Massachusetts

Massachusetts [Context Data]

A. Context Statistics 1 2

General Child Population (Census Bureau) 3
  2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Total children under 18 years 1,374,363 1,365,956 1,353,615 1,385,886 1,362,133
Race/ethnicity (%) 4
Alaska Native / American Indian 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2
Asian 7.2 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7
Black 8.6 8.8 8.9 8.9 9.0
Native Hawaiian / Other Pacific Islander <.1 <.1 <.1 <.1 <.1
Hispanic (of any race) 18.0 18.5 19.0 19.4 19.8
White 61.9 61.0 60.2 59.6 59.0
Two or more races 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.2 4.3
Child population in poverty (%) 13.5 12.2 11.6 10.7 12.6
Child Welfare Summary 5
  2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Child maltreatment victims 24,955 25,812 25,029 22,538 22,654
Foster care entry rate 4.4 4.2 4.0 3.3 3.2
Children in foster care on 9/30 10,916 10,607 9,862 9,320 9,191
Children adopted 657 826 998 762 755
Caseworker Visits 6
  2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Children receiving monthly visits (%) 84 87 91 90 91
Numerator 105,039 107,916 107,232 99,589 96,629
Denominator 124,714 123,606 117,198 110,470 106,695
Children receiving visits in the home (%) 78 80 83 87 88
Numerator 82,021 86,467 89,400 86,818 85,432
Denominator 105,039 107,916 107,232 99,589 96,629

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 74,440 54.2 per 1,000 76,244 55.8 per 1,000 72,962 53.9 per 1,000 62,829 45.3 per 1,000 65,918 48.4 per 1,000
Total child maltreatment victims 24,955 18.2 per 1,000 25,812 18.9 per 1,000 25,029 18.5 per 1,000 22,538 16.3 per 1,000 22,654 16.6 per 1,000
Child Fatalities 14 1.0 per 100,000 14 1.0 per 100,000 13 1.0 per 100,000 -- -- per 100,000 -- -- per 100,000
Age of Child Victims (%)
  2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Under 1 year 13.1 12.8 12.1 12.3 11.0
1 year 6.4 6.2 5.8 6.1 6.0
2 years 6.1 5.7 5.7 5.9 5.4
3 years 5.9 5.7 5.5 5.6 5.4
4 years 5.9 5.6 5.4 5.3 4.8
5 years 5.8 5.8 5.4 5.6 5.5
6 years 5.8 5.9 5.8 5.7 5.5
7 years 6.0 5.9 5.7 5.6 5.4
8 years 5.4 5.5 5.3 5.5 5.3
9 years 5.4 5.3 5.5 5.2 5.4
10 years 5.3 5.3 5.5 4.9 5.2
11 years 4.6 5.0 5.5 5.1 5.3
12 years 4.5 4.7 5.0 5.0 5.4
13 years 4.5 4.8 4.9 5.1 5.6
14 years 4.4 4.4 4.8 4.8 5.5
15 years 4.3 4.2 4.7 4.7 5.3
16 years 3.7 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.5
17 years 2.9 3.0 3.2 3.3 3.4
18+ years <.1 0.0 <.1 <.1 0.0
Missing data <.1 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.1
Number 24,955 25,812 25,029 22,538 22,654
Race/Ethnicity of Child Victims (%)
  2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Alaska Native / American Indian 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.1
Asian 1.4 1.3 1.4 1.7 1.5
Black 13.6 13.0 12.8 12.3 12.4
Native Hawaiian / Other Pacific Islander 0.0 <.1 <.1 0.0 0.1
Hispanic (of any race) 32.3 32.3 32.9 32.3 32.9
White 37.9 38.3 37.0 38.0 37.3
Two or more races 5.4 5.1 5.1 5.5 5.7
Missing data 9.4 9.8 10.7 10.0 10.1
Number 24,955 25,812 25,029 22,538 22,654
Maltreatment Types of Child Victims (%) 9
  2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Emotional abuse -- -- -- -- --
Medical neglect N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Neglect 104.1 104.5 104.9 103.9 105.0
Physical abuse 9.0 8.6 8.1 8.0 7.3
Sexual abuse 2.9 3.3 3.2 3.3 3.6
Sex trafficking 0.9 0.9 1.3 1.3 1.7
Missing data 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Other 0.0 0.0 <.1 0.0 0.0
Number 24,955 25,812 25,029 22,538 22,654
Time to Investigation (in hours) 10
  2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Mean -- -- -- -- --
Median -- -- -- -- --

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 10,649 10,668 10,382 9,695 9,196 6,103 5,789 5,420 4,594 4,397 5,836 5,850 5,940 4,969 4,402 10,916 10,607 9,862 9,320 9,191
Median length of stay (months) 14.6 16.4 16.5 16.6 18.0 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 13.1 14.5 15.9 15.0 18.2 16.0 16.2 16.3 17.9 19.0
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 6.2 5.6 5.7 5.4 5.8 16.5 16.7 15.7 18.6 17.6 4.2 4.2 3.4 3.8 3.5 5.7 5.7 5.4 5.8 5.6
1 year 7.4 7.8 7.1 7.3 7.0 6.2 6.0 5.9 6.1 6.4 5.8 5.3 5.9 6.1 4.7 7.8 7.1 7.2 7.0 7.4
2 years 7.4 7.0 7.4 6.3 6.8 5.6 5.2 4.9 4.7 5.5 6.8 6.7 7.2 6.3 6.2 6.9 7.4 6.3 6.8 7.4
3 years 6.8 6.7 6.0 6.2 5.9 5.2 4.4 5.0 4.8 5.1 6.8 7.1 6.4 5.5 7.2 6.6 6.1 6.2 5.8 5.8
4 years 6.2 6.2 5.4 5.4 5.6 4.7 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.3 5.3 5.6 5.5 5.3 6.1 6.1 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.2
5 years 5.5 5.7 5.5 4.8 5.3 4.4 4.6 3.9 4.7 4.5 5.1 5.7 5.2 4.5 5.3 5.7 5.5 4.8 5.3 5.0
6 years 4.9 5.3 5.0 5.1 4.9 4.6 4.1 4.4 4.2 4.0 4.9 5.4 4.9 4.6 4.7 5.3 5.0 5.1 4.8 4.9
7 years 4.7 4.7 4.9 4.8 5.0 3.9 4.6 3.9 4.0 4.0 4.2 4.4 4.5 4.4 4.2 4.7 4.9 4.7 4.9 4.8
8 years 4.6 4.6 4.9 4.6 4.8 3.7 4.2 3.9 4.2 4.2 4.0 4.4 4.8 4.2 4.7 4.5 4.9 4.5 4.9 4.8
9 years 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.4 3.7 4.0 4.1 3.5 3.6 4.1 3.7 4.1 3.6 4.4 4.4 4.4 4.6 4.4 4.4
10 years 4.4 4.0 4.5 4.6 4.6 3.8 3.8 3.9 3.9 3.8 3.7 3.5 3.9 3.7 4.0 4.0 4.5 4.5 4.6 4.4
11 years 4.0 4.5 4.5 5.0 4.8 3.3 3.7 4.0 4.0 3.8 3.6 3.2 3.2 3.8 3.8 4.4 4.5 4.9 4.8 4.2
12 years 3.7 4.0 4.6 4.8 5.0 3.8 3.8 4.1 4.0 4.1 2.8 3.4 3.4 4.0 4.3 4.0 4.6 4.8 4.9 4.8
13 years 4.3 4.5 4.3 5.2 5.1 4.7 5.4 4.9 5.0 5.3 3.5 3.6 3.6 4.2 4.2 4.6 4.4 5.2 5.1 5.3
14 years 4.9 4.7 5.4 5.4 5.5 5.8 5.8 6.8 6.0 6.1 4.1 4.6 4.2 4.8 4.3 4.9 5.6 5.6 5.5 5.5
15 years 5.8 6.1 5.3 6.6 5.7 7.7 6.8 7.5 6.0 5.9 5.5 5.1 5.3 5.9 4.3 6.3 5.4 6.7 5.8 6.3
16 years 7.0 6.5 6.8 6.2 6.9 6.8 6.7 6.5 6.5 6.5 5.9 5.4 5.6 5.3 5.3 6.7 6.9 6.2 6.9 6.6
17 years 7.5 7.2 7.4 7.3 6.7 5.7 5.8 6.0 5.2 5.1 5.4 4.7 5.2 5.1 4.7 7.2 7.3 7.3 6.6 7.3
18 years 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.5 0.3 0.1 <.1 0.2 <.1 <.1 13.9 13.4 12.9 14.1 13.7 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.3
19 years 0.0 <.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.5 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.4 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
20+ years 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 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Missing data <.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 <.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 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 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.1 <.1 0.2 0.1 <.1 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.1 <.1 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2
Asian 0.8 0.7 0.6 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.8 1.3 1.0 1.0 1.1 0.9 1.0 1.1 1.0 0.6 0.6 0.8 0.7 0.8
Black 14.0 14.2 14.0 14.6 14.2 15.6 14.2 14.6 13.1 13.7 15.2 14.7 13.6 14.0 13.1 14.2 13.9 14.5 14.2 14.5
Native Hawaiian / Other Pacific Islander <.1 <.1 0.0 <.1 <.1 0.0 0.0 <.1 <.1 <.1 0.0 <.1 <.1 0.0 <.1 <.1 0.0 <.1 <.1 <.1
Hispanic (of any race) 28.9 29.5 30.0 31.5 32.7 31.3 32.1 33.7 34.3 32.2 30.4 31.5 31.3 32.3 32.8 29.5 29.8 31.3 32.4 32.4
White 43.1 42.5 42.5 40.8 40.0 41.0 41.6 40.0 40.0 40.8 42.3 41.8 42.8 41.0 40.8 42.3 42.4 40.9 40.3 40.0
Two or more races 9.8 9.8 9.8 9.4 9.2 7.2 7.4 6.3 7.7 8.1 7.2 7.7 7.7 8.4 8.9 9.7 9.7 9.1 9.1 8.8
Unknown 3.0 3.0 2.9 2.7 2.9 3.9 3.9 3.9 3.8 4.2 3.4 3.3 3.3 3.0 3.4 3.3 3.4 3.2 3.1 3.3
Missing data 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 <.1 0.0 0.0 <.1 <.1 0.1 0.0 0.0 <.1 <.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 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 3,656 3,382 3,646 3,548 3,485
Number of waiting children whose parents' rights have been terminated 1,427 1,671 1,722 1,452 1,416

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 2.7 3.3 2.7 1.9 2.2
1 year 10.0 10.8 9.5 8.4 9.4
2 years 10.3 11.9 9.7 10.0 10.5
3 years 9.8 8.9 8.8 8.0 8.2
4 years 8.6 7.3 7.4 7.4 6.9
5 years 8.2 7.3 6.2 7.0 6.5
6 years 7.0 7.2 6.7 6.8 6.6
7 years 6.4 6.2 5.9 6.4 6.3
8 years 5.8 5.7 5.9 6.0 5.7
9 years 5.6 4.8 6.1 5.2 5.5
10 years 4.8 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.1
11 years 5.5 4.6 6.0 5.6 4.9
12 years 3.8 4.8 5.0 5.6 5.4
13 years 3.5 3.6 5.0 5.0 4.9
14 years 3.3 3.4 3.8 4.7 4.6
15 years 2.6 2.4 3.7 3.4 4.2
16 years 1.5 1.6 1.8 2.0 2.1
17 years 0.8 1.1 0.7 1.1 1.1

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 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.3
Asian 0.5 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.5
Black 11.1 11.7 12.9 13.2 12.5
Native Hawaiian / Other Pacific Islander <.1 0.0 0.0 <.1 <.1
Hispanic (of any race) 28.2 27.9 30.3 31.1 31.0
White 43.8 44.5 41.1 41.4 42.4
Two or more races 13.0 11.9 11.8 11.1 10.3
Unknown 3.2 3.4 3.2 2.5 3.1
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 657 826 998 762 755
Age of Children Adopted (%)
  2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Under 1 year 0.6 0.5 0.1 0.4 0.1
1 year 7.3 6.4 7.0 7.7 2.8
2 years 15.7 18.0 16.6 17.5 13.5
3 years 17.5 15.9 16.1 13.1 14.4
4 years 12.0 11.6 11.6 12.2 10.3
5 years 9.7 9.7 8.3 8.0 8.6
6 years 9.3 7.4 7.1 7.3 7.2
7 years 5.3 6.1 7.2 6.6 6.0
8 years 5.3 6.3 5.9 5.5 7.4
9 years 4.3 4.0 5.3 5.1 5.4
10 years 3.5 3.1 3.6 3.8 5.4
11 years 2.6 3.6 2.5 2.8 3.8
12 years 1.1 2.8 2.1 3.0 3.3
13 years 1.5 1.5 1.8 3.3 3.8
14 years 0.5 1.0 1.6 2.4 3.3
15 years 1.2 1.0 0.9 0.8 1.7
16 years 0.9 0.5 0.7 0.4 1.6
17 years 0.9 0.6 1.1 0.0 0.8
18 years 0.6 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.4
19 years 0.0 0.0 0.1 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 0.5 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.1
Asian 0.9 0.6 0.4 0.5 0.5
Black 8.7 9.4 7.5 8.0 11.7
Native Hawaiian / Other Pacific Islander 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0
Hispanic (of any race) 21.5 22.8 24.4 27.2 28.1
White 52.2 48.9 52.5 49.6 45.0
Two or more races 10.5 13.1 11.8 11.3 11.9
Unknown 5.8 4.8 3.1 3.3 2.6
Missing data 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

Massachusetts [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 83.3 83.0 83.1 84.3 N/A
Children with one or more recurrences 16.7 17.0 16.9 15.7 N/A
Number 24,891 25,799 24,801 22,357 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 1.00 1.22 0.96 1.15 1.13
Children not maltreated while in foster care 99.00 98.78 99.04 98.85 98.87
Number 16,752 16,457 15,802 14,289 13,593

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 11.2 14.2 16.7 15.3 17.2
Guardianship 9.3 9.6 10.6 6.5 7.0
Reunification 64.7 61.9 59.0 62.9 61.4
Other 14.8 14.3 13.7 15.2 14.5
Missing data 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Number 5,836 5,850 5,940 4,969 4,402
Exits of Children With a Diagnosed Disability (%)
  2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Adoption 29.3 27.3 25.4 24.7 21.1
Guardianship 6.3 5.6 7.8 6.4 6.6
Reunification 43.7 48.4 47.3 49.5 48.7
Other 20.7 18.6 19.5 19.4 23.6
Missing data 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Number 781 1,051 1,183 996 838
Exits of Children Older than Age 12 at Entry Into Foster Care (%)
  2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Adoption 0.3 0.2 0.5 <.1 0.2
Guardianship 2.2 2.8 3.7 2.3 4.0
Reunification 58.6 57.9 57.1 57.6 53.3
Other 38.9 39.1 38.6 40.1 42.5
Missing data 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Number 1,865 1,745 1,768 1,549 1,197

Increase Permanency for Children in Foster Care (Continued)

Exits to Emancipation (%)
  2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Children age 12 or younger at entry 15.1 17.8 15.4 17.5 19.7
Children older than 12 at entry 84.9 82.2 84.6 82.5 80.3
Missing data 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Number 846 818 803 743 620
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 16.7 22.2 13.3 16.7 33.3 9.4 9.8 6.9 7.3 9.5 6.3 9.2 9.3 8.8 15.2
Guardianship 0.0 0.0 33.3 33.3 0.0 3.1 7.8 8.6 1.8 4.8 8.7 6.8 7.8 6.2 5.4
Reunification 66.7 44.4 53.3 33.3 0.0 60.9 60.8 63.8 76.4 73.8 67.9 64.6 64.9 66.5 60.6
Other 16.7 33.3 0.0 16.7 66.7 26.6 21.6 20.7 14.5 11.9 17.0 19.4 18.1 18.6 18.9
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 18 9 15 6 3 64 51 58 55 42 886 859 808 695 578
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 0.0 100.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 7.8 10.2 13.1 12.8 14.7 13.8 16.7 20.5 18.6 19.0
Guardianship 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 6.1 7.0 8.6 4.7 4.6 11.1 12.3 12.6 7.1 9.0
Reunification 0.0 0.0 100.0 0.0 100.0 70.3 68.3 64.1 66.2 64.8 61.2 58.0 54.1 60.2 58.9
Other 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 15.7 14.6 14.2 16.3 16.0 13.9 13.0 12.8 14.1 13.1
Missing data 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Number 0 1 1 0 1 1,775 1,840 1,862 1,607 1,442 2,471 2,448 2,544 2,037 1,794
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 19.4 20.7 16.0 16.7 13.4 16.4 24.1 25.8 20.6 23.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Guardianship 10.7 11.9 6.2 6.0 10.7 14.8 10.2 13.1 12.2 7.7 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Reunification 57.1 58.5 67.5 65.3 64.4 58.6 54.3 51.5 55.3 59.4 83.3 0.0 0.0 100.0 100.0
Other 12.8 8.8 10.3 12.0 11.4 10.2 11.4 9.6 12.0 9.9 16.7 0.0 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 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Number 196 193 194 150 149 420 449 458 418 392 6 0 0 1 1

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

Time to Reunification (%)
  2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Less than 12 mos. 64.4 62.8 60.3 59.4 52.6
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos. 26.0 24.3 26.0 26.3 29.8
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos. 6.3 8.1 8.3 8.4 10.4
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos. 2.3 2.8 3.1 3.2 4.6
48 or more mos. 1.1 2.0 2.4 2.8 2.6
Missing data 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Number 3,777 3,622 3,507 3,126 2,703
Children Reentering Foster Care (%)
  2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Children entering care for the first time 76.0 75.1 73.9 76.0 75.3
Children reentering care within 12 mos. of a prior episode 11.2 11.5 11.6 10.4 9.2
Children reentering care more than 12 mos. after a prior episode 12.8 13.4 14.5 13.6 15.5
Missing data 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Number 6,103 5,789 5,420 4,594 4,397

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

Time to Adoption (%)
  2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Less than 12 mos. 1.2 0.7 0.6 0.4 0.4
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos. 13.5 11.9 13.3 15.5 6.4
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos. 33.7 32.1 28.6 31.4 27.5
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos. 27.5 27.1 30.3 23.6 24.2
48 or more mos. 24.1 28.2 27.3 29.1 41.5
Missing data 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Number 652 831 994 762 755

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 68.5 69.7 73.2 79.1 77.7 48.5 46.1 48.8 53.3 59.4 33.9 32.5 30.0 28.2 31.3 100.0 80.0 100.0 100.0 66.7
Children with 3 or more placements 31.3 30.1 26.5 20.5 21.7 51.5 53.8 51.2 46.7 40.6 66.1 67.5 70.0 71.8 68.7 0.0 20.0 0.0 0.0 33.3
Missing Placement setting counts 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.6 0.0 <.1 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
Total number 7,180 6,741 6,339 5,410 4,991 4,129 3,903 3,761 3,546 3,134 5,437 5,803 5,685 5,303 5,453 6 10 17 30 15

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 5.0 4.4 4.7 5.1 4.1
Institution 1.1 0.9 1.2 0.8 0.7
Other settings 93.9 94.7 94.1 94.1 95.1
Missing data 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Number 4,167 3,979 3,646 3,240 3,088