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Indiana Value:
Percentage of children in foster care with three or more placements within 12 months
Indiana Rank:
Percentage of children in foster care with three or more placements within 12 months
7.9% - 11.3%
11.4% - 14.1%
14.2% - 16.9%
17.0% - 20.3%
20.4% - 31.8%
US Value: 15.2 %
Top State(s): Rhode Island: 7.9 %
Bottom State(s): South Carolina: 26.6 %
Definition: Percentage of children in foster care with three or more placements within 12 months
Data Source and Years(s): U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Children's Bureau, Child Welfare Outcomes Report Series, 2021
Suggested Citation: America's Health Rankings analysis of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Children's Bureau, Child Welfare Outcomes Report Series, United Health Foundation, AmericasHealthRankings.org, accessed 2026.
Children need consistency, predictability and attachment from caring adults to thrive. This is especially true for children in foster care, who have often experienced trauma leading up to their foster placement.
The trauma of unstable or negative foster care experiences can cause both short-term and lifelong consequences. Physical, mental and emotional health issues associated with foster care include:
Children at risk of increased foster care instability include:
Strategies to improve foster care stability include:
Healthy People 2030 has a goal to increase the proportion of adolescents in foster care who show signs of being ready for adulthood.
Courtney, Mark E., Amy Dworsky, Adam Brown, Colleen Cary, Kara Love, and Vanessa Vorhies. Midwest Evaluation of the Adult Functioning of Former Foster Youth: Outcomes at Age 26. Chicago, IL: Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, 2011. https://www.chapinhall.org/wp-content/uploads/Midwest-Eval-Outcomes-at-Age-26.pdf.
Miranda, Megan, Eman Tadros, and Elizabeth Molla. “The Experience of Foster Care and Long-Term Attachment.” The American Journal of Family Therapy 48, no. 1 (January 1, 2020): 87–106. https://doi.org/10.1080/01926187.2019.1679053.
Noonan, Kathleen, David Rubin, Robin Mekonnen, Sarah Zlotnik, and Amanda O’Reilly. Securing Child Safety, Well-Being, and Permanency Through Placement Stability in Foster Care. Evidence to Action Briefs. PolicyLab at CHOP Research Institute, Fall 2009. https://policylab.chop.edu/sites/default/files/pdf/publications/PolicyLab_EtoA_CSAW_Fall_2009.pdf.
Smithgall, Cheryl, Robert Matthew Gladden, Eboni Howard, Robert Goerge, and Mark Courtney. Educational Experiences of Children in Out-Of-Home Care. Chicago, IL: Chapin Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago, 2004. https://www.chapinhall.org/wp-content/uploads/Smithgall_Educational-Experiences-Children-Out-of-Home_Report_2004.pdf.
Stott, Tonia. “Placement Instability and Risky Behaviors of Youth Aging Out of Foster Care.” Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal 29, no. 1 (February 2012): 61–83. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-011-0247-8.
Wedeles, Julia. “Placement Stability in Child Welfare.” PARTicle, 2016.https://www.oacas.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/PARTicle-Placement-Stability-in-Child-Welfare-FINAL.pdf.
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