Children who are, or have been, in foster care are seven times more likely to have anxiety and 5x more likely to have depression, and 50 percent of kids in foster care drop out of high school. Statistics show that 50-90 percent of child sex trafficking victims have a history of placement in the foster care system.
Alliance for Children in Foster Care - Mission and Vision
The mission of the Alliance for Children in Foster Care is to nurture a sense of belonging, connection and safety for children in foster care by 1) empowering all pediatric-focused advanced practice nurses to incorporate trauma-informed health care as an essential set of services provided to all children in foster care and 2) promoting equitable and optimal growth and development.
Our vision is for a world where all children in foster care receive continuous holistic healing to thrive in their home environment, school and beyond.
Statistics on Youth in Foster Care
- In 2021, there were approximately 391,098 children and adolescents in foster care (US Department of Health and Human Services, 2022)
- Racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities exist for children in foster care.
- Youth in foster care are considered a special need population.
- Children and adolescents enter foster care with at least one medical problem.
- 1/3 of children and adolescents have a chronic medical problem.
- Up to 80% of children and adolescents in foster care have a mental health problem (Szilagyi et al., 2015)
- More likely to experience multiple ACEs and experience on average a higher number than the general population. (Turney & Wildeman, 2017)
- More than 23,300 youth will age out of the foster care system annually.
- After reaching the age 18, 20% of youth in foster care will become instantly homeless (US Department of Health and Human Services, 2020)
TeamPeds Talks - Children in Foster Care
We are excited to partner with NAPNAP on their TeamPeds Talks eight series - Children in foster care. Your hosts are Dr. Brigit VanGraafeiland and Tracy Halasz, the chair and co-chair of our Alliance for Children in Foster Care.