2,720 Rhode Island children were in foster care at the end of 2007

295 foster children (10.8%) were between ages of 0 and 1; Nationally: 13%
420 foster children (15.4%) were between ages of 2 and 5; Nationally: 21.2%
620 foster children (22.8%) were between ages of 6 and 12; Nationally: 27.3%
1,385 foster children (50.9%) were between ages of 13 and 21; Nationally: 38.5%
Rhode Island children spent an average of 26 months in foster care; Nationally: 27.5 months
252 children (9%) were in foster care for more than five years; Nationally: 12%
721 children (26%) were living with relatives in foster care; Nationally: 25%

Rhode Island's foster care caseload by race/ethnicity in 2007

526 children in foster care (19.3%) were non-Hispanic black; Nationally: 31.6%
1,295 children in foster care (47.6%) were non-Hispanic white; Nationally: 40.5%
29 children in foster care (1.1%) were American Indian/Alaskan Natives; Nationally: 1.9%
48 children in foster care (1.8%) were Asian; Nationally: 0.6%
2 children in foster care (0.1%) were Hawaiian; Nationally: .2%
139 children in foster care (5.1%) were multiple races or ethnicities; Nationally: 4.3%
631 children in foster care (23.2%) were Hispanic (any race); Nationally: 18.5%
52 children in foster care (1.9%) were denoted Other; Nationally: 2.4%

Number of different placements in which a foster child lived in Rhode Island

1,075 children in foster care (39.5%) experienced just 1 placement; Nationally: 34%
630 children in foster care (23.1%) experienced 2 placements; Nationally: 24%
380 children in foster care (14.0%) experienced 3 placements; Nationally: 14%
637 children in foster care (23.4%) experienced 4 or more placements; Nationally: 27%

399 Rhode Island children were waiting for adoption in 2007

26 foster children (7%) were waiting to be adopted between ages of 0 and 1; Nationally: 13%
90 foster children (23%) were between ages of 2 and 5; Nationally: 29%
164 foster children (41%) were between ages of 6 and 12; Nationally: 35%
119 foster children (30%) were between ages of 13 and 17; Nationally: 23%

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

1,730 children in Rhode Island exited foster care in 2007
1,106 children (64%) were returned to their parents; Nationally: 52%
234 children (14%) were adopted; Nationally: 18%
106 children (6%) left to live with relatives or via guardianships; Nationally: 15%
161 children (9%) "aged out" of foster care at 18 or older; Nationally: 10%
52 children (7%) left for other reasons (ran away, transferred, died); Nationally 5%

Rhode Island IV-E foster care payments and expenditures

604 children in Rhode Island child welfare system are eligible for Title IV-E federal foster care reimbursement with an average monthly payment of $1,975 per child.
Title IV-E Foster Care expenditures 2006: $12,763,289
Title IV-E Adoption expenditures 2006: $8,781,419
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