Policy Briefs: Child Welfare Research Program

This exploratory study, conducted in Washington, D.C. and New York City, sought to examine foster youths' views of adoption, permanency, and adoption recruitment. Using data collected from focus groups with foster youth, ages 11 to 19, the study raised three important findings: (1) foster care experiences influence youths' perceptions of adoption; (2) youth have concerns and fears about adoption; and (3) youth expect autonomy and want to feel empowered. The study's findings suggest that child welfare agencies and caseworkers may have more to do in terms of educating youth about adoption and other permanency options.

The population of children of immigrants is growing rapidly, as over one fifth of all U.S. children have at least one immigrant parent. Social service systems such as child welfare are encountering large and increasing numbers of these children, but few hard data on the system involvement of children of immigrants exist. The first three briefs in the Identifying Immigrant Families with Child Welfare Systems series provide some of the first data on first-and second- generation Latin American immigrant children in out-of-home care in Texas. Overall, Latin American immigrant children and Latin American children of immigrants are underrepresented, while Hispanic children of U.S.-born parents are over-represented in the Texas child welfare system. Key child welfare system experience findings include: Placement type: only 8 percent of Latin American immigrant children in out-of-home care are living with relatives compared with 20-28 percent of U.S.-born children (both Hispanic and non-Hispanic). Removal reason: Latin American immigrants are three times more likely to be removed because of sexual abuse than children of U.S.-born parents. Title IV-E eligibility: Only 5 percent of Latin American immigrants in out-of-home care are eligible for Title IV-E reimbursement compared with over half of U.S.-born children.

The population of children of immigrants is growing rapidly, as over one fifth of all U.S. children have at least one immigrant parent. Social service systems such as child welfare are encountering large and increasing numbers of these children, but few hard data on the system involvement of children of immigrants exist. The first three briefs in the Identifying Immigrant Families with Child Welfare Systems series provide some of the first data on first-and second- generation Latin American immigrant children in out-of-home care in Texas. Overall, Latin American immigrant children and Latin American children of immigrants are underrepresented, while Hispanic children of U.S.-born parents are over-represented in the Texas child welfare system. Key child welfare system experience findings include: Placement type: only 8 percent of Latin American immigrant children in out-of-home care are living with relatives compared with 20-28 percent of U.S.-born children (both Hispanic and non-Hispanic). Removal reason: Latin American immigrants are three times more likely to be removed because of sexual abuse than children of U.S.-born parents. Title IV-E eligibility: Only 5 percent of Latin American immigrants in out-of-home care are eligible for Title IV-E reimbursement compared with over half of U.S.-born children.

The population of children of immigrants is growing rapidly, as over one fifth of all U.S. children have at least one immigrant parent. Social service systems such as child welfare are encountering large and increasing numbers of these children, but few hard data on the system involvement of children of immigrants exist. The first three briefs in the Identifying Immigrant Families with Child Welfare Systems series provide some of the first data on first-and second- generation Latin American immigrant children in out-of-home care in Texas. Overall, Latin American immigrant children and Latin American children of immigrants are underrepresented, while Hispanic children of U.S.-born parents are over-represented in the Texas child welfare system. Key child welfare system experience findings include: Placement type: only 8 percent of Latin American immigrant children in out-of-home care are living with relatives compared with 20-28 percent of U.S.-born children (both Hispanic and non-Hispanic). Removal reason: Latin American immigrants are three times more likely to be removed because of sexual abuse than children of U.S.-born parents. Title IV-E eligibility: Only 5 percent of Latin American immigrants in out-of-home care are eligible for Title IV-E reimbursement compared with over half of U.S.-born children.

This policy brief presents the first national analysis of Medicaid health care spending on children in foster care and children adopted from foster care. Data from the Medicaid Statistical Information System (MSIS) document that states expended approximately $3.8 billion of Medicaid on 869,087 foster and adopted children in Federal Fiscal Year 2001. The brief documents the types of services most commonly received by foster children and the amount states expended on these services. The brief also highlights variation in spending across states; among children of different genders, ages, and races; and among children receiving and not receiving capitated health care services.

This brief highlights some of the findings from the Urban Institute's 2003 Child Welfare Survey. States spent at least $22 billion on child welfare activities in state fiscal year (SFY) 2002, with increases between SFY 2000 and SFY 2002 coming from all levels of government.