Social support is vital for young people in the child welfare system as they transition into adulthood, according to researchers.
However, many youths with foster care backgrounds often experience disconnection or social marginalization during this transition, “because youth transitioning from foster care have often experienced disruptions in their social support networks,” said Kune Park, a researcher at Michigan State University’s School of Social Work.
In her new study, she found that the disconnect many youths experience could be further exacerbated depending on their placement type, with congregate care settings receiving particular attention, according to Park.
Congregate care refers to out-of-home residential settings—such as group homes, residential treatment centers, short-term psychiatric hospitals, and shelters—that provide a structured, 24-hour environment for children when family-like placements are not viable.
In comparison to foster care or kinship care—which emphasizes the importance of spending quality time with caregivers, leading to supportive relationships—congregate care is a more restrictive environment staffed by rotating shift workers with high turnover.
This in-and-out, disruptive nature of congregate care “can limit opportunities to develop the strong, lasting relationships youth rely on later,” said Park.
Park’s study found that youth with congregate care histories were more likely than their peers to report not having enough support and having fewer people to turn to for almost all types and sources of social support.
“This underscores the importance of providing stable, supportive living environments, as well as practices and policies that help maintain and rebuild social connections while expanding access to therapeutic and rehabilitative placements,” she noted.
The study also found racial disparities, with Black and Native American/Alaskan Native youth disproportionately represented in congregate care and reporting lower adequacy of support. To address this, Park suggests expanding support services to increase access to culturally responsive mental health services. In addition, she notes, “Expanding the diversity of foster family recruitment, ensuring equitable placement decisions, and increasing youths’ access to enriching opportunities are critical steps.”
Some states in the U.S. have enacted policies that shape the funding and utilization of congregate care.
In 2015, California passed the Continuum of Care Reform (CCR, Assembly Bill 403), which emphasized tailoring services to maintain stable, permanent family connections.
CCR also limits the use of congregate care to time-limited therapeutic interventions provided through Short-Term Residential Therapeutic Centers (STRTC) to meet youths’ complex behavioral health needs.
“As a result of CCR, there has been a reduction in the use of congregate care placements in California,” said Park, noting that the overall percentage of children placed in congregate care decreased by 42% between 2010 and 2020.
Practical steps social workers and policymakers can take to strengthen social support networks for youth transitioning out of congregate care include “creating opportunities for youth to engage with peers and supportive adults to build lasting connections, encouraging family involvement when possible, and facilitating mentorship or professional support relationships,” said Park. “Social workers should base their practice on an in-depth understanding of a youth’s social network to help them develop healthy relationships, strengthen family ties where possible, and expand both informal and formal networks that support successful transitions to adulthood.”
