Adoption and Foster Care Analysis System (AFCARS) Adoption File

The Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) is a federally mandated data collection system that receives case-level information on all children in foster care and those who have been adopted with a state agency’s involvement and report this data to the Department of Health and Human Services/Administration for Children and Families/Administration on Children Youth and Families/Children’s Bureau. From the Children’s Bureau, the data collected by AFCARS is submitted to the National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect at Cornell University for distribution to qualified users. This Guide is intended to provide background and guidance on use of the AFCARS data.
AFCARS data are used by the Children’s Bureau for providing summary data to the public, for monitoring states’ progress on improving child welfare programs, for allotting funds for various programs, and for data quality improvement. The data housed by NDACAN is used most commonly for academic research on child welfare and child welfare policy.
The data files submitted to the Children’s Bureau are case level data. There is information on each child under the agency’s responsibility for placement and care that was removed from their home. The file contains a minimal amount of information on the child but does include:
• Child demographics including sex, birth date, race, and ethnicity.
• Number of previous stays in foster care,
• Service goals, availability for adoption,
• Dates of removal and discharge,
• Funding sources, and
• Data on parents and other caretakers