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Abstract
The co-production of transition planning (i.e. care leavers having opportunities to influence decisions about their lives) is recognised as an important process internationally. However, little is known about factors influencing care leavers' involvement in transition planning. This study uses a sample of care leavers in California (n = 423) and multiple data sources, including youth–worker matched data, to investigate predictors of transitional independent living plan (TILP) involvement. The outcome measures the mechanisms care leavers experienced during their TILP process, including worker-driven production (i.e. not aware of or not involved), youth-driven co-production (i.e. involved in and led) and youth–worker co-production (i.e. involved in but did not lead). Multinomial logistic regression was used to examine relationships between predictors measured at age 17 and TILP involvement mechanisms at age 19. Most youth led (44 per cent) or were involved in (43 per cent) TILP planning, but 14 per cent were not aware or uninvolved. Care leavers' opportunities to influence their TILP were shaped by their individual (e.g. personality and support networks), relational (e.g. caseworker's perception of youth's preparedness) and contextual (e.g. regional service availability) factors. Notably, youth served by specialised caseworkers were more likely to experience youth–worker co-production than youth-driven co-production. Implications for practice and research are discussed.

Social workers have an ethical responsibility to be engaged in policy change, regardless of their practice area or specialization. Voter engagement and the importance of political power through voting is often overlooked in the literature as a valid and important component of social work practice. Creating a culture of nonpartisan voter engagement in practice settings can help empower individuals who have been historically and intentionally disenfranchised from our electoral system. Training for field instructors, faculty, and field staff is a key aspect of voter engagement in social work education. Unfortunately, social work education is unlikely to include substantive content on voter engagement or its connection to social work practice and impact. This article presents one component of a model for integrating voter engagement into social work education: the provision of training for field instructors on nonpartisan voter engagement at two universities over two years. Evaluation findings suggest that pre-existing levels of political efficacy affect the reaction of field instructors to nonpartisan voter engagement training. Furthermore, findings indicate that field instructors who receive voter engagement training are more likely to serve as resources for their students and to consider voter engagement as part of their own practice. We offer evidence on the important role field educators can play in the success of the larger national effort to integrate voter engagement in social work education. Increasing awareness of what social workers, nonprofit, and public agencies are allowed--or even required--to do is a critical first step.

Social workers have an ethical responsibility to be engaged in policy change, regardless of their practice area or specialization. Voter engagement and the importance of political power through voting is often overlooked in the literature as a valid and important component of social work practice. Creating a culture of nonpartisan voter engagement in practice settings can help empower individuals who have been historically and intentionally disenfranchised from our electoral system. Training for field instructors, faculty, and field staff is a key aspect of voter engagement in social work education. Unfortunately, social work education is unlikely to include substantive content on voter engagement or its connection to social work practice and impact. This article presents one component of a model for integrating voter engagement into social work education: the provision of training for field instructors on nonpartisan voter engagement at two universities over two years. Evaluation findings suggest that pre-existing levels of political efficacy affect the reaction of field instructors to nonpartisan voter engagement training. Furthermore, findings indicate that field instructors who receive voter engagement training are more likely to serve as resources for their students and to consider voter engagement as part of their own practice. We offer evidence on the important role field educators can play in the success of the larger national effort to integrate voter engagement in social work education. Increasing awareness of what social workers, nonprofit, and public agencies are allowed--or even required--to do is a critical first step.