Down 23% Nationally
On September 30, 2009, 424,000 children were in foster care in the U.S., a decrease nationally of 23% from the 544,000 children in foster care on September 30, 2000.
The goal of U.S. child welfare is to find safe, permanent homes for children, but many children in foster care never attain a permanent family. Children spend years in foster programs and are at greater risk for developing emotional, behavioral and academic challenges. The number of children in foster care decreased over the past few years, but the decline is not steady and carries mixed results.
The number of children entering foster care decreased overall from 2000 to 2009, although with fluctuations that include a spike in 2005.