Quick Facts About Foster Care

Children in Foster Care

463,000 children were in the U.S. foster care system on September 30, 2008. Most children are placed in foster care due to parental abuse or neglect.

Age of Children in Foster Care

Average age: 9.7 years

Race/Ethnicity

As a percentage, there are more children of color in the foster care system than in the general U.S. population. However, child abuse and neglect occur at about the same rate in all racial/ethnic groups.

Gender

Male - 53%
Female - 47%

Length of Stay

For the children in foster care on September 30, 2008, the average amount of time they had been in the system was 27.2 months. Nearly 59% of those leaving care that year had been away from home for a year or longer. Fifty-two percent of the young people leaving the system were reunified with their birth parents or primary caregivers.

Foster Homes

In 2004, there was a total of 153,000 licensed/certified/approved kinship and non-relative foster homes nationwide. In 2005, 24% of youth living foster care were residing with their relatives.

Adoptions

In FY 2008, about 55,000 children were adopted from the foster care system, 54% of them by adopted their foster parent(s). The "foster parent" category excludes anyone identified as a relative of the child. 30% of children adopted in FY 2008 were adopted by a relative. A "relative" includes a step-parent or other relative of the child.

Siblings and Extended Families

More than 2 million American children live with grandparents or other relatives because their parents cannot care for them. When relatives provide foster care (known as kinship care), siblings can often stay together. Kinship care also improves stability by keeping displaced children closer to their extended families, their neighborhoods, and their schools.

Youth in Transition

Each year, an estimated 20,000 young people "age out" of the U.S. foster care system. Many are only 18 years old and still need support and services. Several foster care alumni studies show that without a lifelong connection to a caring adult, these older youth are often left vulnerable to a host of adverse situations such as homelessness and unemployment. While most of them earn a high school diploma, only 2 percent of them achieve a bachelor’s degree. Many become parents at a young age, and depend on public welfare.