Foster Care & Adoption

• There were 903,089 substantiated cases of child abuse or neglect in 2001 in the United States.
  
  
• The number of children in the foster care system on September 30, 2001 was 542,000.
  
  
• Of those, approximately 50,000 were adopted out of the foster care system.
  
  
• There were still 126,000 children waiting to be adopted at that time. Returning home is not an option for these children and youth.

Mental Health

• The US Department of Health & Human Services estimates that 75-80% of children who need mental health services do not receive them.
  
  
• More than 80% of children in foster care have developmental, emotional, or behavioral problems.
  
  
• Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death among teens and young adults.
  
  
• In the year 2000, 3,994 youth aged 15-24 committed suicide. That's one every 2 hours.

Other Statistics

• In 2003, families with children accounted for 40% of the overall homeless population in 25 major US cities
  
  
• In 2001, the US Department of Health and Human Services estimated that 47% of the homeless population in the US had aged out of the fostere care system
  
  
• In 2001, 13% of Americans ages 18-24 did not get a high school diploma or pass an equivalency test
  
  
• An estimated 57% of children in 2001 were reunited with thier parents or principal caretaker after an average stay of 12 months in foster care
  
  
• The average stay for all children in foster care in 2001 was 33 months
  
  
• The 8 states with the most foster children in care (2001) are as follows: