“A more vulnerable group does not exist than children removed from the custody of their parents and placed in foster care.” – American Medical Association

Seven Facts About Foster Children

Baby (12-18 Months)

1. There are more than 60,000 children in foster care in California, more than 1/5 of all foster children in the United States.

Kidsdata: Data and Resources about the Health of Children, Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health

2. 1/4 of California foster children are under the age of 3.

Kidsdata: Data and Resources about the Health of Children, Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health

3. The majority spend 2+ years or longer in foster care and experience multiple placements.

Kidsdata: Data and Resources about the Health of Children, Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health

cafosterchildren4. Temporary placements and loss of relationships directly affect a foster child’s long-term emotional, cognitive and developmental health.

5. In 2012, 23,439 youth “aged out” of foster care with no parents.

6. Multiple research studies have found that adoption represents a cost savings to taxpayers, with one indicating that each dollar spent on the adoption of a child from U.S. foster care yields three dollars in benefits to society.

Hall, Chapin. Midwest Evaluation of the Adult Functioning of Former Foster Youth, University of Chicago, 2011.

7. Foster children who never find a permanent home face lifelong challenges, and they have overtaken war veterans as the largest population in California’s homeless shelters.

Children’s Advocacy Institute, University of San Diego School of Law. Expanding Transitional Services for Emancipated Foster Youth: An Investment in California’s Future. January 2007.

Find out how Advokids’ services help foster parents, relative caregivers, social workers, CASA volunteers and attorneys better understand and navigate California’s child welfare and juvenile court dependency system.

Learn more about California’s Child Welfare System from the California Child Welfare Indicators Project at The Center For Social Services Research at UC Berkeley.

Legal Disclaimer: Advokids provides educational information and resources to those who use our website, call our hotline, or submit requests for information via the website. Any information provided may not be construed as the giving of legal advice to any person about a particular legal matter and should not be relied upon as the basis for taking a particular action or refraining from taking a particular action in any legal matter. If you want or need legal advice about a particular legal matter, you should consult a lawyer.

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