Facts About Foster Care That May Surprise You

For many, the first formal introduction people have to the Foster Care system is when it is featured in movies and T.V. shows, where it is usually played up or dramatized for the entertainment factor. This can lead to some myths or misconceptions that spread about what the Foster Care system is like. We want to spread some truth and facts about what the Foster Care system really looks like that you might not have heard before! 

1. The average age of a foster youth is 7 years old, despite the common misconception that the majority of children in foster care are very young.
2. A foster youth typically spends just under two years – approximately 20 months – in foster care. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families’, 2019 report, the average amount of time a child spends in the foster care system is 19.7 months.
3. Over 22,100 foster youth spend more than five years in foster care, around 5%.
4. More than 1,000 youth are placed in foster care nationwide because of their own alcohol dependence problems. This equates to less than 1%.
5. Nearly half of all foster youth are reunited with their family or primary caregiver when they exit the system, an astonishing 121,600 children.
6. The gender distribution within the Foster Care system is 52% male, 48% female.
7. There are nearly 56,000 foster youth in California alone.
8. Among former foster youth who are later adopted, 49% are white, 17% are black and 21% are Hispanic.
9. 95% of parents who adopt foster youth said they would make the same decision again.
10. Around 184,000 households in the U.S. have a foster youth in them.

Foster Care is not the same as what you see on T.V.! Don’t let stereotypes and myths cloud your vision of what the system truly is, or how we care for the children in it. To learn more, visit the Kamali’i website. 

Sources:

https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/cb/afcarsreport26.pdf

https://www.afs4kids.org/blog/29-surprising-foster-care-facts/

https://aspe.hhs.gov/basic-report/children-adopted-foster-care-child-and-family-characteristics-adoption-motivation-and-well-being