Skip to content
ContentLora

    Tip: press / anywhere to search.

    Explainer

    Foster care explained: how US foster care works, with 2025 data

    Foster care is temporary out-of-home care for children who cannot safely stay at home, with reunification the first goal when it is safe.[1][2] Preliminary federal data show about 331,747 children in US foster care on September 30, 2025. Of those who left care that year, 46% went home to family and 26% were adopted.[3][4]

    Editor reviewedStrict sourcingUpdated ExplainerSocial welfare, Tech policy

    To report a child in danger, call 911. The Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline takes calls and texts on 1-800-422-4453.[5][6] In the UK, adults can call the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000 and children can call Childline on 0800 1111.[7]

    This explainer covers US foster care: how children enter it, the federal laws that set its deadlines and the latest national counts. It follows on from child protection explained. It uses aggregate statistics only and does not describe individual children. This is not legal advice. Foster care rules vary by state, so check with your state child welfare agency.

    What foster care is

    When CPS decides a home is unsafe, it can move a child into out-of-home care.[1] That may be a licensed foster family or “kinship care” with relatives or people close to the family. Meanwhile, the parents are offered services.[1] The aim is for children to return home when it is safe.[2] If they cannot, the plan becomes another permanent family, through adoption or guardianship.[4]

    States run foster care under federal law and funding, and tribes run their own systems.[8] The Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 governs the removal and placement of American Indian and Alaska Native children.[9] The Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 requires a permanency hearing within 12 months. It also requires states to begin termination of parental rights once a child has been in care for 15 of the last 22 months, with exceptions.[10] The Family First Prevention Services Act of 2018 shifted some federal money towards keeping children out of care. It funds prevention services for mental health, substance use and parenting skills.[11]

    The numbers in 2025

    The Children’s Bureau no longer publishes the annual AFCARS Report. It now publishes a dashboard; the latest gives preliminary fiscal 2025 estimates as of February 27, 2026.[12] It counts 331,747 children in care on September 30, 2025, up from 327,364 a year earlier.[3] During the year, about 175,008 children entered care, 169,927 left and 501,745 were served at some point.[13]

    Read the trend with care. Counts from 2023 onward follow a 2020 reporting rule and are not directly comparable with earlier years. Part of the recent rise reflects Washington and Wyoming joining the new system.[14]

    How children leave care

    In fiscal 2025, nearly half of the children who left foster care (46%) went home to their families. About a quarter (26%) were adopted. One in ten went to a legal guardian, and 9% “aged out” as adults without a permanent family.[4] Most adoptions were by foster parents (42%) or relatives (33%).[15]

    AFCARS records exit reasons for the last episode in the year. In FFY 2025 they were 77,745 reunifications (46%), 43,380 adoptions (26%), 17,702 guardianships (10%) and 15,030 emancipations (9%).[4] On September 30, 2025, 67,249 children had a case goal of adoption. Of all children in care, 46,308 were “legally free”, meaning parental rights had been terminated for all parents.[16] These are preliminary estimates under a reporting rule that changed in 2023.[12][14]

    Why maltreatment data and foster care data differ

    Child Maltreatment reports (from NCANDS) count CPS reports and confirmed victims.[17] AFCARS counts children in placement.[3] Most confirmed victims are not removed from home. In FFY 2024, states reported that 19.8% of victims were placed in foster care after the report.[18] Many families instead receive in-home or prevention services.[1][11] For the reporting side, see child protection explained. For how domestic abuse affects children, see domestic violence explained.

    Next in the crash course

    Questions readers ask

    How many children are in foster care in the US?

    About 331,747 on September 30, 2025, according to preliminary AFCARS estimates published in February 2026. About 501,745 children were served by the system at some point in fiscal year 2025.[3][13]

    How do most children leave foster care?

    In FFY 2025, 46% of children who left care were reunified with family, 26% were adopted, 10% left to guardianship and 9% aged out (emancipated).[4]

    What is kinship care?

    Kinship care is placement with relatives or people close to the family. Like foster care, it is a form of out-of-home care used while parents receive services.[1]

    What is the 15-of-22-months rule?

    Under the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997, states must generally start proceedings to terminate parental rights for a child who has been in foster care for 15 of the last 22 months, with certain exceptions. The law also requires a permanency hearing within 12 months of entering care.[10]

    Who adopts children from foster care?

    In FFY 2025, 42% of children adopted from foster care were adopted by a foster parent and 33% by a relative.[15]

    Sources

    · 18 claims from 5 publishers

    Each numbered claim is a statement we checked against the sources listed with it. Tap a number in the text to see its sources in place.

    1. [1]

      The US child welfare system combines prevention services, child protective services investigations, in-home services, out-of-home placement in foster or kinship care, permanency planning and post-permanency support. confirmedas of 2025-05-01

    2. [2]

      When children are separated from their parents' care, the child welfare system's priority is to reunite them when it is safe to do so. confirmedas of 2025-05-01

    3. [3]

      An estimated 331,747 children were in US foster care on September 30, 2025, according to preliminary AFCARS data, compared with 327,364 a year earlier. confirmedas of 2026-02-27

    4. [4]

      Of children leaving US foster care in FFY 2025, 46% (77,745) were reunified with family, 26% (43,380) were adopted, 10% (17,702) left to guardianship and 9% (15,030) emancipated, meaning they aged out. confirmedas of 2026-02-27

    5. [5]

      The National Domestic Violence Hotline tells people in immediate danger or a life-threatening situation to contact 911. confirmedas of 2026-10-11

      • Plan for Safety · National Domestic Violence Hotline (retrieved 2026-10-11)
    6. [6]

      The Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline can be reached by calling or texting 1-800-422-4453, or by live chat. confirmedas of 2026-10-11

    7. [7]

      GOV.UK directs adults worried about a child to the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000 and children and young people to Childline on 0800 1111, and says to call 999 if a child is at immediate risk. confirmedas of 2026-10-11

    8. [8]

      In the US, primary responsibility for child welfare services rests with the states, with federal funding and laws, and tribes operate their own child welfare programs and courts. confirmedas of 2025-05-01

    9. [9]

      The Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) of 1978 governs the removal and out-of-home placement of American Indian and Alaska Native children. confirmedas of 2025-05-01

    10. [10]

      The Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 requires a permanency hearing within 12 months of a child entering foster care and requires states to start terminating parental rights for children in care for 15 of the last 22 months, with certain exceptions. confirmedas of 2025-05-01

    11. [11]

      The Family First Prevention Services Act of 2018 aims to keep children from entering foster care and funds prevention services for mental health, substance use and parenting skills. confirmedas of 2025-05-01

    12. [12]

      The Children's Bureau has replaced its annual AFCARS Report with an AFCARS dashboard; the latest edition gives preliminary FFY 2025 estimates as of February 27, 2026. confirmedas of 2026-02-27

    13. [13]

      In FFY 2025, an estimated 175,008 children entered US foster care, 169,927 exited, and 501,745 were served by the system at some point during the year. confirmedas of 2026-02-27

    14. [14]

      AFCARS counts from FFY 2023 onward follow a 2020 rule and are not directly comparable with earlier years; part of the recent rise reflects Washington and Wyoming starting to submit data under the new rule. confirmedas of 2026-02-27

    15. [15]

      Among children adopted from US foster care in FFY 2025, 42% were adopted by a foster parent and 33% by a relative. confirmedas of 2026-02-27

    16. [16]

      On September 30, 2025, an estimated 67,249 children in US foster care had a case goal of adoption, and 46,308 were legally free, meaning parental rights had been terminated for all parents. confirmedas of 2026-02-27

    17. [17]

      There were 532,228 victims of child abuse and neglect in the US in FFY 2024, a rate of 7.2 per 1,000 children. confirmedas of 2026-01-16

      • Child Maltreatment 2024 · U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Children's Bureau · 2026-01-16 · Summary (retrieved 2026-10-11)
    18. [18]

      In FFY 2024, 50 states reported that 102,765 maltreatment victims (19.8%) were removed from their homes into foster care after the report, meaning about four in five confirmed victims were not removed. confirmedas of 2026-01-16

      • Child Maltreatment 2024 · U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Children's Bureau · 2026-01-16 · Chapter 6, foster care services (retrieved 2026-10-11)
    Revision history (1)
    1. Page created.

    Created Oct 11, 2026. Last reviewed by an editor on Oct 11, 2026. Next scheduled review: Mar 31, 2027.

    Cite this page

    "Foster care explained: how US foster care works, with 2025 data." ContentLora, updated Oct 11, 2026. https://contentlora.com/explain/foster-care-explained

    Spotted an error? Suggest a correction or emailcorrections@contentlora.com.

    ☰ Contents