Kidsdata.org provides the following indicators of children and youth involved in the foster care system:

• Children ages 0-17 entering foster care for the first time, by age group, race/ethnicity, reason for removal from home, and type of foster care placement
• Children and youth ages 0-20 in foster care on July 1st, by age group, race/ethnicity, and type of placement
• The number of foster youth enrolled in public schools on the first Wednesday in October, along with the percentage of foster youth in the total student population
• The percentage of children in foster care who receive timely medical exams and timely dental exams

Foster care is intended to provide temporary, safe living arrangements and therapeutic services for children and youth who cannot remain safely at home because of risk for maltreatment or inadequate care. The U.S. foster care system aims to safely reunify children with their parents or secure another permanent home, e.g., through adoption. Often this goal is not achieved, however, especially for older children and those with disabilities (1). Instead, many children spend years in foster family homes or group homes, often moving many times (1).

Young people in foster care are at increased risk for a range of emotional, physical, behavioral, academic, and employment problems, with outcomes generally worse for those in group homes (2, 3). Recognizing this, leaders and policymakers have made efforts to safely reduce the number of children living in foster care, particularly in group settings (4, 5). While the number of children in foster care has decreased since the 2000s, statewide and nationally, California continues to have the largest number of children entering the system each year (6). Further, American Indian/Alaska Native, black, and Latino children continue to be overrepresented in the foster care system; in California, for example, African American/black children represent 19% of foster children but only 5% of the general child population (2, 7). Research has shown that children of color, those with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ youth are at increased risk for poorer outcomes compared with the general foster care population (1, 2, 3).

In 2018, 2.4 per 1,000 California children ages 0-17 entered foster care for the first time, a drop of more than 30% compared with twenty years earlier. Across time periods, infants consistently have higher rates of first entry into care than older children. Statewide, the rate of children under age 1 entering foster care for the first time in 2016-2018 (12.2 per 1,000) was more than three times the rate for children ages 1-2, nearly five times that for ages 3-5, and more than 6 times the rates for older groups. Among all children entering foster care for the first time in 2016-2018, 87% were removed from their families due to neglect, 7% due to physical abuse, and 2% due to sexual abuse.

The number of California children and youth ages 0-20 living in foster care on July 1, 2018 was 59,172—a rate of 5.3 per 1,000. Of these, 19,111 were placed in kinship care, 13,229 with foster family agencies, 7,452 in foster homes, and 6,147 in guardianship. At the county level, rates of youth in care ranged from 1.2 per 1,000 (Marin) to 18.8 per 1,000 (Trinity) among regions with data. In-care rates for African American/black and American Indian/Alaska Native youth statewide are substantially higher than rates for their peers in other groups—more than 20 youth in care per 1,000 in 2018, compared with 5.3 per 1,000 (Hispanic/Latino), 4.4 per 1,000 (white), and 1 per 1,000 (Asian/Pacific Islander).

Among California children under age 18 in foster care on March 31, 2019, 73% had received timely medical exams and 67% timely dental exams. Across counties with data, percentages ranged from 42% to 98% for timely medical exams and from 7% to 95% for timely dental exams.

Children and youth in foster care interact with a range of public and private systems that are meant to provide protection and support, facilitate healing, and secure permanent, safe homes. Unfortunately, many children who are removed from their family homes spend years in the system, often in multiple foster placements, which can traumatize them further (1, 2). Foster children tend to fare worse on measures of mental and physical health, education, justice system involvement, employment in adulthood, and other outcomes when compared with the general child population (3, 4).

Policymakers have an important role to play in preventing children from entering foster care, ensuring the well being of those in care, and facilitating supportive connections and opportunities to enable youth aging out of foster care to thrive as adults. This is particularly critical for children of color and LGBTQ+ youth, who are overrepresented in the child welfare system and are at increased risk for adverse life outcomes (3, 5, 6). Foster children with disabilities also are vulnerable, as they face additional challenges compared with other foster children and are less likely to find permanent family homes upon leaving care (1). While California has been a leader in foster care policy and systems change, systemic inequities and substantial unmet needs remain, requiring additional work and investments (2, 4, 5, 7).

Policy and program options that could help prevent children from entering foster care and improve outcomes for those in care include:

• Ensuring that implementation of the Family First Prevention Services Act is effective in achieving its aim of preventing children from entering foster care, and that resources are maximized to meet the needs of families of color and LGBTQ+ youth (5, 6)
• Supporting and strengthening reforms—such as the Continuum of Care Reform and the California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM) Initiative—that prioritize placing children in foster family homes over group care settings and that advance integrated, comprehensive services to meet the unique needs of foster children, including those with complex health needs (2, 5, 8)
• Promoting efforts to recruit, strengthen, and support foster family homes, especially those provided by relatives of children in care and those where harder-to-place children, older youth, and sibling groups can be placed (7, 8)
• Continuing to address family separation issues related to immigration enforcement and strengthening child welfare agencies’ ability to meet the specific needs of immigrant children (7, 9)
• Supporting ongoing efforts to reduce the overrepresentation of, and improve outcomes for, children of color—particularly African American/black and American Indian/Alaska Native children—and LGBTQ+ youth in the system or at risk of entering it (3, 5, 6, 7)
• Raising public awareness about the commercial sexual exploitation of children and youth in California, recognizing that many victims have been in the foster care system, and working collaboratively with survivors and across sectors to implement policy and practice solutions (7, 10)
• Supporting the educational success of foster children through improved Local Control Funding Formula oversight and data monitoring, enhanced strategies to reengage students who are disconnected from school, and reduced barriers to specialized services; also, ensuring that foster youth have the support and resources to pursue postsecondary education and workforce opportunities (2, 5, 11)
• Strengthening and expanding existing laws, programs, and strategies that support foster youth in the transition to adulthood, build on lessons learned from implementation of the California Fostering Connections to Success Act, and improve the capacity of child welfare agencies to serve young adults (4, 12)
• Engaging foster care youth as partners in decision-making and increasing collaboration across sectors (e.g., child welfare, education, health care, juvenile justice, housing, etc.) to better serve the needs of diverse groups, including, among others, youth with disabilities, LGBTQ+ youth, youth of color, parenting youth, and youth facing homelessness (3, 6, 7, 8)