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Foster Care Statistics 2012

This information was taken directly from Child Welfare Information Gateway

Children In, Entering, and Exiting Care

These numbers give a broad picture of the number of children in foster care during FY 2012.

Point in Time. On September 30, 2012, there were an estimated 399,546 children in foster care.

Entries. During FY 2012, 254,162 children entered foster care.

Exits. During FY 2012, 241,254 children exited foster care.

Trends. From FY 2003 to FY 2012, the numbers of children in foster care on September 30 and the numbers of children who entered and who exited care during the year decreased.

Placement Settings

Children in foster care live in a variety of placement settings and may move among or between settings while in care. For example, a child may move from a group home to a relative foster home.

Point in Time. The estimated 399,546 children in foster care on September 30, 2012, were in the following types of placements:

  • 47 percent in nonrelative foster family homes
  • 28 percent in relative foster family homes 9 percent in institutions
  • 6 percent in group homes
  • 6 percent on trial home visits (situations in which the State retains supervision of a child, the child returns home on a trial basis for an unspecified period of time, and after 6 months the child is considered discharged from foster care)
  • 4 percent in preadoptive homes
  • 1 percent had run away
  • 1 percent in supervised independent living

Trends. Rates for placement settings on September 30 remained similar between FY 2003 and FY 2012.

Case Plan Goals

The preferred goal for children in care is permanency with caring parents. Case plan goals refer to the goals for permanent placement that are reported to AFCARS.3

Point in Time. Of the estimated 399,546 children in foster care on September 30, 2012:

  • 53 percent had a goal of reunification with parent(s) or principal caretaker(s).
  • 24 percent had a goal of adoption.
  • 5 percent had a goal of long-term foster care.
  • 5 percent had a goal of emancipation.4
  • 5 percent had not yet had a case plan goal established.
  • 4 percent had a goal of guardianship.
  • 3 percent had a goal of living with other relative(s).

Trends. From FY 2003 to FY 2012, the percentages of children with case plans of reunification and adoption experienced the largest increases, while the largest decreases were for case plans not being established and long-term foster care.

Outcomes

The outcome statistics for children leaving foster care largely reflect the percentages for the permanency goals, especially for reunification and adoption. Exits. Of the estimated 241,254 children who exited foster care during FY 2012:

  • 51 percent were reunited with parent(s) or primary caretaker(s).
  • 21 percent were adopted.
  • 10 percent were emancipated.
  • 8 percent went to live with another relative.
  • 7 percent went to live with a guardian.
  • 2 percent had other outcomes.5

Trends. From FY 2003 to FY 2012, there were increases in the percentages of children who left the system for adoption, emancipation, and guardianship. There were decreases in the percentages of children who left the system to reunite with their parents or primary caregivers or live with other relatives or who left with other outcomes.

Length of Stay. Length of stay in foster care refers to the amount of time between entering and exiting foster care.

Exits. Of the estimated 241,254 children who exited foster care during FY 2012, the median amount of time spent in care was 13.4 months, with:

  • 12 percent in care less than 1 month
  • 35 percent in care for 1 to 11 months
  • 27 percent in care for 12 to 23 months
  • 12 percent in care for 24 to 35 months
  • 9 percent in care for 3 to 4 years
  • 6 percent in care for 5 or more years

Trends. For children exiting foster care, the median amount of time spent in care increased from FY 2003 (11.9 months) to FY 2012 (13.4 months). Additionally, when comparing those two periods, the largest increases in percentages were for children in foster care for 1 to 11 months and children in care for 12 to 23 months. The largest decreases in percentage were for children in care less than 1 month and children in care for 5 or more years.

Age

Children can enter foster care from infancy up to age 18 years (and sometimes older).6 Point in Time. The median age of the children in foster care on September 30, 2012, was 8.5 years.7

Entries. The median age of children entering foster care during FY 2012 was 6.5 years.

Exits. The median age of children exiting foster care during FY 2012 was 8.2 years.

Trends. From FY 2003 to FY 2012, the median age decreased for each of the three timeframes.

Race and Ethnicity

AFCARS tracks children’s race or ethnicity. All races exclude children of Hispanic origin. Beginning in FY 2000, children could be identified with more than one race designation. Point in Time. Of the estimated 399,546 children in foster care on September 30, 2012:

  • 42 percent were White.
  • 26 percent were Black or African American.
  • 21 percent were Hispanic (of any race).
  • 9 percent were other races or multiracial.8

3* percent were unknown or unable to be determined.

Trends. The percentage of Black children in care on September 30 decreased between FY 2003 and FY 2012, while the percentages of White children, Hispanic children, and children of other races or multiracial children increased.

Entries. Of the estimated 254,162 children who entered foster care during FY 2012:

  • 45 percent were White.
  • 22 percent were Black or African American.
  • 21 percent were Hispanic.
  • 9 percent were other races or multiracial.
  • 4 percent were unknown or unable to be determined.

Trends. From FY 2003 to FY 2012, the percentages of Black and White children entering foster care decreased, while the percentages of Hispanic children, children of other races or multiracial children, and children of unknown or unable to be determined race increased.

Exits. Of the estimated 241,254 children who exited foster care during FY 2012:

  • 44 percent were White.
  • 25 percent were Black or African American.
  • 20 percent were Hispanic.
  • 8 percent were other races or multiracial.
  • 2 percent were unknown or unable to be determined.

Trends. From FY 2003 to FY 2012, the percentages of White children, Black children, and children of unknown or unable to be determined race who exited foster care decreased, while the percentages of Hispanic children and children of other races or multiracial children increased.

Gender

AFCARS numbers have consistently shown a slightly greater percentage of boys than girls in foster care.

Point in Time. Of the estimated 399,546 children in foster care on September 30, 2012, 52 percent were male and 48 percent were female.

Trends. The proportion of males to females in foster care on September 30 changed slightly from FY 2003 to FY 2012: 53 percent male/47 percent female to 52 percent male/48 percent female.

Additional Information

For more detailed information on AFCARS, visit the Children’s Bureau’s website at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/resource/about-afcars. AFCARS Reports are available online at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/research-data-technology/statistics-research/afcars. The following are additional resources for information about children receiving child welfare services:

To find out more about the safety, permanency, and well- being of children in foster care in your State, refer to Child Welfare Outcomes, an annual report published by the Children’s Bureau. The most recent version of this report is available from the Children’s Bureau website: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/research-data-technology/statistics-research/cwo.

To find out more about child maltreatment, including information about victims and perpetrators, read Child Maltreatment, an annual report based on States’ reports to the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System. Access the report through the Children’s Bureau website: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/research-data-technology/statistics-research/child-maltreatment.


Return to Adoption Statistics

References

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2006). The AFCARS report: Interim FY 2003 estimates as of June 2006 (10). Retrieved from http://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/cb/afcarsreport10.pdf.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2013). The AFCARS report: Preliminary FY 2012 estimates as of July 2013 (20). Retrieved from http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/resource/afcars-report-20.

Resources

Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2013). Foster care statistics 2012. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Children’s Bureau.

Citations

3 For more information about State requirements for children’s permanency goals, see Child Welfare Information Gateway’s Case Planning for Families Involved With Child Welfare Agencies: https://www.childwelfare.gov/systemwide/laws_policies/statutes/caseplanning.cfm.

4 Emancipation refers to both the emancipation of minors (i.e., youth below the age of majority) and youth who age out of foster care between 18 and 21, depending on State policy.

5 Other outcomes include being transferred to another agency, running away, and death.

6 Some States allow children to remain in foster care to age 19, 20, or 21. The Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 gave States the option to extend title IV-E assistance to youth ages 18 to 21, with certain stipulations. For more information, see Information Gateway’s web section on Major Federal Legislation: https://www.childwelfare.gov/systemwide/laws_policies/federal/index.cfm?event=federalLegislation.viewLegis&id=121.

7 The median refers to the number in the middle when all numbers are placed in order. In this case, it means that an equal number of children are older and younger than this age.

8 “Other races or multiracial” includes American Indian/Alaskan Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander, and two or more races.