Responsible 

Fatherhood 

Spotlight 

March 2008 

Take Time to Be a Dad Today 

National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse  101 Lake Forest Boulevard, Suite 360  Gaithersburg, MD 20877  

Toll-free: 1 (877) 4DAD411  Fax: (301) 948-4325  www.fatherhood.gov 

Nonresident Fathers and Children in Foster Care 

In 2005, approximately 520,000 children were removed from their homes and placed in foster care. More 

than half of these children were removed from their homes because of an incidence of abuse or neglect. 

Approximately 80 percent of these children had noncustodial fathers, and roughly 54 percent had no 

contact with their father in the past year. 

Definitions 

Foster care is defined as 24-hour substitute care for children who have been removed from their homes 

by a child welfare agency. Foster care placements are temporary placements that house children until 

they can be reunified with their families or be adopted. The majority of children enter foster care because 

they have been removed from their homes as a result of an incidence of abuse or neglect. Children may 

also enter foster care because of their delinquent behavior, a disability for which their parents are unable 

to adequately care for them, or absence of their parents through illness, death, or disability.i

 

Foster care includes a variety of placements: 

• Non-relative foster care placements are provided in a home setting where licensed foster parents 

who are unrelated to the children are trained to be temporary caregivers of children as they await 

a permanent placement.ii These foster care placements may also include therapeutic foster 

homes, which are alternatives to institutional placements. Therapeutic foster parents go through 

special training and have special skills to care for children with significant emotional, behavioral, 

and/or medical problems.iii

• Relative foster care placements, often referred to as kinship care, are placements where full-time 

care is provided by relatives or other adults who have a kinship bond with the child.iv Most 

kinship caregivers are relatives, but kinship caregivers can also include close friends or neighbors 

of the child or the child’s family. Each state’s policy specifies which adults are eligible to be 

designated as kinship caregivers. 

• Emergency placements are immediate, short-term placements where children are assigned to 

live while the child welfare agency and courts decide where they will be placed.v

 

• Group homes are homelike settings in which a number of children live together with rotating staff 

members who serve as houseparents.vi Also included in this category are therapeutic or 

treatment group homes with specialized staff to care for children with emotional and/or behavioral 

issues. 

• Institution care or residential treatment centers are 24-hour residential facilities that are licensed 

by the state to offer intensive treatment services for children with emotional and/or physical 

conditions that require intensive therapy.vii

• Pre-adoptive placements are supervised living arrangements with a child’s potential adoptive 

family.viii

• Independent living placements are for older youth in foster care up to age 21 who are 

transitioning out of the child welfare system or who have left the child welfare system because 

they were unable to return home, were not placed with relatives, or were not adopted.ix In 

independent living placements, youth may live on their own with some supervision, and typically 
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are provided case management, life-skills training, education and employment assistance, and 

counseling, among other support services.x

The child welfare system is a group of services provided by public and private entities that are designed 

to promote the well-being and safety of children by ensuring that they remain in permanent placements, 

and ensuring that families are supported to successfully care for their children.xi

Termination of parental rights (TPR) refers to the legally binding decision made by a judge that ends all 

parental rights for birth parents.xii Birth parents can elect to voluntarily terminate their rights, or can have 

their rights involuntarily relinquished by not complying within the time limits of their service plans. 

Service plans are agreements between the child welfare system and families who have a substantiated 

report of abuse or neglect and are receiving ongoing services from the system. Service plans include 

requested and/or required services for the child and family, and specify the conditions that must be met 

that affect where a child will be placed. 

Importance and Implications of Foster Care 

Foster case is intended to be a temporary placement to remove children from high-risk situations 

involving their birth family or current home. When a child is removed from his or her home, often into a 

new and strange environment, it can be a traumatic event with long-lasting effects. This trauma can be 

intensified by long-term foster care placements or multiple moves within a certain period. Recent 

research has shown that state child welfare systems are beginning to focus more on both nonresident 

and resident father involvement in the child welfare system as a potential resource in finding more 

suitable placements for children in foster care and to make removal from home a less traumatic 

experience. For children removed from their homes, having more supports can have an impact on their 

progress and on the time that they spend in the system. 

Implications for Fathers 

• Fathers may become more invested and seek better communication with their children if their 

opinions and input are sought about their child’s welfare and future while the child is in foster 

care.xiii

• Legislation such as the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 has encouraged child welfare 

case workers to conduct a diligent search for nonresident fathers whose children are in care.xiv 

As a result, more men may be able to provide financial and other support to their children while in 

foster care. This involvement may also positively impact the amount of support the child receives 

if the child returns home.

• Fathers with children in foster care may resist involvement with the child welfare system because 

they view government systems with mistrust as a result of previous negative experiences. 

Fathers with criminal records are reported to be especially distrustful.xv

• Mothers’ resentment of nonresident fathers because of a perceived lack of commitment to their 

children, mothers’ lingering resentment from prior abuse, or mothers’ fears of fathers’ learning 

about the foster care placement may prevent fathers’ involvement and communication with their 

children in foster care.xvi

• Nonresident fathers become more at risk for less involvement with their children when they are 

unemployed and are less able to provide for their children financially.xvii

Implications for Children 

• Nonresident fathers can be a valuable resource to children in foster care by providing pathways 

to additional options for permanent placements, such as paternal relatives, and the information 

nonresident fathers provide can shorten their children’s time to a permanent placement.xviii

• When nonresident fathers are identified and engaged, caseworkers have better access to 

information about the children (health insurance, child support benefits, etc.), which will help ease 

children’s transition to their placement.xix
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• Children in foster care tend to have poorer outcomes, such as more physical and mental health 

issues, delayed cognitive development, poor academic functioning, higher rates of depression, 

poor social skills, and more externalizing behavioral problems.xx However, children who have 

family stability and caregivers that are a constant in their lives tend to have better outcomes. 

Trends in Foster Care Over Time 

Figure 1 shows that, overall, the total population of children in foster care has been declining since 1998. 

Specifically, the number of children who were placed in foster care decreased 8 percent between 1998 

and 2005. Table 1 shows the steady decline of the U.S. foster care population from 559,000 children in 

1998 to 513,000 children in 2005. 

Figure 1. U.S. Foster Care Population, 1998-2005

480,000

500,000

520,000

540,000

560,000

580,000

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

Years

Source: AFCARS data, 1998-2005 (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, 

Children’s Bureau, 2006)xxi

Table 1: U.S. Foster Care Population, 1998-2005 

Year U.S. Foster Care Population 

1998 513,000 

1999 517,000 

2000 520,000 

2001 533,000 

2002 545,000 

2003 552,000 

2004 567,000 

2005 559,000 

Source: AFCARS data, 1998-2005 (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, 

Children’s Bureau, 2006)

xxii

Figure 2 shows the proportions of the foster care population in different types of foster care placements 

in 2005. Of children in foster care, 52 percent were placed in non-relative care, whereas 27 percent were 

placed with kin. The remaining 21 percent of foster care placements were group homes or institutions, 

pre-adoptive placements, or classified as “other,” which includes independent living arrangements and 

trial home visits. The “other” category also includes runaways from the foster care system. 
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Figure 2. Foster Care Population by Type of Placement, 2005 

52%

27%

9%

4%

8%

Non-Relative

Foster Care

Relative Foster

Care/Kinship

Care

Group Home or

Instiution

Pre-Adoptive

Placement

Other

Source: AFCARS data, 2005 

(U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Children’s Bureau, 2006).xxiii

Differences in Foster Care by Subgroups 

Characteristics of Children in Foster Care by Relationship to Noncustodial Father 

Table 2 shows that children in foster care are more likely to have noncustodial fathers, to have paternity 

established or known, to have fathers who are less likely to have contributed child support, and to be less 

likely to have had contact with their father in the past year. 

Table 2: Characteristics of Children in Foster Care and Their Relationships 

With Noncustodial Fathers, 1994

Children in Foster Care 

(N=1,034) 

Have noncustodial fathers 80% 

Paternity 

established/known 

81% 

Noncustodial fathers 

contributed to child support

16% 

Contact with their father in 

the past year 

54% 

Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1994 National Study of Protective, Preventive, and Reunification 

Services (Malm, 2003)xxiv

Differences by Age of Birth Parents 

Table 3 shows that in 2005, nonresident fathers of children in foster care were slightly older than were 

resident mothers of children in foster care. 

Table 3: Mean Age of Birth Parents, 2005 

Parents of Children in Foster 

Care 

Mean Age 

Mothers (N=1,635) 32.4 years 

Fathers (N=1,721) 36.3 years 

Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services-Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, 

(Malm, Murray & Geen, 2006) 
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Differences by Marital Status of Birth Parents 

Table 4 shows that in 2005, 29.9 percent of nonresident fathers of children in foster care were single and 

had never been married. More nonresident fathers tended to be separated or divorced from their child’s 

birth parent, compared with resident mothers of children in foster care. Fewer nonresident fathers were 

married to, divorced, or separated from someone other than their child’s birth parent. 

Table 4: Marital Status of Birth Parents of Children in Foster Care, 2005 

Current Marital Status Resident 

Mothers 

(N=1,635)

Nonresident 

Fathers 

(N=1,721) 

Never married 47.4% 29.9% 

Married to someone other than 

birth parent 

12.8% 10.9% 

Married to, but separated from 

birth parent 

5.8% 11.7% 

Divorced from birth parent 9.7% 11.6% 

Divorced from someone other 

than birth parent 

7.9% 4.7% 

Separated from someone other 

than birth parent 

3.6% 1.3% 

Unknown 12.4% 29.9% 

Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services-Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, 

(Malm, Murray & Geen, 2006) 

 

Differences by Living Status of Birth Parent 

Table 5 shows that in 2005, nonresident fathers of children in foster care were less likely than were 

resident mothers to live alone, and a slightly higher percentage were living with their child’s mother 

(parents living together were not allowed to be included in the study; however, some couples reconciled 

during the course of the study and moved in together, thus the category of “living with other birth parent”). 

More nonresident fathers of children in foster care were living in “other” arrangements, a category that 

includes incarceration; living with family members, friends or female partners; living in a shelter or other 

group care environment; or being homeless. 

Table 5**: Living Status of Birth Parents of Children in Foster Care, 2005 

Current Residential Status Nonresident 

Father 

(N=1,056) 

Resident 

Mother 

(N=1,635) 

Living alone 13.9% 18.5% 

Living with other birth parentxxv 4.0% 2.6% 

Living with another male/female not 

parent of the child 

22.4% 23.3% 

Other 24.1% 21.4% 

Unknown 35.6% 34.2% 

Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services-Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, (Malm, 

Murray & Geen, 2006). **Table 5 includes residential status of parents after child had been removed and placed in foster care.

Differences by Status of Parental Rights 

A large number of parents of children in foster care still have their parental rights intact. Table 6 shows 

that the majority of nonresident fathers still had parental rights to their children in foster care in 2005. A 

higher percentage of nonresident fathers had their rights terminated than did resident mothers. Yet fewer 

nonresident fathers voluntarily relinquished the rights to their children than did resident mothers. 
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Table 6: Parental Rights Status of Birth Parents of Children in Foster Care, 2005 

Status of Parental 

Rights 

Nonresident 

Fathers 

(N=1,955) 

Resident 

Mothers 

(N=1,635) 

Still has parental rights 65.9% 73.5% 

Rights were terminated 20.3% 18.4% 

Rights were voluntary 

relinquished 

4.8% 5.9% 

Don’t know 9.0% 2.2% 

Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services-Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, 

(Malm, Murray & Geen, 2006) 

Differences by Problems Identified 

The problems and issues that birth parents are dealing with—such as drugs, inadequate housing, and 

unemployment—are often the reason for removal of children from their homes and placing them in foster 

care. Table 7 shows that in 2005, a majority of resident mothers and nonresident fathers of children in 

foster care had difficulties with alcohol and drugs. Though some nonresident fathers may have limited 

contact with the home of removal, the problems faced by both nonresident fathers and resident mothers 

are similar. Compared with resident mothers, nonresident fathers suffered many fewer mental or physical 

health difficulties. Nonresident fathers had more issues with criminal justice involvement. 

Table 7: Problems of Birth Parents of Children in Foster Care, 2005 

Problems Identified Nonresident 

Fathers 

(N=1,071) 

Resident 

Mothers 

(N=1,571) 

Alcohol/drugs 58.2% 65.4% 

Prior finding of abuse/neglect 29.6% 58.6% 

Unemployment 40.7% 58.1% 

Inadequate 

housing/homelessness 

41.7% 57.4% 

Mental/physical health 22.9% 54.1% 

Domestic violence 33.3% 39.7% 

Criminal justice involvement 52.5% 37.5% 

No child care 21.2% 26.2% 

Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services-Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, 

(Malm, Murray & Geen, 2006) 

Definition of Measures and Data Sources 

Trends in foster care population and subgroups of the foster care population were obtained from the 

Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS). AFCARS is a national adoption 

and foster care reporting system supported by the federal government. The Children’s Bureau of the U.S. 

Department of Health and Human Services collects AFCARS data from all states and the District of 

Columbia. All states and the District of Columbia are required to submit case-level information to 

AFCARS for all children who are in foster care and for all children who have been adopted. For foster 

care population trends, states were asked to report the number of children in care on the last day of the 

fiscal year, September 30, 2005. 

Data on the relationships between nonresident fathers and their children in foster care compared with the 

general population were based on analyses from The 1994 National Study of Protective, Preventive, and 

Reunification Services. This study provided information on the number and types of services provided to 

children and their families, case duration, in-home and out-of-home services, race, and kinship care.xxvi

Caseworkers were asked if the paternity of the child was known. 
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Data on the characteristics of nonresident fathers and resident mothers with children in foster care were 

reported by Malm, Murray, and Geen (2006) in What About the Dads? Child Welfare Agencies’ Efforts to 

Identify, Locate, and Involve Nonresident Fathers. Local agency caseworkers were interviewed to 

examine how caseworkers conduct their work with nonresident fathers. Telephone interviews were 

conducted with 1,222 caseworkers in reference to 1,958 eligible cases.xxvii

Data Limitations 

Limited data exist on birth families or the homes of removal of children in foster care. Notably, information 

is even more limited on the fathers of children in the foster care system or in the child welfare system in 

general. Therefore, the data presented here are taken from one primary source: Malm, Murray, and 

Geen (2006). The sample size for this study does not constitute a statistically representative sample of 

foster children in the United States. Data from this study were gathered from four states: Arizona, 

Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Tennessee. The authors specifically note that they targeted certain 

areas of the country and only targeted children who had entered foster care for the first time, had been in 

care for a maximum of 36 months, and had biological fathers who were not living in the home.xxviii Also, 

information on the characteristics of nonresident fathers and resident mothers was reported by case 

workers, which affects the accuracy of the information presented. Since mothers are typically the point of 

reference in child welfare cases, certain information on fathers may be limited. 

Data on the relationships between nonresidential fathers and their children in foster care from the 1994 

National Study of Protective, Preventive and Reunification Services did not use a statistically 

representative sample of the U.S. foster care population. Thus, the generalizability of this data is limited. 

Resources 

• AFCARS Data is published on the Children’s Bureau Web site and gives national and state-bystate data on characteristics of the foster care and adoption population: 

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/stats_research/index.htm

• Pew Commission on Foster Care. A Child's Journey Through the Child Welfare System. 

This guide describes how a child may progress through a typical state child welfare system: 

http://pewfostercare.org/docs/index.php?DocID=24 

• The Child Welfare Information Gateway, formerly the National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse 

and Neglect Information and the National Adoption Information Clearinghouse, is a Web site that 

provides access to information and resources to help protect children and strengthen families. 

The Web site is a service of the Children’s Bureau, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. 

Department of Health and Human Services: http://www.childwelfare.gov 

• The Children’s Bureau provides state and national data on adoption and foster care, child abuse 

and neglect, and child welfare services. The Children’s Bureau also funds research in 

collaboration with other organizations: 

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/stats_research/index.htm 
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References 

 

i

 Badeau, S., & Gesiriech, S. (n.d.) A child’s journey through the child welfare system. Retrieved June 22, 2007, from 

http://pewfostercare.org/docs/index.php?DocID=24 

ii McCarthy, J., Marshall, Al, Collins, J., Arganza, G., Deserly, K., & Milon, J. (2005). A family’s guide to the child welfare system: 

Second edition. Retrieved June 28, 2007, from http: http://www.cwla.org/childwelfare/fg.pdf 

iii Ibid. 

iv Ibid. 

v

 Ibid. 

vi Ibid. 

vii Ibid. 

viii Ibid. ix Ibid. 

x

 Child Welfare League of America (1999, October 19). CWLA testimony submitted to the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Health 

Care for the Hearing on the Health Care Needs of Children in the Foster Care System. Retrieved July 17, 2007, from 

http://www.cwla.org/advocacy/indlivtest991013.htm 

xiU.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children, Youth, and Families. Child Welfare Information 

Gateway (2006). How does the child welfare system work? Retrieved June 18, 2007, from 

http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/factsheets/cpswork.cfm. 

xii McCarthy, J., Marshall, Al, Collins, J., Arganza, G., Deserly, K., & Milon, J. (2005). xiii National Child Welfare Resource Center for Family-Centered Practice. (2002). Father involvement in child welfare: 

Estrangement and reconciliation. Best Practice Next Practice, Family-Centered Child Welfare. Retrieved June 18, 2007, from 

www.hunter.cuny.edu/socwork/nrcfcpp/downloads/newsletter/BPNPSummer02.pdf

xiv Malm, K., Murray, J. & Geen, R. (2006). What about the dads? Child welfare agencies’ efforts to identify, locate and involve 

nonresident fathers. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for 

Planning and Evaluation. 

xv Malm, K., Murray, J., & Geen, R. (2006). 

xvi Sonenstein, F., Malm, K., & Billing, A. (2002). Study of fathers’ involvement in permanency planning and child welfare casework. 

Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation. xvii National Child Welfare Resource Center for Family-Centered Practice. (2002). xviii Malm, K., Murray, J., & Geen, R. (2006). xix Ibid. xxHarden, B. (2004). Safety and stability of foster children: A developmental perspective. The Future of Children, 14(1), 3-4. xxiU.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Children’s Bureau, AFCARS Reports 

#10, 11, 12 and 13. Retrieved May 3, 2007, from http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/stats_research/index.htm xxii Ibid. xxiii U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Children’s Bureau, AFCARS Report 

#13. Retrieved May 3, 2007, from http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/stats_research/afcars/tar/report13.htm xxiv Malm, K.E. (2003). Getting noncustodial dads involved in the lives of foster children. Washington, DC: Urban Institute. xxv Parents living together were not allowed to be included in the study, but some couples reconciled during the course of the study 

and moved in together. 

xxvi National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect. (2007). National Study of Protective, Preventive, and Reunification Services 

Delivered to Children and Their Families, 1994. Retrieved July 2, 2007, from 

http://www.ndacan.cornell.edu/NDACAN/Datasets/Abstracts/DatasetAbstract_71.html 

xxvii Malm, K., Murray, J., & Geen, R. (2006). xxviii Malm, K., Murray, J., & Geen, R. (2006).