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Change Indicator

Children in foster care waiting for adoption by amount of time waiting in United States

Children in foster care waiting for adoption by amount of time waiting

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Definition and Source

PROVIDER

Definition

Children and youth in foster care waiting for adoption by amount of time waiting. Time waiting is calculated by subtracting the date of a child’s most recent entry into foster care from the date of the end of the fiscal year.

Some states allow children to remain in the foster care system until their 18th birthday while other states have age limits that extend a few years beyond this. The current indicator includes children of all ages. National estimates include Puerto Rico. National estimates include Puerto Rico.

Data Source

Child Trends analysis of data from the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS), made available through the National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect.

The data used in this publication, Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) 2021 #274, were obtained from the National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect and have been used in accordance with its Terms of Use Agreement license. The Administration on Children, Youth and Families, the Children's Bureau, the original dataset collection personnel or funding source, NDACAN, Cornell University and their agents or employees bear no responsibility for the analyses or interpretations presented here.

Notes

N.A. - Data not available.

Last Updated

April 2023