In 2021, there were 168,063 white children in foster care in the United States. This is compared to 86,645 Black or African American children and 85,215 Hispanic children who were in foster care.

Foster care in the United States

Foster care is where minors are taken care of in different institutions, such as a group home or private home of a caregiver certified by the state (called a foster parent). The procedure for becoming a foster parent in the United States varies from state to state. It is up to the state to determine the process; however it is overseen by the Department of Child Protective Services. It is sometimes seen as a precursor to adoption, which is different from fostering a child. There are many barriers to fostering and adopting children, such as high costs and long wait times, which can discourage people from doing it.

Who are foster children?

The number of children in foster care in the United States has decreased slightly since 2011. When looked at by age, most of the children in foster care in 2020 were one year old, and slightly more male children were in foster care than female children. Most of the children in foster care were placed into non-relative foster family homes, and in most cases, the primary goal of foster care is to reunify children with their parents or primary caregivers.

Average monthly count of unduplicated children in paid foster care per month by fiscal year. This dataset counts unique children regardless of payment types during the month. Calculations exclude children and young adults where cost of care was not covered by Title IV-E or state paid foster care. A young adult is any person in foster care who was 18 to 21 years of age at anytime during the fiscal year. Some children are served in more than one eligibility type in a month.

The most significant proportion of children in family foster care in Poland were children between seven and 17 years old in 2023.

Performance metrics for by year No. of Children in Relative Foster Care

This counts placement types, not unique children in substitute care. Children will be duplicated by moving from foster care to other substitute care or by relative to non-relative placements. For example, a child who spent a portion of the year with a relative, but the rest with a non-relative would be counted twice. Children in DFPS custody are those for whom a court has appointed DFPS legal responsibility through temporary or permanent managing conservatorship or other court ordered legal basis. These children may be residing in substitute care or may be living with a parent, referred to as a return and monitor. DFPS legal responsibility terminates when a court orders DFPS custody ended or a youth turns 18, whichever comes first. Substitute care - all children who are living in a DFPS out of home placement. It does not include children in DFPS custody who are living with a parent on a return and monitor. Unless otherwise noted, it does include youth over 18 who are in extended foster care but are not in DFPS custody. Kinship care- a subset of substitute care that includes all children in DFPS custody who are living with a legal or blood relative or other individual who has a significant relationship with the child or the child's family known as "fictive kin." Foster care - a subset of substitute care that includes all children living in a placement that has been verified to provide 24-hour residential care for a child, in accordance with Chapter 42 of the Human Resources Code and related regulations. These placements include foster homes, including kinship care where the caregiver has been verified, general residential operations (GRO), emergency shelters, residential treatment centers (RTC), and juvenile facilities. Paid foster care - a subset of foster care where DFPS is making foster care payments. Visit dfps.state.tx.us for information on substitute care placements and all DFPS programs.

The most significant proportion of children in institutional foster care in Poland were children between 14 and 17 years old in 2023.

Performance metrics for by year No. of Children in Relative Foster Care with a Written Care Plan

No. of Children in Relative Foster Care 2024. Published by Tusla. Available under the license Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC-BY-4.0).Performance metrics for by year No. of Children in Relative Foster Care...

The Transitional Living Services Program includes the Preparation for Adult Living (PAL) program, Education and Training Voucher (ETV) program and other services and supports to help youth transition from foster care to a successful adulthood.

PAL services ensure that youth in DFPS foster care and those transitioning from foster care to a successful adulthood receive the tools, resources, supports, and personal and community connections they need to become self-sufficient adults. PAL supportive services and benefits are provided to eligible youth and young adults ages 16 to 21. 14-15 year old youth in the Permanent Managing Conservatorship (PMC) of DFPS will receive a life skills assessment. All other youth age 14 and 15 can be served, if funding or resources are available.

The ETV program can assist youth and young adults ages 16-23. ETV services can be provided to eligible youth and young adults for 5 years or 15 semesters up to their 23rd birthday.

Performance metrics for by year No. of Children in Foster Care General in a Private Placement

No. of Children in Foster Care General 2024. Published by Tusla. Available under the license Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC-BY-4.0).Performance metrics for by year No. of Children in Foster Care General...

Children in the Custody of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS)- All children for whom DFPS legal responsibility through court ordered temporary or permanent managing conservatorship or other court ordered legal basis. These children may be residing in substitute care or may be living with a parent, referred to as a trial home visit. DFPS legal responsibility terminates when a court orders DFPS custody ended or a youth turns 18, whichever comes first. Substitute care - all children who are living in a DFPS out of home placement. It does not include children in DFPS custody who are living with a parent on a return and monitor. Unless otherwise noted, it does include youth over 18 who are in extended foster care but are not in DFPS custody. Kinship care- a subset of substitute care that includes all children in DFPS custody who are living with a legal or blood relative or other individual who has a significant relationship with the child or the child's family known as "fictive kin." Foster care - all children in DFPS custody living in a placement that has been verified to provide 24-hour residential care for a child, in accordance with Chapter 42 of the Human Resources Code and related regulations. These placements include foster homes, including kinship care where the caregiver has been verified, general residential operations (GRO), emergency shelters, residential treatment centers (RTC), and juvenile facilities. Paid foster care - a subset of foster care where DFPS is making foster care payments. Visit https://www.dfps.texas.gov/ for information on substitute care placements and all DFPS programs

Foster care homes in Poland transformed in 2021. According to the source, only facilities with less than 14 children can operate, so some of the larger care homes will be divided into smaller ones. In recent years, institutional foster care facilities have increased from 1126 in 2016 to 1315 in 2023.

This chart counts the number of children in DFPS custody on August 31 of the fiscal year who meet all of the following criteria: (1) a court has terminated all parental rights; (2) the child has a plan of adoption; and (3) the child is not in an adoptive placement. The count includes both children who are in an intended to be permanent home and children who are not in an intended to be permanent home. Use the filter to isolate these counts. Children in DFPS custody are those for whom a court has appointed DFPS legal responsibility through temporary or permanent managing conservatorship or other court ordered legal basis. An adoptive placement occurs when the child's caseworker, the family's case manager, and the adoptive family sign paperwork officially placing the child in the home for adoption. Before the paperwork can be signed, a child must be free for adoption (meaning a court has terminated parental rights), have a permanency goal of adoption and the family must have been approved for adoption through a licensed child placing agency.

Children in DFPS custody are those for whom a court has appointed DFPS legal responsibility through temporary or permanent managing conservatorship or other court ordered legal basis. These children may be residing in substitute care or may be living with a parent, referred to as a return and monitor. DFPS legal responsibility terminates when a court orders DFPS custody ended or a youth turns 18, whichever comes first. Substitute care - all children who are living in a DFPS out of home placement. It does not include children in DFPS custody who are living with a parent on a return and monitor. Unless otherwise noted, it does include youth over 18 who are in extended foster care but are not in DFPS custody. Kinship care- a subset of substitute care that includes all children in DFPS custody who are living with a legal or blood relative or other individual who has a significant relationship with the child or the child's family known as "fictive kin." Foster care - a subset of substitute care that includes all children living in a placement that has been verified to provide 24-hour residential care for a child, in accordance with Chapter 42 of the Human Resources Code and related regulations. These placements include foster homes, including kinship care where the caregiver has been verified, general residential operations (GRO), emergency shelters, residential treatment centers (RTC), and juvenile facilities. Paid foster care - a subset of foster care where DFPS is making foster care payments. Visit https://www.dfps.texas.gov/ for information on substitute care placements and all DFPS programs.

Performance metrics for by year No. of Children in Foster Care General with a Written Care Plan

This dashboard includes those Foster and Adoptive homes that were screened and approved for child care through DFPS. Most of the FADs in the state are screened and approved for adoption through a private licensed child placing agency. Adoptive home – A home which has been screened and approved for adoption through DFPS. The Adoptive Home counts do not include homes open only for receipt of adoption subsidy. Foster-adoptive home – A home that has been approved to provide 24-hour residential care for a child, in accordance with Chapter 42 of the Human Resources Code and related regulations and that has been screened and approved have been approved for adoption through DFPS. Foster home – A home that has been approved to provide 24-hour residential care for a child, in accordance with Chapter 42 of the Human Resources Code and related regulation. Children in DFPS custody are those for whom a court has appointed DFPS legal responsibility through temporary or permanent managing conservatorship or other court ordered legal basis.

No. of Children in Foster Care General with an Allocated Social Worker 2024. Published by Tusla. Available under the license Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC-BY-4.0).Performance metrics for by year No. of Children in Foster Care General with an Allocated Social Worker...

For children who cannot reunify and for whom adoption has been ruled out, the Permanency Care Assistance (PCA) Program provides a monthly subsidy to relatives and fictive kin that take legal custody as a permanent managing conservator and have been a verified foster care provider for the child for at least 6 months. The PCA subsidy is similar to an adoption subsidy. Does not include non-recurring payments. Note: The Permanency Care Assistance program began in Fiscal Year 2011.

Performance metrics for by year No. of Approved Relative Foster Carers with an Allocated Link Worker