Frequently Asked Questions

PlainFoster covers all 50 US states plus the District of Columbia — 51 state profiles in total. Each profile shows 8 key performance metrics drawn from federal AFCARS and NCANDS data.

The current dataset reflects FY2022 (October 1, 2021 – September 30, 2022) for AFCARS foster care data, and calendar year 2022 for NCANDS maltreatment data. ACF publishes AFCARS reports annually, typically 18–24 months after the end of the fiscal year.

States receive an A–F grade based primarily on their reunification rate — the percentage of children who exit foster care by returning to their birth family. Reunification is the primary federal permanency goal under the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System. See our grading guide for the full scale and all metrics considered.

AFCARS stands for the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System. It is the federally mandated system through which states report foster care data to the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. All states are required to report AFCARS data quarterly.

Foster care outcomes are shaped by complex structural factors: funding levels, caseload sizes per caseworker, rural service gaps, court practices, and state policy decisions — not simply by how hard child welfare workers try. Grades reflect system-level performance, not judgments on any community.

Per-capita foster care rates are calculated by dividing the number of children in foster care by the Census Bureau's American Community Survey estimate of children under 18 in that state, then multiplying by 1,000 to express as a rate per 1,000 children.

No. PlainFoster is not affiliated with the Administration for Children and Families, HHS, or any government agency. We are an independent data portal that makes publicly available federal data more accessible.