About MNYTD
WHAT IS MNYTD?
MNYTD stands for the Minnesota Youth in Transition Database. It is Minnesota’s version of a nationwide survey to learn more about the lives of youth who have experienced foster care.
The National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD) is a federally required survey to track outcomes for youth who have experienced out-of-home placement. These outcomes include: “financial self-sufficiency, experience with homelessness, educational attainment, positive connections with adults, high-risk behavior, and access to health insurance.”
Case managers survey youth on or around their 17th birthday. Then at the ages of 19 and 21, The Improve Group will follow up with and survey the youth to track how their outcomes change as they age into adulthood.
Youth must complete the survey when they are 17 to be eligible to participate in the surveys when they are 19 and 21.
WHY THE SURVEY IS IMPORTANT
The survey is tied to out-of-home care youth funding.
Minnesota currently receives approximately $2.7 million per year in Chafee/STAY-funds. If we fail as a state to survey at least 80% of 17-year-olds that are in care and 60% who have left care, we will lose between 1 – 5% of our annual Chafee allotment. That is between $27,000 – $135,000 that goes to direct service for our youth. Each youth counts.
Survey responses provide insights on what programming is needed to better support foster care youth.
The data is used to inform policy, funding, and programming. It shows what issues are unique to Minnesota youth, and which are common across the country. With the survey responses, we can learn how MN youth are doing when they become independent. The NYTD survey is the only national effort available to learn about the longer-term outcomes of youth who have experienced out-of-home care placement and how their care may or may not be improving over time.
Questions asked in the survey:
The survey covers things like housing, education, employment, supports, behavior and health insurance.