Foster Care Statistics

logox2A recent report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation shows an increase in the number of U.S. children in foster care.

Our friends at North American Council on Adoptable Children (NACAC) clued us into a report that shares some alarming statistics, with an emphasis on a very alarming reality – for the first time since 2005, the United States has seen an increase in the number of children in foster care.

As the report itself says, “This increase is not necessarily bad or good, nor does it mean that the child welfare system is performing worse or better. It means that agencies determined that more children required temporary placement outside their homes to keep them safe. Caseload numbers alone don’t tell us how children are faring or whether agencies are making better decisions about who enters care. But the numbers do underscore the critical importance of ensuring that agencies are bringing to bear the most effective resources, services and support to help children live with families whenever safely possible.”

To read the report in its entirety (and to learn even more statistical and demographic information about the children in care, including a state-by-state breakdown), please click on the following link: Number of Kids in Foster Care Increases for First Time Since 2005