Facts About Foster Care

• In Utah, there are approximately 2,600 children in foster care at any time

• Substance abuse is a factor in most cases where children are placed in foster care

• Latino/Hispanic children are overrepresented in the foster care system. Almost one quarter of the children in foster care in Utah are Latino/Hispanic

• The average length of stay in foster care is 14 months

• 63% of children in foster care are returned to their parents or relatives

• 300 children were adopted from foster care last year. Of these, 85% were adopted by their foster parents

• Children in foster care in Utah have one of the shortest stays in foster care in the nation. They achieve a permanent home setting as soon as possible

• Domestic violence-related child abuse is the most prevalent form of child abuse in the state

• There is a significant need for families to make a permanent commitment to older children in foster care

• Nationwide, there are well over half a million children in foster care, and approximately 130,000 of them are waiting to be adopted

• National studies have shown that when children without a permanent placement reach eighteen and leave foster care, within 12-18 months:
  
  40% will not have completed high school;
  50% will be unemployed;
  33% will be on public assistance.
  
  Studies show that 40% of these young people will experience homelessness at least once before reaching the age of 22. They are at extreme risk of poverty, victimization, and criminal involvement, illness, early childbearing, and low educational attainment. They are the fastest growing segment of the homeless population and twice as likely as the general population to be incarcerated.

Toll-free 1-877-505-KIDS
or 1-801-994-5205
moreinfo@utahfostercare.org