Independent living programs: Do they make a difference?

Children are entering foster care at an alarming rate. There were an estimated 429,000 children in out-of-home care at the end of 1991, which is a 64% increases since 1982 (Tatara, 1990). The largest proportion of children in out-of-home care are between the ages of 13 and 18 (Mech, 1988; Tatara, 1989). Each year, an estimated 16,000 (Sims, 1988) to 18,000 (Ryan, McFadden, Rice, & Warren, 1988) youth are emancipated and leave foster care to assume independence. Many of these young adults are not prepared for self-sufficiency (Barth, 1986, 1990; Festinger, 1983; Westat, 1988). Adolescents from varying out-of-home care settings are eligible for a set of services—Independent Living Programs.