Foster Care
When a child's safety is threatened at home, foster care may be a necessary first remedy. But moving the child back into a permanent family placement and ensuring that time spent in foster care is in the community within a family are crucial for the long-term success of that child. The Hampton Roads region has consistently maintained one of the lowest foster care rates in Virginia.
Why is This Important?
Foster care refers to a variety of living situations in which a child may be placed outside of the home because the family living situation is unsafe. Typically a child will be removed from his or her home because of severe abuse or neglect. Once a child has entered foster care, it is important that he be placed in a family-based setting within the community. It is also important that the time spent in foster care be as brief as possible. Upon exiting foster care, the child should be discharged to a permanent placement (e.g., returned to his home, adopted or had his custody transferred to a relative). Children who age out of the foster care system without achieving a permanent home environment often face lifetime challenges, including homelessness, incarceration, and lack of educational attainment.
How is Hampton Roads Doing?
The Hampton Roads region has the second lowest rate in the state of children under the age of 18 in foster care at 4.5 children in foster care for every thousand children in the region. This rate is under Virginia's average rate of 5.2 but higher than the Northern region rate of 2.6.
Regions with the highest rates of children in foster care have seen substantial increases in foster care since 2000. However, rates in the Hampton Roads, Northern, and Central regions have maintained low rates of children in foster care, helping to keep the Virginia average low between 2000 and 2008.
What Influences Foster Care?
The primary driver for children coming to the attention of the child welfare system is maltreatment. Child abuse and neglect are not confined to any particular socioeconomic class, race or ethnicity, or religion. However, some situations place children at greater risk for being abused or neglected, including parent history, family violence, isolation, and poverty. An important influence for preventing foster care placement is the availability of effective support services to intervene when child abuse and neglect are found, so that the child does not have to be removed from the home.
Data Definitions and Sources
The rate of children in foster care is calculated by dividing the number of children in foster care by the child population of the region.
Child Population estimates taken from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Foster Care Statistics provided by the Virginia Department of Social Services
The numbers represent an unduplicated headcount of children under the age of 18 in foster care during the federal fiscal year (ends September 30).
See the Data Sources and Updates Calendar for a detailed list of the data resources used for indicator measures on Hampton Roads Performs.
