Examining the use of foster care during emerging adulthood in the United States

This study describes U.S. emerging adults who entered foster care in 2019 using data from the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS). Results showed that 2,763 (1.1%) of individuals who entered care were 18 or older. Eighty-five percent had been discharged from foster care in the past three years, most were either racialized as white (46.4%) or Black/African American (43.3%), 55.7% were female and 44.3% male, and over half had a clinically diagnosed disability. Implications include a need for improved data collection and research on emerging adults utilizing foster care to better understand and target services.