The Texas Youth Permanency Study (TYPS) is designed as a 5-year longitudinal study following 500 foster youth who are 14 – 21 years old at time of recruitment. Participant recruitment occurs at child welfare courts across Texas. The recruitment window is from July 2019 – December 2020. We are continuing to reach out to additional courts to ensure representation of youth from diverse geographic areas.
Data collection involves quarterly on-line surveys completed by all youth and in-depth annual interviews with a randomly selected subsample. After the initial survey at time of enrollment, youth will be contacted every 3 months by the research team to update their information and complete quarterly mini-surveys (5 – 10 minutes), respectively more comprehensive annual surveys (20 – 30 minutes). Click here for a list of measures.
Research Questions
- How do foster care experiences in adolescence shape developmental outcomes (safety, education, health, life skills, vocation) in emerging adulthood?
- To what extent do foster youth develop stable and nurturing relationships and sustain these relationships in emerging adulthood?
- Does the legal outcome of the case (adoption, reunification, permanent legal guardianship or aging out of care) impact developmental outcomes and relational permanency in emerging adulthood?
- How does relational permanency impact developmental outcomes during emerging adulthood?
Objectives
- Design policies and services to enhance relational and physical permanency for youth
- Honor youth voice and choice in their journey through the child welfare system
- Use evidence to guide funding of what works for youth
Study Information for Youth in English and Spanish.
Study Information for Adults Involved with the Case
The study has been approved by the IRB at UT Austin and the Department of Child and Protective Services.