Abstract
Purpose. During transition to adulthood, former foster youth are at extremely high risk of experiencing poor outcomes. Research suggests that social capital and support are important contributors to successful transitions to adulthood; however, former foster youth are inordinately socially isolated. Interorganizational networks have emerged as a strategy to expand youth access to social supports and possibly improve outcomes. The purpose of this study was to examine the performance of a public interorganizational network of care for current adult foster youth (ages 18–21) in a California county. This research aimed to better understand the conditions necessary to achieve network effectiveness and improve youth well-being. Theoretical Framework. This study theorized that overall effectiveness of interorganizational networks is influenced by the context in which the network operates and by network structure and process factors. The basis of this proposition was two models of interorganizational network effectiveness: (a) core dimensions of connectivity (Varda et al., 2008); and (b) integrated framework of network effectiveness (Turrini et al., 2010). Methodology. This research utilized mixed methods, including an interview, a network survey, and outcome data from the National Youth in Transition Database. Descriptive and social network analysis was used to assess the network's context (e.g., system stability), structure (e.g., member connectivity), and process (i.e., ways members interact), and to examine the relationship between these factors and overall network performance at the network-level (e.g., access to care) and client-level (e.g., youth outcomes). Findings. This exploratory study found that the context in which the network operated positively influenced the effects of network structure and process determinants. Secondly, indicators of network structure and process were positively associated with network-level outcomes, and network-level outcomes were positively associated with client-level outcomes. Finally, outcomes experienced by youth in Santa Clara County were better than youth served in other communities in California that did not offer the same network of care. Conclusions and Recommendations. Results of this exploratory case study provide preliminary evidence of the utility of a networked approach to improving outcomes of adult foster youth. However, future research should aim to use more complex social network analysis and advanced statistics with large samples of networks and clients to produce results that are broadly generalizable.