Average length of time spent in foster care
A long time in a temporary placement
HIGHER than the national average

4th HIGHEST compared to the most populated states

HIGHER than the poorest states

3rd HIGHEST among the wealthiest states

2nd HIGHEST among New England states

INCREASING in recent years

Data Sources: Child Trends FFY2019 & MA DCF Annual Report FY2020
State rankings for most populated, wealthiest, and poorest (both by median income) from World Population Review
Percent of Children in Foster Care 5+ Years
A lifetime for a child…
HIGHER than the national average

8th HIGHEST compared to the most populated states

HIGHER than the poorest states

2nd HIGHEST among the wealthiest states

2nd HIGHEST among New England states

INCREASING in recent years

Data Sources: Child Trends FFY2019 & MA DCF Annual Report FY2020
State rankings for most populated, wealthiest, and poorest (both by median income) from World Population Review
Percent of Children with 4+ Foster Care Placements
Multiple placements have major negative impacts on child well-being1
MA has the worst performance of all states in comparisons on this critical measure. Why aren’t we hearing more about this?
HIGHER than the national average

HIGHER compared to the most populated states

HIGHER than the poorest states

HIGHER than the wealthiest states

HIGHEST among New England states

INCREASING in recent years

Data Sources: Child Trends FFY2019 & MA DCF Annual Report FY2020
State rankings for most populated, wealthiest, and poorest (both by median income) from World Population Review
1 Children’s Rights
Percent of Children Placed in Group Care
Is group care appropriate for all of these children? Are there not enough less-restrictive options or services to keep kids at home?
HIGHER than the national average

HIGHEST compared to the most populated states

HIGHER than the poorest states

HIGHER than the wealthiest states

2nd HIGHEST among New England states

NO CHANGE in recent years

Data Sources: Child Trends FFY2019 & MA DCF Annual Report FY2020
State rankings for most populated, wealthiest, and poorest (both by median income) from World Population Review
Percent of Children Adopted By Relatives
Why is MA performing so poorly when DCF has been focused on kin placements?2
FAR BELOW the national average

LOWER than the most populated states

LOWER than the poorest states

LOWER than the wealthiest states

LOWEST among New England states

NO CHANGE since 2015

Data Sources: Child Trends FFY2019 & MA DCF Annual Report FY2020
State rankings for most populated, wealthiest, and poorest (both by median income) from World Population Review
2 DCF FY2020 Annual Report
Length of Stay in Foster Care Before Adoption
A significant part of a child’s life without a permanent family
LONGER than the national average

3rd LONGEST compared to the most populated states

LONGER than the poorest states

LONGER than the wealthiest states

LONGEST among the New England states

INCREASING in recent years

Data Sources: Child Trends FFY2019 & MA DCF Annual Report FY2020
State rankings for most populated, wealthiest, and poorest (both by median income) from World Population Review
Percent of Youth Exiting Foster Care to Emancipation3
Aging out of care without permanence has lifelong consequences4
HIGHER than the national average

2nd HIGHEST compared to the most populated states

HIGHER than the poorest states

3rd HIGHEST among the wealthiest states

2nd HIGHEST among New England states

Consistently HIGHER than the national average

Data Sources: Child Trends FFY2019 & MA DCF Annual Report FY2020
State rankings for most populated, wealthiest, and poorest (both by median income) from World Population Review
3 In child welfare emancipation means aging out at age 22, or before, and often after years of trauma, with no “forever” family.
4 Think of Us “Away from Home" Report