Wyoming’s Foster Care Snapshot

A new Kids Count snapshot of foster care in the U.S. shows a slight decline in the overall number of children in care. But it also shows that the older a child is, the less likely he or she is to be placed in what’s considered the best scenario for success later in life...especially in Wyoming.

Laura Speer with The Annie E. Casey Foundation says the data they released shows Wyoming teens are ending up in non-relative foster homes, group homes or institutions too often, and that puts them at a disadvantage as they are about to “age out” of the system.

"It’s kind of a double jeopardy, because they are going to be leaving foster care soon, and if they’re in a group home, they’re less likely to have that permanent family connection that they need."

Speer says they're calling for more focus on foster care with relatives, which says is “ideal” for most kids.

"So they can maintain relationships with their siblings, go to the same school, often, they can keep their friends…and so it’s much less disruptive to them, and just better for them overall."

About 12-hundred children are in foster care in Wyoming, whether that be with relatives, non-relatives, or in institutions and group homes.

Thirty-six percent of Wyoming foster youth are placed in group homes or institutions. The national average is 16-percent. Speer says youth in those homes are more likely to have behavioral, emotional and physical problems as young adults.

Wyoming News Network