District of Columbia
What District of Columbia reported to the federal government about the children in its custody and the children it investigated. Where a year says not reported, that is the record.
The funnel, FFY 2024
District of Columbia vs. national
What happened to reports of child maltreatment in District of Columbia in federal fiscal year 2024, at each decision point. Rates are what make states comparable; raw counts mostly measure population.
| Stage | District of Columbia | Rate | National |
|---|---|---|---|
| Referrals to CPSCounts: referrals | 16,900 | 130.2per 1,000 children | 59.3 |
| Screened in (became reports)Counts: referrals | 2,32313.7% of referrals | — | 47.1% |
| Screened outCounts: referrals | 14,57786.3% of referrals | — | 52.9% |
| Children investigated or given an alternative responseCounts: children | 5,127 | 39.5per 1,000 children | 40.6 |
| Child victims (substantiated or indicated)Counts: children | 1,012 | 7.8per 1,000 children | 7.2 |
| Child fatalitiesCounts: children | 7 | 5.39per 100,000 children | 2.41 |
Referrals, reports, children, and victims are four different denominators and are not interchangeable. A referral may concern more than one child; a child may appear in more than one referral; a victim is a child with a substantiated or indicated disposition. National figures are the Children's Bureau's own estimates, not sums of the state rows.
Source: Child Maltreatment 2024 (NCANDS), Tables 2-3, 3-1, 3-3, 4-1
What District of Columbia does not report
For the measures on this page, District of Columbia reported a figure in every year covered. That is not the same as the figures being complete or comparable — see the methodology for what the federal record does not measure at all.
Maltreatment and fatalities over time (NCANDS)
Child fatalities reported to NCANDS, District of Columbia, FFY2020 to FFY2024
Source: Child Maltreatment 2024 (NCANDS)
KARA VerifiedChild Maltreatment 2024 (NCANDS)FFY 2024Counts: child fatalities
Child maltreatment victims, District of Columbia, FFY2020 to FFY2024
Source: Child Maltreatment 2024 (NCANDS)
KARA VerifiedChild Maltreatment 2024 (NCANDS)FFY 2024Counts: child victims (substantiated or indicated)
Foster care (AFCARS)
| Measure | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adopted with public agency involvement | 110 | 107 | 106 | 110 | 91 | 100 | 98 | 98 | 110 | 97 |
| Entered foster care | 396 | 383 | 435 | 395 | 321 | 336 | 360 | 212 | 243 | 189 |
| Exited foster care | 568 | 536 | 422 | 422 | 380 | 361 | 389 | 298 | 306 | 260 |
| In foster care on September 30 | 1,034 | 871 | 873 | 826 | 751 | 707 | 672 | 577 | 504 | 427 |
| Children served in foster care | 1,602 | 1,407 | 1,294 | 1,248 | 1,131 | 1,068 | 1,061 | 875 | 810 | 687 |
| Termination of parental rights | 61 | 50 | 33 | 7 | 6 | 10 | 5 | 12 | 3 | 0 |
| Waiting for adoption | 276 | 251 | 233 | 217 | 190 | 181 | 202 | 162 | 156 | 139 |
Source: AFCARS state tables, FY2013 to FY2022
AFCARS 2020 rule, FFY2023 to FFY2025 (preliminary)
Collected under the AFCARS 2020 final rule, first effective FFY 2023. Counts include ages 0 to 23. Figures are preliminary estimates from submissions received by February 27, 2026, and states may still revise them. This series is not comparable with the FY 2013 to FY 2022 series, which was collected under the 1993 rule and counted a narrower population; this site does not join the two. Wyoming first submitted under the new rule for FFY 2024 and Washington for FFY 2025; earlier years for those states are shown as not reported.
| Measure | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entered foster care | 170 | 236 | 171 |
| In foster care on September 30 | 493 | 541 | 523 |
| Exited foster care | 202 | 182 | 182 |
Counts: children (ages 0 to 23)
Source: AFCARS Dashboard, preliminary FFY2025 estimates (No. 33)
District of Columbia in the archive
What the numbers above cost, in KARA's own reporting.
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KARA reportingMike TikkanenFebruary 24, 2026
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- Child Welfare News Fall 2024 (compiled articles)
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KARA compiles child abuse and neglect stories and data about abused and neglected children
- Child Welfare Information (find your state here)
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These recent articles reflect the stories of America's at risk children and youth. If we don't know the issues, there doesn't seem to be a problem. If we don't see a problem there is no need for a solution. Their stories are real. Find thei...
- What Child Abuse Looked Like in America Last Week (a snapshot)
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Those of us that know about the traumas abused children suffer need to say more if we are ever to reverse the trend of generational child abuse in America. These articles were compiled over the last week. The COVID pandemic has reduced repo...
- For New Mexico's At Risk Children - Life is Very Hard (find your state here)
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Across the board, America's Southern States seem to maintain an anti tax mantra that devalues the well-being of other people's children. This clear from the KIDS COUNT statistics over the years. This is their most recent data for 2020
- July 2017 Sad Stories Part II
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Kids At Risk Action tracks current news about child abuse & neglect bringing transparency and attention to our youngest and most vulnerable citizens. This is only a sampling of what should be reported – the majority of child trauma & abuse ...
- Sad Stories April 2017 Part II
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American states are struggling to find answers for saving at risk children and reversing the explosive growth of child abuse and neglect in our communities. 37% of children overall and 57% of Black children are reported to child protection ...
- January Sad Stories Part I (thru 1.13.17)
KARA reportingMike TikkanenJanuary 14, 2017
Sign Up Here For KARA’s Free Friday Morning Real Story KARA tracks current news about at risk children bringing transparency and attention to our youngest and most vulnerable citizens. Please note that what you see here is only a sampling o...