3,616 Arkansas children were in foster care at the end of 2007

508 foster children (14%) were between ages of 0 and 1; Nationally: 13%
910 foster children (25.2%) were between ages of 2 and 5; Nationally: 21.2%
1,049 foster children (29%) were between ages of 6 and 12; Nationally: 27.3%
1,149 foster children (31.8%) were between ages of 13 and 21; Nationally: 38.5%
Arkansas children spent an average of 20 months in foster care; Nationally: 27.5 months
231 children (6%) were in foster care for more than five years; Nationally: 12%
393 children (11%) were living with relatives in foster care; Nationally: 25%

Arkansas' foster care caseload by race/ethnicity in 2007

1,059 children in foster care (29.3%) were non-Hispanic black; Nationally: 31.6%
2,060 children in foster care (57.0%) were non-Hispanic white; Nationally: 40.5%
9 children in foster care (0.2%) were American Indian/Alaskan Natives; Nationally: 1.9%
7 children in foster care (0.2%) were Asian; Nationally: 0.6%
1 children in foster care (0.0%) were Hawaiian; Nationally: .2%
284 children in foster care (7.9%) were multiple races or ethnicities; Nationally: 4.3%
189 children in foster care (5.2%) were Hispanic (any race); Nationally: 18.5%
7 children in foster care (0.2%) were denoted Other; Nationally: 2.4%

Number of different placements in which a foster child lived in Arkansas

802 children in foster care (22.2%) experienced just 1 placement; Nationally: 34%
800 children in foster care (22.1%) experienced 2 placements; Nationally: 24%
502 children in foster care (13.9%) experienced 3 placements; Nationally: 14%
1,504 children in foster care (41.6%) experienced 4 or more placements; Nationally: 27%

780 Arkansas children were waiting for adoption in 2007

70 foster children (9%) were waiting to be adopted between ages of 0 and 1; Nationally: 13%
205 foster children (26%) were between ages of 2 and 5; Nationally: 29%
279 foster children (36%) were between ages of 6 and 12; Nationally: 35%
226 foster children (29%) were between ages of 13 and 17; Nationally: 23%

Where did Arkansas' children go after leaving foster care in 2007?

3,788 children in Arkansas exited foster care in 2007
1,387 children (37%) were returned to their parents; Nationally: 52%
399 children (11%) were adopted; Nationally: 18%
1,645 children (43%) left to live with relatives or via guardianships; Nationally: 15%
331 children (9%) "aged out" of foster care at 18 or older; Nationally: 10%
7 children (1%) left for other reasons (ran away, transferred, died); Nationally 5%

Arkansas IV-E foster care payments and expenditures

1,942 children in Arkansas child welfare system are eligible for Title IV-E federal foster care reimbursement with an average monthly payment of $401 per child.
Title IV-E Foster Care expenditures 2006: $30,003,655
Title IV-E Adoption expenditures 2006: $10,443,281
For more information about your state's child welfare financing, please visit the State Child Welfare Policy Database at www.childwelfarepolicy.org.
*Except for the expenditure data, this information is from federal AFCARS data, 2007