Children and Youth in Out-of-Home Care
One of DCYF’s strategic priorities is to safely reduce the number of children and youth in out-of-home care. The outcome indicator for this priority is the number of children and youth in out-of-home care. In SFY 2023, one third of the 9,677 children and youth under age 18 who were placed in out-of-home care for one or more days were under three years old.
Although the number of children and youth in out-of-home care at any single point in time is far fewer than the number who experience any out-of-home care over the course of the year, by either measure, the number has been declining. On the last day of the state fiscal year, 2023, there were 5,969 children and youth in out-of-home care. At that time, 55.9 percent of all children and youth under 18 in out-of-home care were placed with kin or relatives.
Number and Percent of Children/Youth Who Experienced Out-of-Home Care, by Age, SFY 2023
Number and Percent of Children/Youth Who Experienced Out-of-Home Care, by Age, SFY 2023
Children and Youth under 18 in Out-of-Home Care, SFY 2011-2023
Children and Youth under 18 in Out-of-Home Care, SFY 2011-2023