Family and Me (FAM): A New Model of Foster Care for Youth Impacted by Commercial Sexual Exploitation in San Francisco (Evaluation 3)

Summary

This report summarizes evaluation findings from September 2021 – February 2022 during the service provision phase of Family and Me (FAM), a family-based foster care pilot designed to serve youth who have experienced or are at risk of commercial sexual exploitation (CSE) in San Francisco, California, and who are currently involved in the child welfare or probation systems. The findings are primarily based on in-depth qualitative interviews with 12 direct and indirect service providers participating in the FAM pilot. The goal of these interviews was to gain a better understanding of FAM’s strengths, challenges, and lessons learned during this evaluation period. Additional findings from caregiver training surveys are also included. This report is the third in a series of evaluation reports with the goal of offering recommendations to adapt and improve FAM throughout pilot implementation. It is hoped that, when completed, the series will contribute to addressing gaps in the existing literature on the effectiveness of interventions to address CSE among youth and help build a foundation of evidence-based practice.