OPRE Study: Survey of Youth Transitioning from Foster Care [Descriptive Study]

In April 2020, OMB approved the new information collection request (ICR) for the Survey of Youth Transitioning from Foster Care (SYTFC). The SYTFC is a descriptive study designed to help OPRE and Children’s Bureau identify the prevalence of human trafficking among youth transitioning from foster care; the risk and protective factors associated with increased or decreased risk of trafficking victimization, respectively; and the context surrounding victimization among youth in foster care. Data from this survey of youth aged 18 and 19 years who were in foster care during their 17th year (i.e., when they were 17 years old) will be combined with child welfare administrative data to gain a better understanding of the intersections among youth characteristics, child welfare placements and services, and human trafficking victimization. The ICR that OMB approved in April included a survey instrument and materials designed to be administered to youth in-person, with both interviewer-administered and Audio Computer-Assisted Self-Interview (ACASI) sections. Data collection has not been initiated due to the COVID-19 pandemic and safety concerns for both interviewers and participants. To allow the study to move forward, the survey instrument and materials have been modified to allow for remote administration via telephone and web. Interviewers will administer consent and a subset of the survey items to youth by telephone, before transitioning youth to a web survey to allow for efficient completion of lower priority and simpler items on their own. We anticipate offering the survey remotely throughout the data collection, in additional to an in-person option if or when it becomes safe to do so. This request includes the following nonsubstantive changes: • Modifications to data collection materials to allow for telephone and web-based survey administration; • Modifications to data collection materials to reflect language update requests by the Institutional Review Board with oversight of the study; and • Modifications to data collection materials to reflect a change in the study contact.

The latest form for OPRE Study: Survey of Youth Transitioning from Foster Care [Descriptive Study] expires 2022-04-30 and can be found here.