Dataset Details
Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS), Foster Care AB File 2018
Dataset Number: 298
Current Data Version: 1
Investigator(s)
Children's Bureau, Department of Health and Human Services
Abstract
The Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) is a federally mandated data collection system intended to provide case specific information on all children in foster care for whom the state child welfare agency has responsibility for placement, care, or supervision, regardless of eligibility for Title IV-E funds. AFCARS was designed to address policy development and program management issues at both the state and federal levels. The data are also useful for researchers interested in analyzing aspects of the United States' foster care and adoption programs. An interactive AFCARS dashboard that summarizes and displays national and state foster care data by fiscal year is available from the Children's Bureau Web site (https://acf.gov/cb).
AFCARS’ reporting periods extend from October 1 to September 30 of the following year. The National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect distributes a foster care data file for each fiscal year, as well as updates for previous years, if applicable. The foster care data files contain 104 variables that provide information on child demographics, the number of previous stays in foster care, service goals, availability for adoption, dates of removal and discharge, funding sources, and the biological and foster parents.
The AB file format differs from the annual format. The annual files were constructed using the “A” and “B” periods of the respective FY, plus the “A” period of the following FY. Including the subsequent “A” period allowed the capture of reports that may have happened, but had not been resolved, by the end of the FY. The AB file is constructed with only the “A” and “B” periods of the nominal FY. In all other ways, it is identical and undergoes the same cleaning and processing steps as the annual file. This means, however, that aggregate counts derived from an AB file may yield artificially lower counts compared to analogous counts from a previous years’ annual file.
Bibliographic Citation
Children's Bureau. (2025). Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS), Foster Care AB File 2018 (Version 1) [Data set]. National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect. https://doi.org/10.34681/57EE-5726
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