Most Kids Exit Foster Care to Live with Parents, Relatives and Guardians
In 2013, a total of 238,547 children exited the foster care system. Of those, 45% were white, 24% African American and 20% Latino. Two out of three (66%) of those exiting care were either reunified with their parents or primary caretakers, other relatives or guardians; and 21% were adopted. Unfortunately, 12% of kids exited without a documented connection to a family (of these 10% left without legal permanence, either emancipating or aging out of the system, and 2% were transferred to another agency).
Having a connection to a family is critical for a child’s well-being. Youth from foster care who are not connected to families should be provided with services to support their transition into adulthood.
Explore the latest data on foster care placements on the KIDS COUNT Data Center:
- Children exiting foster care
- Children exiting foster care by age group
- Children exiting foster care by gender
- Children exiting foster care by exit reason
- Children exiting foster care by race and Hispanic origin
- Children in foster care waiting for adoption
- Children in foster care waiting for adoption by amount of time waiting
- Children in foster care waiting for adoption by race and Hispanic origin
