Statistics & Research

Using information collected through various monitoring and reporting systems, the Children's Bureau analyzes and reports data on a variety of topics, including adoption, foster care, and child abuse and neglect.

Adoption and Foster Care Statistics

AFCARS collects case-level information on children in foster care and those who have been adopted with title IV-E agency involvement.

• National Trends Chart
• National AFCARS Reports
• State by State data

Annual Report of State Child Welfare Expenditures

Each year, states are required to submit to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) information on their planned and actual expenditures for several child welfare programs. HHS then synthesizes the information from the state reports and provides national totals of planned spending by service category for the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Child Welfare Services program and planned and actual spending by service category for the Promoting Safe and Stable Families program.

Child Welfare Outcomes

The Children's Bureau prepares Child Welfare Outcomes Data and makes it available online, and also publishes an annual Child Welfare Outcomes Report to Congress, a requirement of the Adoption and Safe Families Act. The report highlights each state's performance in seven outcome areas. Data for the reports come largely from NCANDS and the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS).

Child Maltreatment Report

Each year, the Children's Bureau produces the Child Maltreatment report using state statistics on child abuse and neglect that were gathered through the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS).

National Youth in Transition Database

The National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD) collects information about youth in foster care, including outcomes for those who have aged out of foster care. The Children’s Bureau issues Services and Outcomes Reports as well as periodic data briefs highlighting findings from NYTD.