The Center for Child Well-Being is collaborating with the Arizona Department of Child Safety (AZDCS) to conduct a 20-25 minute survey of young adults enrolled in the EFC Success Coaching Program to help assess their experiences and service outcomes. The survey asks questions about the young adult's satisfaction with their success coach’s role in helping them make progress toward their goals (i.e., employment goals, money management goals, education goals, housing goals, physical/mental health goals etc) during their time in the extended foster care program. Our hope is that this information will help to improve services for young adults in extended foster care. Young adults receive a $50 gift card for their time and will be surveyed annually for the duration of their enrollment in the Extended Foster Care Success Coaching Program.

The Extended Foster Care Success Coaching program (EFCSC) helps young adults who are aging out of foster care transition into adulthood. Each participating youth is assigned a Success Coach to meet with them weekly to help build their strengths and self advocacy as they enter adulthood. The goal is to help young adults achieve outcomes that are equal to or better than those of young adults who have not experienced foster care.

• Arizona has been offering Voluntary Extended Foster Care services for young adults since the 1980s funded by state funds. 
• On May 27th 2019, the Governor signed SB 1539, which was the first step in supporting Arizona’s goal towards beginning a Federally supported IV-E Extended Foster Care Program.
• In 2022, DCS convened a stakeholder group to advise on how to enhance Arizona’s Young Adult Program, including quality case management for young adults in EFC.
• It was determined that quality case management was built on having highly qualified and trained, “coach-like” case managers, who had caseloads of 20 or less.
• HB2818 was passed in the summer of 2023 and DCS was supported in offering a contracted EFC Success Coaching Model. 
• As of November 14, 2023, the EFC Success Coaching Program began implementation after the DCS awarded contracts to six community providers.

To take part in this study young adults must be:

• Enrolled in the Extended Foster Care Success Coaching Program

• Between the ages of 18 to 21

• Able to complete the survey, by phone or from a mobile device or computer 

We want to collect data directly from young adults because of what they can tell us about their experiences in this new service and intervention. These young adults are the experts who can provide insight into what works and/or what needs improvement in this program. This valuable information can support improving on and developing best practices for extended foster care.