Foster care is designed to offer a temporary and stable living situation for children who, due to circumstances like abuse, neglect, or abandonment, cannot safely remain in their homes. Funded by the federal foster care program, known as title IV-E, the services are administered at the local level across 50 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and tribal entities with approved title IV-E plans. Understanding the scope of foster care requires looking at the data, specifically, how many children are in foster care in the United States.
According to the most recent report from 2021, approximately 606,031 children experienced the US foster care system within a single year. This figure, derived from the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS), encompasses children who were already in the system at the start of the federal fiscal year on October 1, 2020, and those who entered the system within the subsequent 12 months. Looking at a snapshot in time, on September 30, 2021, the last day of the fiscal year, there were around 391,098 children in foster care.
The AFCARS, established by the Department of Health and Human Services, is crucial for collecting comprehensive foster care and adoption data from all title IV-E jurisdictions. This system diligently tracks the journeys of children within the foster care system, noting entries, exits, adoptions, and the number of children awaiting adoption.
A significant aspect tracked by AFCARS is the number of children waiting to be adopted after their parents’ parental rights have been legally terminated. As of the end of fiscal year 2021, this number stood at 64,985 children. These are children who are legally free for adoption and seeking permanent homes.
Trends in the Number of Children in Foster Care
Historically, the trend in the number of children in foster care has generally been downward over the past two decades. With the exception of a five-year period between 2013 and 2018 that saw an increase, the overall number of children in foster care has been decreasing. This long-term decline suggests shifts in child welfare practices and potentially preventative measures aimed at supporting families and reducing the need for foster care placements. However, the fluctuations, such as the increase in the mid-2010s, highlight the dynamic nature of the foster care system and the various factors that can influence the number of children in care.
It’s important to note that while the numbers provide a broad overview, each statistic represents a child with unique needs and experiences. Understanding how many children are in foster care is just the first step in addressing the needs of these vulnerable children and supporting the system designed to care for them.
