1,157 Delaware children were in foster care at the end of 2007

134 foster children (11.6%) were between ages of 0 and 1; Nationally: 13%
204 foster children (17.6%) were between ages of 2 and 5; Nationally: 21.2%
286 foster children (24.7%) were between ages of 6 and 12; Nationally: 27.3%
533 foster children (46.1%) were between ages of 13 and 21; Nationally: 38.5%
Delaware children spent an average of 21 months in foster care; Nationally: 27.5 months
72 children (6%) were in foster care for more than five years; Nationally: 12%
116 children (10%) were living with relatives in foster care; Nationally: 25%

Delaware's foster care caseload by race/ethnicity in 2007

662 children in foster care (57.2%) were non-Hispanic black; Nationally: 31.6%
368 children in foster care (31.8%) were non-Hispanic white; Nationally: 40.5%
0 children in foster care (0.0%) were American Indian/Alaskan Natives; Nationally: 1.9%
0 children in foster care (0.0%) were Asian; Nationally: 0.6%
0 children in foster care (0.0%) were Hawaiian; Nationally: .2%
22 children in foster care (1.9%) were multiple races or ethnicities; Nationally: 4.3%
105 children in foster care (9.1%) were Hispanic (any race); Nationally: 18.5%
0 children in foster care (0.0%) were denoted Other; Nationally: 2.4%

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

392 children in foster care (33.9%) experienced just 1 placement; Nationally: 34%
288 children in foster care (24.9%) experienced 2 placements; Nationally: 24%
162 children in foster care (14.0%) experienced 3 placements; Nationally: 14%
315 children in foster care (27.2%) experienced 4 or more placements; Nationally: 27%

311 Delaware children were waiting for adoption in 2007

49 foster children (16%) were waiting to be adopted between ages of 0 and 1; Nationally: 13%
81 foster children (26%) were between ages of 2 and 5; Nationally: 29%
119 foster children (38%) were between ages of 6 and 12; Nationally: 35%
62 foster children (20%) were between ages of 13 and 17; Nationally: 23%

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

939 children in Delaware exited foster care in 2007
609 children (65%) were returned to their parents; Nationally: 52%
119 children (13%) were adopted; Nationally: 18%
111 children (12%) left to live with relatives or via guardianships; Nationally: 15%
82 children (9%) "aged out" of foster care at 18 or older; Nationally: 10%
0 children (2%) left for other reasons (ran away, transferred, died); Nationally 5%

Delaware IV-E foster care payments and expenditures

101 children in Delaware child welfare system are eligible for Title IV-E federal foster care reimbursement with an average monthly payment of $348 per child.
Title IV-E Foster Care expenditures 2006: $13,227,905
Title IV-E Adoption expenditures 2006: $9,347,580
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