There are currently more than 391,000 children and youth in foster care.

Foster Care by the numbers

The most vulnerable children, those who are abused and neglected in society, are typically the ones falling through the cracks of a broken foster care system.

While the goal of the child welfare system should be placing children in the most safe and nurturing environments possible, the pathways and policies in place to do just that are often ineffective, unsuccessful, or inconsistent.

  • 88 %

    The percentage of youth that were in foster care or the child welfare system when they went missing in 2022, and were reported as runaways, according to The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

  • 20,000

    Approximate number of youth who are emancipated from foster care without a permanent family. [Children's Bureau]

  • 90 %

    The Juvenile Law Center reports that about “90% of youth with five or more foster placements will enter the justice system.” [NTTAC]

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