Reducing Time in Care

An estimated 20 percent of children in the U.S. foster care system have been trapped in the system for more than three years, with many languishing for most of their childhoods. Children should not grow up in foster care. We require enforcement of the 15-of-22-month rule, with which no state is currently in full compliance.

Key Points

Right to an Attorney: We secure a child’s right to an attorney, a reform proven to help children exit foster care for families up to 3.5 times faster.

Waiting for a family: 70,500 children are waiting to be adopted.

Events & Testimonies

  • Smiling child with curly hair, representing joy and hope in child welfare advocacy.

    Testimony: Suppose House Bill 2313

    Establishes requirements for relative search, including documentation requirements. DCS is required to provide notice by certified mail to adult relatives and persons with a significant relationship with a child who [...]

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Op-Eds

  • Close-up of a child's face in soft lighting, highlighting the eye and facial features, representing the emotional impact of foster care and child welfare initiatives.

    America’s Flood of Opioid Orphans

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  • Family group in red sweatshirts with playful messages, seated outdoors among flowers, highlighting themes of connection and community in child welfare discussions.

    Darcy Olsen: Don’t let vulnerable children linger in foster care

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Research & Reports

  • Child smiling and hugging an adult, highlighting emotional connection and support in the context of child welfare and permanency.

    Permanency Project

    Problem Nationally, over 90% of children in foster care leave the child welfare system via reunification with biological parents, guardianship, kinship placements, or adoption.1 The remaining children – approximately 9% [...]

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Resources & Tools

Podcasts & Audio

Television & Video

Model Reforms