Pregnant and Parenting Foster Youth: Their Needs, Their Experiences
Although the exact rates of teenage pregnancy and childbearing among youth in foster care are not known, research suggests that female foster youth are at high risk of becoming pregnant and giving birth. To better understand the needs of pregnant and parenting foster youth in Illinois, Chapin Hall analyzed administrative data from the Teen Parenting Service Network, a comprehensive service delivery system targeting pregnant and parenting foster youth in the Chicago metropolitan area, and linked them to records from the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), the Chicago Public Schools, and the Illinois Medicaid Paid Claims Longitudinal Database. Interviews were also conducted with program directors and caseworkers at each of the five private child welfare agencies in the TPSN.