A Temporary Haven: Children and Youth Are Spending Less Time in Foster Care

By: ACF and ASPE Staff

Abstract

This research brief highlights the gains the foster care system has made in safely discharging youth from foster care in a timely manner, particularly those entering foster care for the first time. For nearly two decades federal policies have emphasized the importance of reducing the lengths of stay in foster care and avoiding what is known as “foster care drift” both by mandating timelines for permanency decisions as well as promoting family-centered practice and expanding federally funded permanency options Practice innovations at the state and local levels – such as differential response programs, improved risk assessments, and family team meetings – have similarly sought to ensure that children enter foster care only when necessary and that, once in care, efforts are made to resolve the issues in the family promptly so that children may return home or to other permanent placements quickly and safely. The data presented in this brief indicate that progress is being made in most states but work remains to be done. Compared with a decade ago, fewer children are entering foster care, and those that do transition to permanence more quickly and are less likely to return. These trends may suggest a positive shift to make use of foster care as a safe, temporary haven for children and youth who must be removed from their homes due to compromised safety.

ABOUT THIS RESEARCH BRIEF

This ASPE Research Brief on children’s length of stay in foster care was produced by staff of the Administration for Children and Families and ASPE based on data from the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS). The brief includes cross sectional analyses as well as longitudinal analyses of three cohorts of children whose exit and re-entry patterns are examined over a period that extends five years from their date of entry into foster care.

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation

Office of Human Services Policy

US Department of Health and Human Services Washington, DC 20201

This brief was prepared in collaboration with the Children’s Bureau and the Office of Data, Analysis, Research, and Evaluation (ODARE), within HHS’s Administration for Children and Families.

For nearly two decades federal policies have emphasized the importance of reducing the lengths of stay in foster care and avoiding what is known as “foster care drift.” This has been done both by mandating timelines for permanency decisions as well as promoting family-centered practice and expanding federally funded permanency options.¹  Practice innovations at the state and local levels – such as differential response programs, improved risk assessments, and family team meetings – have similarly sought to ensure that children enter foster care only when necessary and that, once in care, efforts are made to resolve the issues in the family promptly so that children may return home or to other permanent placements quickly and safely.  The data presented in this brief, which cover all children in foster care whether or not they receive federal support, indicate that progress is being made in most states, but work remains to be done. Compared with a decade ago, fewer children are entering foster care, and those who do enter care make the subsequent transition to permanence more quickly and are less likely to return to foster care.  These trends may suggest a positive shift toward emphasizing the use of foster care as a safe, temporary haven for children and youth who must be removed from their homes due to compromised safety.  This issue brief highlights the gains the foster care system has made in safely discharging youth from care in a timely manner, particularly for those youth entering foster care for the very first time.

¹ Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 (P.L. 105-89); The Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 (P. L. 110-351).