ABSTRACT
As of 2019, there were over 670,000 youths in the United States' foster care system. These youths are typically more at risk for complications when transitioning out of the foster care system into independent living, including low educational attainment, unemployment, homelessness, financial difficulties, and physical and mental health problems, as compared to others youths their age. Transitional programming for youths exiting the foster care system may improve these youths' abilities to integrate more effectively into the community as they transition to independent living. Occupational therapy may have a role in working with these youths to better enhance functional participation in instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) that these individuals are expected to be successful in. The purpose of this critically appraised topic was to analyze the effectiveness of transitional programming for youth leaving the foster care system on increasing abilities of community integration.