USC study intersects teen births with foster care in LA County

A first-of-its-kind study released on Nov. 12 links birth and child protective services records in Los Angeles County, revealing new insights regarding births to teens involved with the child welfare system. The new data documented that one in four teens in foster care gives birth before age 20 and as many as 40 percent of these young mothers have a second child during their teen years.

In the county overall, four in 10 teen mothers have been reported as alleged victims of abuse or neglect before pregnancy, and 20 percent have a history of substantiated maltreatment. Rates of abuse and neglect among children born to teens with a history of maltreatment victimization are two to more than three times the rates of children whose teen mothers had no involvement of child protective services. Read More…

14/11/2013 10:45:00 By Cynthia Monticue

Funded by the Hilton Foundation, the study was also led by Julie Cederbaum of USC and Barbara Needell and Bryn King of UC Berkeley.

USC

Related articles

• Must Read – Facts About Foster Care (fostercaresurvivors.wordpress.com)
• Family changes futures through adoption (emilyabrak.wordpress.com)
• CPS alarmed at number of foster deaths (kxan.com)
• Children & Youth: More in foster care for parents’ habits (republicanherald.com)