Amidst a system where over 360,000 children wait for stability, a single toddler's entrance into foster care represents both a profound failure and a resilient hope for our collective future.
Key Takeaways
- On September 30, 2022, there were 369,911 children in foster care in the United States
- In FY 2022, 51% of children entering foster care were male and 49% were female
- Children aged 1-5 years old accounted for 25% of all children in foster care on September 30, 2022
- Relative foster care placements housed 27% of children on 9/30/2022
- Group homes sheltered 7% of foster youth in FY 2022
- Non-relative foster family homes were the most common at 47% in FY 2022
- 40% of youth aged out homeless within 2 years post-18
- High school graduation rate for foster youth is 50-60% vs 84% general
- 20-25% of foster alumni experience homelessness by age 24
- 75% of foster care caseworkers leave within first year
- Caseloads average 28 children per worker nationally in 2022
- 32% vacancy rate for foster care caseworkers in 2021
- Federal Title IV-E funding covers 50% of costs in some states
- FY2023 federal foster care funding totaled $8.7 billion via Title IV-E
- States spend average $25,000 per child annually on foster care
Foster care houses many young children, but it urgently needs stability and support.
Demographics
- On September 30, 2022, there were 369,911 children in foster care in the United States
- In FY 2022, 51% of children entering foster care were male and 49% were female
- Children aged 1-5 years old accounted for 25% of all children in foster care on September 30, 2022
- Black or African American children represented 23% of children in foster care in FY 2022, despite being 14% of the child population
- In FY 2022, 77% of children in foster care were covered by Medicaid
- Hispanic children made up 22% of foster care entries in FY 2022
- Children under 1 year old comprised 8% of foster care entries in FY 2022
- White children accounted for 44% of the foster care population on September 30, 2022
- In FY 2022, 6% of children in foster care were American Indian or Alaska Native
- Urban areas had 52% of children in foster care in FY 2022
- In FY 2021, 20% of foster children had a diagnosed disability
- Siblings entering foster care together were 34% in FY 2022
- Children aged 11-15 were 28% of foster care population in FY 2022
- Multiracial children were 10% of foster care entries in FY 2022
- In FY 2022, 75% of foster children were non-Hispanic
- Asian children represented 1% of foster care in FY 2022
- Children aged 6-10 years were 22% in foster care on 9/30/2022
- Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander children were 0.4% of foster care population
- In FY 2022, 43% of foster children lived in suburban areas
- Unknown race children were 5% in foster care FY 2022
- In 2021, average age of children entering foster care was 7.6 years
- 17% of foster children had parental drug abuse as primary factor in FY 2022
- 40% of foster youth identified as LGBTQ+ in some surveys
- In FY 2022, 52% of foster children were in non-relative placements
- Children over 16 were 21% of foster care population in FY 2022
- 8% of foster children had caregiver inability to care due to illness in FY 2022
- In 2020, 25% of foster children were in kinship care
- Female children aged 0-5 were 12% of total foster care in 2021
- Male children aged 11+ were 30% in FY 2022
- In FY 2022, 15% of foster children had abandonment as removal reason
- Foster care entries peaked for ages 1-5 at 52,000 children in FY 2022
- 35% of children in foster care have three or more siblings also involved
Demographics Interpretation
While each of these 370,000 stories is unique, the statistics paint a collective portrait of a system disproportionately cradling our nation's most vulnerable—from the shocking over-representation of young children of color to the sobering reality that for every sibling group kept together, there are two more children entering this labyrinth alone and on Medicaid, often because the adults in their lives succumbed to addiction, illness, or abandonment.
Funding
- Federal Title IV-E funding covers 50% of costs in some states
- FY2023 federal foster care funding totaled $8.7 billion via Title IV-E
- States spend average $25,000 per child annually on foster care
- Kinship care saves $300 million annually vs traditional foster
- 40% of foster care expenditures are for residential/group homes
- Medicaid reimburses 60% of foster child health costs
- Title IV-B funding is $740 million yearly for prevention
- Prevention services funded $350 million via FCFC program 2022
- Average adoption incentive payment $12,000 per child 2021
- 25 states increased kinship payments to match foster rates
- Post-18 extended foster care costs $50,000 per youth yearly
- 15% of Title IV-E funds unclaimed due to admin hurdles
- Residential treatment costs $400 per day per child
- Quality improvement funding reached $105 million in 2022
- Tribal IV-E plan funding covers 12,000 Native children
- Emergency funds for kinship diverted $100 million in COVID relief
- State general funds cover 40% of non-federal foster costs
- Chafee program $140 million for independent living
- Guardianship assistance payments average $600 monthly per child
- 70% of states reimburse kinship at lower rates than foster
- Federal matching rate for IV-E is 50-83% by state per capita
- Prevention pilot programs saved $1.1 billion over 5 years
- School stability funding under ESSA supports $50 million foster aids
- TANF transfers $1.5 billion to child welfare annually
- Court improvement funding $30 million for 52 programs
- Extended foster care serves 30,000 youth costing $1.5B yearly
Funding Interpretation
The nation spends a fortune on foster care, proving it's far cheaper to keep families together, yet we still lavish funds on expensive interventions while pinching pennies on the aunts, uncles, and grandparents who do the work for less.
Outcomes
- 40% of youth aged out homeless within 2 years post-18
- High school graduation rate for foster youth is 50-60% vs 84% general
- 20-25% of foster alumni experience homelessness by age 24
- Incarceration rate for former foster youth is 60% higher than peers
- Only 3% of foster youth pursue postsecondary education vs 37% general
- 51% of foster youth have PTSD rates comparable to war veterans
- Early death rate for foster alumni is 4 times higher before age 30
- 70% of foster youth reported sexual abuse victimization
- Employment rate at age 24 for foster alumni is 48% full-time
- Adoption rate from foster care is 25% of exits annually
- 17% of foster care exits are emancipation/aging out in FY 2022
- Reunification success drops to 40% after 12 months in care
- 80% of foster children have developmental delays
- Mental health diagnoses affect 75% of foster youth
- Teen pregnancy rate in foster care is 3x national average
- 25% of US prison population were once in foster care
- Average time to adoption is 25.8 months in FY 2022
- 50% of reunified children re-enter foster care within 3 years
- Post-secondary completion rate for foster youth is 2-9%
- Suicide attempt rate 4x higher for current foster youth
- 60% of child sex trafficking victims known to child welfare
- Health insurance coverage post-aging out drops to 60% within year
- 42% of foster alumni report food insecurity at age 23-24
- Long-term foster care exits to guardianship 12% in FY 2022
- Foster youth 2.5x more likely to receive SSI disability
- 65% of foster children change schools at least once, disrupting education
- Average income at age 24 for foster alumni $13,009 vs $22,000 peers
- 30% of foster youth involved in juvenile justice system
- Re-abuse rate post-reunification is 15% within 6 months
Outcomes Interpretation
The system designed to catch our most vulnerable children appears to be a catapult launching them into a grim adulthood of homelessness, incarceration, and trauma, all while wearing the bureaucratic disguise of care.
Placement Types
- Relative foster care placements housed 27% of children on 9/30/2022
- Group homes sheltered 7% of foster youth in FY 2022
- Non-relative foster family homes were the most common at 47% in FY 2022
- Trial home visits accounted for 9% of placements on 9/30/2022
- Institutional settings held 8% of foster children in FY 2022
- Kinship foster care increased to 28% from 24% over five years prior to 2022
- In FY 2022, 4% of foster children were in supervised independent living
- Emergency shelter care was used for 2% of placements in FY 2022
- 81% of foster placements were family-based (kinship or foster homes) in FY 2022
- Pre-adoptive homes housed 25% of foster children awaiting adoption in FY 2022
- In 2021, 20 states had over 50% of children in non-relative foster homes
- Group home use declined 20% from 2017 to 2022
- 6% of foster youth were in other planned permanent living arrangements in FY 2022
- Foster family homes averaged 1.8 children per home in licensed settings 2021
- Runaway status was 1% of placement types on 9/30/2022
- Court-authorized care was 85% of kinship placements in FY 2022
- 12% of placements changed more than 3 times within first year in care average
- Licensed kinship homes were 15% of total kinship in 2022
- Institutional placements for ages 13-18 were 12% in FY 2022
- Family foster care with parents was 3% in trial visits FY 2022
- 55% of foster children experienced 2+ placement changes in first 2 years
- Shelter care duration averaged 21 days in FY 2022
- Independent living programs served 15,000 youth aged 18+ in 2021
- 29% of children in foster care experienced 4 or more placements in 2020
- Kinship care provided stability for 60% fewer moves than non-kin
- 75% of foster parents were licensed couples in 2021 survey
- Group homes cost $200 more per day than family foster homes in 2022
- Only 32% of foster children stayed in same school during placement change
Placement Types Interpretation
The numbers reveal a system where the heartening rise of kinship care fights against a chaotic tide of frequent moves, proving that while family-based placements are both more stable and cost-effective, we still have a long way to go in keeping children rooted in their schools, their communities, and a sense of home.
System Capacity
- 75% of foster care caseworkers leave within first year
- Caseloads average 28 children per worker nationally in 2022
- 32% vacancy rate for foster care caseworkers in 2021
- Only 1 foster home per 10 children needing placement in shortage areas
- 40 states reported foster home shortages in 2023 survey
- Average tenure for foster caseworkers is 1.6 years
- 112,000 licensed foster homes in US as of 2021
- 50% of counties have high foster home recruitment needs
- Supervisor-to-worker ratio averages 1:7, leading to burnout
- 25% increase in foster parent recruitment needed by 2030
- Tribal foster homes serve only 56% of Native children needs
- 60% of agencies report insufficient kinship navigator programs
- Licensed foster parent retention rate is 45% after 2 years
- 1.2 million investigations annually strain capacity
- Urban areas have 20% fewer foster homes per capita
- Training completion rate for new caseworkers 70%
- 35% of foster homes are kinship unlicensed due to capacity issues
- Caseworker visits average 1.3 per month vs recommended 2
- 48 states have worker turnover over 20% annually
- Foster parent support services reach only 40% of families
- Shortage of therapeutic foster homes for special needs 30%
- 90,000 children wait for foster homes yearly
- Bilingual caseworker shortage affects 25% of cases
- Administrative costs consume 30% of foster care budgets
- Only 20% of counties meet federal caseworker standards
- Foster home licensing takes average 6 months, delaying placements
- 55% of workers report high stress impacting capacity
System Capacity Interpretation
The system tasked with catching our most vulnerable children is itself a fraying net, where the hands meant to hold it are burning out, overloaded, and disappearing faster than they can be found.
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