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

 

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

Context Data | Outcomes Data | State Comment | Federal Comment
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California [ Context Data ]

A. Key Context Statistics

General Population	1998	1999	2000
Total children under 18 years	8,911,372	8,923,423	9,249,829
Race/ethnicity (%)1
Alaska Native/American Indian	0.5	0.5	0.5
Asian/Pacific Islander	11.2	11.3	9.6
Black	6.9	6.8	7.1
Hispanic	41.2	41.9	43.8
White	40.2	39.5	34.8
Two or more races	N/A	N/A	3.9
Other	N/A	N/A	0.3
% Child population in poverty	26.4	20.3	21.7
% Child population living in metropolitan areas	99.4	99.5	96.9

 

Child Welfare	1998	1999	2000
Child maltreatment victims	157,683	130,510	129,678
Children in foster care on 9/30	112,767	117,937	112,807
Children adopted	4,418	6,337	8,693

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	413,372	452,887	486,127	46.4 per 1,000	50.8 per 1,000	52.6 per 1,000
Child maltreatment victims2	157,683	130,510	129,678	17.7 per 1,000	14.6 per 1,000	14.0 per 1,000
Child fatalities	26	33	30	0.3 per 100,000	0.4 per 100,000	0.3 per 100,000

 

Age of Child Victims (%)	1998	1999	2000
Under 1 year	6.0	9.7	9.5
1-5 years	29.0	29.3	29.1
6-10 years	31.4	31.1	30.8
11-15 years	25.4	24.0	24.5
16+ years	8.2	6.0	6.2
Unknown	0.0	0.0	0.0
Total %	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	157,683	130,510	129,678

 

Race/Ethnicity of Child Victims (%)	1998	1999	2000
Alaska Native/American Indian	1.1	1.0	1.0
Asian/Pacific Islander	3.2	4.0	3.8
Black	16.0	18.0	15.6
Hispanic	32.8	37.0	39.6
White	37.8	33.0	32.9
Two or more races	N/A	N/A	-
Other/Unknown	41.9	44.0	7.1
Total %3	132.8	137.0	100.0
Number	157,683	130,510	129,678

 

Maltreatment Type of Child Victims (%)	1998	1999	2000
Emotional abuse	8.1	17.8	18.7
Medical neglect	-	-	-
Neglect	51.9	56.3	56.7
Physical abuse	26.2	17.5	16.1
Sexual abuse	13.4	9.1	8.3
Other	0.4	9.8	10.5
Unknown	-	0.0	-
Total %4	100.0	110.4	110.3
Number	157,683	130,510	129,678

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)	109,819	52,997	50,049	112,767	162,816
FY1999 (10/1/98-9/30/99)	113,506	43,587	39,156	117,937	157,093
FY2000 (10/1/99-9/30/00)	117,234	45,685	50,112	112,807	162,919
Median Length of Stay (Months)
FY1998 (10/1/97-9/30/98)	19.8	N/A	12.6	21.6	N/A
FY1999 (10/1/98-9/30/99)	20.8	N/A	14.9	25.2	N/A
FY2000 (10/1/99-9/30/00)	24.5	N/A	18.2	26.6	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	4.2	3.7	3.5	13.6	14.7	14.0	4.0	4.0	3.6	3.8	3.5	3.4
1-5 years	29.8	26.7	24.8	28.5	27.2	26.6	30.8	30.5	29.0	27.8	24.5	22.9
6-10 years	29.0	27.5	27.2	22.5	23.7	23.6	23.5	23.7	25.8	29.1	27.5	25.9
11-15 years	24.2	26.5	27.5	24.5	24.6	25.9	18.8	19.2	20.7	26.7	27.3	28.8
16-18 years	12.2	15.0	16.1	10.7	9.7	9.9	20.2	20.5	19.1	12.2	16.0	17.1
19+ years	0.5	0.6	0.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	2.4	2.1	1.7	0.4	1.2	1.8
Unknown	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.1	0.1	0.0	0.2	0.1	0.0	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	109,819	113,506	117,234	52,997	43,587	45,685	50,049	39,156	50,112	112,767	117,937	112,807

 

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	1.1	1.2	1.1	1.3	1.3	1.3	1.3	1.4	1.1	1.2	1.2	1.2
Asian/Pacific Islander	1.7	1.9	2.1	3.0	3.6	3.4	3.0	3.2	3.1	1.7	2.1	2.2
Black	36.6	35.5	34.3	22.6	22.4	21.5	24.3	23.7	24.7	35.4	34.6	33.3
Hispanic	29.3	31.3	32.9	35.3	36.0	38.2	32.3	33.5	35.3	30.8	32.3	33.9
White	30.9	29.9	29.3	36.5	35.2	33.6	38.0	37.1	34.1	30.4	29.5	28.9
Two or more races	-	-	0.1	-	-	0.1	-	-	0.3	-	-	0.0
Unknown	0.4	0.2	0.2	1.2	1.5	1.9	1.1	1.2	1.3	0.5	0.4	0.4
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	109,819	113,506	117,234	52,997	43,587	45,685	50,049	39,156	50,112	112,767	117,937	112,807

 

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

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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	4,455	9,894	12,632
Children whose parents' rights have been terminated (TPR)	1,915	6,911	9,791

 

Age of Waiting Children (%)	1998	1999	2000
Under 1 year	8.0	4.2	3.7
1-5 years	55.2	51.6	46.5
6-10 years	26.2	30.0	32.3
11-15 years	9.0	12.4	14.8
16+ years	1.5	1.7	2.2
Unknown	0.2	0.1	0.4
Total %	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	4,455	9,894	12,632

 

Race/Ethnicity of Waiting Children (%)	1998	1999	2000
Alaska Native/American Indian	1.1	1.0	0.7
Asian/Pacific Islander	1.5	1.6	1.9
Black	27.2	31.2	30.7
Hispanic	29.9	33.6	35.8
White	40.2	32.4	30.8
Two or more races	-	-	-
Unknown	0.1	0.2	0.2
Total %	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	4,455	9,894	12,632

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	3.1	2.2	2.3
1-5 years	61.2	63.8	56.9
6-10 years	28.1	25.7	29.0
11-15 years	6.8	7.1	10.1
16+ years	0.7	1.2	1.7
Unknown	-	-	0.0
Total %	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	4,418	6,337	8,693

 

Race/Ethnicity of Adopted Children (%)	1998	1999	2000
Alaska Native/American Indian	0.6	0.9	0.5
Asian/Pacific Islander	2.5	2.2	1.3
Black	24.2	19.5	22.0
Hispanic	33.5	31.7	34.1
White	38.0	42.9	34.7
Two or more races	-	0.0	0.2
Unknown	1.2	2.7	7.2
Total %	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	4,418	6,337	8,693

 

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California [ 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	-	88.9	89.3
Children with one or more recurrences	-	11.1	10.7
Total %	-	100.0	100.0
Number	-	60,893	60,886

 

 

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	6.2	12.3	15.4
Guardianship	2.6	3.2	7.1
Reunification	47.0	68.2	61.7
Other	8.9	15.3	14.4
Missing data	35.3	1.0	1.5
Total %	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	50,049	39,156	50,112

 

3.2 Exits of Disabled Children (%)	1998	1999	2000
Adoption	6.6	17.1	24.7
Guardianship	2.7	1.8	6.0
Reunification	46.1	63.1	56.1
Other	9.0	17.4	12.4
Missing data	35.6	0.7	0.8
Total %	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	988	2,228	4,441

 

3.3 Exits of Children Over Age 12 at Entry (%)	1998	1999	2000
Adoption	0.4	0.7	0.6
Guardianship	0.9	1.5	2.2
Reunification	48.3	58.3	56.0
Other	21.5	38.7	39.9
Missing data	29.0	0.8	1.3
Total %	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	13,265	10,278	11,795

 

3.4 Exits to Emancipation (%)	1998	1999	2000
Children age 12 or younger at entry	36.2	32.9	34.7
Children older than 12 at entry	63.7	67.1	65.3
Missing data	0.1	0.1	-
Total %	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	2,739	3,728	4,489

 

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	7.0	9.2	10.0	3.1	7.4	8.6	5.7	12.0	15.9	5.3	11.4	14.9
Guardianship	6.9	5.6	13.5	2.1	1.3	3.4	2.9	3.1	9.2	2.0	2.4	7.0
Reunification	43.4	69.0	58.0	52.9	78.7	75.9	44.8	62.6	54.9	50.0	71.9	63.8
Other	8.0	14.8	17.3	7.4	11.9	10.9	12.5	21.6	19.0	7.3	13.2	12.6
Missing data	34.8	1.3	1.2	34.6	0.8	1.2	34.1	0.7	1.1	35.3	1.1	1.7
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	627	533	572	1,504	1,237	1,553	12,166	9,269	12,385	16,168	13,108	17,696
	White			Unable to Determine			Two or More Races			Missing Data
	1998	1999	2000	1998	1999	2000	1998	1999	2000	1998	1999	2000
Adoption	7.6	14.1	16.6	3.7	2.3	2.0	-	-	35.6	-	-	-
Guardianship	3.0	4.2	5.9	1.6	2.5	3.3	-	-	6.8	-	-	-
Reunification	45.5	66.9	62.4	45.6	86.1	86.0	-	-	47.0	-	-	-
Other	8.1	13.7	13.5	5.4	7.4	5.6	-	-	10.6	-	-	-
Missing data	35.9	1.1	1.5	43.8	1.7	3.2	-	-	-	-	-	-
Total %	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	-	-	100.0	-	-	-
Number	19,009	14,533	17,110	575	476	664	-	-	132	-	-	-

 

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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.	54.9	54.0	53.2
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos.	26.0	27.0	24.2
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos.	7.9	9.8	10.3
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos.	3.4	2.9	4.0
48 or more mos.	6.3	4.4	6.5
Missing data	1.5	1.9	1.8
Total (%)	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	23,519	26,707	30,908

 

4.2 Children Who Entered Foster Care (%)	1998	1999	2000
Children entering care for the first time	78.2	81.1	80.1
Children re-entering care within 12 mos. of a prior episode	13.9	10.2	10.7
Children re-entering care more than 12 mos. after a prior episode	6.9	8.4	9.0
Missing data	1.0	0.3	0.2
Total (%)	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	52,997	43,587	45,685

 

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.	12.2	5.8	2.4
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos.	23.9	25.7	15.7
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos.	25.7	29.9	30.4
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos.	19.5	17.9	23.5
48 or more mos.	18.6	20.6	27.9
Missing data	0.2	0.1	0.2
Total (%)	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	3,105	4,815	7,693

 

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	84.7 76.9 77.7	15.3 23.1 22.2	0.0 0.0 0.0	100.0 100.0 100.0	59,548 47,401 49,747
At least 12 mos., but <24 mos.	1998 1999 2000	69.8 62.3 59.0	30.1 37.7 41.0	0.0 0.0 0.0	100.0 100.0 100.0	36,159 36,004 32,324
At least 24 mos., but <36 mos.	1998 1999 2000	61.6 56.8 53.9	38.4 43.2 46.1	0.0 - 0.0	100.0 100.0 100.0	18,868 23,460 23,964
At least 36 mos., but <48 mos.	1998 1999 2000	59.4 53.0 50.7	40.6 47.0 49.3	- 0.0 0.0	100.0 100.0 100.0	11,927 13,239 16,439
48 or more mos.	1998 1999 2000	61.4 55.6 51.4	38.5 44.4 48.6	0.0 - 0.0	100.0 100.0 100.0	35,355 36,243 39,691
Missing data	1998 1999 2000	99.5 94.8 94.6	0.5 5.2 5.4	- - -	100.0 100.0 100.0	959 746 754

 

 

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	4.6	4.3	3.8
Institutions	11.1	12.9	9.8
Other settings	84.3	82.8	86.4
Missing data	-	0.0	0.1
Total (%)	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	37,818	31,671	32,668

 

California [ State Comment ]

Rita Saenz, Director
Department of Social Services
California Health and Human Services Agency
916-657-2598

In addition to our specific comments on the data, California has a number of concerns about the data indicators for the outcomes and the National Standards. States are evaluated against National Standards derived from data they reported through both voluntary and mandatory reporting systems. These systems lack uniformly enforced, consistent data definitions. The National Standards were developed without data from every state. Of those states that reported data on any specific standard, the values were set so that only 25 percent of the states could "pass." Failing even a single National Standard results in a finding of nonconformity. Moreover, questions exist about whether the data indicators, for which the National Standards were established, individually or in combination with one another, accurately capture program outcomes that are truly desirable.

With regard to California's data for Section C—Children in Foster Care (AFCARS Annual Foster Care Database)—the data suggest that there were 703 fewer children in care on October 1, 1999 (117,234) than on the preceding day, September 30, 1999 (117,937). This is misleading because September 30 is the end of one six-month reporting period, and October 1 is the beginning of a new six-month reporting period. The October report is not run until six months after the October 1 start date. The end of the FFY caseload cannot match the beginning of the FFY caseload when the files are six months apart. The discrepancy is caused by late entry adjustments to two different reporting periods.

The data for Section E—Children Adopted (AFCARS Annual Adoption Database—indicate that 8,693 children were adopted in FFY 2000. However, outcome measure 5.1 shows 7,693 children reported as discharged to a finalized adoption in FFY 2000 from the AFCARS Foster Care Database. The disparity may have occurred because: (1) information for this reporting period originated from two different tables, and (2) an AFCARS mapping error has been identified which resulted in foster care selection criteria that are too restrictive. This is scheduled for correction.

The data for outcome 3.4 indicate a continuous increase in the number of youth emancipated from foster care over the 3-year period. This trend is the result of improved reporting practices and the aging of the foster care population.

With regard to outcome 1.1—Recurrence of Maltreatment within 6 months—a state sample of cases indicated that approximately two thirds had at least one additional occurrence of abuse or neglect. The remaining cases (approximately 33 percent) had subsequent reports that referred to a previously reported instance of abuse or neglect or to an event that was not abuse or neglect. Following the Federal Child and Family Services Review, California will be examining this data more closely to improve data quality.

Finally, California's SACWIS is being reconfigured to capture the data necessary to compute outcome measure 2.1—Maltreatment in Foster Care.

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California [ Federal Comment ]

The following discussion focuses on California'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 California 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
In calendar year (CY) 2000, California's rate of maltreatment recurrence within 6 months was 10.7 percent, which is higher than both the national standard of 6.1 percent and the national median of 7.9 percent. According to information from the CFSR Final Report, the State believes that the actual rate of maltreatment recurrence is 7.3 percent, although this is still higher than the national standard of 6.1 percent. Information from the CFSR Final Report suggests that a primary reason for the recurrence of maltreatment may be high caseworker caseloads that prevent caseworkers from conducting in-depth risk assessments and providing intensive in-home services.

Outcome 2. Reduce the incidence of child abuse and/or neglect in foster care
California's performance with regard to outcome 2 cannot be assessed in the Federal Comment section because the State did not provide data for CY 2000 to the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) to calculate this measure. Only data from NCANDS are used for this outcome in the Report to Congress. However, for the CFSR, the State provided data for this outcome measure using an alternative source. This information is provided in California's CFSR Final Report.

Outcome 3. Increase permanency for children in foster care
In fiscal year (FY) 2000, 84.2 percent of children exiting foster care were discharged to permanent homes (which is about equal to the national median of 84.7), and 86.8 percent of children with a diagnosed disability who exited foster care were discharged to permanent homes (which is higher than the national median of 79.5 percent). However, only 58.8 percent of children exiting foster care who were older than age 12 at entry into foster care were discharged to permanency homes, which is lower than the national median of 72.6. These data suggest that although the State is effective in achieving permanency for children in general and for children with a diagnosed disability, it is less consistently effective in achieving permanency for children who are older than age 12 when they enter foster care. In addition, 34.7 percent of the children who were emancipated from foster care during FY 2000 were age 12 or younger when they entered care, which is higher than the national median of 24.2 percent. This suggests that a number of children exiting foster care in FY 2000 “grew up” in the system. Information from the CFSR Final Report suggests that a primary barrier to achieving permanency may be the agency practice of establishing legal guardianship relationships but maintaining the family on the foster care roles so that the child is not reported as discharged from foster care. Other potential barriers to achieving permanency include the following: (1) contact between caseworkers and parents in some cases that is not sufficient to promote attainment of case goals; (2) failure to file for termination of parental rights in some cases in which reunification efforts have not been successful, and (3) belief among some agency caseworkers that older children are “unadoptable.”

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 53.2, which is lower than both the national standard of 76.2 percent and the national median of 68.0 percent. Information from the CFSR Final Report suggests that a key barrier to achieving reunification within 12 months of the time of entry into foster care is a California statute that permits an extension of reunification services to 18 months if the court determines that there is a likelihood that reunification will be successful within that extended period.

Also in FY 2000, the percentage of children re-entering foster care within 12 months of discharge from a prior foster care episode was 10.7, which is higher than the national standard of 8.6 percent and about equal to the national median of 10.3 percent. Information from the CFSR Final Report identifies the following as potential barriers to preventing foster care re-entries: (1) insufficient resources for post-reunification services, and (2) adherence to timelines for reunification without consideration of whether sufficient services have been provided to reduce the risk of harm to children.

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 18.1 percent, which is lower than both the national standard of 32.0 percent and 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) the reluctance of the courts and the agency to seek termination of parental rights unless there is an adoptive home ready to take the child; (2) agency delays in conducting home studies and completing paperwork; and (3) the belief of many agency workers that the adoption assistance program does not provide sufficient financial supports and services to warrant moving children out of foster care.

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 77.7, which is lower than both the national standard of 86.7 percent and the national median of 84.3. Information from the CFSR Final Report identifies the following as potential barriers to achieving placement stability: (1) lack of adequate attention to the ability of foster parents or relative caretakers to meet the needs of specific children; (2) use of emergency shelter placements at the time of removal from home, particularly when children are removed by law enforcement personnel; and (3) lack of sufficient placement resources to meet the needs of children with complex mental health or behavioral problems.

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 13.6 percent, which is higher than the national median of 9.0. Information in the CFSR Final Report suggests that performance on this measure may be attributed to the use of emergency shelter care at the time of children's entry into foster care, even for young children.

Child well-being outcomes
With respect to child well-being, information in the CSFR Final Report indicates that the State is generally effective in meeting children physical health needs but is less consistently effective in meeting children's educational and mental health needs. The following were identified in the CFSR Final Report as potential barriers to meeting these needs: (1) a failure in some cases to provide services to address identified educational needs; (2) a lack of responsiveness of the school system to children in foster care; (3) lack of sufficient training for caseworkers and foster parents on advocating for their children with the school system; (4) lack of sufficient attention to mental health needs of children who remain in their own homes; and (5) a lack of sufficient mental heal