Despite remarkable resilience and high aspirations, many youth in foster care still struggle to complete their education, secure steady employment, build connections with supportive adults, develop critical life skills, and remain stably housed. One manifestation of the challenges these young people face is a high rate of homelessness.

The Alameda County Social Services Agency (SSA) developed and implemented the Youth Transitions Partnership (YTP). YTP is an innovative model of service coordination, intensive case management, and individualized supports, including Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), that aims to increase young people’s ability to engage with available support systems. SSA contracted with Chapin Hall to be the local evaluator of YTP beginning in 2015. 

This brief describes the YTP model and the Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) process that was used to support its implementation. It also summarizes what Chapin Hall learned about YTP from the formative evaluation.