Foster Care to Adoption: Child Demographics in Virginia

Man counting with magnifying glass wooden foster kids

Demographics for children in Foster Care: 

Foster Care and adoption Statistics in Virginia

Every day of the year, children come into the custody of local Departments of Social Services (DSS). Consider these unyielding demographics and statistics from the latest data from Virginia Department of Social Service (VDSS). The VDSS updates the data monthly for the period ending two months before the release. 

Foster Care and Adoption Facts and Stats:

Nearly 400,000 children are in the United States foster care system. Here are the demographic statistics for foster children in Virginia (source: VDSS 9/1/24).

AGE

  • There are 5,268 children in the Virginia foster care system.
  • 5.2% are 0-1 years of age.
  • 22.8% are 1-5 years of age.
  • 14.4% are 6-9 years of age.
  • 10.4% are 10-12 years of age.
  • 16.4% are 13-15 years of age.
  • 15.9% are 16-17 years of age.
  • 14.9% are 18 years and older. 

GENDER

  • There are even gender proportions at 50.2% boys and 49.8% girls. 

RACE

  • Among broad racial categories, 57.6% are Caucasian, 28.8% are African-American, and 11.9% are Hispanic. All other racial segments are at or below 1% of the foster care population. 

TIME IN FOSTER CARE

  • 19.3 months is the average time spent in foster care. 
  • For children who return to their birth parents, the time in care is shorter than average, at 10 months.
  • Children adopted from foster care spend an average of 33 months in care. Adoptive parents must foster their child for a minimum of six months as part of the foster-to-adopt process. 

GOALS FOR EXIT FROM FOSTER CARE

Children enter foster care programs with the same goal of leaving with permanent families.

  • 32% are waiting for adoptive families.
  • 36.6% have a goal to return home to reunite with their birth families.
  • 8.4% have a goal to live with a relative.
  • 11.8% plan to transition to independent living.

REASON FOSTER KIDS ARE REMOVED FROM HOME 

  • Multiple contributing factors often lead to the removal of children. 
  • Neglect plays a role in over half of child removals from their birth home, at 51.6%.
  • The next most common factor is parental drug and alcohol abuse (combined substance abuse of 39.5%). The percentage of substance abuse foster care cases is on the rise throughout the U.S.

MORE ABOUT VIRGINIA FOSTER CHILDREN ELIGIBLE FOR ADOPTION

Social workers and support services specialists evaluate individual child and family histories to develop case goals for foster youth. The first goal is finding a safe, stable, nurturing foster home.

  • Of over 5,000 foster children, 1,700 have adoption as their case goal.
  • Nearly 700 Virginia children are currently waiting for adoptive families.
  • Foster children awaiting adoption come from all cultural and socio-economic backgrounds.
  • Kids of every age make up the foster population awaiting adoption. The median age is 8, and a common segment is school-aged kids 5-14 years old.
  • Sibling groups are common and in most cases wish to stay together.  

The foster care system aims to give safe, temporary care to children. This care lasts until the children can reunite with their biological parents. For children who cannot safely return home, the goal often becomes finding an adoptive forever family.

At AdoptionVA, we see that foster-to-adopt families do best when they understand the fostering process. Following are definitions for some of the most frequently used terms and stats in Virginia foster care and adoption.

Foster-to-adopt Defined 

Children in foster care who cannot safely go back to their biological homes may become eligible for adoption. In those cases, biological parents have their parental rights terminated (TPR). After TPR, biological parents no longer have legal authority or rights to their child in foster care. About 70% of eligible foster children find adoption with their foster parents.

How do Kids Come to be in Foster Care?

Children in the care of the Virginia Department of Social Services (VDSS) cannot safely stay in their biological homes. Often the families of foster kids are in crisis.

Foster kids frequently experience neglect, abuse, or live in unsafe conditions. In every case, their biological parents cannot take care of them. This leads to their entry into foster care or foster-to-adoption. 

Virginia safeguards the mental health of foster kids. Whenever possible, relatives or licensed foster parents care for children in their homes. Therapeutic foster family homes (TFC) are safe landing places for children experiencing trauma, loss, and instability. Another goal of TFC is to keep sibling groups together to maintain family connections and a familiar support group. 

Foster Care and Foster-to-Adoption

Foster parents are adults who step into a caregiver role for children who enter the foster system. Foster parents' in-home care provides safety and stability with as much normalcy as possible. Foster parents provide temporary care before children move on to a permanent home and family.

Foster-to-adopt parents become approved and licensed to care for a foster child through the same process as all foster parents. However, their goal is to adopt a foster child. Adoptive families become forever families with full legal parental rights for their child's care.

Foster-to-adoption requires that foster children and parents live together for at least six months. After this trial period, Virginia can finalize the adoption. This allows a transition period that ensures a good match and long-term success as a new family unit.

Adults who want to foster-to-adopt must work with their local county DSS or a partner child-placing agency. An example of such an agency is Extra Special Parents (ESP) in Virginia.

Agency foster advocates guide aspiring adoptive parents through the foster-to-adopt process, including completing the same Home Study. This process is the same for every foster parent and encompasses health, safety, driving, and criminal background checks. Caretakers must meet high safety standards before they assume care for kids in the U.S. child welfare system.

While requirements are similar in all states, each state and child-placing agency may have some differences. They may also have extra requirements for licensing foster-to-adopt parents. Adopting a child through Virginia's foster care system is free. This is different through private or international adoption agencies, which can be costly. 

ADOPT A FOSTER CHILD: CALL US TODAY

Adopting a foster child will undoubtedly change your life and the lives of your child and other family members. Fostering-to-adopt is a challenging, yet profoundly rewarding life journey. When you nurture and become one family with your child, you are giving a gift. Foster kids may not otherwise get to know the warmth of love, support, and caring hugs rather than loss, neglect, or abuse. 

When you adopt a foster child, you give the greatest give of all – a family – to a child who has dreamed of belonging. You've come to the right place to learn more or take the next step in adopting a foster child.

Please message us or call a foster-to-adopt parent advocate at 866-605-3626.

Note: Virginia updates their foster and adoption stats every month. For the most recent data in Excel sheets and summary formats, visit DSS.Virginia.gov.