Foster Care - Number of Children in Care

Foster Care - Number of Children in Care

How this program helps people

Foster care provides services, substitute care, and supervision for children on a 24-hour basis, until a child can either return to their family or become a permanent member of another family.

Because foster care is a temporary response to family problems, workers establish a permanency goal for each child to ensure that the child will have a safe and stable family with which to live.

The Title IV-E penetration rate is the percentage of children in foster care eligible for federal Title IV-E funds. Major criteria for Title IV-E eligibility is meeting the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) requirements that were in effect in Virginia on July 16, 1996.

Data Notes                                    

• Counts are point-in-time data as of June 30, the end of the state fiscal year. The total number of children served in foster care during the year is greater. [Data Table only]                                
• Title IV-E Penetration Rate: The percentage of Title IV-E cases relative to all foster care cases. [Data Table only]                                                  

Data Sources

Virginia Child Welfare Outcome Reports (VCWOR)