Maine

Maine [Context Data]

A. Context Statistics 1 2

General Child Population (Census Bureau) 3

	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
Total children under 18 years	252,859	250,465	249,610	254,092	251,909
Race/ethnicity (%) 4
Alaska Native / American Indian	0.8	0.8	0.8	0.8	0.8
Asian	1.4	1.4	1.4	1.4	1.5
Black	2.8	2.9	3.0	3.0	3.0
Native Hawaiian / Other Pacific Islander	<.1	<.1	<.1	<.1	<.1
Hispanic (of any race)	2.8	2.9	3.0	3.1	3.3
White	88.6	88.3	87.9	87.8	87.5
Two or more races	3.6	3.7	3.8	3.8	3.9
Child population in poverty (%)	13.1	14.5	13.8	12.0	15.1

Child Welfare Summary 5

	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
Child maltreatment victims	3,475	3,481	4,413	4,726	4,228
Foster care entry rate	3.2	4.3	5.0	4.4	3.6
Children in foster care on 9/30	1,584	1,768	2,096	2,291	2,202
Children adopted	456	395	294	247	339

Caseworker Visits 6

	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
Children receiving monthly visits (%)	98	97	96	94	96
Numerator	19,345	17,795	21,324	23,747	24,054
Denominator	19,781	18,325	22,200	25,271	25,103
Children receiving visits in the home (%)	86	84	86	89	93
Numerator	16,602	15,021	18,397	21,170	22,250
Denominator	19,345	17,795	21,324	23,747	24,054

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	11,226	44.4 per 1,000	11,031	44.0 per 1,000	16,288	65.3 per 1,000	18,871	74.3 per 1,000	17,524	69.6 per 1,000
Total child maltreatment victims	3,475	13.7 per 1,000	3,481	13.9 per 1,000	4,413	17.7 per 1,000	4,726	18.6 per 1,000	4,228	16.8 per 1,000
Child Fatalities	--	-- per 100,000	3	1.2 per 100,000	3	1.2 per 100,000	1	0.4 per 100,000	8	3.2 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	1,831	1,571	1,751	2,068	2,272	820	1,080	1,246	1,115	909	1,067	883	901	892	979	1,584	1,768	2,096	2,291	2,202
Median length of stay (months)	14.4	13.4	10.4	12.6	14.9	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	20.9	19.9	15.9	17.1	24.0	13.4	10.4	12.3	14.7	15.9

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	7.7	8.0	9.9	8.5	7.9	23.7	23.1	21.5	24.4	24.2	2.5	4.0	6.1	5.4	2.3	8.1	10.0	8.7	8.0	7.6
1 year	10.4	10.6	10.3	10.8	9.9	9.5	9.1	9.3	8.4	7.7	9.7	9.1	10.8	7.3	6.1	10.7	10.2	10.8	10.1	10.3
2 years	9.9	9.0	9.6	8.0	9.9	8.5	8.9	7.1	7.4	8.6	10.9	12.3	10.8	10.1	12.3	9.0	9.6	8.1	9.8	9.4
3 years	9.3	8.3	7.4	7.6	8.0	8.4	6.5	6.4	6.9	5.9	11.9	8.4	8.3	8.1	9.0	8.6	7.3	7.7	8.0	8.5
4 years	7.5	8.0	6.9	6.8	6.4	6.2	5.7	4.8	5.6	6.3	9.1	9.7	7.4	6.3	7.3	7.8	6.9	6.7	6.4	6.9
5 years	5.7	5.7	6.6	5.9	7.0	6.1	6.6	6.2	5.8	4.7	7.1	6.9	6.4	5.9	7.7	5.7	6.7	6.1	7.0	5.5
6 years	5.5	5.2	5.5	6.7	5.6	4.3	6.3	5.5	5.7	6.6	5.5	6.2	4.2	6.3	5.8	5.2	5.5	6.7	5.7	6.3
7 years	5.6	5.5	5.7	5.2	5.8	5.0	5.2	5.4	3.8	5.2	5.6	4.6	6.4	5.2	5.7	5.5	5.6	5.4	5.8	6.4
8 years	5.5	5.7	5.1	5.1	5.2	6.1	4.7	4.8	5.6	3.7	5.6	4.3	6.0	5.7	5.5	5.7	5.3	5.0	5.2	4.9
9 years	5.0	6.0	5.2	5.4	4.9	4.3	4.2	5.4	3.9	3.6	4.3	4.8	3.4	4.6	5.4	6.0	5.3	5.4	4.9	4.4
10 years	4.0	4.2	5.1	5.3	4.8	3.2	4.4	4.2	4.7	3.3	4.6	5.8	4.8	6.5	5.5	4.2	5.1	5.4	4.8	4.4
11 years	4.6	3.2	4.5	4.2	4.6	2.6	3.7	3.9	3.7	4.1	3.4	2.7	4.9	4.3	4.1	3.2	4.6	4.1	4.7	4.4
12 years	3.5	3.9	3.4	4.8	4.0	1.6	3.4	3.6	3.9	4.1	3.3	3.4	3.4	4.6	4.0	4.0	3.5	4.7	4.1	4.5
13 years	3.1	2.9	3.4	3.0	4.2	1.7	2.6	2.7	3.2	3.5	2.6	2.9	3.6	3.0	3.7	2.9	3.4	3.0	4.2	4.0
14 years	2.6	3.4	3.0	3.3	3.0	2.3	1.9	3.0	2.2	3.5	2.2	2.5	2.0	3.7	3.4	3.4	2.9	3.3	3.0	4.0
15 years	3.4	2.6	2.9	3.4	2.7	2.3	1.7	3.3	2.5	3.0	2.3	1.4	2.8	3.5	2.6	2.7	2.9	3.3	2.7	3.3
16 years	3.1	3.2	2.5	3.3	2.7	2.8	1.3	1.8	1.2	1.1	2.2	2.0	1.4	3.0	1.8	3.3	2.5	3.2	2.7	2.5
17 years	3.1	3.6	2.2	2.0	2.6	1.5	0.6	1.1	0.7	0.9	1.2	1.9	1.2	1.6	2.5	3.7	2.2	2.1	2.6	2.3
18 years	0.6	0.4	0.3	0.4	0.4	0.0	<.1	0.2	0.3	0.0	5.2	6.1	5.0	4.6	4.8	0.4	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2
19 years	0.0	0.3	0.3	0.2	0.2	0.0	<.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.6	0.1	0.6	0.1	0.2	0.0	0.2	<.1	0.2	0.3
20+ years	0.0	0.3	0.2	<.1	<.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.5	0.1	0.2	0.3	0.0	0.1	<.1	<.1	<.1
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.3	0.3	0.1	0.1	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	1.0	1.3	1.5	1.4	1.3	0.9	1.1	0.8	1.3	0.8	0.7	1.0	1.3	1.6	1.9	1.2	1.4	1.2	1.3	0.8
Asian	0.2	0.2	0.4	0.3	<.1	0.0	0.6	0.4	0.3	0.1	0.0	0.3	0.7	0.9	0.1	0.2	0.4	0.3	<.1	<.1
Black	1.7	2.3	2.7	2.9	3.3	2.9	3.1	2.6	2.8	2.1	1.7	2.3	3.3	2.0	2.7	2.4	2.8	2.4	3.2	3.0
Native Hawaiian / Other Pacific Islander	0.1	0.1	0.0	<.1	0.1	0.1	0.0	0.3	0.2	0.1	<.1	0.2	0.0	0.1	0.1	0.1	0.0	0.2	0.1	0.1
Hispanic (of any race)	10.0	6.6	4.8	4.3	3.5	7.9	4.1	3.5	3.4	2.8	13.7	7.4	4.7	4.7	3.7	6.5	4.6	4.1	3.7	3.1
White	73.2	74.9	72.0	80.4	83.1	72.3	69.6	67.7	79.0	66.1	70.2	74.6	71.7	72.9	81.6	74.8	71.8	69.6	82.7	76.8
Two or more races	5.9	7.0	7.4	7.8	7.2	6.0	6.2	5.4	6.9	5.9	5.2	5.7	7.3	8.3	7.4	6.4	7.2	6.3	7.2	6.6
Unknown	7.8	7.6	10.9	2.8	1.4	9.6	14.8	18.5	6.2	22.1	8.3	8.0	9.8	9.5	2.6	8.3	11.8	15.9	1.8	9.4
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.3	0.0	0.0	0.2	0.5	0.7	0.0	0.0	<.1	0.5	1.2	0.0	0.0	<.1	<.1	0.1	0.0	0.0

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

Children Waiting for Adoption

	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
Total waiting children	576	482	510	610	756
Number of waiting children whose parents' rights have been terminated	502	428	412	509	597

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	1.4	2.1	2.0	1.0	1.7
1 year	8.0	10.2	9.0	7.5	7.8
2 years	10.1	9.3	8.2	10.5	11.1
3 years	7.3	5.0	8.6	9.7	10.3
4 years	8.0	7.1	5.3	7.4	7.4
5 years	6.6	6.0	6.3	6.1	5.8
6 years	5.7	5.4	7.5	3.6	6.9
7 years	4.5	6.4	4.1	7.4	5.8
8 years	6.3	5.8	4.3	4.8	5.7
9 years	6.1	6.4	7.3	5.7	4.8
10 years	6.6	6.6	5.7	5.7	4.9
11 years	4.5	6.2	6.1	5.7	5.4
12 years	6.3	4.6	6.3	5.4	5.3
13 years	4.3	4.1	4.5	5.7	3.8
14 years	5.2	4.8	3.7	4.6	5.2
15 years	3.3	4.1	4.3	3.1	3.4
16 years	3.7	2.7	3.7	3.6	2.5
17 years	2.3	3.1	3.1	2.5	2.1

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	1.4	1.5	0.6	0.5	0.7
Asian	0.5	0.6	1.2	0.0	0.0
Black	3.1	2.7	2.9	2.8	3.0
Native Hawaiian / Other Pacific Islander	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.2	0.0
Hispanic (of any race)	6.1	6.0	4.1	4.3	3.2
White	74.3	71.6	72.0	84.8	83.5
Two or more races	6.8	8.3	7.5	7.4	7.9
Unknown	7.8	9.3	11.8	0.2	1.7
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0

E. Characteristics of Children Adopted (AFCARS Adoption File)

Children Adopted

	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
Total children adopted	456	395	294	247	339

Age of Children Adopted (%)

	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
Under 1 year	0.7	0.8	1.0	0.0	0.0
1 year	11.2	9.4	14.3	7.7	4.4
2 years	17.5	15.9	19.4	18.6	18.0
3 years	16.0	10.6	9.9	10.5	10.3
4 years	10.3	11.9	9.5	8.5	11.5
5 years	9.0	9.1	6.5	6.1	8.8
6 years	5.7	6.3	4.4	9.7	5.0
7 years	5.9	5.1	7.8	6.9	5.6
8 years	5.0	3.5	4.4	3.6	6.5
9 years	2.6	5.8	2.4	5.3	4.7
10 years	5.3	6.1	6.8	6.5	4.7
11 years	2.9	3.0	4.4	2.8	5.0
12 years	2.4	3.3	2.7	3.2	3.8
13 years	2.2	3.0	3.1	4.0	2.9
14 years	0.9	3.5	0.7	2.8	2.9
15 years	0.4	0.8	1.4	1.6	2.1
16 years	0.9	1.3	0.3	1.2	1.5
17 years	0.4	0.5	0.7	0.8	1.5
18 years	0.7	0.0	0.3	0.0	0.6
19 years	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
20+ years	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0

Race/Ethnicity of Children Adopted (%)

	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
Alaska Native / American Indian	0.7	0.8	2.0	0.4	0.6
Asian	0.0	0.0	0.3	2.4	0.0
Black	1.1	1.5	2.0	2.4	1.8
Native Hawaiian / Other Pacific Islander	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.3
Hispanic (of any race)	14.7	9.4	9.5	3.6	6.5
White	70.4	74.7	66.7	78.5	84.7
Two or more races	4.6	5.6	8.2	7.3	6.2
Unknown	8.6	8.1	11.2	5.3	0.0
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0

Maine [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	89.6	88.2	87.2	85.0	N/A
Children with one or more recurrences	10.4	11.8	12.8	15.0	N/A
Number	3,411	3,854	4,366	4,540	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	0.57	0.75	0.70	0.85	0.63
Children not maltreated while in foster care	99.43	99.25	99.30	99.15	99.37
Number	2,651	2,651	2,997	3,183	3,181

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	42.6	44.6	32.4	27.6	35.2
Guardianship	6.7	6.2	5.7	8.9	9.9
Reunification	44.3	41.6	55.7	58.4	47.9
Other	6.3	7.4	6.2	5.2	5.6
Missing data	0.0	0.2	0.0	0.0	1.3
Number	1,067	883	901	892	979

Exits of Children With a Diagnosed Disability (%)

	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
Adoption	40.3	49.1	56.5	49.7	55.6
Guardianship	10.2	10.7	11.8	19.7	15.6
Reunification	30.6	20.1	15.1	17.2	12.8
Other	18.8	20.1	16.7	13.4	12.8
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	3.3
Number	186	169	186	157	180

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

	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
Adoption	5.3	4.5	5.0	5.4	6.1
Guardianship	19.5	15.9	16.0	18.0	21.2
Reunification	38.9	26.1	42.0	51.4	30.3
Other	36.3	52.3	37.0	25.2	39.4
Missing data	0.0	1.1	0.0	0.0	3.0
Number	113	88	100	111	99

Exits to Emancipation (%)

	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
Children age 12 or younger at entry	33.9	28.6	33.3	40.0	29.6
Children older than 12 at entry	66.1	71.4	66.7	60.0	70.4
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	62	63	54	45	54

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	28.6	33.3	33.3	7.1	10.5	0.0	0.0	16.7	75.0	0.0	27.8	30.0	20.0	33.3	23.1
Guardianship	28.6	11.1	8.3	7.1	21.1	0.0	33.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	27.8	5.0	0.0	5.6	11.5
Reunification	42.9	22.2	41.7	71.4	68.4	0.0	66.7	83.3	25.0	100.0	38.9	45.0	70.0	50.0	50.0
Other	0.0	33.3	16.7	14.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	5.6	20.0	10.0	11.1	15.4
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	7	9	12	14	19	0	3	6	8	1	18	20	30	18	26

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	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	100.0	45.2	55.4	66.7	21.4	58.3	42.7	44.8	30.3	29.7	36.7
Guardianship	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	4.1	3.1	7.1	7.1	8.3	6.5	5.8	6.3	8.3	9.8
Reunification	100.0	50.0	0.0	100.0	0.0	46.6	36.9	21.4	69.0	30.6	43.9	41.9	57.0	56.9	47.1
Other	0.0	50.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	4.1	4.6	4.8	2.4	2.8	6.8	7.3	6.3	5.1	5.0
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.3	0.0	0.0	1.5
Number	1	2	0	1	1	146	65	42	42	36	749	659	646	650	799

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	43.8	45.1	37.5	15.3	0.0	41.1	44.0	36.4	24.3	30.6	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Guardianship	4.5	7.0	5.7	8.2	4.0	10.7	14.0	1.5	17.6	11.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Reunification	50.6	45.1	55.7	75.3	92.0	33.9	36.0	51.5	48.6	44.4	100.0	75.0	100.0	0.0	0.0
Other	1.1	2.8	1.1	1.2	4.0	14.3	6.0	10.6	9.5	12.5	0.0	25.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.4	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	89	71	88	85	25	56	50	66	74	72	1	4	11	0	0

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

Time to Reunification (%)

	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
Less than 12 mos.	43.1	53.4	61.8	53.6	38.0
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos.	44.4	36.2	31.7	34.9	43.7
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos.	11.0	9.5	5.4	10.4	14.7
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos.	0.4	0.8	0.8	0.8	3.0
48 or more mos.	1.1	0.0	0.4	0.4	0.6
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	473	367	502	521	469

Children Reentering Foster Care (%)

	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
Children entering care for the first time	88.4	85.6	85.6	83.2	85.6
Children reentering care within 12 mos. of a prior episode	3.0	5.5	4.7	8.4	5.6
Children reentering care more than 12 mos. after a prior episode	8.2	8.3	9.1	8.0	8.7
Missing data	0.4	0.6	0.5	0.4	0.1
Number	820	1,080	1,246	1,115	909

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

Time to Adoption (%)

	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
Less than 12 mos.	1.8	2.0	1.7	0.8	0.3
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos.	28.6	35.8	32.5	32.9	9.0
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos.	43.3	37.8	42.1	40.2	55.7
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos.	19.1	18.3	14.4	17.1	27.0
48 or more mos.	7.3	6.1	9.2	8.9	8.1
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	455	394	292	246	345

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	91.0	87.3	87.2	87.8	84.8	80.0	83.2	77.3	75.7	75.9	52.6	49.3	51.1	53.8	59.6	0.0	0.0	50.0	50.0	75.0
Children with 3 or more placements	8.4	12.2	11.1	11.7	14.1	19.8	16.6	22.7	24.3	23.2	47.4	50.7	48.9	46.2	39.6	0.0	0.0	0.0	12.5	0.0
Missing Placement setting counts	0.5	0.6	1.6	0.5	1.1	0.1	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.9	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.8	0.0	0.0	50.0	37.5	25.0
Total number	949	1,201	1,356	1,238	1,015	862	764	983	1,049	975	840	686	654	888	1,183	0	0	4	8	8

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	0.5	0.5	0.7	0.2	0.1
Institution	0.5	0.3	0.5	0.6	0.1
Other settings	98.4	98.3	97.1	96.5	97.1
Missing data	0.5	0.9	1.7	2.7	2.7
Number	728	981	1,075	992	789