New Study Reveals Why Social Services for Vulnerable Youth Remain Out of Reach

Sharer, M., Gordon, E., Hernandez, S., Golden, J., Duffy, M., & Cisne-Durbin, N. (2026). Improving foster care and juvenile justice services: A community-based participatory mixed-methods study in Iowa and Illinois. Evaluation and Program Planning, 116, 102763. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2026.102763

Introduction

Youth involved in foster care and juvenile justice systems often face overlapping trauma, systemic inequities, and fragmented services. This study examines how providers perceive barriers to effective support in the Quad Cities region of Iowa and Illinois. Using Bronfenbrenner’s ecological framework, Sharer and colleagues (2026) argue that resilience is shaped by interactions across individual, family, community, and societal systems. Prior research shows strong links between maltreatment, foster care placement, and later justice involvement. The study therefore asks what structural and service-delivery factors enable or hinder youth from entering or exiting these systems successfully.

Methods

Researchers conducted a community-based participatory research (CBPR) mixed-methods study led by the nonprofit Family Resources. A survey instrument was collaboratively designed with practitioners and included Likert-scale items, ranking questions, and open-ended responses exploring service gaps and systemic barriers. Participants included 133 professionals working across social services, juvenile justice, education, and related sectors in the Quad Cities region. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics in SPSS, while qualitative responses were coded thematically using NVivo with in-vivo coding to preserve participants’ language.

Results

Findings reveal widespread concern among providers about structural and service-delivery barriers affecting vulnerable youth. Seventy-four percent of respondents reported insufficient early intervention programs, while 70% identified gaps in prevention services and 43% noted limited diversion programs. A striking paradox emerged: although services exist in the community, most respondents believed they were difficult to access. Sixty percent reported that services were not easily accessible and over half perceived them as unavailable to families in practice. Social determinants of health strongly shaped these perceptions. Housing instability (74%) and transportation barriers (73%) were the most commonly cited obstacles preventing families from engaging with available services.

Discussion

The authors demonstrate that improving outcomes for youth requires more than expanding programs; it requires addressing the broader structural conditions shaping access to those programs. Through an ecological lens, social determinants such as housing and transportation operate at the macro level, influencing whether families can maintain connections with schools, social services, and healthcare providers. When these structural barriers disrupt relationships across systems, youth risk deeper involvement in foster care and juvenile justice pathways. The authors emphasize that resilience-building interventions must occur simultaneously across ecological levels, combining policy change, coordinated service delivery, and relationship-based support. Early intervention, stronger cross-sector collaboration, and trauma-informed approaches are identified as central strategies for reducing risk and promoting long-term stability for youth and families.

Implications for Mentoring Programs

Mentoring initiatives should operate within coordinated service networks, address structural barriers affecting participation, and build trusting relationships that strengthen resilience and early intervention pathways.

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