Child Welfare

The Extended Foster Care program offers young adults leaving foster care the opportunity to voluntarily continue receiving services while transitioning to independence. The additional support provided by EFC services has been linked to improved outcomes in adulthood. Former foster youth can choose to enter or leave EFC at any time during their years of eligibility (ages 18-21). DCYF tracks both initiation of EFC and longer-term utilization of services as a balancing indicator for our support of successful youth transitions. While the number of eligible young adults has decreased over the past five years, resulting from smaller numbers of children and youth in out-of-home care more broadly, the percentage of eligible young adults who initiate and utilize EFC services has consistently increased over the same time period.

READ THE OIAA DATASHEET ON ANNUAL EXTENDED FOSTER CARE ENGAGEMENT RATES

READ THE EFC REPORT FROM THE RESEARCH AND DATA ANALYSIS DIVISION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL AND HEALTH SERVICES

Between 2017 and 2023, the gap between employment rates for young adults who have experienced foster care and those who have not, remained fairly consistent in Washington State. During the same time period however, the gap in median earnings between the two groups widened, and that increase cannot be attributed to differences in number of hours worked. Longitudinal analysis shows that over time, while the employment gap remains steady, the gap in median earnings continues to increase. It is widest for people without post-secondary education credentials, and narrowest for those with four-year post-secondary credentials, but the earnings gap between people who have experienced foster care and those who have not persists across all levels of educational attainment.

Read the Education Research and Data Center (ERDC) Report

Employment Among 2017 Cohort of Young Adults, by Former Foster Status, 2017-2023

 

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Employment Among 2017 Cohort of Young Adults, by Former Foster Status, 2017-2023

Source: McCabe, H. (2025) Long-term education outcomes of Washington students who have experienced foster care, homelessness, or institutional education, 2024. Olympia, WA: Education Research and Data Center, Forecasting and Research, Office of Financial Management. https://erdc.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2025-03/PEI%20Brief%20-%20HM%203.24.25.pdf
Notes: Population is cohort of young adults who turned 18 in 2017. Chart represents employment outcome for the cohort over the following 7 years, through age 24.
Young adults are identified as having been in foster care if they were in foster care at any point from 2012, when they were in approximately 8th grade, forward. Data were not available to identify foster care at younger ages.
Young adults were considered employed if employed at any point during the calendar year in Washington, have wage records (federal employees, independent contractors, and others do not have Employment Security Department wage records), and earned more than $100 or worked more than 40 hours in a quarter.

One of DCYF’s strategic priorities is that we create successful transitions to adulthood for youth and young adults in our care. Graduation from high school is an outcome indicator for this priority. Statewide, the 2023 four year graduating cohort included 85,306 students, 84% of whom graduated on time. In most years, an additional 2-3 percent of the class have graduated by the end of their fifth year. Among that 2023 cohort, 552 youth were indicated as having been in foster care. Youth who have not been in foster care graduated at the rate of the overall class, whereas 53% of youth who had been in foster care graduated on time.

VIEW THE Washington State Education REPORT CARD Dashboard

Housing instability is a balancing indicator for our outcomes related to creating successful transitions to adulthood. Youth and young adults who exit the foster care system without being placed into a permanent family through reunification, adoption, or guardianship are often referred to as "aging out" of foster care. These youth are at higher risk of becoming homeless or unstably housed than those who have a family to support them at this critical life transition. Across the past five years, within 12 months of leaving care, 16% of former foster youth experienced an episode of housing instability or homelessness.

Analysis has also been done about the housing instability of youth and young adults (ages 12 to 25) who are released from a Juvenile Rehabilitation institution. Until 2021, the rate of homelessness for youth and young adults leaving Juvenile Rehabilitation institutions has largely mirrored those of former foster youth. In the most recent years however, new programs and resources have reduced homelessness among former foster youth, while rates of homelessness among youth and young adults leaving JR have changed very little. Across the past five years, 21% experienced an episode of housing instability or homelessness within 12 months of discharge.

VIEW THE REPORT FROM THE RESEARCH AND DATA ANALYSIS DIVISION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL AND HEALTH SERVICES

A DCYF strategic priority is to improve the quality and availability of provider services. As an outcome indicator, we are monitoring the needs and provided treatment of children and youth in foster care. Research shows that exposure to traumatic events and chronic stress — such as poverty, housing instability, family conflict, abuse and neglect, and exposure to caregivers’ mental illness or substance use disorder — contribute to the greater behavioral health needs of children and youth experiencing out-of-home care.

READ THE REPORT FROM THE RESEARCH AND DATA ANALYSIS DIVISION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL AND HEALTH SERVICES

Needs and Treatment of Children and Youth in Foster Care, SFY 2014-2021

 

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Needs and Treatment of Children and Youth in Foster Care, SFY 2014-2021

Source: Iverson, A., Pavelle, B. Lucenko, B. & Felver, B. (2023). "Behavioral Health Treatment Needs and Outcomes among Medicaid-Enrolled Children in Washington State." Washington State Department of Social and Health Services, Research and Data Analysis.
Notes: Total in out-of-home care includes all children and youth age 0-17 ever in out-of-home care, for any length of time, during the state fiscal year. Mental health treatment need includes any mental health diagnosis, prescription, or service recorded in state administrative data in the past 24 months. Substance Use Disorder (SUD) treatment need includes one or more substance-related diagnosis, procedure, prescription, treatment, or arrest in the past 24 months. Treatment need indicators that are not captured by state administrative data, including privately paid or insured services, are not included. SUD is not measured for children under age 12.

The Healthy Youth Survey asks youth whether, over the past year, they ever felt so sad or hopeless, almost every day for two weeks or more in a row, that they stopped doing some of their usual activities. Results show that youth who live with their parents/guardians are less likely to report having been depressed than youth not living with their parents/guardians.

10th Graders Reporting Depression, by Living Situation, 2023

 

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10th Graders Reporting Depression, by Living Situation, 2023

Source: Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, Health Care Authority Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery, & Liquor and Cannabis Control Board (2023). Healthy Youth Survey [2023]. https://askhys.net
Notes: "Does Not Live with Parents/Guardians" includes students who live with other relatives (kinship care), who are in foster care, or who have other living situations.

The second DCYF education outcome goal is that youth are engaged in school. Youth who feel more connected or committed to school are more likely to achieve positive academic outcomes and are less likely to experience mental health issues.

Engagement in school can be measured by the Healthy Youth Survey’s index of engagement in school, which captures information on decision-making opportunities at school, one-on-one opportunities with teachers, opportunities to work on special projects, extracurricular opportunities, and feeling a part of class activities or discussions. Results show that youth who live with their parents/guardians are more likely to report high levels of school engagement than youth not living with their parents/guardians.

10th Graders with High Levels of School Engagement, by Living Situation, 2023

 

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10th Graders with High Levels of School Engagement, by Living Situation, 2023

Source: Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, Health Care Authority Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery, & Liquor and Cannabis Control Board (2023). Healthy Youth Survey [2023]. https://askhys.net
Notes: "Does Not Live with Parents/Guardians" includes students who live with other relatives (kinship care), who are in foster care, or who have other living situations.

Another indicator of healthy youth-adult relationships is engagement between children and youth and their families. Family engagement includes opportunities to discuss problems with parents, chances to have fun with their families, and opportunities to be involved in family decisions. Results show that youth who live with their parents/guardians are more likely to report high opportunity for family engagement than youth not living with their parents/guardians.

10th Graders with High Opportunity for Family Engagement, by Living Situation, 2023

 

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10th Graders with High Opportunity for Family Engagement, by Living Situation, 2023

Source: Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, Health Care Authority Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery, & Liquor and Cannabis Control Board (2023). Healthy Youth Survey [2023]. https://askhys.net
Notes: "Does Not Live with Parents/Guardians" includes students who live with other relatives (kinship care), who are in foster care, or who have other living situations.