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Promoting Readiness of Minors in Supplemental Security Income (PROMISE): Family Service Use and Its Relationship with Youth Outcomes
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Promoting Readiness of Minors in Supplemental Security Income (PROMISE): Family Service Use and Its Relationship with Youth Outcomes

Published: Aug 28, 2020
Publisher: Washington, DC: Mathematica
Health Disability Economic Well Being and Income Support Employment and Training Transition to Adulthood Employment Youth Employment Family Support Youth Development Federal Research & Evaluation Surveys and Data Collection Advanced Analytics Evaluation Design Impact Evaluation Policy Analysis

Associated Project

Evaluation of the Promoting the Readiness of Minors in Supplemental Security Income PROMISE Grants

Time frame: 2013-2022

Prepared for:

Social Security Administration

Authors

Michael Levere

Todd Honeycutt

Gina Livermore

Arif Mamun

Karen Katz

Key Findings

  • The PROMISE programs increased the proportion of families that used youth-oriented family services and family-oriented family services. Families who used one type of family service often used the other type of family service. Additionally, youth in families using youth-oriented family services and family-oriented family services were more likely to use services for themselves than were those in families that did not use family services.
  • Among characteristics of youth and families that were consistently associated with using youth-oriented family services or family-oriented family services were those reflecting youth needs (such as receiving education accommodations), those reflecting parental needs (such as having a work limitation), and parental education.
  • Family members’ use of PROMISE services, focused on either themselves or their youth, in combination with youth’s use of services, was associated with better youth employment and job-related training outcomes relative to youth whose family members did not use family services.
  • We found no relationship between use of family services and other youth outcomes, including self-determination and employment expectations.

In this study, we seek to provide new information about the relationship between family services and youth outcomes by leveraging data from an evaluation of a federally funded initiative intended to improve the transition outcomes of youth receiving SSI. The Promoting Readiness of Minors in SSI (PROMISE) initiative enrolled about 13,000 youth receiving SSI who were ages 14 to 16, along with their families, in six demonstration programs implemented in 11 states. Through a random assignment process, about half of the youth and their families were offered PROMISE services, including employment, case management, and other services (the treatment group); the other half could access the usual services available in their communities (the control group). Using data collected for the evaluation, we documented service use by family members other than the youth and analyzed its relationship with selected short-term youth outcomes, including employment, earnings, SSI receipt, self-determination, and expectations.

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