Resources

Reports and Insights

Informing Advocacy and Action

Explore the latest statistics and information related to child and family well-being in Missouri. Our resources provide valuable insights and data to inform decision-making, advocacy efforts and program development aimed at improving outcomes for children and families across the state.
children with building blocks

Nationally, Missouri is ranked:

0rd
for family and community safety
0nd
in public health funding
0th highest
in violent crime
0th highest
segregated communities

The top five reasons Missouri children were referred to Intensive In-Home Services are:

  1. parent/child conflict
  2. parenting skills problems
  3. communication
  4. child neglect
  5. mental health/emotional issues

The number of Missouri children in foster care has increased 49% from May 2009 to May 2022.

This puts Missouri at double the national average of children in foster care.

Only 6% of hotline calls in FY 2023 were substantiated.

Substantiated FY 2022 Reports

54.6%

a finding of neglect

‘Finding of neglect’ is a broadly defined and inconsistently applied term. The top conditions cited were:

  1. lack of supervision
  2. inadequate housing

National Stats

One out of two children who enter foster care will never reunite with their families.

one child standing alone, and a child with a family

Children who experience five or more placements while in foster care have a 90% contact rate with law enforcement. (1)

1 source: (crimlawpractitioner.org)
More than 0%

of Black children in America are the subject of a child abuse and negelct investigation by the age of 18.

Insights by Community

48.3%

of children returned to their homes after being in care in Jackson County. (FY 2024, DSS)

22.1%

of children in care in Jackson County had five or more placements. (FY 2024, DSS)

Reasons children entered care in Jackson County:
Source: DSS Children’s Division Child Abuse and Neglect Annual Report FY 2024

44.8%

of children returned to their homes after being in care in St. Louis City and County. (FY 2024, DSS)

20.9%

of children in care in St. Louis City and County had five or more placements. (FY 2024, DSS)

Reasons children entered care in St. Louis City and County:
Source: DSS Children’s Division Child Abuse and Neglect Annual Report FY 2024

82.5%

of children returned to their homes after being in care in St. Louis City and County. (FY 2024, DSS)

21.4%

of children in care in St. Louis City and County had five or more placements. (FY 2024, DSS)

Reasons children entered care in Adair County:
Source: DSS Children’s Division Child Abuse and Neglect Annual Report FY 2024

47.9%

of children returned to their homes after being in care in Greene County. (FY 2024, DSS)

38.2%

of children returned to their homes after being in care in Jasper County. (FY 2024, DSS)

55.4%

of children returned to their homes after being in care in Newton County. (FY 2024, DSS)

19.9%

of children in care in Greene County had five or more placements. (FY 2024, DSS)

23.4%

of children in care in Jasper County had five or more placements. (FY 2024, DSS)

17.7%

of children in care in Newton County had five or more placements. (FY 2024, DSS)

Reasons children entered care in Greene County:
Reasons children entered care in Jasper County:
Reasons children entered care in Newton County:
Source: DSS Children’s Division Child Abuse and Neglect Annual Report FY 2024

62%

of children returned to their homes after being in care in Scott County. (FY 2024, DSS)

74.4%

of children returned to their homes after being in care in Stoddard County. (FY 2024, DSS)

19.6%

of children in care in Scott County had five or more placements. (FY 2024, DSS)

14.5%

of children in care in Stoddard County had five or more placements. (FY 2024, DSS)

Reasons children entered care in Scott County:
Reasons children entered care in Stoddard County:
Source: DSS Children’s Division Child Abuse and Neglect Annual Report FY 2024

Why do Missouri children enter foster care?

In FY 2022, 4,151 children were involved in abuse/neglect incidents.

Neglect Categories

More Reasons for Entering Foster Care

Parents do not choose homelessness or inadequate housing. Children often enter foster care for these conditions born of poverty, not neglect.

5,992 Missourians were homeless on any given night in 2022. 1,680 Missourians experienced homelessness as part of a family.

While the number of Missourians experiencing homelessness decreased 4% between 2007 and 2022, the number of unsheltered homeless increased 44% during that same period.

Source: National Alliance to End Homelessness

204,049, or 27%, of all renter households are extremely low-income (maximum income of $26,500 for a four-person household). There are 114,609 affordable rental homes available for extremely low-income renters, resulting in a shortage of suitable housing for this population bracket.

Source: National Low Income Housing Coalition. 2023 Missouri Housing Profile

Substance-use disorders can be traumatic for every family, but when the impacted family lives in poverty, the chance of a child being removed and placed in foster care increases.

The latest estimates from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health1 indicate 778,000 Missouri adolescents and adults experienced substance use disorders during the past year, including:

  • 526,000 with disorders involving alcohol use
  • 343,000 with illicit drug use 
  • 49,000 with prescription drug

Missouri data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health also indicates 996,000 adult residents experienced mental health issues during the past year, including:

  • 292,000 with serious mental illness
  • 483,000 who experienced major depressive episodes 
  • 256,000 who had serious thoughts of suicide

In addition, 79,000 adolescents had major depressive episodes.

Source: Missouri Department of Mental Health, Division of Behavioral Health, Status Report on Missouri’s Substance Use and Mental Health-28th Edition-2022

Community-Based Care Outcomes

MCC members provided case management services for

0+

Missouri children in foster care

Meet Our Members

How We’re Reaching Permanency

1,413 of the children we served reached permanency. Permanency describes when children leave foster care and are either reunified with their family, adopted or enter guardianship.
Safety is paramount. 99.8% of the children served by community-based case management had no substantiated cases of abuse or neglect during this reporting period.

99.8%

had no cases of abuse while being served by our members

95%

did not re-enter foster care
Supporting and preparing for successful permanency is an integral aspect of community-based foster care case management. Of the children who were reunified with their families, adopted or entered guardianship, 95% maintained permanency and did not re-enter foster care.

Media and Links

The following are videos, podcasts and media coverage that discuss how we are supporting or could better support our communities and families staying safely together.