Results of a large-scale survey of youth age 15 to 18 in foster care in Washington state during 2007 are available below.

The survey was requested by the Children’s Administration as a tool for assessing and improving services to youth in foster care. Another purpose of the survey is to provide data to the Braam Oversight Panel to measure an outcome established by the Panel under the Braam Settlement Agreement. Monitoring related to this outcome will be included in the Panel’s October 2008 Monitoring Report.

The survey includes questions on placements in foster homes, interactions with social workers, awareness of and experiences with services to adolescents, life experiences related to sibling relationships, significant adults, school, physical safety, running away and homelessness. Particular emphasis was placed on how well foster care youth felt the system had prepared them for living on their own.

Washington State University's Social and Economic Sciences Research Center (SESRC) designed and conducted this independent, statistically valid, anonymous telephone survey. In developing the survey design, questionnaire, and procedures, the SESRC consulted with the Braam Oversight Panel, the Children’s Administration (CA), and attorneys for plaintiffs in the Braam case. A total of 706 interviews were conducted by telephone. SESRC also conducted discussions with three groups of youth who were or had been in foster care to obtain additional information about their experiences.

Survey Results
Survey results have been compiled into the following reports:

SESRC Youth Survey Data Report 08-038
This report presents an introduction to the purpose of the survey, a detailed description of the survey methods and survey results and includes a copy of the telephone interview questionnaire, the letter mailed to youth and to foster parents and other survey materials. This report includes the final sample disposition, and the results for every question in the survey for all youth age 15 to 18 participating in the survey. This report also describes the results obtained from three discussion groups held with youth in Yakima, Seattle, and Tri-Cities.

Youth Age 17.5 & Older Survey Outcomes Report 08-042
This report presents an introduction to the purpose of the survey, provides an overview of the survey methods, describes the calculation of the Braam Panel outcome for which the youth survey is the data source, and presents the survey results for every question in the survey for all youth age 17.5 and older participating in the survey.