Introduction

In a groundbreaking report unveiled at the American Academy of Pediatrics 2024 National Conference, shocking disparities have emerged regarding the experiences of children with disabilities in foster care settings. This extensive research has shown that these vulnerable children face significantly greater challenges, including a disturbing increased risk of mortality compared to their non-disabled peers.

Study Overview

Entitled "The Effect of Initial Disability on Permanency Outcomes of Children in Foster Care," the study analyzed data from the Adoption and Foster Care Reporting System (AFCARS) spanning fiscal years 2005 to 2019. This comprehensive examination included over 3.24 million children aged 0 to 16 at the onset of their time in foster care, shedding light on how disability type correlates with long-term outcomes.

Key Findings

The findings were striking: children with disabilities were considerably less likely to attain permanent placements such as adoption or reunification with their families. Instead, they faced a higher likelihood of non-permanency discharges—circumstances where a child ages out of the system, runs away, or is moved to another agency.

In particular, those with intellectual disabilities exhibited a staggering relative risk (RR) for non-permanency outcomes of 1.79, while children with visual or hearing impairments and emotional disturbances faced risks of 1.72 and 3.01, respectively (p<0.0001).