26,357 Florida children were in foster care at the end of 2007

4,607 foster children (17.5%) were between ages of 0 and 1; Nationally: 13%
6,969 foster children (26.4%) were between ages of 2 and 5; Nationally: 21.2%
7,821 foster children (29.7%) were between ages of 6 and 12; Nationally: 27.3%
6,960 foster children (26.4%) were between ages of 13 and 21; Nationally: 38.5%
Florida children spent an average of 18 months in foster care; Nationally: 27.5 months
1,816 children (7%) were in foster care for more than five years; Nationally: 12%
11,421 children (43%) were living with relatives in foster care; Nationally: 25%

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

10,206 children in foster care (38.7%) were non-Hispanic black; Nationally: 31.6%
12,309 children in foster care (46.7%) were non-Hispanic white; Nationally: 40.5%
51 children in foster care (0.2%) were American Indian/Alaskan Natives; Nationally: 1.9%
40 children in foster care (0.2%) were Asian; Nationally: 0.6%
13 children in foster care (0.0%) were Hawaiian; Nationally: .2%
674 children in foster care (2.6%) were multiple races or ethnicities; Nationally: 4.3%
3,002 children in foster care (11.4%) were Hispanic (any race); Nationally: 18.5%
68 children in foster care (0.3%) were denoted Other; Nationally: 2.4%

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

11,222 children in foster care (42.6%) experienced just 1 placement; Nationally: 34%
5,255 children in foster care (19.9%) experienced 2 placements; Nationally: 24%
2,985 children in foster care (11.3%) experienced 3 placements; Nationally: 14%
6,853 children in foster care (26.0%) experienced 4 or more placements; Nationally: 27%

7,824 Florida children were waiting for adoption in 2007

952 foster children (12%) were waiting to be adopted between ages of 0 and 1; Nationally: 13%
2,189 foster children (28%) were between ages of 2 and 5; Nationally: 29%
2,571 foster children (33%) were between ages of 6 and 12; Nationally: 35%
2,112 foster children (27%) were between ages of 13 and 17; Nationally: 23%

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

20,967 children in Florida exited foster care in 2007
10,273 children (49%) were returned to their parents; Nationally: 52%
3,042 children (15%) were adopted; Nationally: 18%
5,827 children (28%) left to live with relatives or via guardianships; Nationally: 15%
1,339 children (6%) "aged out" of foster care at 18 or older; Nationally: 10%
68 children (2%) left for other reasons (ran away, transferred, died); Nationally 5%

Florida IV-E foster care payments and expenditures

10,541 children in Florida child welfare system are eligible for Title IV-E federal foster care reimbursement with an average monthly payment of $324 per child.
Title IV-E Foster Care expenditures 2006: $131,299,872
Title IV-E Adoption expenditures 2006: $58,215,265
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