In fiscal year (FY) 2024, 28 percent of children who exited foster care were adopted, according to a new Child Trends analysis of federal foster care data. Adoption can provide children an important pathway to legal and relational permanency. While reunification with parents is the most common and preferred outcome for children leaving foster care, adoption continues to play a critical role in ensuring that children have safe, loving, and permanent families when reunification is not possible.
Over 46,000 children, or more than one in four who exited foster care in FY 2024, exited to adoption
.png&w=640&q=75)
Source: Child Trends’ analysis of data from the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS). The figure includes children from birth to age 20 who exited care in each federal fiscal year.
According to our analysis, in FY 2024, the majority (81%) of children adopted from foster care were ages 10 and younger, reflecting both the higher likelihood of achieving permanency for younger children and the ongoing need for adoptive families for older youth. Luckily, some programs have been proven effective in helping older children and teens in foster care find permanent homes. Child Trends conducted a five-year study of the Wendy’s Wonderful Kids (WWK) program, a child-focused recruitment model sponsored by the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. Our rigorous evaluation showed that older children served by the WWK program were three times more likely to be adopted than those who were not in the program.
Interested in working with Child Trends to examine key child welfare indicators? Contact Sarah Catherine Williams, MSW at swilliams@childtrends.org.