Abstract
Social support has been shown to be a protective factor during childhood and adulthood. Social support is particularly important during major life transitions, such as aging out of foster care. When youth reach the age of majority (18 in most states) they age out of foster care and enter adulthood—often without the support necessary for a successful transition. The current study examines social networks and utilization of social support among young people (N=58) ages 18 to 25 from one southeastern state who had aged out of care or were in extended foster care. These youth, on average, had 7 people in their networks. Networks varied based on a number of characteristics including placement type and race/ethnicity. Social support satisfaction varied across support domains and by foster care characteristics. The current study provides several policy and practice implications for creating supportive relationships among youth transitioning out of foster care and into adulthood.