1,970 Maine children were in foster care at the end of 2007

260 foster children (13.2%) were between ages of 0 and 1; Nationally: 13%
411 foster children (20.9%) were between ages of 2 and 5; Nationally: 21.2%
527 foster children (26.8%) were between ages of 6 and 12; Nationally: 27.3%
772 foster children (39.2%) were between ages of 13 and 21; Nationally: 38.5%
Maine children spent an average of 34 months in foster care; Nationally: 27.5 months
341 children (17%) were in foster care for more than five years; Nationally: 12%
360 children (18%) were living with relatives in foster care; Nationally: 25%

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

45 children in foster care (2.3%) were non-Hispanic black; Nationally: 31.6%
1,672 children in foster care (84.9%) were non-Hispanic white; Nationally: 40.5%
22 children in foster care (1.1%) were American Indian/Alaskan Natives; Nationally: 1.9%
9 children in foster care (0.5%) were Asian; Nationally: 0.6%
0 children in foster care (0.0%) were Hawaiian; Nationally: .2%
102 children in foster care (5.2%) were multiple races or ethnicities; Nationally: 4.3%
65 children in foster care (3.3%) were Hispanic (any race); Nationally: 18.5%
55 children in foster care (2.8%) were denoted Other; Nationally: 2.4%

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

656 children in foster care (33.3%) experienced just 1 placement; Nationally: 34%
449 children in foster care (22.8%) experienced 2 placements; Nationally: 24%
257 children in foster care (13.0%) experienced 3 placements; Nationally: 14%
607 children in foster care (30.8%) experienced 4 or more placements; Nationally: 27%

615 Maine children were waiting for adoption in 2007

50 foster children (8%) were waiting to be adopted between ages of 0 and 1; Nationally: 13%
132 foster children (21%) were between ages of 2 and 5; Nationally: 29%
229 foster children (37%) were between ages of 6 and 12; Nationally: 35%
204 foster children (33%) were between ages of 13 and 17; Nationally: 23%

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

929 children in Maine exited foster care in 2007
315 children (34%) were returned to their parents; Nationally: 52%
327 children (35%) were adopted; Nationally: 18%
77 children (8%) left to live with relatives or via guardianships; Nationally: 15%
202 children (22%) "aged out" of foster care at 18 or older; Nationally: 10%
55 children (1%) left for other reasons (ran away, transferred, died); Nationally 5%

Maine IV-E foster care payments and expenditures

692 children in Maine child welfare system are eligible for Title IV-E federal foster care reimbursement with an average monthly payment of $1,135 per child.
Title IV-E Foster Care expenditures 2006: $9,790,415
Title IV-E Adoption expenditures 2006: $13,475,397
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