�Appendix E: AFCARS Report - Preliminary FY 2005 Estimates as of September 2006
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Children's Bureau, www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb
The AFCARS Report
Preliminary FY 2005 Estimates as of September 2006 (13)
How many children were in foster care on September 30, 2003? 520,000
SOURCE: Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) data submitted for the FY 2005, 10/1/04 through 9/30/05.
NOTES: Data from both the regular and revised submissions received by September 2006 are included in the information below. Missing data are not used in the calculation of percentages. Percentages in some tables may not total 100% due to rounding.
How many children were in foster care on September 30, 2005? 513,000
| What were the ages of the children in foster care? |
||
|---|---|---|
| Mean Years | 10.0 | |
| Median Years | 10.6 | |
| Less than 1 Year | 6% | 29,034 |
| 1 Year | 6% | 32,439 |
| 2 Years | 6% | 29,580 |
| 3 Years | 5% | 26,552 |
| 4 Years | 5% | 24,558 |
| 5 Years | 4% | 22,405 |
| 6 Years | 4% | 21,521 |
| 7 Years | 4% | 20,687 |
| 8 Years | 4% | 19,717 |
| 9 Years | 4% | 19,375 |
| 10 Years | 4% | 19,488 |
| 11 Years | 4% | 20,693 |
| 12 Years | 5% | 23,570 |
| 13 Years | 5% | 27,081 |
| 14 Years | 6% | 33,002 |
| 15 Years | 8% | 38,589 |
| 16 Years | 8% | 41,695 |
| 17 Years | 8% | 39,018 |
| 18 Years | 3% | 14,007 |
| 19 Years | 1% | 5,963 |
| 20 Years | 1% | 4,027 |
| What were the lengths of stay in foster care? |
||
|---|---|---|
| Mean Months | 28.6 | |
| Median Months | 15.5 | |
| Less than 1 Month | 5% | 26,302 |
| 1 to 5 Month | 20% | 100,275 |
| 6 to 11 Month | 17% | 89,460 |
| 12 to 17 Month | 12% | 63,885 |
| 18 to 23 Month | 9% | 45,912 |
| 24 to 29 Month | 7% | 34,928 |
| 30 to 35 Month | 5% | 24,302 |
| 3 to 4 Yrs | 11% | 58,341 |
| 5 Years or More | 14% | 69,595 |
| What were the placement settings of children in foster care? | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pre-Adoptive Home | 4% | 18,691 |
| Foster Family Home (Relative) | 24% | 124,153 |
| Foster Family Home (Non-Relative) | 46% | 236,775 |
| Group Home | 8% | 43,440 |
| Institution | 10% | 51,210 |
| Supervised Independent Living | 1% | 5,918 |
| Runaway | 2% | 10,930 |
| Trial Home Visit | 4% | 21,883 |
| What were the case goals of the children in foster care? | ||
|---|---|---|
| Reunify with Parent(s) or Principal Caretaker(s) | 51% | 262,706 |
| Live with Other Relative(s) | 4% | 21,722 |
| Adoption | 20% | 100,949 |
| Long Term Foster Care | 7% | 37,628 |
| Emancipation | 6% | 31,938 |
| Guardianship | 3% | 15,653 |
| Case Plan Goal Not Yet Established | 8% | 42,403 |
| What was the race/ethnicity of the children in foster care? | ||
|---|---|---|
| AI/AN Non-Hispanic | 2% | 10,617 |
| Asian-Non Hispanic | 1% | 2,973 |
| Black-Non Hispanic | 32% | 166,482 |
| Hawaiian/PI-Non Hispanic | 0% | 1,433 |
| Hispanic | 18% | 93,996 |
| White-Non Hispanic | 41% | 208,537 |
| Unknown/Unable to Determine | 2% | 11,771 |
| Two or More-Non Hispanic | 3% | 17,191 |
NOTE: Using U.S. Bureau of the Census standards, children of Hispanic origin may be of any race. Beginning in FY 2000, children could be identified with more than one race designation.
| What was the gender of the children in foster care? | ||
|---|---|---|
| Male | 52% | 269,036 |
| Female | 48% | 243,964 |
How many children entered foster care during FY 2005? 311,000
| What were the ages of the children who entered care during FY 2005? | ||
|---|---|---|
| Mean Years | 8.2 | |
| Median Years | 7.7 | |
| Less than 1 Year | 15% | 46,954 |
| 1 Year | 7% | 20,981 |
| 2 Years | 6% | 18,427 |
| 3 Years | 5% | 16,728 |
| 4 Years | 5% | 15,229 |
| 5 Years | 5% | 14,359 |
| 6 Years | 4% | 13,505 |
| 7 Years | 4% | 12,323 |
| 8 Years | 4% | 11,528 |
| 9 Years | 3% | 10,833 |
| 10 Years | 3% | 10,643 |
| 11 Years | 4% | 11,448 |
| 12 Years | 4% | 13,805 |
| 13 Years | 5% | 16,362 |
| 14 Years | 7% | 20,426 |
| 15 Years | 7% | 23,291 |
| 16 Years | 7% | 21,624 |
| 17 Years | 4% | 12,345 |
| 18 Years | 0% | 730 |
| 19 Years | 0% | 138 |
| 20 Years | 0% | 41 |
What was the race/ethnicity of the children who entered care during FY 2005?
| AI/AN-Non Hispanic | 2% | 7,036 |
| Asian-Non Hispanic | 1% | 2,454 |
| Black-Non Hispanic | 26% | 80,430 |
| Hawaiian/PI-Non Hispanic | 0% | 1,031 |
| Hispanic | 18% | 56,603 |
| White-Non Hispanic | 47% | 144,679 |
| Unknown/Unable to Determine | 3% | 8,126 |
| Two or More-Non Hispanic | 3% | 10,642 |
NOTE: Using U.S. Bureau of the Census standards, children of Hispanic origin may be of any race. Beginning in FY 2000, children could be identified with more than one race designation.
How many children exited foster care during FY 2005? 287,000
What were the ages of the children who exited care during FY 2005?
| Mean Years | 9.8 | |
| Median Years | 9.7 | |
| Less than 1 Year | 5% | 14,081 |
| 1 Year | 7% | 19,053 |
| 2 Years | 7% | 19,013 |
| 3 Years | 6% | 17,404 |
| 4 Years | 5% | 15,551 |
| 5 Years | 5% | 14,177 |
| 6 Years | 5% | 13,296 |
| 7 Years | 4% | 12,089 |
| 8 Years | 4% | 11,367 |
| 9 Years | 4% | 10,593 |
| 10 Years | 4% | 10,378 |
| 11 Years | 4% | 10,501 |
| 12 Years | 4% | 10,738 |
| 13 Years | 4% | 12,144 |
| 14 Years | 5% | 14,215 |
| 15 Years | 6% | 16,989 |
| 16 Years | 6% | 18,559 |
| 17 Years | 6% | 17,635 |
| 18 Years | 8% | 23,282 |
| 19 Years | 1% | 3,781 |
| 20 Years | 1% | 2,154 |
What were the outcomes for the children exiting foster care during FY 2005?
| Reunification with Parent(s) or Primary Caretaker(s) | 54% | 155,608 |
| Living with Other Relative(s) | 11% | 31,362 |
| Adoption | 18% | 51,323 |
| Emancipation | 9% | 24,407 |
| Guardianship | 4% | 12,881 |
| Transfer to Another Agency | 2% | 6,440 |
| Runaway | 2% | 4,445 |
| Death of a Child | 0% | 534 |
NOTE: Deaths are attribute to variety of causes including medical conditions, accidents and homicide.
What were the lengths of stay of the children who exited foster care during FY 2003?
| Mean Months | 21.0 | |
| Median Months | 12.0 | |
| Less than 1 Month | 17% | 49,072 |
| 1 to 5 Months | 16% | 46,904 |
| 6 to 11 Months | 17% | 48,053 |
| 12 to 17 Months | 13% | 37,041 |
| 18 to 23 Months | 9% | 25,639 |
| 24 to 29 Months | 6% | 18,389 |
| 30 to 35 Months | 5% | 13,597 |
| 3 to 4 Years | 9% | 26,755 |
| 5 Years or More | 8% | 21,550 |
What was the race/ethnicity of the children who exited care during FY 2003?
| AI/AN-Non Hispanic | 2% | 5,857 |
| Asian-Non Hispanic | 1% | 2,328 |
| Black-Non Hispanic | 28% | 81,542 |
| Hawaiian/PI-Non Hispanic | 0% | 982 |
| Hispanic | 17% | 49,398 |
| White-Non Hispanic | 45% | 130,235 |
| Unknown/Unable to Determine | 3% | 7,363 |
| Two or More-Non Hispanic | 3% | 9,295 |
NOTE: Using U.S. Bureau of the Census standards, children of Hispanic origin may be of any race. Beginning in FY 2000, children could be identified with more than one race designation.
How many children were waiting to be adopted on September 30, 2005? 114,000
NOTES: Waiting children are identified as children who have a goal of adoption and/or whose parental rights have been terminated. Children 16 years old and older whose parental rights have been terminated and who have a goal of emancipation have been excluded from the estimate.
What is the gender distribution of the waiting children?
| Male | 53% | 60,843 |
| Female | 47% | 53,157 |
How many months have the waiting children been in continuous foster care?
| Mean Months | 41.6 | |
| Median Months | 30.7 | |
| Less than 1 Month | 1% | 587 |
| 1 through 5 Months | 4% | 4,219 |
| 6 through 11 Months | 8% | 9,314 |
| 12 through 17 Months | 12% | 13,769 |
| 18 through 23 Months | 13% | 14,555 |
| 24 through 29 Months | 12% | 13,210 |
| 30 through 35 Months | 9% | 9,731 |
| 36 through 59 Months | 21% | 24,220 |
| 60 or more Months | 21% | 24,395 |
What is the racial/ethnic distribution of the waiting children?
| AI/AN-Non Hispanic | 2% | 2,120 |
| Asian-Non Hispanic | 0% | 448 |
| Black-Non Hispanic | 36% | 40,840 |
| Hawaiian/PI-Non Hispanic | 0% | 307 |
| Hispanic | 15% | 17,240 |
| White-Non Hispanic | 40% | 45,096 |
| Unknown/Unable to Determine | 3% | 3,328 |
| Two or More-Non Hispanic | 4% | 4,620 |
NOTE: Using U.S. Bureau of the Census standards, children of Hispanic origin may be of any race. Beginning in FY 2000, children could be identified with more than one race designation.
How old were the waiting children when they were removed from their parents or caretakers?
| Mean Years | 5.1 | |
| Median Years | 4.5 | |
| Less than 1 Year | 23% | 26,769 |
| 1 Year | 8% | 9,498 |
| 2 Years | 7% | 8,393 |
| 3 Years | 7% | 8,072 |
| 4 Years | 7% | 7,841 |
| 5 Years | 7% | 7,506 |
| 6 Years | 7% | 7,547 |
| 7 Years | 6% | 7,110 |
| 8 Years | 6% | 6,517 |
| 9 Years | 5% | 5,936 |
| 10 Years | 5% | 5,223 |
| 11 Years | 4% | 4,416 |
| 12 Years | 3% | 3,553 |
| 13 Years | 2% | 2,576 |
| 14 Years | 2% | 1,715 |
| 15 Years | 1% | 910 |
| 16 Years | 0% | 350 |
| 17 Years | 0% | 67 |
Where were the waiting children living on September 30, 2005?
| Pre-Adoptive Home | 13% | 14,752 |
| Foster Family Home (Relative) | 19% | 21,147 |
| Foster Family Home (Non-Relative) | 55% | 63,235 |
| Group Home | 4% | 5,094 |
| Institution | 7% | 8,354 |
| Supervised Independent Living | 0% | 121 |
| Runaway | 1% | 648 |
| Trial Home Visit | 1% | 651 |
How old were the children on September 30, 2003?
| Mean Years | 8.6 | |
| Median Years | 8.4 | |
| Less than 1 Year | 4% | 4,203 |
| 1 Year | 7% | 8,374 |
| 2 Years | 7% | 8,456 |
| 3 Years | 7% | 7,694 |
| 4 Years | 6% | 7,166 |
| 5 Years | 6% | 6,585 |
| 6 Years | 5% | 6,179 |
| 7 Years | 5% | 5,972 |
| 8 Years | 5% | 5,734 |
| 9 Years | 5% | 5,688 |
| 10 Years | 5% | 5,786 |
| 11 Years | 5% | 6,144 |
| 12 Years | 6% | 6,583 |
| 13 Years | 6% | 6,718 |
| 14 Years | 6% | 6,996 |
| 15 Years | 6% | 6,841 |
| 16 Years | 5% | 5,214 |
| 17 Years | 3% | 3,668 |
How many children in foster care had their parental rights terminated for all living parents? 66,000
As of September 30, 2005, how many months had elapsed since the parental rights of these foster children were terminated?
| Mean Months | 27.0 | |
| Median Months | 15.3 |
How many children were adopted from the public foster care system in FY 2005? 51,000
SOURCE: Adoptions can be reported to the AFCARS adoption database at any time after the adoption has been finalized. This report includes adoptions finalized in FY 2005 reported in regular and revised submissions by August 25, 2006.
NOTES: The number of adoptions reported here does not equal the number of adoption discharges reported under foster care exits because the adoptions reported here include adoptions of some children who were not in foster care but received other support from the public agency. In addition, states have historically underreported adoption discharges. In contrast, states tend to more accurately report the adoptions to the AFCARS adoption database because those are the adoptions used to calculate adoption incentive awards. Missing data are not used in the calculation of the percentages. Percentages in some tables may not total 100% due to rounding
What is the gender distribution of the children adopted from the public foster care system?
| Male | 51% | 25,962 |
| Female | 49% | 25,038 |
How old were the children when they were adopted from the public foster care system?
| Mean Years | 6.7 | |
| Median Years | 5.6 | |
| Less than 1 Year | 2% | 1,108 |
| 1 Year | 10% | 5,280 |
| 2 Years | 13% | 6,458 |
| 3 Years | 11% | 5,449 |
| 4 Years | 9% | 4,638 |
| 5 Years | 8% | 3,937 |
| 6 Years | 7% | 3,589 |
| 7 Years | 6% | 3,085 |
| 8 Years | 5% | 2,753 |
| 9 Years | 5% | 2,454 |
| 10 Years | 5% | 2,367 |
| 11 Years | 4% | 2,147 |
| 12 Years | 4% | 1,986 |
| 13 Years | 3% | 1,702 |
| 14 Years | 3% | 1,367 |
| 15 Years | 2% | 1,125 |
| 16 Years | 2% | 830 |
| 17 Years | 1% | 579 |
| 18 Years | 0% | 120 |
| 19 Years | 0% | 20 |
| 20 Years | 0% | 7 |
What percentage of the children adopted receive an adoption subsidy?
| Yes | 89% | 45,590 |
| No | 11% | 5,410 |
What is the racial/ethnic distribution of the children adopted from the public foster care system?
| AI/AN-Non Hispanic | 1% | 694 |
| Asian-Non Hispanic | 1% | 337 |
| Black-Non Hispanic | 30% | 15,230 |
| Hawaiian/PI-Non Hispanic | 0% | 162 |
| Hispanic | 18% | 8,959 |
| White-Non Hispanic | 43% | 22,088 |
| Unknown/Unable to Determine | 2% | 1,098 |
| Two or More-Non Hispanic | 5% | 2,433 |
NOTE: Using U.S. Bureau of the Census standards, children of Hispanic origin may be of any race. Beginning in FY 2000, children could be identified with more than one race designation.
How many months did it take after termination of parental rights for the children to be adopted?
| Mean Months | 15.2 | |
| Median Months | 10.7 | |
| Less than 1 Month | 3% | 1,315 |
| 1 thru 5 Months | 22% | 11,299 |
| 6 thru 11 Months | 31% | 15,879 |
| 12 thru 17 Months | 18% | 9,381 |
| 18 thru 23 Months | 9% | 4,833 |
| 24 thru 29 Months | 5% | 2,740 |
| 30 thru 35 Months | 3% | 1,639 |
| 3 thru 4 Years | 5% | 2,686 |
| 5 Years or More | 2% | 1,228 |
What is the family structure of the child's adoptive family?
| Married Couple | 68% | 34,898 |
| Unmarried Couple | 2% | 797 |
| Single Female | 27% | 13,822 |
| Single Male | 3% | 1,483 |
What was the relationship of the adoptive parents to the child prior to the adoption?
| Non-Relative | 15% | 7,502 |
| Foster Parent | 60% | 31,094 |
| Step-Parent | 0% | 56 |
| Other Relative | 25% | 12,759 |
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration
for Children and Families,
Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Children's Bureau, www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb.
Preliminary FY 2005 Estimates as of September 2006 (13)
| << Appendix D |
