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Foster Care
Headline The number of American children in foster care rose steadily through most of the 1990s, peaking in 1999 at 567,000, and has declined since then to 510,000 in 2006. (See Figure 1)Children are placed in foster care because a child protective services worker and a court have determined that it is not safe for the child to remain at home due to a risk of maltreatment, including neglect and physical or sexual abuse. Children in foster care are also more likely than other children to exhibit high levels of behavioral and emotional problems. They are also more likely to be suspended or expelled from school and to exhibit low levels of school engagement and involvement with extracurricular activities. Children in foster care are also more likely to have received mental health services in the past year, to have a limiting physical, learning, or mental health condition, or to be in poor or fair health.1 One study found that almost 60 percent of young children in foster care, ages 2 months to two years, were at a high risk for a developmental delay or neurological impairment.2 Youth who "age out" of foster care instead of returning home have an accumulated set of problems that make a successful transition to adulthood difficult. According to the only national study of youth aging out of foster care,3 38 percent were emotionally disturbed, 50 percent had used illegal drugs, and 25 percent were involved with the legal system. Educational and career preparation was also a problem for these young people. Only 48 percent of foster youth who had "aged out" of the system had graduated from high school at the time of discharge, and only 54 percent had graduated two to four years after discharge. As adults, children who spent long periods of time in multiple foster care homes were more likely than other children to experience problems such as unemployment, homelessness, incarceration, as well as experience early pregnancy.4,5The number of children in foster care increased during the 1990s from 400,000 in 1990 to 567,000 in 1999 before dropping to 510,000 by 2006 (preliminary estimate). (See Figure 1) Similarly, the rate of children living in foster care increased from 6.2 per 1,000 children in 1990 to 8.1 per 1,000 children in 1999, before decreasing to 6.9 per 1,000 in 2006. Differences by Type of Placement In 2006, nearly half (46 percent) of all foster children lived in foster family homes with non-relatives.(See Table 1) Nearly a quarter (24 percent) lived in family foster homes with relatives-often known as "kinship care." Seventeen percent of foster children lived in group homes or institutions, 3 percent lived in pre-adoptive families, and the rest lived in other types of facilities (based on preliminary estimates). Differences by Length of Stay in Foster Care Almost one-third (31 percent) of all children who exited foster care in 2006 lived in foster care for less than six months, and another 18 percent spent six to eleven months in care (preliminary estimates). Thirty-five percent spent one to three years in care, and 16 percent spent more than three years in care (preliminary estimates). (See Table 1) Differences by Race and Ethnicity Non-Hispanic white children, who made up around 58 percent of all children under age 18,* accounted for 40 percent of foster children in 2006. Non-Hispanic black children, who made up about 15 percent of all children, accounted for 32 percent of foster children in 2006 (preliminary estimate). (See Figure 2) Hispanic children, who made up 20 percent of U.S. children,6 accounted for 19 percent of foster children in 2005. *Note: All child population percentages are for 2006. None The U.S. Health and Human Services Children's Bureau provides state-level estimates on the number of children in foster care. International Estimates None available The Pew Commission on Children in Foster Care. "Fostering the Future: Safety, Permanence, and Well-Being for Children In Foster Care." 1Kortenkamp, Katherine, and Jennifer Ehrle, "The Well-Being of Children Involved with the Child Welfare System: A National Overview," New Federalism, Series B, No. B-43. Washington, D.C.: The Urban Institute, January 2002. 2 Vandivere, S., Chalk, R., and Moore, K.A. (2003). "Children in foster homes: How are they faring?" Research Brief, Publication # 2003-23. Washington, DC: Child Trends. 3Cook, R., "A National Evaluation of Title IV-E Foster Care Independent Living Programs for Youth: Phase 2 Final Report." Rockville, MD: Westat, 1991. 4 Courtney, M.E., and Piliavin, I. "Foster Youths Transitions to Adulthood: Outcomes 12 to 18 Months After Leaving Out-Of-Home Care." Madison: WI, School of Social Work, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1998 cited in Pew Commission on Children in Foster Care. "Fostering the Future: Safety, Permanence, and Well-Being for Children In Foster Care." 2004. 5Reilly, Thom. (2003)."Transition from Care: Status and Outcomes of Youth Who Age Out of Foster Care." Child Welfare, 82(6): 727-746. 6All 2004 child population percentages are available at the KIDS COUNT Data Center. Foster care is a living arrangement for children who a child protective services worker or a court has decided cannot live safely at home. Foster care arrangements include non-relative foster homes, relative foster homes (also known as "kinship care"), group homes, institutions, and pre-adoptive homes. Data Source
Preliminary data for 2006: "The AFCARS Report: Preliminary FY 2006 Estimates as of January 2008." U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth, and Families, Children's Bureau.
Preliminary data for 2005: "The AFCARS Report: Preliminary FY 2005 Estimates as of September 2006." U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth, and Families, Children's Bureau.
Preliminary data for 2004: "The AFCARS Report: Preliminary FY2004 Estimates as of June 2006" U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth, and Families, Children's Bureau.
Data for 2003: "The AFCARS Report: Interim FY 2003 Estimates as of June 2006." U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth, and Families, Children's Bureau.
Data for 1998 - 2002: "The AFCARS Report: Final for FY1998-FY2002" U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth, and Families, Children's Bureau.
Population estimates used for calculating Foster Children per 1,000 children ages 17 and under for 2000-2005: U.S. Census Bureau, Population division, July 2000, July 2001, July 2002, July 2003, July 2004, and July 2005 estimates.
Population estimates by race for 2000 and 2001: Original analysis by Child Trends of Bridged Race 2000 and 2001 Population Estimates for Calculating Vital Rates, National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2003.
Population estimates used for calculating Foster Children per 1,000 children ages 17 and under for 1998-1999: Population Estimates Program, Population Division, U.S. Census Bureau. Internet release date: April 11, 2000.
Data for 1990-1997 for Total Foster Children and Foster Children per 1,000 children ages 17 and under: Trends in the Well-Being of America's Children and Youth 1999. Table PF 2.3. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation. Raw Data Source U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Children's Bureau, Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS). Approximate Date of Next Update Unknown
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