BISMARCK, N.D. (Prairie News Service) – More foster youths are being placed in families across the country, according to a new report.

The Annie E. Casey Foundation says the proportion of kids in foster care who were placed with families rather than in group homes rose from 81 percent in 2007 to 86 percent in 2017. North Dakota saw massive gains over that time, jumping from 74 to 87 percent.

Kelsey Bless with the North Dakota Department of Human Services says the state has seen a spike in the amount of kids going into foster care because of parental substance abuse but also has put a lot of energy into reducing placement in group homes.

The report shows that children nationwide are more likely to be placed with people related to them, growing from 25-percent to 32-percent in a decade. Rob Geen with the Casey Foundation says that has been an important development.

But he adds that progress has been slower for children of color and for teens. According to the report, 95-percent of children age 12 and younger were placed with families in 2017, compared with 58-percent of kids 13 and older.