California Foster Care Facts

Who are California's children waiting in the foster care system?

• 85,000 children in foster care
• 27% of foster children are between ages of 0 and 5 30% of foster children are between ages of 6 and 12
• 42% of foster children are between ages of 13 and 21
• Average number of birthdays a child spends in foster care: 3 birthdays (38 months)
• Nationally: 2.5 birthdays (30 months)
• 46% of children experience three or more foster care placement Nationally: 42%
• 18% (16,269) of children live in group care or institutional setting Nationally: 19% (96,593)

What are California's foster children waiting for?

• l47,429 (51%) are waiting to be reunified with their birth families
• Nationally: 250,790 (48%)
• 4,852 (5%) are waiting to be adopted
• Nationally: 116,031 (22%)
• Average time foster care children have been waiting to be adopted: 46 months
• Nationally: 42 months

Where did California's children go after leaving foster care in 2005?

• 43,170 children exited foster care
• 26,076 (60%) were returned to their parents
• 7,594 (18%) were adopted
• 2,002 (5%) left to live with relatives or via guardianships
• 4,535 (11%) "aged out" of foster care at 18 or older
• 2,877 (7%) left for other reasons (ran away, transferred, died)

*Data from AFCARS (2004), ASPE Claims Reports (2005), and ACF Budget Reports (2005).