Infants entering foster care compared to other infants using birth status indicators

Infants comprise nearly one fourth of all entries to foster care. Linkage of administrative birth and placement data can provide information about these infants that may otherwise be unavailable or difficult to obtain.

Statewide birth records and foster care placement histories were linked via probability matching. Logit regression was used to compare 26,460 maltreated infants who entered foster care between 1989 and 1994 with a random sample of 68,401 other infants born during that time frame.

Infants in care were more than twice as likely to have single parents and be born with low birthweight, and twice as likely to have been born with a birth abnormality as other infants, controlling for other factors. The largest difference was in the eightfold increased likelihood for mothers of infants in care to have had no prenatal care. Infants in care were nearly three times as likely to be born into larger families (third or greater live births to the mother). Mothers of infants in care were more than twice as likely to be African American compared to White than mothers of other infants, while Hispanic and Other ethnic groups were underrepresented in the group of infants in care. Foreign born mothers, especially Hispanic women, were much less likely to have infants in care than they were to have children in the other group.

Administrative datasets, while often limited in the number of variables they include and scope of their information, can be a valuable tool when used to understand demographics and frame questions for future research. Infants who enter foster care differ in substantial ways from other children. These findings have important implications for future research aimed toward targeting of child welfare services and supports.