Study on Children Who Age out of Foster Care System without Being Adopted or Reunited with Their Natural Parents

Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim asked the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) over the past 10 years, what is the percentage of children who age out of the foster care system without being adopted or reunited with their natural parents; and (b) whether there has been any study conducted on such children as they become adults particularly on (i) securing employment (ii) home ownership and (iii) risk of incarceration.

Children who have been abused, neglected or abandoned are placed in alternative care such as with foster families. This is usually a temporary arrangement, until it is safe for the children to return home to their families. MSF and social service agencies (SSAs) work with the children and their families towards safe reunification wherever possible.

The proportion of foster children who aged out of MSF’s fostering scheme and were not reunified with their birth families or adopted is low, accounting for less than 1% of foster children each year from 2011 to 2020. Of this handful of young adults, almost all of them would stay with their relatives or stay on with their foster parents.

At present, while there is no dedicated research on children who age out of foster care, MSF and the National Council of Social Service collaborate on research on the outcomes of vulnerable children. Preliminary findings suggest that children impacted by certain negative life events, such as contact with the criminal justice system or child protective system, generally earn lower incomes in adulthood and are also more likely to be staying in rental housing, compared to those who did not have such experiences. In addition, individuals with a history of contact with the child protection and welfare systems are also more likely to have contact with the criminal justice system. If individuals have any specific needs for assistance, MSF together with other Government agencies and our SSA partners would provide the necessary support to them. These findings are consistent with overseas research and underscore the importance of MSF and SSAs’ efforts to intervene upstream and early to help children from at-risk families, so that they may achieve better outcomes in life.