The Children’s Bureau in the Administration for Children and Families contracted with the Urban Institute, Chapin Hall, and the National Opinion Research Center to conduct an evaluation of selected programs funded through the John Chafee Foster Care Independence Program (CFCIP). This evaluation, using a rigorous, random assignment design, was called for in the Foster Care Independence Act of 1999. The goal of the evaluation is to determine the effects of Independent Living Programs funded under CFCIP in achieving key outcomes for participating youth including increased educational attainment, higher employment rates and stability, greater interpersonal and relationship skills, reduced non-marital pregnancy and births, and reduced delinquency and crime rates.

The following two reports evaluate a tutoring/mentoring program and a classroom-based life skills training program, both in Los Angeles County, California. The reports are available on the Children’s Bureau website.