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The Number of Children in Los Angeles County Foster Care Has Plunged. The Imprint Set Out To Discover Why.
December 17, 2025 | Jeremy Loudenback, The Imprint
“In recent years, a quiet but massive change has taken place in the nation’s largest local child welfare system.
A growing number of calls to the CPS hotline prompt a referral to a food bank or homeless shelter — instead of a social worker investigation. Public hospitals no longer report new moms for using drugs. And parents accused of abuse or neglect receive legal assistance well before their cases land in dependency court.
This is a snapshot of Los Angeles County and its shrinking reliance on foster care, down 46% from just five years ago. Statewide numbers have fallen almost as dramatically since 2020, dropping 33%, according to state statistics.
Brandon Nichols, director of the county’s Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), attributes the drop to better social work and “getting to the root” of family dysfunction that causes harm to children.”
“In recent years, a quiet but massive change has taken place in the nation’s largest local child welfare system. A growing number of calls to the CPS hotline prompt a referral to a food bank or homeless shelter — instead of a social worker investigation. Public hospitals no longer report new moms for using drugs….