Foster care often fails children with disabilities, investigation finds

Children with disabilities form one of the largest groups in the foster-care system and consistently record the worst outcomes, according to a review of national data and individual case histories.

They stay in care longer, move among placements more often and face higher rates of institutionalization and death than children without documented disabilities.

The numbers

Federal and state data show that disabled children are overrepresented in foster care relative to their share of the child population. Once in the system, they are less likely to exit to permanent family placements and more likely to age out without a permanent home.

Case reviews examined for this reporting described repeated placement breakdowns when caregivers lacked training or support for medical and behavioral needs.

System gaps

Child-welfare agencies often struggle to find foster homes equipped for complex medical care. Group homes and residential facilities fill the gap in many states, but those settings can limit family contact and educational stability.

Training for foster parents on disability-specific needs remains uneven, and coordination with Medicaid and special-education systems is frequently cited as a weak point by caseworkers.

What advocates want

Advocacy groups are pressing for higher support payments for specialized foster homes, mandatory disability training and stronger requirements that agencies exhaust family-based options before residential placement.

Several state legislatures have opened hearings on the issue this year after high-profile deaths of children with disabilities in care. Federal child-welfare officials said they are reviewing guidance on placement standards.