Outcomes of a Life Skills and Employment Program for Youth Aging Out of Foster Care
The need:
In British Columbia, when youth in foster care turn 19 in, they no longer have access to system supports that previously provided them with stability. With funding from the Ministry of Children and Family Development, YWCA Metro Vancouver launched a pilot program to help youth transitioning out of government care to gain the life and work skills they need to become independent. They wanted to learn if and how the program was making a difference, and whether the pilot should be scaled.
What we did:
We completed a longitudinal, mixed-methods evaluation that measured changes in risk and protective factors among participants on their journeys from government care to adulthood. A comprehensive picture of progress towards outcomes was provided by combining hard data with youth voices. Our analysis and recommendations supported the program to improve its design, demonstrate differences made, and scale the model across the province.
Services:
Process Evaluation
Outcome Evaluation
Capacity Building
Impact Areas:
Children and Family Development
Employment
Mental Health
What our client had to say:
“Elayne did an excellent job in collecting data, connecting with the participants and creating the final evaluation report. Elayne is very professional in her approach when it comes to confidentiality, deadlines and communication. During her work with the YWCA Strive program she has been excellent at incorporating feedback and suggestions from frontline staff as well. I have no hesitations in recommending her to anyone who is looking for similar services.”
RUNE MIKKELSEN, MANAGER, YWCA METRO VANCOUVER
