In 2023, around 16,438 children in California who were the victims of child abuse were in foster care, the most out of any state. Florida, Texas, Arizona, and Illinois rounded out the five leading states for children in foster care in that year.

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.

The Performance Dashboard (formerly Performance Outcomes System) datasets are developed in line with legislative mandates to improve outcomes and inform decision making regarding individuals receiving Medi-Cal Specialty Mental Health Services (SMHS). The Dashboard gathers information relevant to specific mental health outcomes and provides useful summary reports for ongoing quality improvement and to support decision making. Please note: the Excel file Performance Dashboard has been discontinued and replaced with the SMHS Performance Dashboards found on Behavioral Health Reporting (ca.gov).

Users can look at annual reports and data related to Adoption and Foster Care, Child Abuse and Neglect, and Child welfare. Background Annual reports and data are collected by the United States Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families. Data on Adoption and Foster Care is presented in two forms; the annual Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) and State-by-state Adoption and foster care statistics. Child Abuse and Neglect research is presented in the form of annual Child Maltreatment reports covering a variety of topics. Child Welfare outc omes are presented in annual and multi-year reports to Congress. User functionality Users can choose reports by year. For Adoption and Foster Care Statistics, users can compare gender, race, adoption finalization age, time between TPR and finalization, prior relationship of adoptive parent and child, special needs among children, adoptive family structure, and information about receiving state or federal subsidy among states. AFCARS reports cover a variety of background information about age, length of stay, race, gender, and exiting circumsta nces. Child Maltreatment reports give data in paragraph and limited table form related to abuse and child fatalities. Child Welfare reports discuss foster care, child victims, and adoption statistics in paragraph and table formats. Data Notes For the Adoption and Foster Care Statistics report, data are available from 2003 -2009. State-by-state statistics are available from 2000-2006. Child Abuse and Neglect reports are available from 1995 to 2009. Child welfare reports are available from 1998 -2007.

Users can request data and reports related, but not limited to child abuse, neglect, foster care, and child well-being. Background The National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect collects data on the well-being of children. The archive is a project of the Family Life Development Center, Department of Human Ecology at Cornell University. The archive collects data sets from the The National Survey of Child Health and Well-being, The Adoption and Foster Care Analysis Reporting System, The National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System, and other data related to child abuse, neglect, victimization, m altreatment, sexual abuse, homelessness, and safety. User functionality Users can access abstracts of data sets which discuss the time period and logistics of collecting the data. There are different requirements for accessing different data sets. All requirements are clearly outlined. All data sets must be ordered through the National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect. Application materials must be mailed to the archive for access permission. Requirements for access vary by amount of personal information included in the data set. Data Notes The chief investigator, the years of data collection and a description of the data set is available on the website for every data set. The website does not convey when new data sets will be added.

In 2022, about 25,338 children under one-year-old in the United States were living in foster care. In that same year, about 20,163 children aged 16 years old were living in foster care nationwide.

Data table showing children in foster care by their CD of origin and median time from placement to date of data pull for each CD. Sources: CCRS, Connections Prepared By: ACS/DPPM /ORA/JACWR

1. Scope and object of statistics: All child welfare projects based on the Child and Youth Welfare and Rights Protection Act are included in the statistics.2. Standard time for statistics: The dynamic data is based on the facts from January to March for the first quarter, April to June for the second quarter, July to September for the third quarter, and October to December for the fourth quarter. Static data is based on the facts at the end of March, June, September, and December.3. Classification standards: Divided according to the "number of foster families," "number of foster children and youth," and "foster care expenses."4. For detailed information and descriptions, please refer to the "Taichung City Government Statistics Network Information - Query of Public Office Statistics Plans for Various Agencies."

Users can get information related to child welfare in the United States. Background The Child Welfare Information Gateway is part of the Administration of Children and Families. It provides resources and statistics related to child welfare, child abuse, child neglect, adoption and more. Resources are grouped under the following topics: family-centered practice; child abuse and neglect; preventing child abuse and neglect; responding to child abuse and neglect; supporting and preserving families; out-of-home care; achieving and maintaining permanency; and adoption. User Functionality The Child Welfare Information Gateway provides a number of resources for users. Users can search for foster care and adoption agencies by state using the National Foster Care and Adoption Directory; search for relevant publications using the Online Catalog and Library Search tools; search for State Statutes; and link to external databases related to child and family well-being, child abuse and neglect, child welfare and foster care, or adoption. Data Notes Years and data sources are clearly identified for each resource.

The dataset contains demographic and case characteristics of children in foster care each month. The dataset includes the children’s sex, age, race, goal and average time spent in foster care in Norfolk. The data is from Virginia’s Online Automated Services Information System (OASIS). OASIS is a comprehensive system that tracks the day-to-day activities performed by social workers statewide and is the official case record system for foster care and adoption cases in Virginia.

This dataset details the work accomplished by staff at the Norfolk Department of Human Services with the goal of finding safe, permanent homes for children in Norfolk’s foster care system. This dataset is updated monthly.

Excel version of report to City Council required per LL 142

The purpose of this data set is to provide information on the total number of admissions, discharges, and children in foster care, the type of care, and total Child Protective Services (CPS) reports indicated during period.

The dataset provides information on Foster Care Service by number of Foster Homes and by number of Foster Children in Placement

In 2022, about 368,530 children in the United States were living in foster care. This is a sharp decrease from the previous year, when about 407,318 children were living in foster care nationwide.

The purpose of this data set is to provide information on the total number of admissions, discharges, and children in foster care, the type of care, and total Child Protective Services (CPS) reports indicated during period.

Number of children under age 21 in foster care as of July 1 of each year, by race/ethnicity. This is a point-in-time, unduplicated count of children under the supervision of county welfare departments and excludes cases under the supervision of county probation departments, out-of-state agencies, state adoptions district offices, and Indian child welfare departments. The total by race/ethnicity may not add up to total number of children in foster care due to missing values. U.S. totals reflect children in foster care as of Sept. 30 each year. N/A means that data are not available. Data Source: As cited on kidsdata.org, Needell, B., et al. (May 2014). Child Welfare Services Reports forCalifornia, U.C. Berkeley Center for Social Services Research; U.S. data come from Child Trends analysis of Adoption and Foster CareAnalysis and Reporting System data available through the National DataArchive on Child Abuse & Neglect, as cited on KIDS COUNT (May 2014). Retrieved on May 31, 2015.

The Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) is a federally mandated data collection system intended to provide case specific information on all children covered by the protections of Title IV-B/E of the Social Security Act (Section 427). Under the Final 1993 AFCARS’ rule, states are required to collect and submit data on all children who are under the responsiblity of the title IV-B/IV-E agency for placement, care, or supervision. Units of Response: Children in Foster Care Type of Data: Administrative Tribal Data: Unavailable Periodicity: Semiannual Demographic Indicators: Disability;Geographic Areas;Sex SORN: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2016/12/14/2016-29366/adoption-and-foster-care-analysis-and-reporting-system Data Use Agreement: https://www.ndacan.acf.hhs.gov/datasets/order_forms/termsofuseagreement.pdf Data Use Agreement Location: https://www.ndacan.acf.hhs.gov/datasets/order_forms/termsofuseagreement.pdf Granularity: Individual Spatial: United States Geocoding: FIPS Code

VariableDescriptionTime FrameChildren in foster carePoint in time counts of children placed in Foster Care.Point in time data as of 12/31/2021If an estimated child population for a CSA for any of the above categories (denominator) was 50 or less, the number of referrals or cases (numerator) for that ethnicity was reduced to zero. CSAs range in size and population, from the City of Long Beach to small unincorporated enclaves encompassing a few city blocks. Communities that had low overall populations might have a “Gossip Factor”, in which counts for all ethnicities were reduced to zero.

Number of children under age 21 in foster care as of July 1 of each year, by type of out-of-home placement. This is a point-in-time, unduplicated count of children under the supervision of county welfare departments and excludes cases under the supervision of county probation departments, out-of-state agencies, state adoptions district offices, and Indian child welfare departments. A 'Foster Family Agency Home' is overseen by licensed non-profit agencies, whereas 'Foster Homes' are licensed directly by a county. For more on Foster Family Agencies, see http://www.childsworld.ca.gov/PG1346.htm. A 'Court-Specified Home' can be of any type, but is mandated by the court.‘Guardian’ includes children placed with guardians who are designated wards of the court and children placed with guardians who do not fall under the legal authority of the dependency system. 'Runaway' includes foster children who left care voluntarily and cannot be accounted for by the agency responsible for their care and placement. 'Other' includes children in transitional housing and children with an open placement episode but no out-of-home placement record. N/A means that data are not available. The total by placement type may not add up to total number of children in foster care due to missing values. Data Source: Needell, B., et al. (May 2014). Child Welfare Services Reports forCalifornia, U.C. Berkeley Center for Social Services Research. As cited on kidsdata.org, a program of the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health. Retrieved on May 31, 2015.

CSV representation of the metrics No. of Children in Foster Care General 2021 for 2021