Explore the Data

Child Out-of-Home Placements

The percentage of children in out-of-home placements has fluctuated in the past decade

Nebraska’s child protective custody system has been widely criticized for the high percentages of children that are placed in out-of-home care (such as foster care). However, there have been improvements in the past decade.

• In Lancaster County, the percentage of children in foster care continues to be higher than the national rate.^5,6
• Although the percentage of children in out-of-home placement is a relatively small percentage of Lincoln’s children, 524 children were in out-of-home placements in 2023.⁵
• Since 2010, the percentage of children in out-of-home placements has declined steadily from a high of 1.25% to 0.7% in 2023.

Notes

National data from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) Reports. Local data from The Nebraska Foster Care Review Office, Annual Reports.

2016 and 2020 data for Lancaster County is not available in public reports.

Footnotes

5.  All data is point-in-time. Lancaster County data 2006 through 2009 for December 20; 2011 and later for June 30. National data is for September 30 of each year.

6.  These figures exclude children who are removed from homes due to juvenile justice interventions.