Appendix B: List of Surveys Referenced

Appendix B

List of Surveys Referenced

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List of Surveys Referenced

The table below contains brief descriptions of the surveys and measures referenced in development of the SYSIL Youth Survey, as well as locations to the surveys referenced. Surveys or measures without hyperlinks could not be found publicly on the web; these instruments are available upon request from Mathematica. Descriptions were compiled from websites about the surveys. In some instances, items were adapted, to some degree, from those found on these surveys. Adaptations included modifications in the wording to make questions easier to understand, and/or modifications in response categories to simplify the options available, or to address more directly the main goal of the baseline survey, which is to support an impact evaluation.

Instrument or Measure	Link to Source	Brief Description
2019 National Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey (YRBSS)	https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/data/yrbs/pdf/2019/2019_YRBS-National-HS-Questionnaire.pdf	The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) monitors six categories of health-related behaviors that contribute to the leading causes of death and disability among youth and adults. The national survey, conducted by CDC, provides data representative of 9th through 12th grade students in public and private schools in the United States.
Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) (2018)	https://www.cdc.gov/brfss/questionnaires/pdf-ques/2018_BRFSS_English_Questionnaire.pdf	The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) is the nation’s premier system of health-related telephone surveys that collect state data about U.S. residents regarding their health-related risk behaviors, chronic health conditions, and use of preventive services. Supported by the Center for Disease Control (CDC).
Youth Connections Scale (YCS)	https://cascw.umn.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/YCSTool.pdf	The Youth Connections Scale (YCS) was developed in order to fill a need in child welfare: to evaluate and measure the increased efforts of agencies to improve the relational permanence of youth in foster care. In part, the YCS is used to measure permanent, supportive connections for youth in foster care. The YCS was developed by the Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare (CASCW) at the University of Minnesota in partnership with Anu Family Services.
Casey Life Skills Assessment (CLSA)	https://caseyfamilypro-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/media/CLS_assessments_LifeSkills.pdf	The Casey Life Skills Assessment (CLSA) assesses life skills youth need for their well-being, confidence and safety as they navigate high school, postsecondary education, employment and other life milestones. The CLSA was designed for use with youth in foster care but can be useful for other youth involved in juvenile justice facilities, employment centers, homeless shelters or with other social service providers. The tool may help states meet the transition requirements of the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act, which requires that older youth in foster care be better prepared for adulthood and provides federal support for transition programs to age 21. The CLSA can also be a support tool for states’ Chafee Foster Care Independence Programs. Developed by Casey Family Programs.
Youth Efficacy and Empowerment Scale – Mental Health (YES-MH)	https://www.pathwaysrtc.pdx.edu/pdf/pbCompleteSurveyPacket.pdf	This measure was designed to assess youth perceptions of efficacy with respect to managing their own mental health condition, managing their own services and supports, and using their experience and knowledge to help peers and improve service systems. developed by the Research and Training Center on Family Support and Children s Mental Health.
U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) measure of food insecurity	https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-us/survey-tools/	The Economic Research Service (ERS) within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) plays a leading role in Federal research on food security and food security measurement in U.S. households and communities.
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Homeless Management Information Systems (HMIS) Data Standards (2017)*	https://files.hudexchange.info/resources/docume nts/HMIS-Data-Standards-Manual-2017.pdf	HMIS is administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) through the Office of Special Needs Assistance Programs (SNAPS) as its comprehensive data response to the congressional mandate to report annually on national homelessness. It is used by all projects that target services to persons experiencing homelessness within SNAPS and the office of HIV-AIDS Housing. It is also used by other federal partners from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and their respective programs to measure project performance and participate in benchmarking of the national effort to end homelessness. Together, the HMIS Data Standards Dictionary and Manual are the documentation of requirements for the programming and use of all HMIS systems and comparable database systems.
Youth Thrive Survey*	https://cssp.org/ourwork/ project/youth-thrive#survey-instrument	Youth Thrive is both a research-informed framework on youth well-being and an action-oriented Initiative, based on the framework, that is designed to better support healthy development and promote well-being for youth in several jurisdiction and with partners across the country. Youth Thrive focuses on strategies to improve systems that serve youth who are most marginalized in society, specifically focusing on child welfare and juvenile justice systems and the service system that supports youth who are at-risk of homelessness. Developed by the Center for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP).
Kessler 6 Scale*	https://www.hcp.med.harvard.edu/ncs/k6_scales. php.	The Kessler 6 scale was developed with support from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) for use in the redesigned National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). As described in more detail in Kessler et al. (2003), the scales were designed to be sensitive around the threshold for the clinically significant range of the distribution of nonspecific distress in an effort to maximize the ability to discriminate cases of serious mental illness (SMI) from non-cases.
National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD)	Chafee National Youth in Transition Database	The National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD) is a federal reporting system designed to collect information on youth transitioning out of foster care who are served by state agencies that administer the John H. Chafee Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood.
Gender Identity in U.S. Surveillance (GenIUSS) group two-step approach	https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/Survey-Measures-Trans-GenIUSS-Sep-2014.pdf	This report assesses current practices in sex and gender-related population research and offers strategies for establishing consistent, scientifically rigorous procedures for gathering information relevant to the needs and experiences of transgender people and other gender minorities.
Life Experiences Survey	https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/93596/pretesting_tool_0.pdf	In order to better serve youth trafficking victims, this study developed a Human Trafficking Screening Tool (HTST) and pretested it with 617 runaway and homeless youth (RHY) and child welfare (CW)-involved youth. This research established that the screening tool is accessible to youth and easy to administer, and that both the full-length tool and a shorter version were effective in identifying youth who are trafficking victims in RHY and CW systems, though additional research with more youth is needed. Developed by Urban Institute.
Survey of Youth Transitioning from Foster Care	https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAOMBHistory?ombControlNumber=0970-0546	Through the Survey of Youth Transitioning from Foster Care (SYTFC) ACF seeks to collect data on human trafficking and other victimization experiences among youth recently or currently involved in the child welfare system. The survey instrument was developed by RTI International.
Education & Employment Questionnaire	Available upon request from Mathematica	The Education and Employment Questionnaire was adapted from National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD) and the Education Questionnaire used in the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Evaluation of the Comprehensive Mental Health Services for Children and Their Families Program (2009).
Pathways to Success Baseline and Follow-Up Surveys	https://centerforpolicyresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/Pathways_Intervention_Manual_Final_September2019_withAppendix.docx-1.pdf	Pathways to Success (Pathways) is a voluntary, intensive, youth-driven, strengths-based case management approach with the long-term goal of preventing homelessness among youth with foster care experience. The intervention works specifically to improve youth outcomes in the areas of housing, education, employment, health and well-being, and permanent connections. Baseline and Follow-up surveys developed by the Center for Policy Research.
Youth Transitions Partnership Assessment	Available upon request from Mathematica	The Youth Transitions Partnership (YTP) blends service coordination, intensive case management, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) to help transition age youth in foster care in Alameda County, CA engage with support systems and improve their outcomes. The assessment is administered to youth within 14 days of enrollment, every 6 months after enrollment, and at program exit. Developed by Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago.
Life Paths Research	https://www.lifepathsresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/Demographics4.pdf	The Life Paths Research Center is a research institute devoted to promoting resilience and social justice through individual, family, and community strengths, especially in Appalachia and other rural and marginalized communities. Although numerous demographic measures exist, Life Paths devised items that are tailored for a rural, low-income sample and for an age range that includes both adults and adolescents.
Thrive@25 Exit Survey	Available upon request from Mathematica	The primary intervention for Thrive@25 is the Achieve My Plan (AMP) practice model, an evidence-informed intervention that provides workers with the necessary skills to engage meaningfully with youth around their own transition plans. The goal of the AMP intervention is for youth to become more involved during their team planning process and for child welfare staff to work with youth in a way that promotes the youth's acquisition of skills for planning, self-determination, and constructive/pragmatic communication. The exit survey was developed for Thrive @25 by the Institution for Innovation and Implementation at the University of Maryland, School of Social Work.

^*Source/measure recommended through Morton, M. H., Blondin, M., Chrisler, A., Pufpaff, J., Kull, M. A., Kugley, S., & Elliott, K. (2019). Measuring

Up: Youth-level Outcomes and Measures for System Responses to Youth Homelessness. Chicago, IL: Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago.

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