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Massachusetts Adolescent Outreach Program for Youths in Intensive Foster Care (MA Outreach)

Note: The MA Outreach program was not responsive to the CEBC's inquiry. The following information was obtained from publicly available sources.

Topic Areas
Scientific Rating
Child Welfare Relevance
Youth Transitioning Into Adulthood Programs
NR  — Not able to be Rated
High

About This Program

Target Population: Youth in foster care who will be aging out of the foster care system or recently have

Program Overview

The MA Outreach program assists teenage intensive foster care youths in preparing to live independently and to achieve permanency after exiting care. The goals of the program are to help youths earn high school diplomas, continue education, avoid nonmarital childbirth, avoid high-risk behaviors, avoid incarceration, gain employment, attain self-sufficiency, and avoid homelessness. Other goals include supporting youths' participation in higher education, achieving permanency through a connection to a caring adult, and identifying a support network.

Logic Model

The program representative did not provide information about a Logic Model for Massachusetts Adolescent Outreach Program for Youths in Intensive Foster Care (MA Outreach).

Manuals and Training

Publicly available information indicates there is some training available for this program.
See contact info below.

Relevant Published, Peer-Reviewed Research

Greeson, J. K., Garcia, A. R., Kim, M., & Courtney, M. E. (2014). Foster youth and social support: The first RCT of independent living services. Research on Social Work Practice, 349-357

Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial (secondary analysis)
Number of Participants: 194

Population:

  • Age — Not specified
  • Race/Ethnicity — 66% White and 27% Hispanic
  • Gender — 67% Female
  • Status — Participants were youth in the foster care program within the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families.

Location/Institution: Boston, Massachusetts

Summary: (To include basic study design, measures, results, and notable limitations)
This article examines the effectiveness of the Massachusetts Adolescent Outreach Program for Youth in Intensive Foster Care (Outreach) as compared to support as usual (SAU) on changes in social support. Using data from the Multi-Site Evaluation of Foster Youth Programs (MEFYP), this program focused on the outcome of social support for the Outreach program. Participants were randomly assigned to either the Outreach program or SAU. Measures utilized include the MEFYP Social Support Scale and questionnaires regarding gender, race, and ethnicity. Results indicate at follow-up that effects of the program on the extent of social support did not differ between those in the Outreach program and those who received SAU, regardless of the racial/ethnic background of the young adults in the study. Additionally, the Outreach program did not contribute to elevated levels of social support as compared to SAU. Limitations include generalizability to other ethnic populations and sample consisted solely of youth receiving intensive, treatment-oriented foster home placement.

Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: 2 years.

Additional References

No reference materials are currently available for Massachusetts Adolescent Outreach Program for Youths in Intensive Foster Care (MA Outreach).

Contact Information

Mark E. Courtney
Agency/Affiliation: Massachusetts Department of Youth Services
Email:

Date Research Evidence Last Reviewed by CEBC: June 2016

Date Program Content Last Reviewed by Program Staff: August 2016

Date Program Originally Loaded onto CEBC: August 2016