Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS)

Nationwide, foster care numbers dropped in the first months of the pandemic, but the child welfare field is still pondering the impacts.

According to federal data, the number of children in foster care dropped in 2020 nationwide and in almost every state. Illinois was an exception.

Tribes and advocacy groups want the federal government to once again begin collecting voluntary data about sexual orientation of foster youth and adoptees.

The Family First Prevention Services Act offers states the chance to tap federal funds to prevent the need for foster care in some child welfare cases. At the same time, it greatly limits the amount of federal money that can be used to put foster youth in group homes, institutions and other “congregate care” options.

We owe teens and young adults in the child welfare system permanency and support so they are prepared for adulthood. The key way we plan with them for adulthood is by creating a transition plan.

In the mid-2000s, it had already become clear in the field of child welfare that relatives should be a priority option when it comes to removing youth from their home. But most states lacked a robust option for supporting kin who could, with a little help, be the answer on permanency.