Annual Credit Checks for Adolescent Youth in Foster Care: Factors Associated with Identity Fraud Victimization.

Child identity fraud, or the criminal exploitation of a child's personal data, poses serious risks and challenges for youth in foster care. Despite the 10-year history of a federal mandate requiring state child welfare agencies to conduct annual credit checks for adolescent foster youth (42 U.S.C. § 675), identity fraud has received scant attention in child welfare research. Analyzing a state-level administrative dataset with linked child welfare and consumer credit records, we employed hierarchical binary logistic regression modeling to analyze demographic and foster care placement factors associated with identity fraud victimization among a statewide population cohort of 1176 youth (age 14-17) in foster care in a mid-Atlantic state. In the model of best fit, covariates significantly associated with differing odds of identity fraud victimization included African American race (OR = 2.67, p < .001); two or more races (OR = 2.95, p = .003); and older age at credit check (OR = 3.49, p < .001). Youth with history of prior home removals (OR = 1.59, p = .059) were marginally more likely than youth with no prior home removals to experience identity fraud, controlling for all other variables.

The experiences of older youth in and aged out of foster care during the COVID-19 pandemic: Material and financial well-being by foster care status, gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity, and race.

As a marginalized, underresourced population, older youth with foster care experience are acutely vulnerable to the economic and social harms wrought by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This study summarizes findings from an online survey deployed in April 2020 to learn about the experiences of current and former foster youth (ages 18-23) during 1 month of the COVID-19 crisis. Using snowball sampling and a cross-sectional design, the survey yielded a final analysis sample of 281 respondents from 32 states and 192 cities or districts. Findings underscore the pervasive negative impacts of COVID-19 on respondents' housing/living situations, food security, employment, and financial stability. Chi-square tests and post hoc analyses revealed demographic disparities in respondents' experiences during COVID-19. Youth who aged out of care, cisgender females, nonstraight youth, and non-White youth were significantly more likely than demographic counterparts to experience pandemic-related adversities. Implications for policy and practice are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).