This measure represents the percentage of days children and youth in care are served in a residential setting. The goal for this measure is to decrease the number of days children and youth in care spend in a residential setting. While there are some instances when residential care is necessary based on a client's needs, DCFS strives to ensure children are moved to a home-based setting as soon as possible when residential care is needed. DCFS strives to serve children in their home or with kin whenever safely possible, and in a family-based foster care setting when children are not able to remain home or with kin.

Data is reported six weeks after the end of each quarter to allow time for data entry by direct service and support staff.

DCFS has observed an increase in the number of children and youth in care with complex needs requiring higher levels of support, along with a decrease in available proctor-level homes. As a result, more children and youth have been placed in residential facilities, with rates rising from about 7–8% during fiscal years 2020–2023 to a peak of 10.45% in the second quarter of fiscal year 2024. The current rate of 9.58% in the second quarter of fiscal year 2026 reflects some improvement from the peak. DCFS is working to address the shortage of moderate-level placements, which would allow many youth in higher levels of care to transition to less restrictive settings. Additionally, DCFS is collaborating with the Youth Provider Association to address the shortage of proctor-level homes.