Questions?   Privacy   Site Index   Contact Us
			Home   |   Services   |   Working with ACF   |   Policy/Planning   |   About ACF   |   ACF News		Search

Enter Search term hereGo Button  Advanced  Search

Home > Statistics & Research > Child Welfare Outcomes 2000 > Alaska

 

Child Welfare Outcomes 2000: Annual Report
Chapter IV - State Data

Context Data | Outcomes Data | Federal Comment
Return to Table of Contents

Alaska [ Context Data ]

A. Key Context Statistics

General Population	1998	1999	2000
Total children under 18 years	192,261	196,825	190,717
Race/ethnicity (%)1
Alaska Native/American Indian	22.8	23.2	19.4
Asian/Pacific Islander	4.6	4.6	4.1
Black	3.8	3.7	3.6
Hispanic	4.5	4.7	5.4
White	64.3	63.8	58.8
Two or more races	N/A	N/A	8.4
Other	N/A	N/A	0.3
% Child population in poverty	11.3	8.0	10.6
% Child population living in metropolitan areas	52.0	41.5	39.8

 

Child Welfare	1998	1999	2000
Child maltreatment victims	6,726	5,976	6,957
Children in foster care on 9/30	1,940	2,248	2,193
Children adopted	95	137	202

1) The 2000 Census of the United States includes two new race catagories: (1) Persons of two or more races and (2) Other. Back

 

B. Child Maltreatment Data (NCANDS)

	Number			Rate
Maltreatment Information Overview	1998	1999	2000	1998	1998	2000
Children subject of an investigated report alleging child maltreatment	7,489	6,884	8,431	39.0 per 1,000	35.0 per 1,000	44.2 per 1,000
Child maltreatment victims2	6,726	5,976	6,957	35.0 per 1,000	30.4 per 1,000	36.5 per 1,000
Child fatalities	3	6	8	1.6 per 100,000	3.0 per 100,000	4.2 per 100,000

 

Age of Child Victims (%)	1998	1999	2000
Under 1 year	7.4	7.4	7.8
1-5 years	31.2	29.6	30.9
6-10 years	32.6	32.5	32.1
11-15 years	24.3	25.1	24.4
16+ years	4.5	5.4	4.8
Unknown	-	-	-
Total %	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	6,726	5,976	6,957

 

Race/Ethnicity of Child Victims (%)	1998	1999	2000
Alaska Native/American Indian	42.9	44.2	45.2
Asian/Pacific Islander	1.9	1.8	3.2
Black	7.4	5.7	6.4
Hispanic	2.3	2.2	2.4
White	39.5	38.1	36.9
Two or more races	N/A	N/A	-
Other/Unknown	8.3	10.3	5.8
Total %3	102.3	102.2	100.0
Number	6,726	5,976	6,957

 

Maltreatment Type of Child Victims (%)	1998	1999	2000
Emotional abuse	3.0	6.5	13.5
Medical neglect	-	-	-
Neglect	61.6	60.5	60.5
Physical abuse	30.7	29.6	26.6
Sexual abuse	15.3	15.2	12.1
Other	0.1	0.2	0.1
Unknown	-	-	-
Total %4	110.7	111.9	112.9
Number	6,726	5,976	6,957

2) Children with more than one report of substantiated or indicated maltreatment may be counted more than once. Back
3) Percentages may total more than 100 percent because Hispanics may be counted both by Hispanic ethnicity and by race. Back
4) Percentages may total more than 100 percent because children could have been victims of more than one type of maltreatment. Back

C. Children in Foster Care
(AFCARS Annual Foster Care Database)

Number of Children	In Care on 10/1	Entered Care	Exited Care	In Care on 9/30	Total Served
FY1998 (10/1/97-9/30/98)	1,483	1,092	635	1,940	2,575
FY1999 (10/1/98-9/30/99)	1,800	1,180	732	2,248	2,980
FY2000 (10/1/99-9/30/00)	2,010	1,096	913	2,193	3,106
Median Length of Stay (Months)
FY1998 (10/1/97-9/30/98)	17.8	N/A	10.9	13.8	N/A
FY1999 (10/1/98-9/30/99)	13.9	N/A	12.2	15.2	N/A
FY2000 (10/1/99-9/30/00)	15.0	N/A	14.3	16.7	N/A

 

Age of Children in Foster Care (%)	In Care on 10/1/97	In Care on 10/1/98	In Care on 10/1/99	Entered Care During FY 1998	Entered Care During FY 1999	Entered Care During FY 2000	Exited Care During FY 1998	Exited Care During FY 1999	Exited Care During FY 2000	In Care on 9/30/98	In Care on 9/30/99	In Care on 9/30/00
Under 1 year	4.7	4.8	4.9	13.0	15.9	14.7	2.8	5.7	3.0	4.6	4.7	4.0
1-5 years	30.8	31.7	29.8	32.8	30.0	32.2	32.9	34.7	29.9	31.5	30.1	31.5
6-10 years	28.9	29.9	30.7	27.8	29.7	29.7	30.7	27.9	31.1	29.1	30.7	30.8
11-15 years	24.9	24.4	25.3	22.7	20.2	20.5	19.7	19.7	23.3	24.6	24.7	24.8
16-18 years	10.5	8.8	9.2	3.7	4.1	2.8	13.1	11.1	12.5	9.2	9.1	8.2
19+ years	0.2	0.3	0.1	-	0.1	-	0.8	1.0	0.2	1.0	0.6	0.6
Unknown	-	0.1	0.0	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	0.0	0.1
Total %	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	1,483	1,800	2,010	1,092	1,180	1,096	635	732	913	1,940	2,248	2,193

 

Race/Ethnicity of Children in Foster Care (%)5	In Care on 10/1/97	In Care on 10/1/98	In Care on 10/1/99	Entered Care During FY 1998	Entered Care During FY 1999	Entered Care During FY 2000	Exited Care During FY 1998	Exited Care During FY 1999	Exited Care During FY 2000	In Care on 9/30/98	In Care on 9/30/99	In Care on 9/30/00
Alaska Native/American Indian	52.7	55.7	55.0	55.7	53.2	57.4	50.7	51.5	51.4	55.0	55.7	57.7
Asian/Pacific Islander	0.4	0.7	0.9	1.6	1.2	0.5	1.7	1.1	0.4	0.7	0.8	0.9
Black	12.2	9.9	9.9	8.2	9.2	8.4	12.6	9.8	8.1	9.8	9.6	9.8
Hispanic	2.0	2.0	2.2	2.0	1.8	1.5	1.6	1.1	2.4	2.2	2.2	1.7
White	30.9	29.7	29.5	30.1	31.6	28.4	31.2	34.2	33.8	30.4	29.3	27.1
Two or more races	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Unknown	1.8	2.0	2.5	2.3	3.0	3.9	2.2	2.3	3.8	2.0	2.4	2.7
Total %	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	1,483	1,800	2,010	1,092	1,180	1,096	635	732	913	1,940	2,248	2,193

 

5) In this and subsequent race/ethnicity tables, data for two or more races may be provided for 1998 and 1999 because of States' resubmissions. However, data for 1998 and 1999 may not capture all children of two or more races and therefore may not be comparable to the 2000 data pertaining to two or more races. Back

Back to Top

Return to Table of Contents

D. Children Waiting to Be Adopted
(AFCARS Annual Foster Care Database)⁶

 

Overview	9/30/98	9/30/99	9/30/00
Children waiting to be adopted	726	830	780
Children whose parents' rights have been terminated (TPR)	596	689	582

 

Age of Waiting Children (%)	1998	1999	2000
Under 1 year	6.6	6.5	4.2
1-5 years	40.5	38.8	39.7
6-10 years	35.0	34.5	33.8
11-15 years	14.6	17.1	18.8
16+ years	2.1	2.5	2.4
Unknown	1.2	0.6	0.9
Total %	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	726	830	780

 

Race/Ethnicity of Waiting Children (%)	1998	1999	2000
Alaska Native/American Indian	60.5	57.6	59.9
Asian/Pacific Islander	1.0	1.1	1.2
Black	7.7	9.0	9.4
Hispanic	2.6	2.3	2.1
White	25.9	27.7	25.3
Two or more races	-	-	-
Unknown	2.3	2.3	2.3
Total %	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	726	830	780

6) Waiting children are children who have a goal of adoption and/or whose parents’ rights have been terminated. Children 16 years and older with TPR, but with a goal of emancipation, have been excluded from the waiting children and TPR populations. Back

E. Children Adopted
(AFCARS Annual Foster Care Database)

 

Age of Adopted Children (%)	1998	1999	2000
Under 1 year	-	3.6	3.0
1-5 years	48.4	53.3	37.6
6-10 years	36.8	34.3	44.6
11-15 years	14.7	6.6	14.4
16+ years	-	2.2	0.5
Unknown	-	-	-
Total %	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	95	137	202

 

Race/Ethnicity of Adopted Children (%)	1998	1999	2000
Alaska Native/American Indian	52.6	47.4	36.6
Asian/Pacific Islander	-	0.7	0.5
Black	22.1	13.9	3.5
Hispanic	3.2	9.5	8.9
White	22.1	27.7	30.2
Two or more races	-	0.7	19.8
Unknown	-	-	0.5
Total %	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	95	137	202

 

Back to Top

Return to Table of Contents

 

Alaska [ Outcomes Data ]

 

1. Reduce Recurrence of Child Abuse and/or Neglect
(NCANDS)

1.1 Recurrence of Maltreatment Within 6 Months (%)	1998	1999	2000
Children without a recurrence	-	-	-
Children with one or more recurrences	-	-	-
Total %	-	-	-
Number	-	-	-

 

2. Reduce the Incidence of Child Abuse and/or Neglect in Foster Care
(NCANDS, AFCARS Annual Foster Care Database Jan —Sept)

2.1 Maltreatment in Foster Care (%)	1998	1999	2000
Children maltreated while in foster care	-	-	-
Children not maltreated while in foster care	-	-	-
Total %	-	-	-
Number	-	-	-

3. Increase Permanency for Children in Foster Care
(AFCARS Annual Foster Care Database)

3.1 Exits from Foster Care (%)	1998	1999	2000
Adoption	14.5	13.9	18.1
Guardianship	5.0	5.5	8.7
Reunification	74.8	75.5	67.8
Other	4.7	4.2	5.4
Missing data	0.9	0.8	0.1
Total %	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	635	732	913

 

3.2 Exits of Disabled Children (%)	1998	1999	2000
Adoption	-	-	-
Guardianship	-	-	-
Reunification	-	-	-
Other	-	-	-
Missing data	-	-	-
Total %	-	-	-
Number	-	-	-

 

3.3 Exits of Children Over Age 12 at Entry (%)	1998	1999	2000
Adoption	-	-	0.6
Guardianship	4.3	4.7	11.0
Reunification	73.5	73.6	62.6
Other	19.7	19.4	25.8
Missing data	2.6	2.3	-
Total %	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	117	129	155

 

3.4 Exits to Emancipation (%)	1998	1999	2000
Children age 12 or younger at entry	21.4	19.4	18.8
Children older than 12 at entry	78.6	80.6	81.2
Missing data	-	-	-
Total %	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	28	31	48

 

3.5 Exits by Race/Ethnicity (%)	Alaska Native/A.I.			Asian/P.I.			Black			Hispanic
	1998	1999	2000	1998	1999	2000	1998	1999	2000	1998	1999	2000
Adoption	14.9	16.2	17.9	-	-	-	27.5	22.2	13.5	10.0	12.5	18.2
Guardianship	4.3	5.6	7.0	-	-	25.0	5.0	2.8	5.4	10.0	-	-
Reunification	74.8	74.0	69.9	90.9	87.5	75.0	62.5	70.8	73.0	80.0	87.5	81.8
Other	4.7	3.7	4.9	9.1	12.5	-	3.8	4.2	8.1	-	-	-
Missing data	1.2	0.5	0.2	-	-	-	1.2	-	-	-	-	-
Total %	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	322	377	469	11	8	4	80	72	74	10	8	22
	White			Unable to Determine			Two or More Races			Missing Data
	1998	1999	2000	1998	1999	2000	1998	1999	2000	1998	1999	2000
Adoption	10.6	8.8	19.1	-	11.8	22.9	-	-	-	-	-	-
Guardianship	6.6	6.4	13.3	-	5.9	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Reunification	76.8	78.4	61.5	100.0	76.5	74.3	-	-	-	-	-	-
Other	5.6	4.8	6.1	-	5.9	2.9	-	-	-	-	-	-
Missing data	0.5	1.6	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Total %	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	-	-	-	-	-	-
Number	198	250	309	14	17	35	-	-	-	-	-	-

 

Back to Top

Return to Table of Contents

4. Reduce Time to Reunification Without Increasing Re-entry
(AFCARS Annual Foster Care Database)

4.1 Time to Reunification (%)	1998	1999	2000
Less than 12 mos.	66.5	60.9	58.0
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos.	14.7	23.9	26.0
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos.	10.7	7.8	10.2
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos.	3.2	2.2	1.8
48 or more mos.	3.4	4.0	3.2
Missing data	1.5	1.3	0.8
Total (%)	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	475	553	619

 

4.2 Children Who Entered Foster Care (%)	1998	1999	2000
Children entering care for the first time	81.1	81.3	81.9
Children re-entering care within 12 mos. of a prior episode	2.9	4.4	4.7
Children re-entering care more than 12 mos. after a prior episode	9.1	7.6	7.9
Missing data	6.9	6.7	5.4
Total (%)	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	1,092	1,180	1,096

 

5. Reduce Time in Foster Care to Adoption
(AFCARS Annual Foster Care Database)

5.1 Time to Adoption (%)	1998	1999	2000
Less than 12 mos.	-	7.8	6.1
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos.	9.8	15.7	15.8
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos.	31.5	27.5	25.5
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos.	27.2	19.6	20.6
48 or more mos.	30.4	27.5	32.1
Missing data	1.1	2.0	-
Total (%)	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	92	102	165

 

6. Increase Placement Stability
(AFCARS Annual Foster Care Database)

6.1 Number of Placements by Time in Care (%)	Year	Children With 2 or Fewer Placements	Children With 3 or More Placements	Missing Data	Total %	Number
Less than 12 mos.	1998 1999 2000	71.5 71.9 71.1	28.5 28.1 28.9	- - -	100.0 100.0 100.0	1,195 1,335 1,251
At least 12 mos., but <24 mos.	1998 1999 2000	38.1 40.3 45.0	61.9 59.7 55.0	- - -	100.0 100.0 100.0	528 697 797
At least 24 mos., but <36 mos.	1998 1999 2000	28.1 31.2 30.3	71.9 68.8 69.7	- - -	100.0 100.0 100.0	310 378 465
At least 36 mos., but <48 mos.	1998 1999 2000	18.2 21.7 21.6	81.8 78.3 78.4	- - -	100.0 100.0 100.0	214 189 231
48 or more mos.	1998 1999 2000	26.0 21.3 20.9	74.0 78.7 79.1	- - -	100.0 100.0 100.0	315 367 354
Missing data	1998 1999 2000	92.3 100.0 100.0	7.7 - -	- - -	100.0 100.0 100.0	13 14 8

 

 

7. Reduce Placements of Young Children in Group Homes or Institutions
(AFCARS Annual Foster Care Database)

7.1 Most Recent Placement Settings of Children Who Entered Care During the Fiscal Year and Were Age 12 or Younger at the Time of This Placement (%)	1998	1999	2000
Group homes	2.6	4.2	3.3
Institutions	0.6	0.5	1.4
Other settings	96.9	95.3	95.3
Missing data	-	-	-
Total (%)	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	898	979	860

 

Alaska [ Federal Comment ]

The following discussion focuses on Alaska?s performance with regard to each of the outcomes assessed in the Child Welfare Outcomes Annual Reports to Congress. Information from the State?s Child and Family Services Review (CFSR) Final Report is used to provide a context for interpreting the State?s performance (the Alaska CFSR was conducted in FY 2002). Because data reported in the State Data Pages do not address child well-being issues, the last section of this discussion provides information from the CFSR Final Report relevant to the State?s performance in meeting children?s educational and physical and mental health needs.

Outcome 1. Reduce recurrence of child abuse and/or neglect
Alaska?s attainment of outcome 1 cannot be assessed in the Federal Comment section because the State does not provide data to the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) to calculate this outcome. Only data from NCANDS are presented for this outcome in the Report to Congress. However, for the CFSR, the State provided data for this outcome using an alternative source. These data are presented in Alaska?s CFSR Final Report.

Outcome 2. Reduce the incidence of child abuse and/or neglect in foster care
Alaska?s attainment of outcome 2 cannot be evaluated in the Federal Comment section because the State does not provide data to the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) to calculate this outcome. Only data from NCANDS are presented for this outcome in the Report to Congress. However, for the CFSR, the State provided data for this outcome using an alternative source. These data are presented in Alaska?s CFSR Final Report.

Outcome 3. Increase permanency for children in foster care
In fiscal year (FY) 2000, 94.6 percent of children leaving foster care were discharged to permanent homes, which is the highest rate reported nationally. In addition, 74.2 percent of children who were older than age 12 at entry into foster care exited to a permanent home (which is higher than the national median of 72.6), and 18.8 percent of children exiting foster care through emancipation were age 12 or younger at the time of entry, which is lower than the national median of 24.2 percent. (The percent of children with a diagnosed disability leaving foster care who were discharged to permanent homes cannot be determined because the State does not provide data relevant to this measure to the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System.) These data suggest that the State is generally effective in achieving permanency for children and in ensuring that young children do not “grow up” in foster care. Information from the CFSR Final Report suggests that the State?s performance on this outcome may be attributed in part to the State?s subsidized guardianship program and to the implementation of the “Balloon” permanency project, which is designed to achieve permanency for children who have been in foster care for long periods of time.

Outcome 4. Reduce time to reunification without increasing re-entry
In FY 2000, the percentage of all reported reunifications occurring within 12 months of children?s entry into foster care was 58.0, which does not meet the national standard of 76.2 percent and was lower then the national median of 68.0 percent. Information from the CFSR Final Report identifies the following as potential barriers to achieving timely reunifications: (1) a scarcity of services in many communities, particularly alcohol and drug treatment services; (2) inconsistent agency efforts to involve parents in the case planning process and to establish clear permanency goals in all case plans; and (3) infrequent face-to-face contacts between caseworkers and parents to ensure ongoing assessment of risk factors and expedite permanency.

Alaska?s performance with regard to reunification within 12 months must be balanced by the finding that, in FY 2000, the percentage of children re-entering foster care within 12 months of discharge from a prior foster care episode was 4.7, which is lower than the national standard of 8.6 percent and the national median of 10.3 percent. Information from the CFSR Final Report suggests that the low rate of re-entry may be attributed to the agency?s efforts to ensure that all potential risk factors are addressed prior to reunification. As noted in the Final Report, stakeholders interviewed for the CFSR believe that although the agency may take a long time to return children to their homes, once reunification occurs, children remain safe in their homes.

Outcome 5. Reduce time in foster care to adoption
In FY 2000, the percentage of all finalized adoptions occurring within 24 months of the child?s entry into foster care was 21.9, which does not meet the national standard of 32.0 percent, but is higher than the national median of 19.7 percent. Information from the CFSR Final Report identifies the following as potential barriers to achieving adoptions in a timely manner: (1) delays in establishing new permanency goals when reunification efforts are not successful; (2) delays in filing for termination of parental rights; (3) delays in conducting adoptive family home studies; and (4) an insufficient number of adoption specialists available to assist caseworkers in the adoption process.

Outcome 6. Increase placement stability
In FY 2000, the percentage of children who experienced no more than 2 placements during their first 12 months in foster care was 71.1, which does not meet the national standard of 86.7 percent and is lower than the national median of 84.3 percent. According to the CFSR Final Report, the State believes that the rate of placement change is due to the way the State information system records some placements. When children in foster care must travel to receive medical care, they often are placed in another foster home for an overnight stay because of flight schedules; the State information system counts these nights in temporary foster homes as a placement change. However, the CFSR Final Report indicates that placement stability is an area of concern and identifies the following as barriers to achieving placement stability: (1) a scarcity of foster care placements resulting in placements that do not meet children?s needs; (2) the use of shelters in some areas of the State as the initial placement for children entering foster care; and (3) insufficient efforts in some areas of the State to provide the necessary services and supports to retain foster parents.

Outcome 7. Reduce placements of young children in group homes and institutions
In FY 2000, the percentage of children age 12 or younger placed in a group home or institution was 4.7, which is lower than the national median of 9.0 percent. There was no information in the CFSR Final Report relevant to the State?s performance on this outcome measure.

Child well-being outcomes
With respect to child well-being, the CSFR Final Report indicates that the State is not consistently effective in meeting children?s educational and physical and mental health needs. Information from the Final Report identifies the following as potential barriers to meeting these needs: (1) inconsistencies in the agency?s response to identified educational needs in cases in which children are receiving services while they remain in their homes; (2) failure to routinely provide health assessments for all children at the time of entry into foster care; (3) a lack of adequate mental health services throughout the State, particularly services for children diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.

 

Back to Top

Return to Table of Contents