Children in Foster Care Down 22 Percent in Decade

May 31, 2011 by Andrew Atwal

The total number of children in foster care continues to decline – down about 22 percent from 2000 to 2009 – new data released by the federal Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Report System (AFCARS) show. The results are now in Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Kids Count Data Center.

According to the new data, at the end of 2009, there were 423,773 children in foster care in the United States, 120,530 fewer than there were in 2000.

However, despite the decline in the number of children in foster care, the type of setting in which a child is placed has remained largely unchanged at the national level since 2000.

Forty-eight percent of children in foster care in 2009 were with non-relative foster families; 24 percent were with relatives; 16 percent were in group homes or institutions and 13 percent were in other settings. Other includes supervised and independent living, pre-adoptive homes, trial home visits and runaways.

Most experts believe that placing children with relatives or other caregivers with whom they are familiar reduces the inevitable trauma of being removed from their parental homes.

Previous research shows that youth who live in institutions or group homes are at a higher risk of developing physical, behavioral or emotional problems that ultimately can lead to negative outcomes. These children are also less likely to find a permanent home compared to those living with foster families.

In general, the data showed that younger children are much more likely to be living with foster families, whereas older children are more likely to be in group homes or institutions.

Thirty-three percent of children ages 1 to 5 are placed with relatives compared to just 11 percent of those 16 years and older. Additionally, only about 1percent of children ages 1to 5 are placed in group homes or institutions, compared with about 36 percent of those ages 16 and older.

This is NOT The Full Article

FOR THE FULL ARTICLE CLICK HERE