California

California [Context Data]

A. Context Statistics 1 2

General Child Population (Census Bureau) 3

	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
Total children under 18 years	9,050,090	8,974,477	8,881,104	8,936,181	8,772,631
Race/ethnicity (%) 4
Alaska Native / American Indian	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.4
Asian	12.1	12.3	12.5	12.6	12.7
Black	5.1	5.0	5.0	5.0	5.0
Native Hawaiian / Other Pacific Islander	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.4
Hispanic (of any race)	51.5	51.5	51.5	51.7	51.8
White	25.5	25.3	25.0	24.8	24.4
Two or more races	5.0	5.1	5.2	5.3	5.4
Child population in poverty (%)	18.1	17.4	15.6	14.6	15.8

Child Welfare Summary 5

	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
Child maltreatment victims	65,342	63,795	64,132	60,317	55,503
Foster care entry rate	3.1	3.0	3.2	2.8	2.6
Children in foster care on 9/30	51,866	52,336	51,267	50,735	47,870
Children adopted	6,524	6,966	6,981	5,562	6,242

Caseworker Visits 6

	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
Children receiving monthly visits (%)	94	94	95	94	94
Numerator	544,178	521,789	512,724	513,096	490,671
Denominator	581,567	554,313	540,268	547,259	523,322
Children receiving visits in the home (%)	79	79	80	88	91
Numerator	430,412	413,617	408,959	449,544	446,504
Denominator	544,178	521,789	512,724	513,096	490,671

1 The source data for each table is indicated in parentheses for each section. A calendar year is the basis for data from the Census Bureau. Most of the other data on these pages are from the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) or the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) and are based on the federal fiscal year, October 1 through September 30.  Back
2 Data that did not meet the quality standards for inclusion in the report are represented as DQ*. Incomplete data excluded from inclusion in the report are represented as --. For additional information on the data quality thresholds for the Child Welfare Outcomes Report, please reference the full report or the Child Welfare Outcomes data site.  Back
3 The total child population and data on race/ethnicity represent estimates from the Census Bureau https://www.census.gov/data/tables.html . Child poverty data are from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS). Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 poverty estimates are not available on data.census.gov. The 2020 poverty estimates are considered experimental and can be found on the ACS Experimental Data webpage: https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/data/experimental-data.html.  Back
4 For race/ethnicity tables, all races exclude children of Hispanic origin. The Child Welfare Outcomes Report data site http://cwoutcomes.acf.hhs.gov/cwodatasite provides alternative race/ethnicity breakdowns in which race and ethnicity are treated as two separate categories.  Back
5 A child victim is defined as a child for whom the state determined at least one maltreatment was substantiated or indicated. This includes a child who died of child abuse and neglect. This is a change from prior years when children with dispositions of alternative response victim were included as victims. The rate for foster care entry is per 1,000 children in the state population. Data on child maltreatment victims are from NCANDS. Data on foster care entry rate, children in foster care on 9/30, and children adopted are from AFCARS.  Back
6 The reporting population subject to the caseworker visits requirements includes all children under age 18 for at least the first day of the FY (October 1) who have been in foster care for at least one full calendar month during the FY. All states have the option of using an approved sampling procedure for the caseworker visits reporting requirement.  Back

B. Child Maltreatment Data (National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System [NCANDS]) 7

Overview Maltreatment Information 8

	2017		2018		2019		2020		2021
	Number	Rate	Number	Rate	Number	Rate	Number	Rate	Number	Rate
Children subject of an investigated report alleging child maltreatment	365,921	40.4 per 1,000	360,040	40.1 per 1,000	343,536	38.7 per 1,000	306,919	34.3 per 1,000	271,487	30.9 per 1,000
Total child maltreatment victims	65,342	7.2 per 1,000	63,795	7.1 per 1,000	64,132	7.2 per 1,000	60,317	6.7 per 1,000	55,503	6.3 per 1,000
Child Fatalities	147	1.6 per 100,000	145	1.6 per 100,000	153	1.7 per 100,000	150	1.7 per 100,000	135	1.5 per 100,000

7 The unique count of child victims counts a child only once regardless of the number of times he or she was found to be a victim during the reporting year.  Back
8 The rates for Child Protective Services responses and victims are per 1,000 children under age 18; for fatalities, the rate is per 100,000 children under age 18.  Back
9 These percentages are calculated against the number of unique victims. A child may have been the victim of more than one type of maltreatment, or the same type of maltreatment more than once. As a result, the total percentages both within and across maltreatment categories may exceed 100.  Back
10 Response time is defined as the time between the report of suspected maltreatment and the first face-to-face contact with the alleged victim or with another person who can provide information on the allegation.  Back

C. Characteristics of Children in Foster Care (Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System [AFCARS] Foster Care File)

Overview Foster Care Information

	In Foster Care on 10/1 FY					Entered Foster Care in FY					Exited Foster Care in FY					In Foster Care on 9/30 FY
	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
Total number	52,390	51,031	49,747	49,691	49,176	28,016	27,178	28,138	24,748	22,892	28,539	25,879	26,622	23,704	24,199	51,866	52,336	51,267	50,735	47,870
Median length of stay (months)	14.2	15.0	15.2	14.5	16.3	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	16.0	16.2	16.7	15.6	18.3	14.6	15.3	14.4	16.2	16.9

Age of Children in Foster Care (%)

	In Foster Care on 10/1 FY					Entered Foster Care in FY					Exited Foster Care in FY					In Foster Care on 9/30 FY
	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
Under 1 year	7.9	7.9	7.6	8.1	7.5	21.2	21.0	20.5	21.6	22.8	4.4	4.6	4.2	4.2	3.6	7.9	7.5	8.1	7.4	7.8
1 year	8.3	8.6	8.6	8.1	8.7	7.3	7.2	7.0	6.9	6.6	9.2	10.1	9.7	9.4	8.9	8.7	8.5	8.1	8.7	8.4
2 years	7.1	7.2	7.1	6.9	6.9	6.4	6.5	6.0	6.4	6.0	8.2	9.5	8.7	8.6	8.6	7.2	7.0	6.9	6.9	7.4
3 years	6.2	6.2	6.0	6.0	6.1	6.2	6.0	5.7	5.9	5.6	7.4	7.6	7.6	7.2	7.3	6.3	6.0	5.9	6.1	5.9
4 years	5.4	5.5	5.5	5.4	5.5	5.1	5.2	5.3	5.1	5.3	6.1	6.9	6.2	6.1	6.5	5.5	5.4	5.4	5.4	5.4
5 years	5.0	4.9	4.9	5.0	5.1	4.9	5.0	5.3	5.1	4.9	5.5	5.8	5.9	5.7	5.6	4.9	4.9	5.0	5.1	4.9
6 years	4.7	4.9	4.4	4.6	4.7	5.0	4.6	4.7	4.8	4.7	5.0	5.4	5.0	5.0	5.5	4.9	4.4	4.6	4.7	4.8
7 years	4.7	4.5	4.6	4.4	4.5	4.7	4.6	4.7	4.5	4.6	5.2	5.5	4.9	4.8	5.0	4.5	4.5	4.3	4.4	4.4
8 years	4.5	4.4	4.2	4.4	4.2	4.2	4.2	4.2	4.2	4.0	4.3	4.8	4.8	4.7	4.5	4.5	4.1	4.3	4.1	4.3
9 years	4.3	4.3	4.2	3.9	4.1	4.0	3.9	4.1	3.7	3.7	4.4	4.7	4.4	4.2	4.1	4.4	4.1	3.9	4.1	3.9
10 years	4.1	4.1	4.1	4.1	3.9	3.8	3.9	3.7	3.9	3.7	4.1	4.2	4.1	4.3	4.1	4.1	4.0	4.0	3.8	3.9
11 years	3.9	4.0	4.0	4.1	3.8	3.4	3.8	3.9	3.5	3.7	3.4	4.1	4.0	3.7	3.7	4.0	3.9	4.1	3.8	3.8
12 years	3.6	3.9	4.1	4.1	4.0	3.4	3.6	4.0	3.8	3.8	3.3	3.5	3.5	3.6	3.8	4.0	4.0	4.1	4.0	3.9
13 years	3.8	3.7	4.0	4.3	4.2	3.6	3.6	4.0	3.8	4.1	2.9	3.3	3.5	3.6	3.6	3.8	3.9	4.3	4.2	4.1
14 years	4.1	4.1	4.1	4.2	4.5	3.9	3.9	3.9	4.0	4.1	3.0	3.2	3.1	3.2	3.6	4.2	4.0	4.2	4.6	4.4
15 years	4.8	4.5	4.6	4.6	4.5	3.9	4.2	4.1	3.8	3.9	3.1	2.9	2.8	3.0	3.2	4.6	4.6	4.6	4.6	4.8
16 years	5.6	5.2	4.9	5.2	5.0	4.4	3.9	4.1	4.2	4.1	3.7	3.2	3.0	3.4	3.2	5.3	4.9	5.3	5.0	5.0
17 years	6.6	4.7	5.6	5.4	5.5	3.8	3.4	3.3	3.3	3.2	3.5	2.7	2.1	2.4	2.1	6.0	5.7	5.5	5.6	5.5
18 years	5.5	4.0	2.6	2.5	2.4	0.8	0.6	0.6	0.7	0.6	4.5	2.9	7.0	7.2	7.5	5.1	3.8	2.6	2.5	2.4
19 years	0.0	2.5	2.6	2.5	2.5	0.0	0.6	0.5	0.5	0.3	8.9	2.7	0.5	0.4	0.4	0.0	2.5	2.4	2.4	2.4
20+ years	0.0	1.1	2.5	2.4	2.4	0.0	0.2	0.3	0.3	0.2	0.0	0.5	1.0	0.6	0.4	0.0	2.5	2.5	2.5	2.5
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.9	4.1	4.7	4.8	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0

Race/Ethnicity of Children in Foster Care (%)

	In Foster Care on 10/1 FY					Entered Foster Care in FY					Exited Foster Care in FY					In Foster Care on 9/30 FY
	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
Alaska Native / American Indian	0.8	0.8	0.7	0.7	0.7	1.0	0.7	0.8	0.8	0.8	0.9	1.0	0.8	0.8	0.9	0.8	0.7	0.7	0.7	0.7
Asian	1.1	1.1	1.2	1.2	1.3	1.4	1.8	1.7	1.8	1.6	1.3	1.6	1.6	1.7	1.6	1.1	1.2	1.3	1.3	1.3
Black	19.3	19.2	18.9	18.6	18.5	16.5	16.3	16.2	16.5	15.6	16.8	16.5	16.3	16.4	16.5	19.1	19.0	18.7	18.6	18.2
Native Hawaiian / Other Pacific Islander	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.3	0.2	0.2	0.3	0.3	0.2	0.3	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2
Hispanic (of any race)	51.0	51.4	53.3	54.4	55.2	51.9	53.0	55.0	54.8	56.2	53.3	52.0	54.5	54.7	55.8	50.3	51.9	53.6	54.4	55.4
White	19.7	19.2	19.2	18.7	18.0	20.5	20.6	19.7	19.7	19.4	20.9	20.3	20.0	20.3	19.1	19.4	19.3	19.0	18.4	18.1
Two or more races	5.1	5.1	4.8	4.8	4.9	4.5	3.9	4.2	4.4	4.4	4.9	4.7	4.5	4.5	4.6	4.9	4.7	4.7	4.8	4.8
Unknown	0.2	0.2	0.3	0.4	0.4	0.3	0.3	0.6	0.6	0.6	0.2	0.2	0.4	0.6	0.5	0.2	0.2	0.4	0.4	0.4
Missing data	2.6	2.8	1.4	1.0	0.8	3.8	3.1	1.5	1.1	1.2	1.4	3.5	1.5	0.9	0.9	3.9	2.7	1.4	1.2	0.9

D. Characteristics of Children "Waiting for Adoption" 11 (AFCARS Foster Care File)

Children Waiting for Adoption

	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
Total waiting children	15,097	14,866	14,436	15,019	15,386
Number of waiting children whose parents' rights have been terminated	7,107	7,098	7,262	6,518	6,945

11 There is no federal definition for a child waiting to be adopted. The definition used in the tables on this page includes children and youth through age 17 who have a goal of adoption and/or whose parents' parental rights have been terminated. It excludes children 16 years old and older whose parents' parental rights have been terminated and who have a goal of emancipation. A state's own definition may differ from that used here.  Back

Age of Children Waiting for Adoption (%) 12

	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
Under 1 year	6.9	6.9	7.3	5.8	5.9
1 year	14.2	14.0	12.9	13.9	13.0
2 years	12.0	11.9	11.5	11.1	12.3
3 years	9.8	9.2	9.3	9.5	8.9
4 years	7.9	8.1	7.7	7.8	7.5
5 years	7.0	6.8	7.0	6.9	6.8
6 years	6.3	5.9	5.8	6.0	6.3
7 years	5.3	5.5	5.2	5.4	5.3
8 years	5.3	4.8	5.1	4.7	4.9
9 years	4.8	4.7	4.3	4.7	4.4
10 years	4.1	4.3	4.4	4.0	4.4
11 years	3.6	3.6	3.9	3.8	3.8
12 years	3.4	3.7	3.6	3.7	3.5
13 years	2.5	3.0	3.3	3.3	3.4
14 years	2.3	2.4	2.9	3.1	2.9
15 years	2.0	2.2	2.4	2.6	3.0
16 years	1.7	1.8	2.1	2.0	2.2
17 years	1.3	1.2	1.4	1.5	1.5

12 Children older than 17 years fall outside of the definition used to identify waiting children and are therefore excluded from this table.  Back

Race/Ethnicity of Children Waiting for Adoption (%)

	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
Alaska Native / American Indian	0.7	0.6	0.7	0.6	0.6
Asian	0.9	1.0	1.1	1.1	1.0
Black	16.7	16.4	16.9	16.5	16.6
Native Hawaiian / Other Pacific Islander	0.2	0.1	0.2	0.2	0.2
Hispanic (of any race)	50.9	53.1	53.7	54.6	55.6
White	21.3	21.0	20.7	20.6	19.7
Two or more races	5.3	5.0	5.2	4.9	4.9
Unknown	0.3	0.2	0.3	0.4	0.5
Missing data	3.8	2.5	1.3	1.2	0.9

E. Characteristics of Children Adopted (AFCARS Adoption File)

Children Adopted

	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
Total children adopted	6,524	6,966	6,981	5,562	6,242

Age of Children Adopted (%)

	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
Under 1 year	2.2	1.9	2.1	1.6	1.3
1 year	15.9	16.1	16.6	16.3	13.8
2 years	15.2	17.6	16.2	16.4	16.0
3 years	13.1	12.0	12.2	12.1	11.6
4 years	9.4	9.4	8.9	9.0	9.8
5 years	7.9	7.1	7.9	7.6	7.2
6 years	6.1	6.4	6.0	6.2	6.8
7 years	5.5	5.6	5.4	4.9	5.8
8 years	5.0	4.5	4.5	4.4	4.7
9 years	4.9	4.2	3.9	3.8	4.1
10 years	3.8	3.5	3.8	3.9	3.8
11 years	2.8	3.3	3.6	3.5	3.5
12 years	2.0	2.3	2.5	2.5	2.8
13 years	1.8	1.9	2.1	2.2	2.6
14 years	1.4	1.6	1.6	2.1	1.9
15 years	1.0	0.9	0.9	1.2	1.4
16 years	0.9	0.8	1.1	1.2	1.3
17 years	0.7	0.7	0.7	1.0	1.1
18 years	0.2	0.1	0.1	0.2	0.3
19 years	<.1	<.1	<.1	<.1	0.0
20+ years	0.0	<.1	0.0	<.1	<.1

Race/Ethnicity of Children Adopted (%)

	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
Alaska Native / American Indian	0.7	0.7	0.6	0.5	0.8
Asian	1.0	1.1	0.9	1.0	1.1
Black	12.7	12.6	13.5	13.4	13.8
Native Hawaiian / Other Pacific Islander	0.2	0.3	0.2	0.2	<.1
Hispanic (of any race)	53.3	51.1	52.9	52.8	52.9
White	26.0	25.3	25.1	25.2	24.4
Two or more races	5.6	6.3	5.7	5.9	5.5
Unknown	0.2	0.2	0.3	0.5	0.3
Missing data	0.3	2.4	0.7	0.5	0.9

California [Outcomes Data]

Reduce Recurrence of Child Abuse and/or Neglect (NCANDS)

Recurrence of Maltreatment Within 12 Months (%) 13

	2017-2018	2018-2019	2019-2020	2020-2021	2021-2022
Children without a recurrence	91.8	92.1	92.5	92.6	N/A
Children with one or more recurrences	8.2	7.9	7.5	7.4	N/A
Number	65,352	63,833	64,333	58,872	N/A

13 At the time of this analysis, data were not available to calculate the recurrence of maltreatment for children who were victims of maltreatment in 2021.  Back

Reduce the Incidence of Child Abuse and/or Neglect in Foster Care (NCANDS and AFCARS Foster Care File)

2.1 Maltreatment in Foster Care (%)

	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
Children maltreated while in foster care	0.18	0.19	0.19	0.25	0.24
Children not maltreated while in foster care	99.82	99.81	99.81	99.75	99.76
Number	80,408	78,215	77,889	74,441	72,070

Increase Permanency for Children in Foster Care (AFCARS Foster Care File)

3.1 Exits of Children From Foster Care (%)

	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
Adoption	22.2	25.8	25.4	22.3	24.6
Guardianship	11.0	10.9	9.6	8.6	11.2
Reunification	51.6	53.8	51.0	54.5	49.7
Other	15.1	9.3	14.0	14.5	14.3
Missing data	0.1	0.1	<.1	0.1	0.1
Number	28,539	25,879	26,622	23,704	24,199

Exits of Children With a Diagnosed Disability (%)

	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
Adoption	26.4	31.2	32.0	29.5	30.4
Guardianship	12.0	12.7	11.1	9.4	12.5
Reunification	41.2	44.0	38.6	41.8	38.4
Other	20.3	12.0	18.2	19.1	18.7
Missing data	0.1	0.2	<.1	0.1	0.1
Number	8,052	7,721	8,237	7,362	7,984

Exits of Children Older than Age 12 at Entry Into Foster Care (%)

	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
Adoption	1.4	1.9	1.8	2.3	2.4
Guardianship	5.8	7.3	5.2	6.1	7.1
Reunification	40.6	47.6	37.5	37.3	34.7
Other	52.1	42.8	55.4	54.1	55.5
Missing data	0.2	0.4	0.1	0.2	0.2
Number	6,439	4,385	5,136	4,960	4,920

Exits to Emancipation (%)

	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
Children age 12 or younger at entry	21.9	19.6	21.7	20.4	19.1
Children older than 12 at entry	78.1	80.3	78.3	79.6	80.9
Missing data	0.0	<.1	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	3,677	1,988	3,273	3,021	3,110

Exits by Race/Ethnicity (%)

	Alaska Native / American Indian					Asian					Black (non-Hispanic)
	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
Adoption	15.8	19.4	19.9	13.3	22.6	16.7	16.7	14.7	14.4	16.0	16.7	19.9	21.3	18.4	20.2
Guardianship	19.3	22.3	13.7	16.1	22.6	8.5	5.9	3.7	5.1	7.5	14.7	14.9	12.7	11.1	15.5
Reunification	44.0	49.8	47.9	51.7	39.9	61.1	71.5	67.0	62.5	61.9	47.3	50.7	45.2	49.3	45.6
Other	20.8	8.5	17.5	18.9	14.4	13.8	5.9	14.7	18.0	14.5	21.2	14.3	20.7	21.0	18.7
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.9	0.0	0.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	<.1	0.2	0.1	0.1	<.1
Number	259	247	211	180	208	378	407	436	395	399	4,799	4,270	4,349	3,881	3,992

Exits by Race/Ethnicity (%)

	Native Hawaiian/Other Pac. Is.					Hispanic (of any race)					White (non-Hispanic)
	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
Adoption	10.7	32.2	21.7	18.0	6.1	22.2	25.6	24.7	21.5	23.7	27.5	31.8	31.5	27.5	31.5
Guardianship	11.9	5.1	2.9	10.0	10.2	10.7	10.4	10.0	8.4	10.8	8.3	8.4	6.6	6.8	8.8
Reunification	65.5	45.8	62.3	64.0	61.2	53.6	55.8	53.1	57.2	52.4	49.7	50.2	48.7	52.2	46.0
Other	11.9	16.9	13.0	8.0	22.4	13.4	8.1	12.1	12.8	12.9	14.2	9.3	13.1	13.3	13.6
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.1	<.1	<.1	0.1	0.1	0.3	0.2	<.1	0.2	0.2
Number	84	59	69	50	49	15,198	13,467	14,512	12,965	13,493	5,965	5,254	5,326	4,823	4,619

Exits by Race/Ethnicity (%)

	Unable to Determine					Two or More Races					Missing Data
	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
Adoption	18.8	30.0	15.3	23.3	30.0	26.0	33.7	31.6	29.0	28.3	4.9	18.0	11.5	12.1	21.0
Guardianship	14.5	11.7	5.9	8.3	5.5	11.6	10.8	8.0	9.2	9.6	14.5	12.9	12.7	10.3	13.6
Reunification	50.7	46.7	65.3	58.6	55.5	46.5	46.5	44.2	46.2	44.1	66.1	63.0	63.6	59.3	51.4
Other	14.5	11.7	13.6	9.8	9.1	15.8	8.8	15.9	15.5	17.8	14.5	6.0	12.2	17.8	14.0
Missing data	1.4	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	<.1	<.1	0.3	<.1	0.3	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.5	0.0
Number	69	60	118	133	110	1,401	1,210	1,192	1,063	1,115	386	905	409	214	214

Reduce Time to Reunification Without Increasing Reentry (AFCARS Foster Care File)

Time to Reunification (%)

	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
Less than 12 mos.	63.9	63.2	63.0	61.9	55.2
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos.	30.7	30.9	31.3	33.0	37.0
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos.	3.4	3.6	3.7	3.5	5.6
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos.	1.1	1.1	1.0	0.7	1.1
48 or more mos.	0.9	1.2	1.0	0.9	1.1
Missing data	<.1	<.1	<.1	<.1	<.1
Number	14,720	13,925	13,567	12,916	12,039

Children Reentering Foster Care (%)

	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
Children entering care for the first time	79.7	79.4	80.0	80.2	79.9
Children reentering care within 12 mos. of a prior episode	7.6	8.0	7.3	7.2	7.3
Children reentering care more than 12 mos. after a prior episode	12.4	12.3	12.2	12.2	12.3
Missing data	0.4	0.3	0.5	0.4	0.5
Number	28,016	27,178	28,138	24,748	22,892

Reduce Time in Foster Care to Adoption (AFCARS Foster Care File)

Time to Adoption (%)

	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
Less than 12 mos.	3.9	3.4	4.0	3.3	2.5
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos.	29.4	29.8	29.7	28.7	24.5
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos.	35.1	36.1	34.3	33.4	33.1
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos.	19.9	18.4	18.6	19.6	22.0
48 or more mos.	11.7	12.3	13.5	15.1	18.0
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	6,325	6,689	6,753	5,282	5,963

Increase Placement Stability (AFCARS Foster Care File)

Number of Placements by Time in Care (%)

	In Care Less Than 12 Months					In Care at Least 12 months but Less Than 24 months					In Care for 24 Months or Longer					Time in Care Missing or Out of Range
	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
Children with 2 or fewer placements	87.9	87.8	87.8	88.9	87.6	70.1	70.8	71.4	73.2	74.5	42.4	42.5	42.6	44.5	47.5	100.0	90.9	97.4	96.2	94.1
Children with 3 or more placements	12.1	12.2	12.2	11.1	12.4	29.9	29.2	28.6	26.8	25.5	57.6	57.5	57.4	55.5	52.5	0.0	6.1	2.6	3.0	4.9
Missing Placement setting counts	<.1	<.1	<.1	<.1	<.1	0.0	<.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	<.1	0.0	<.1	0.0	3.0	0.0	0.8	1.0
Total number	32,984	31,341	32,178	28,626	26,258	21,865	20,811	20,118	20,751	19,113	25,527	26,030	25,477	24,932	26,597	32	33	116	132	102

Reduce Placement of Young Children in Group Homes or Institutions (AFCARS Foster Care File)

Most Recent Placement Settings of Children Who Entered Care During the Fiscal Year and Were Age 12 or Younger at the Time of This Placement (%)

	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
Group homes	0.9	0.9	0.6	0.5	0.5
Institution	1.6	1.7	1.3	1.2	1.0
Other settings	97.5	97.4	98.1	98.4	98.5
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	22,215	21,538	22,187	19,539	18,107