Separation and Permanency Failures

• Hundreds of thousands of children torn from families: In FY2023 there were 343,077 children in U.S. foster care . Yet only ~44% of the 184,095 youth who exited that year were reunited with parents . This means 56% never returned home (only 27% were adopted, 10% to guardianship) . Each year thousands “age out” at 18 without a permanent family – in FY2023 that number was 15,590 youth .

• Long waits and stalled legal ties: Over 36,400 children were legally free for adoption in 2023 yet still waiting for a family . Disturbingly, 52% of those with an adoption plan had not even had parental rights terminated , often keeping birth families in limbo. In total, more than 77,000 children are currently awaiting a permanent family  – a heartbreaking backlog of childhoods in limbo.

Missing Native and Indigenous Children

• Disproportionate disappearance from care: Indigenous children are vastly overrepresented in the missing-child crisis. 68% of missing Native American children were last seen in foster care or group homes . According to NCMEC data, a staggering 80% of missing Native kids (2012–2021) had vanished from foster or group care settings – far above the 73% rate for all missing children .

• Thousands of cases reported: From 2009–2018, over 1,900 cases of missing Native/Indigenous children were reported to authorities . Tribes and advocates call this an epidemic: Native children are disappearing into foster care. (By contrast, American Indian/Alaska Native kids are only ~1% of U.S. children but 2% of those in care , underscoring their vulnerability.)

Racial Disparities in Child Removal

• Black children 2.5× more likely to enter care:  Black youth are dramatically overrepresented in the system.  They make up 22% of children in foster care but only 14% of all U.S. kids  – and are 2.5 times more likely than white children to be placed in foster care . By age 18, over 50% of Black children have had a CPS investigation , and Black children are more likely to be removed (15% higher) once investigated .

• Native children overrepresented: American Indian/Alaska Native children account for 2% of kids in foster care vs ~1% of the population . This double representation, combined with the missing-children crisis above, highlights severe bias. (In one state, Native kids were 18× more likely than whites to be removed from family .)

• Systemic racism worsens outcomes: Once in care, children of color fare worse. Black and Native youth are less likely to reunify and often stay longer in foster care than white peers .  Shockingly, any child with 5 or more placements has a 90% chance of later incarceration  – a “foster-to-prison” pipeline that disproportionately harms Black and Brown youth.

Abuse, Trauma, and Mortality in Foster Youth

• Trauma is near-universal: An estimated 90% of children in foster care have suffered at least one traumatic event  (abuse, neglect, violence, etc.).  Abuse in care is alarmingly common – up to 40% report being abused while in foster homes or group care . These are children meant to be protected, yet so many endure more harm in the system.

• PTSD and mental illness: About 1 in 4 foster youth (25%) suffer clinical PTSD .  Former foster children are twice as likely as U.S. war veterans to have PTSD .  More than half of alumni report other serious mental health issues (depression, anxiety, etc.) .

• Educational and health impacts: 65% of foster children change schools seven or more times (elementary through high school) , disrupting any stability. Only 3% of foster care alumni ever earn a college degree .  Foster youth also have far worse health: they are 42% more likely to die than their peers , and far more likely to suffer chronic health problems, substance abuse, or suicide.

• Vulnerability to exploitation: Youth in foster care face elevated risks of human trafficking, sexual abuse, and chronic mental illness compared to other children .  They are also disproportionately prescribed psychotropic medications and suffer behavioral issues – a cycle of damage few outside the system hear about.

Failures of Reunification and Permanency

• Reunification fails half the time: Federal data show only about 44–49% of foster children are ever reunited with their parents  .  In other words, more children end up lost to their families than regain them.  The rest are adopted (27%), go to relatives (10%), or simply age out.

• Lengthy time in limbo: Over one-third of exits in 2023 had lingered 2+ years in care (67,746 children); more than 37,000 stayed 3+ years .  These long stays violate federal guidelines and inflict prolonged trauma – childhoods on hold.

• Permanency delays: Even adoption is slow: only 15% of foster children are adopted each year , and over half of those planned adoptions stall because parental rights aren’t yet terminated . Meanwhile, 36,411 children legally free for adoption were still waiting for families in FY2023 .

Additional Alarming Facts

• School success is rare: Less than half of foster students graduate high school on time, and barely 3% complete college , trapping many in poverty.

• Systemic neglect: Foster youth routinely report that basic needs (food, medical care, emotional support) are inconsistently met. Many lack therapy or trauma care despite obvious need.

• Psychotropics overuse: Children in care are far more likely than others to be put on powerful psychiatric drugs , often without family oversight.

• Widespread grief: The vast majority of foster kids know they were removed “for no good reason” (poverty or parent illness) and feel abandoned. Even official reviews admit removals often hinge on alleged neglect tied to poverty .

Sources: Official data and research paint a grim picture    . These facts – tens of thousands of children ripped from loving homes, enduring abuse in care, and often never returning – underscore how CPS and foster systems can inflict deep, lasting harm. Each statistic above is documented by reputable studies or federal reports.

We’re Not Against Adoption. We’re Against Injustice.

Let it be known:

We are not against adoption.

In some cases, it’s absolutely necessary.

When a child is in true danger, when no safe family can be found, when love and protection are needed—

Adoption can save lives.

But we are against secrecy, corruption, and the severing of families that could’ve been saved.

We are against systems that profit off children, rather than protect them.

We are against silencing the real parents, the real pain, and the real consequences of forced separation.

We believe in a better future:

– Where family preservation is the first goal

– Where adoption happens only when truly needed

– And where transparency and truth lead every decision made for a child

This is not a war between adoptive and biological parents.

This is a movement for the children—for their roots, their safety, and their future.

If you’re an adoptive parent doing your best—we honor you.

If you’re a biological parent trying to reconnect—we stand with you.

If you’re a child looking for your truth—you are not alone.

Let’s walk forward in truth.

Let’s build systems that heal, not sever.

Let’s protect children on all sides of the story.