5,147 South Carolina children were in foster care at the end of 2007

713 foster children (13.9%) were between ages of 0 and 1; Nationally: 13%
1,131 foster children (22%) were between ages of 2 and 5; Nationally: 21.2%
1,438 foster children (27.9%) were between ages of 6 and 12; Nationally: 27.3%
1,865 foster children (36.2%) were between ages of 13 and 21; Nationally: 38.5%
South Carolina children spent an average of 27 months in foster care; Nationally: 27.5 months
579 children (11%) were in foster care for more than five years; Nationally: 12%
415 children (8%) were living with relatives in foster care; Nationally: 25%

South Carolina's foster care caseload by race/ethnicity in 2007

2,322 children in foster care (45.1%) were non-Hispanic black; Nationally: 31.6%
2,294 children in foster care (44.6%) were non-Hispanic white; Nationally: 40.5%
4 children in foster care (0.1%) were American Indian/Alaskan Natives; Nationally: 1.9%
4 children in foster care (0.1%) were Asian; Nationally: 0.6%
2 children in foster care (0.0%) were Hawaiian; Nationally: .2%
312 children in foster care (6.1%) were multiple races or ethnicities; Nationally: 4.3%
206 children in foster care (4.0%) were Hispanic (any race); Nationally: 18.5%
3 children in foster care (0.1%) were denoted Other; Nationally: 2.4%

Number of different placements in which a foster child lived in South Carolina

1,140 children in foster care (22.1%) experienced just 1 placement; Nationally: 34%
1,308 children in foster care (25.4%) experienced 2 placements; Nationally: 24%
840 children in foster care (16.3%) experienced 3 placements; Nationally: 14%
1,859 children in foster care (36.1%) experienced 4 or more placements; Nationally: 27%

1,779 South Carolina children were waiting for adoption in 2007

215 foster children (12%) were waiting to be adopted between ages of 0 and 1; Nationally: 13%
492 foster children (28%) were between ages of 2 and 5; Nationally: 29%
643 foster children (36%) were between ages of 6 and 12; Nationally: 35%
429 foster children (24%) were between ages of 13 and 17; Nationally: 23%

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

3,402 children in South Carolina exited foster care in 2007
1,612 children (47%) were returned to their parents; Nationally: 52%
435 children (13%) were adopted; Nationally: 18%
998 children (29%) left to live with relatives or via guardianships; Nationally: 15%
328 children (10%) "aged out" of foster care at 18 or older; Nationally: 10%
3 children (1%) left for other reasons (ran away, transferred, died); Nationally 5%

South Carolina IV-E foster care payments and expenditures

1,284 children in South Carolina child welfare system are eligible for Title IV-E federal foster care reimbursement with an average monthly payment of $902 per child.
Title IV-E Foster Care expenditures 2006: $10,343,225
Title IV-E Adoption expenditures 2006: $12,513,280
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