7,751 Tennessee children were in foster care at the end of 2007

814 foster children (10.5%) were between ages of 0 and 1; Nationally: 13%
1,301 foster children (16.8%) were between ages of 2 and 5; Nationally: 21.2%
1,702 foster children (22%) were between ages of 6 and 12; Nationally: 27.3%
3,934 foster children (50.8%) were between ages of 13 and 21; Nationally: 38.5%
Tennessee children spent an average of 18 months in foster care; Nationally: 27.5 months
244 children (3%) were in foster care for more than five years; Nationally: 12%
838 children (11%) were living with relatives in foster care; Nationally: 25%

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

2,273 children in foster care (29.3%) were non-Hispanic black; Nationally: 31.6%
4,757 children in foster care (61.4%) were non-Hispanic white; Nationally: 40.5%
6 children in foster care (0.1%) were American Indian/Alaskan Natives; Nationally: 1.9%
16 children in foster care (0.2%) were Asian; Nationally: 0.6%
3 children in foster care (0.0%) were Hawaiian; Nationally: .2%
218 children in foster care (2.8%) were multiple races or ethnicities; Nationally: 4.3%
322 children in foster care (4.2%) were Hispanic (any race); Nationally: 18.5%
156 children in foster care (2.0%) were denoted Other; Nationally: 2.4%

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

2,884 children in foster care (37.2%) experienced just 1 placement; Nationally: 34%
1,869 children in foster care (24.1%) experienced 2 placements; Nationally: 24%
1,045 children in foster care (13.5%) experienced 3 placements; Nationally: 14%
1,951 children in foster care (25.2%) experienced 4 or more placements; Nationally: 27%

1,622 Tennessee children were waiting for adoption in 2007

109 foster children (7%) were waiting to be adopted between ages of 0 and 1; Nationally: 13%
329 foster children (20%) were between ages of 2 and 5; Nationally: 29%
481 foster children (30%) were between ages of 6 and 12; Nationally: 35%
703 foster children (43%) were between ages of 13 and 17; Nationally: 23%

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

6,969 children in Tennessee exited foster care in 2007
3,324 children (48%) were returned to their parents; Nationally: 52%
1,214 children (17%) were adopted; Nationally: 18%
1,516 children (22%) left to live with relatives or via guardianships; Nationally: 15%
739 children (11%) "aged out" of foster care at 18 or older; Nationally: 10%
156 children (3%) left for other reasons (ran away, transferred, died); Nationally 5%

Tennessee IV-E foster care payments and expenditures

3,216 children in Tennessee child welfare system are eligible for Title IV-E federal foster care reimbursement with an average monthly payment of $1,874 per child.
Title IV-E Foster Care expenditures 2006: $28,878,927
Title IV-E Adoption expenditures 2006: $27,176,549
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