17,747 Illinois children were in foster care at the end of 2007

1,899 foster children (10.7%) were between ages of 0 and 1; Nationally: 13%
3,957 foster children (22.3%) were between ages of 2 and 5; Nationally: 21.2%
4,608 foster children (26%) were between ages of 6 and 12; Nationally: 27.3%
7,283 foster children (41%) were between ages of 13 and 21; Nationally: 38.5%
Illinois children spent an average of 52 months in foster care; Nationally: 27.5 months
4,999 children (28%) were in foster care for more than five years; Nationally: 12%
6,035 children (34%) were living with relatives in foster care; Nationally: 25%

Illinois' foster care caseload by race/ethnicity in 2007

10,884 children in foster care (60.9%) were non-Hispanic black; Nationally: 31.6%
5,494 children in foster care (30.7%) were non-Hispanic white; Nationally: 40.5%
28 children in foster care (0.2%) were American Indian/Alaskan Natives; Nationally: 1.9%
27 children in foster care (0.2%) were Asian; Nationally: 0.6%
0 children in foster care (0.0%) were Hawaiian; Nationally: .2%
22 children in foster care (0.1%) were multiple races or ethnicities; Nationally: 4.3%
1,097 children in foster care (6.1%) were Hispanic (any race); Nationally: 18.5%
321 children in foster care (1.8%) were denoted Other; Nationally: 2.4%

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

5,546 children in foster care (31.0%) experienced just 1 placement; Nationally: 34%
3,085 children in foster care (17.3%) experienced 2 placements; Nationally: 24%
2,213 children in foster care (12.4%) experienced 3 placements; Nationally: 14%
7,029 children in foster care (39.3%) experienced 4 or more placements; Nationally: 27%

4,407 Illinois children were waiting for adoption in 2007

557 foster children (13%) were waiting to be adopted between ages of 0 and 1; Nationally: 13%
1,597 foster children (36%) were between ages of 2 and 5; Nationally: 29%
1,595 foster children (36%) were between ages of 6 and 12; Nationally: 35%
658 foster children (15%) were between ages of 13 and 17; Nationally: 23%

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

5,913 children in Illinois exited foster care in 2007
2,257 children (38%) were returned to their parents; Nationally: 52%
1,693 children (29%) were adopted; Nationally: 18%
663 children (11%) left to live with relatives or via guardianships; Nationally: 15%
1,245 children (21%) "aged out" of foster care at 18 or older; Nationally: 10%
321 children (1%) left for other reasons (ran away, transferred, died); Nationally 5%

Illinois IV-E foster care payments and expenditures

7,757 children in Illinois child welfare system are eligible for Title IV-E federal foster care reimbursement with an average monthly payment of $1,584 per child.
Title IV-E Foster Care expenditures 2006: $155,621,130
Title IV-E Adoption expenditures 2006: $87,884,289
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