11,107 Washington children were in foster care at the end of 2007

1,998 foster children (18%) were between ages of 0 and 1; Nationally: 13%
3,047 foster children (27.4%) were between ages of 2 and 5; Nationally: 21.2%
3,369 foster children (30.3%) were between ages of 6 and 12; Nationally: 27.3%
2,693 foster children (24.2%) were between ages of 13 and 21; Nationally: 38.5%
Washington children spent an average of 24 months in foster care; Nationally: 27.5 months
646 children (6%) were in foster care for more than five years; Nationally: 12%
3,961 children (36%) were living with relatives in foster care; Nationally: 25%

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

1,105 children in foster care (9.9%) were non-Hispanic black; Nationally: 31.6%
5,921 children in foster care (53.3%) were non-Hispanic white; Nationally: 40.5%
911 children in foster care (8.2%) were American Indian/Alaskan Natives; Nationally: 1.9%
111 children in foster care (1.0%) were Asian; Nationally: 0.6%
43 children in foster care (0.4%) were Hawaiian; Nationally: .2%
1,079 children in foster care (9.7%) were multiple races or ethnicities; Nationally: 4.3%
1,739 children in foster care (15.7%) were Hispanic (any race); Nationally: 18.5%
198 children in foster care (1.8%) were denoted Other; Nationally: 2.4%

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

3,598 children in foster care (32.4%) experienced just 1 placement; Nationally: 34%
3,032 children in foster care (27.3%) experienced 2 placements; Nationally: 24%
1,599 children in foster care (14.4%) experienced 3 placements; Nationally: 14%
2,878 children in foster care (25.9%) experienced 4 or more placements; Nationally: 27%

2,837 Washington children were waiting for adoption in 2007

289 foster children (10%) were waiting to be adopted between ages of 0 and 1; Nationally: 13%
972 foster children (34%) were between ages of 2 and 5; Nationally: 29%
989 foster children (35%) were between ages of 6 and 12; Nationally: 35%
587 foster children (21%) were between ages of 13 and 17; Nationally: 23%

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

6,250 children in Washington exited foster care in 2007
3,731 children (60%) were returned to their parents; Nationally: 52%
1,199 children (19%) were adopted; Nationally: 18%
348 children (6%) left to live with relatives or via guardianships; Nationally: 15%
403 children (6%) "aged out" of foster care at 18 or older; Nationally: 10%
198 children (9%) left for other reasons (ran away, transferred, died); Nationally 5%

Washington IV-E foster care payments and expenditures

4,034 children in Washington child welfare system are eligible for Title IV-E federal foster care reimbursement with an average monthly payment of $871 per child.
Title IV-E Foster Care expenditures 2006: $80,985,458
Title IV-E Adoption expenditures 2006: $32,304,702
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