1,737 Montana children were in foster care at the end of 2007

234 foster children (13.5%) were between ages of 0 and 1; Nationally: 13%
455 foster children (26.2%) were between ages of 2 and 5; Nationally: 21.2%
535 foster children (30.8%) were between ages of 6 and 12; Nationally: 27.3%
513 foster children (29.5%) were between ages of 13 and 21; Nationally: 38.5%
Montana children spent an average of 31 months in foster care; Nationally: 27.5 months
225 children (13%) were in foster care for more than five years; Nationally: 12%
501 children (29%) were living with relatives in foster care; Nationally: 25%

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

13 children in foster care (0.7%) were non-Hispanic black; Nationally: 31.6%
910 children in foster care (52.4%) were non-Hispanic white; Nationally: 40.5%
587 children in foster care (33.8%) were American Indian/Alaskan Natives; Nationally: 1.9%
1 children in foster care (0.1%) were Asian; Nationally: 0.6%
1 children in foster care (0.1%) were Hawaiian; Nationally: .2%
84 children in foster care (4.8%) were multiple races or ethnicities; Nationally: 4.3%
97 children in foster care (5.6%) were Hispanic (any race); Nationally: 18.5%
44 children in foster care (2.5%) were denoted Other; Nationally: 2.4%

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

597 children in foster care (34.4%) experienced just 1 placement; Nationally: 34%
475 children in foster care (27.3%) experienced 2 placements; Nationally: 24%
233 children in foster care (13.4%) experienced 3 placements; Nationally: 14%
432 children in foster care (24.9%) experienced 4 or more placements; Nationally: 27%

597 Montana children were waiting for adoption in 2007

40 foster children (7%) were waiting to be adopted between ages of 0 and 1; Nationally: 13%
142 foster children (24%) were between ages of 2 and 5; Nationally: 29%
187 foster children (31%) were between ages of 6 and 12; Nationally: 35%
228 foster children (38%) were between ages of 13 and 17; Nationally: 23%

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

1,223 children in Montana exited foster care in 2007
612 children (50%) were returned to their parents; Nationally: 52%
248 children (20%) were adopted; Nationally: 18%
218 children (18%) left to live with relatives or via guardianships; Nationally: 15%
92 children (8%) "aged out" of foster care at 18 or older; Nationally: 10%
44 children (4%) left for other reasons (ran away, transferred, died); Nationally 5%

Montana IV-E foster care payments and expenditures

681 children in Montana child welfare system are eligible for Title IV-E federal foster care reimbursement with an average monthly payment of $609 per child.
Title IV-E Foster Care expenditures 2006: $6,454,297
Title IV-E Adoption expenditures 2006: $4,637,064
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