Exiting Without Family is a Harsh Reality for 12% of Kids Leaving Foster Care
The research is clear. Those formerly in foster care face an uphill road to adulthood, and an absent connection to family only steepens their climb.
In 2014, 12% of the 238,230 kids who transitioned out of foster care did so without the benefit of a permanent connection to family.
The good news is that most kids — nearly 9 in every 10 — are departing the system with a family tie in place. In 2014, 51% of youth exiting foster care were unified with a parent or primary caretaker; 21% were adopted; and 9% were placed with a guardian.
Visit the KIDS COUNT Data Center for more child welfare data at the national and state level:
Children exiting foster care
Children exiting foster care by age group
Children exiting foster care by gender
Children exiting foster care by race and Hispanic origin
Children exiting foster care by exit reason
