to improve the CASA/youth match experience. Below are the results which were distilled into learnings and recommendations.
CATEGORIES EVALUATED & RESULTS:
Substance Use - The majority of FFY (76%) reported no use of drugs while it appears that over half of their parents experienced some degree of substance abuse.
Youth: 76% reported no use of drugs and 24% reported occasional use.
Parents: 15% of parents reported no use of drugs, 53% reported substance use and 30% usage was unknown.
Primary reasons reported for drug use include social interactions, peer pressure, and exposure to siblings or relatives using drugs.
Interactions with the Legal and Justice System - The vast majority of FFY (91%) reported no interaction with the justice system yet over 60% of them had relatives who were incarcerated.
Social and Environmental Influences (i.e. gang involvement) - None of the youth responding to survey reported belonging to a gang and only 9% reported socializing with gang members. A slightly higher percentage reported parental involvement in gangs.
Education and Extracurricular Activities -
81% of youth reported regular school attendance with 100% of youth surveyed completing high school or achieving their GED. This is compared to 62% graduation fate of Foster Youth with no CASA
54% reported below average performance, with 27% reporting average grades and 18% reported to excel in school performance.
Participation in school sports and clubs was about evenly split with 53% reporting participation and 47% saying they did not participate. Only 18% of FFY reported still being engaged in extracurricular activities.
Special Needs and/or Mental Health Conditions - 38% reported some form of mental health issues while 62% reported no such conditions. 9% reported a special needs issue.
Placement History - All youth had a varied set of placements including group homes, foster families, and relatives. The most common placements were foster care (54%), group homes (15%) and relatives ( 31%.) 61% reported now being in transitional housing or supervised independent living while 29% are not.
History with CASA advocates - The responses were pretty evenly split between FFY who had one CASA (47%) as compared to those who had more than one CASA (53%)
WHERE ARE THEY NOW
CASA Connection - All FFY involved in the survey still maintain some degree of contact with their CASA ranging from monthly calls or visits to annual check-ins. All CASAs report significant knowledge of their FFY’s current situation.
Housing stability - 85% report stable housing
Interaction with the legal system - At least 77% have had no interaction with the legal system with the remainder unknown.
Employment status - Mixed results with 38% either working or in school full-time. 8% working part-time, 23% unemployed and 31% unknown.
Educational status - 46% are in college either part-time or full-time, 23% are not in continuing education, 31% unknown
Relationship with other trusted adults - 69% reported the presence of a trusted adult in their life while the other 31% was unknown
Influences and perceptions - The positive impacts on youth, as reported by their CASAs, include supportive peer groups, learned resilience, educational support, and strong mentorship from CASA volunteers. The negative impacts include instability in foster care placements, poor accountability, and negative peer influences. There were mixed reviews on the overall effectiveness of social workers.
FUTURE RECOMMENDATIONS
Recommendations for future surveys:
Evaluate factors in youth deciding to remain in system through the age of 21
Analyze resource effectiveness
Further evaluate specific impacts of CASA involvement
Recommendations for future CASA practices:
More open-ended conversations
Expanded focus on trades education
Improved effort to address youth accountability
CONCLUSION:
Strengths: The survey demonstrated evidence that the consistent, caring presence of a CASA in the life of a youth results in more stability in housing, educational attainment, and positive influences in their lives. The power of a CASA connection is revealed by how many FFY maintain their relationship with their CASAs beyond the scope of their time in dependency care.
Challenges: Areas for improvement include providing better employment support, addressing negative impacts from foster care placements, and improving the effectiveness of social workers. Truly holding youths accountable for their actions or lack of actions is an ongoing challenge. Pushing youth through towards graduation when they may not have the necessary skills is another challenge.
We want to express our gratitude to all of the current and former CASAs who were able to take part in this survey and who remain in contact with their former CASA youth. We especially want to thank Jeff Roedersheimer for making this survey possible and for the time he dedicated to securing and presenting this information.