The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Children’s Bureau is responsible for the implementation and management of the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS). State and tribal title IV-E agencies are required to report AFCARS demographic, case-related, and service information on all children in foster care and children who have been adopted with title IV-E agency involvement (per §479 of the Social Security Act). The regulations were updated via the final rule published in May 2020 (85 FR 28410). Title IV-E agencies are required to submit the AFCARS data twice a year based on two 6-month reporting periods.
The following maps show the distribution of race by county for children who have had a screened-in report of child maltreatment, those whose reports were substantiated (victimized), or those who entered foster care. The child maltreatment and victimizations maps use NCANDS data, and the foster care entry maps use AFCARS data. Detailed information on the data collection efforts, data quality, and data reporting requirements can be found in the Child Maltreatment report and the AFCARS technical bulletins. All the maps use U.S. Census data to display rates in addition to counts for each child welfare system interaction.
These maps display descriptive statistics using the NCANDS and AFCARS data; however, the maps should not be used to draw conclusions about outcomes or performance without further exploration of state-specific policies and practices.