Vol. 14, No. 2 • May 2010

National Foster Care and Adoption Statistics

The Children’s Bureau has released two new reports from the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) for fiscal year (FY) 2008. As reported in the Children’s Bureau Express newsletter, The AFCARS Report: Preliminary FY 2008 Estimates as of October 2009 indicates that, on September 30, 2008:

• There were 463,000 children in foster care, down from 491,000 in federal fiscal year 2007.
• The average age for the children in foster care was 9.7 years.
• Average length of stay in foster care was 27.2 months.
• The largest percentage of children (47%) were in a nonrelative foster family home.
• Forty-nine percent had a case goal of reunification.
• 123,000 were awaiting adoption, down from 132,000 in FY 2007.

In addition, during FY 2008, 273,000 children entered foster care and 285,000 children exited foster care. Also during FY 2008, 55,000 children were adopted from foster care; 54% were adopted by a foster parent and 30% by a relative.

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