5,333 Louisiana children were in foster care at the end of 2007

772 foster children (14.5%) were between ages of 0 and 1; Nationally: 13%
1,401 foster children (26.3%) were between ages of 2 and 5; Nationally: 21.2%
1,506 foster children (28.2%) were between ages of 6 and 12; Nationally: 27.3%
1,654 foster children (31%) were between ages of 13 and 21; Nationally: 38.5%
Louisiana children spent an average of 24 months in foster care; Nationally: 27.5 months
428 children (8%) were in foster care for more than five years; Nationally: 12%
1,210 children (23%) were living with relatives in foster care; Nationally: 25%

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

2,597 children in foster care (48.7%) were non-Hispanic black; Nationally: 31.6%
2,521 children in foster care (47.3%) were non-Hispanic white; Nationally: 40.5%
10 children in foster care (0.2%) were American Indian/Alaskan Natives; Nationally: 1.9%
6 children in foster care (0.1%) were Asian; Nationally: 0.6%
4 children in foster care (0.1%) were Hawaiian; Nationally: .2%
63 children in foster care (1.2%) were multiple races or ethnicities; Nationally: 4.3%
73 children in foster care (1.4%) were Hispanic (any race); Nationally: 18.5%
59 children in foster care (1.1%) were denoted Other; Nationally: 2.4%

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

1,683 children in foster care (31.6%) experienced just 1 placement; Nationally: 34%
1,415 children in foster care (26.5%) experienced 2 placements; Nationally: 24%
809 children in foster care (15.2%) experienced 3 placements; Nationally: 14%
1,405 children in foster care (26.3%) experienced 4 or more placements; Nationally: 27%

1,137 Louisiana children were waiting for adoption in 2007

97 foster children (9%) were waiting to be adopted between ages of 0 and 1; Nationally: 13%
327 foster children (29%) were between ages of 2 and 5; Nationally: 29%
373 foster children (33%) were between ages of 6 and 12; Nationally: 35%
340 foster children (30%) were between ages of 13 and 17; Nationally: 23%

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

3,308 children in Louisiana exited foster care in 2007
1,530 children (46%) were returned to their parents; Nationally: 52%
429 children (13%) were adopted; Nationally: 18%
989 children (30%) left to live with relatives or via guardianships; Nationally: 15%
280 children (8%) "aged out" of foster care at 18 or older; Nationally: 10%
59 children (2%) left for other reasons (ran away, transferred, died); Nationally 5%

Louisiana IV-E foster care payments and expenditures

2,344 children in Louisiana child welfare system are eligible for Title IV-E federal foster care reimbursement with an average monthly payment of $1,055 per child.
Title IV-E Foster Care expenditures 2006: $46,292,292
Title IV-E Adoption expenditures 2006: $13,773,290
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