One of the things that aches my heart is hearing how many times kids are moved within the foster care system. Today, I was going through the AFCARS report and it is the one statistic I could not find, average placements. What I did find though were 2 statistics, that if you put them together, speak to this issue.
Average length of stay in foster care:
Now combine this with the fact provided above, 65% of these kids experience 7 or MORE school changes. If 74% of the kids are in placement for 2 years, what conclusion do you make about how often these kids are moved? Alarming, isn't it. Why is finding stable placements such a challenge? Stay tuned for tomorrow's post and we will discuss just that.
Average length of stay in foster care:
- 12% less than 1 month
- 35% 1-11 months
- 27% 12-23 months
- 12% 24-35 months
- 9% 3-4 years
- 6% 5 or more years
Now combine this with the fact provided above, 65% of these kids experience 7 or MORE school changes. If 74% of the kids are in placement for 2 years, what conclusion do you make about how often these kids are moved? Alarming, isn't it. Why is finding stable placements such a challenge? Stay tuned for tomorrow's post and we will discuss just that.