Foster youth in the United States face significant barriers in a transition to independence which is markedly abrupt compared to the 'emerging adulthood' that is expected of most young adults. While many of the difficulties that foster youth face in this transition are known at the larger demographic level, first-person narratives of the process of 'aging out' of foster care are largely missing from academic literature. To date, most qualitative studies rely on methods that are not grounded in trust-based relationships between researchers and youth (e.g. hit-and-run focus groups, interviews conducted by research assistants unknown to youth, indirect assessment of youths' emotional states). In an attempt to advance youths' own narratives, we used critical ethnography to engage youth in sharing their perspectives on the process of 'aging out' of foster care. Youths expressed anxiety about their subjective experiences of 'aging out', including economic challenges and housing instability, loss of social support, and pressure to be self-reliant. Youths' narratives during the early stages of transition from foster care provide insights for professionals, policy makers, and future research.The difficulties surrounding aging out, defined as the transition to adulthood for foster youth in the United States, are well-established in social work literature. Former foster youth experience unemployment, homelessness, criminal justice

The aim of the study was to conduct a longitudinal, randomized clinical trial of the efficacy of TAKE CHARGE, a self-determination enhancement intervention, for promoting the school performance of youth in special education and foster care. A total of 133 youth were randomized to either a control group that received typical services, or to the intervention group that received coaching in the application of self-determination skills to achieve their goals, as well as participating in group mentoring workshops with successful young adult alumni of foster care. Findings on the outcomes of 123 youth who completed the study suggest gains for the intervention group in elements of self-determination, engagement in educational planning, school performance, and reduced anxiety and depression.

The aim of the study was to examine the experience of restrictiveness among transition-aged youth with disabilities in foster care. Utilizing a sample of 207 youth, placement types were explored for differences in disability status, race and sex. Further, youth perceptions of restriction around communication, movement around one’s home, and access to the community were examined for youth receiving special education services (SPED), youth receiving developmental disability services (DD), and youth without disabilities. Youth with disabilities were more likely to be placed in more restrictive placement types and had significantly higher levels of perceived restriction around communication, movement, and community when compared to youth without disabilities. Additionally, males with disabilities experienced higher levels of restrictiveness, particularly those who received DD services, while White youth with disabilities also experienced greater community restrictiveness.

Much scholarship on first-generation students has focused on their academic and social integration in college (Collier & Morgan, 2008; Lowery-Hart & Pacheco, 2011; Stuber, 2011). Little is known about the experiences of first-generation students in schools of social work. In this research I've expanded the focus beyond students' Ben, Roberta, and Gita, it is your faces I see before me when I imagine Gergen's (2009) notion of the "enchantment of we" (p. 179): friends who feel like family. I'm also thankful for the patience of my son Joshua and my partner Greg while I've been writing this dissertation. Thank you for enduring my endless hours at the computer, for cooking meals for me, and providing a room of one's own. And last but not least, I'm thankful for my friend Aaron, who was the first person to make me question what happens to young people after they leave foster care. If I had not met you I'm not sure I would have ever dreamt of research or getting a PhD. You have changed my life. RELATIONAL WORLDS OF FIRST-GEN STUDENTS vii

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