Some Type of Way

Abstract

Abstract Some Type of Way: Aging out of Foster Care seeks to address the following questions currently relevant to practitioners, policymakers, and researchers: What are the realities of the lives of youth aging out? Why are youth aging out struggling? What are agencies and service providers doing to help youth aging out? What should be done to help youth aging out negotiate the transitions out of care and into adulthood? Based on over 90 interviews and almost 1,000 hours of observation of youth aging out and service providers in a mid-Atlantic county in the United States, Some Type of Way presents stories of youth aging out along with relevant research and theories to help understand how youth transition out of foster care and into adulthood. Featuring five youth—Plato, Solana, Titi, Matty, and Jaden—and including poignant examples from many other youth, the book explores the complex and complicated challenges youth face as well as their creative survival strategies and resilience. Some Type of Way includes descriptions of service providers’ efforts to assist youth aging out and shares service providers’ insights. The book highlights the limitations of the foster care system and the service delivery system for youth aging out. Some Type of Way details systematic barriers in society that creates obstacle as youth leave care. The book concludes with concrete recommendations of how best to assist youth aging out.