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

 

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

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

A. Key Context Statistics

General Population	1998	1999	2000
Total children under 18 years	1,070,580	1,065,510	1,100,795
Race/ethnicity (%)1
Alaska Native/American Indian	0.7	0.7	0.7
Asian/Pacific Islander	2.6	2.6	2.2
Black	4.5	4.4	4.3
Hispanic	20.7	21.3	23.5
White	71.6	70.9	66.2
Two or more races	N/A	N/A	2.9
Other	N/A	N/A	0.2
% Child population in poverty	10.6	11.6	13.3
% Child population living in metropolitan areas	86.7	86.1	84.6

 

Child Welfare	1998	1999	2000
Child maltreatment victims	7,010	6,989	7,467
Children in foster care on 9/30	7,951	7,639	7,533
Children adopted	575	713	691

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	39,141	34,110	35,483	37.6 per 1,000	32.0 per 1,000	32.2 per 1,000
Child maltreatment victims2	7,010	6,989	7,467	6.7 per 1,000	6.6 per 1,000	6.8 per 1,000
Child fatalities	28	32	31	2.7 per 100,000	3.0 per 100,000	2.8 per 100,000

 

Age of Child Victims (%)	1998	1999	2000
Under 1 year	9.3	9.8	10.0
1-5 years	30.4	30.2	30.8
6-10 years	32.0	31.8	30.5
11-15 years	23.6	23.7	23.5
16+ years	4.3	4.2	4.7
Unknown	0.5	0.2	0.5
Total %	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	7,010	6,989	7,467

 

Race/Ethnicity of Child Victims (%)	1998	1999	2000
Alaska Native/American Indian	1.3	1.3	1.2
Asian/Pacific Islander	0.9	0.8	0.8
Black	7.7	8.4	7.0
Hispanic	22.5	18.6	21.4
White	73.0	62.8	64.9
Two or more races	N/A	N/A	-
Other/Unknown	17.1	26.8	26.0
Total %3	122.5	118.6	121.4
Number	7,010	6,989	7,467

 

Maltreatment Type of Child Victims (%)	1998	1999	2000
Emotional abuse	11.7	14.6	15.9
Medical neglect	6.5	7.1	71.4
Neglect	67.7	70.7	72.2
Physical abuse	29.3	27.6	26.8
Sexual abuse	14.7	15.1	14.4
Other	-	-	-
Unknown	-	-	-
Total %4	129.9	135.1	200.7
Number	7,010	6,989	7,467

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)	6,006	7,147	5,202	7,951	13,153
FY1999 (10/1/98-9/30/99)	6,131	7,183	5,675	7,639	13,314
FY2000 (10/1/99-9/30/00)	6,103	6,942	5,512	7,533	13,045
Median Length of Stay (Months)
FY1998 (10/1/97-9/30/98)	15.2	N/A	3.8	11.1	N/A
FY1999 (10/1/98-9/30/99)	12.1	N/A	3.2	11.3	N/A
FY2000 (10/1/99-9/30/00)	12.2	N/A	3.7	12.0	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	3.2	4.6	4.0	8.5	7.9	8.8	3.6	4.5	4.4	4.3	3.7	4.0
1-5 years	18.2	18.0	17.8	19.2	19.1	20.4	18.8	18.8	19.4	18.8	19.1	20.1
6-10 years	23.4	22.6	21.0	18.7	17.7	17.7	16.8	16.7	16.6	22.3	21.4	20.1
11-15 years	34.4	34.2	36.7	36.6	38.6	35.5	31.3	32.9	32.2	34.0	35.5	34.3
16-18 years	19.7	19.4	19.0	17.1	16.7	17.5	28.1	25.9	26.2	19.5	19.0	20.0
19+ years	1.1	1.2	1.5	0.0	0.0	0.1	1.2	1.0	0.9	1.1	1.3	0.0
Unknown	0.0	0.0	0.0	-	0.0	-	0.1	0.1	0.3	0.1	0.0	0.0
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	6,006	6,131	6,103	7,147	7,183	6,942	5,202	5,675	5,512	7,951	7,639	7,533

 

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	2.3	2.0	2.7	2.0	2.6	2.0	2.3	2.4	2.7	2.1	2.3	2.1
Asian/Pacific Islander	1.1	1.0	0.8	1.1	1.1	0.8	1.5	1.3	1.0	0.9	0.9	0.7
Black	17.5	15.7	16.3	12.3	12.8	11.1	12.6	11.7	10.3	16.0	15.9	15.9
Hispanic	22.4	24.9	25.5	26.6	26.6	28.7	24.5	25.6	27.9	24.8	26.0	26.7
White	53.5	54.3	51.4	52.3	48.8	47.3	52.8	51.7	49.3	52.8	51.0	49.2
Two or more races	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Unknown	3.2	2.2	3.3	5.6	8.0	10.0	6.3	7.3	8.9	3.4	3.9	5.4
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	6,006	6,131	6,103	7,147	7,183	6,942	5,202	5,675	5,512	7,951	7,639	7,533

 

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	1,480	1,682	1,788
Children whose parents' rights have been terminated (TPR)	974	1,211	1,267

 

Age of Waiting Children (%)	1998	1999	2000
Under 1 year	1.7	1.7	2.0
1-5 years	30.1	28.7	28.7
6-10 years	39.2	36.4	35.1
11-15 years	25.5	28.9	30.0
16+ years	2.8	3.7	3.7
Unknown	0.7	0.5	0.5
Total %	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	1,480	1,682	1,788

 

Race/Ethnicity of Waiting Children (%)	1998	1999	2000
Alaska Native/American Indian	1.8	1.7	2.5
Asian/Pacific Islander	0.9	1.1	0.4
`	22.1	18.5	20.5
Hispanic	26.5	30.4	30.3
White	47.1	46.9	44.8
Two or more races	-	-	-
Unknown	1.6	1.3	1.5
Total %	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	1,480	1,682	1,788

6) Waiting children are children who have a goal of adoption and/or whose parentsÂ’ 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	2.4	4.1	3.0
1-5 years	48.9	45.3	48.8
6-10 years	36.2	33.0	31.8
11-15 years	11.1	14.7	14.3
16+ years	1.4	2.9	2.0
Unknown	-	-	-
Total %	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	575	713	691

 

Race/Ethnicity of Adopted Children (%)	1998	1999	2000
Alaska Native/American Indian	2.1	1.4	1.9
Asian/Pacific Islander	1.2	-	0.7
Black	20.5	21.3	16.9
Hispanic	24.2	23.8	28.4
White	50.8	50.9	51.8
Two or more races	-	-	-
1.2	2.5	0.3	0.6
Total %	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	575	713	691

 

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Colorado [ 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	97.0	-	-
Children with one or more recurrences	3.0	-	-
Total %	100.0	-	-
Number	3,186	-	-

 

 

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	0.2	-	-
Children not maltreated while in foster care	99.8	-	-
Total %	100.0	-	-
Number	12,156	-	-

 

 

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

3.1 Exits from Foster Care (%)	1998	1999	2000
Adoption	6.3	5.2	3.1
Guardianship	1.2	0.9	1.3
Reunification	71.5	71.5	71.7
Other	16.9	16.8	16.2
Missing data	4.1	5.6	7.6
Total %	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	5,202	5,675	5,512

 

 

3.2 Exits of Disabled Children (%)	1998	1999	2000
Adoption	5.6	5.2	3.6
Guardianship	1.2	0.8	0.8
Reunification	68.4	68.2	67.9
Other	21.5	21.2	21.9
Missing data	3.4	4.6	5.9
Total %	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	1,517	1,773	1,793

 

3.3 Exits of Children Over Age 12 at Entry (%)	1998	1999	2000
Adoption	0.3	0.4	0.4
Guardianship	0.6	0.5	0.8
Reunification	71.0	70.4	70.0
Other	27.8	28.2	28.6
Missing data	0.2	0.5	0.2
Total %	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	2,553	2,720	2,615

 

3.4 Exits to Emancipation (%)	1998	1999	2000
Children age 12 or younger at entry	19.1	19.5	18.7
Children older than 12 at entry	80.9	80.5	81.3
Missing data	-	-	-
Total %	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	262	246	252

 

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	10.7	3.0	4.8	2.6	-	7.1	11.2	10.5	4.8	5.2	5.3	2.9
Guardianship	0.8	2.2	1.4	1.3	1.4	1.8	1.5	1.4	1.2	0.8	0.8	1.6
Reunification	66.9	64.9	70.1	75.3	72.6	76.8	62.8	65.1	66.4	75.9	71.1	70.9
Other	19.8	28.4	17.7	16.9	24.7	8.9	19.0	16.4	18.8	15.0	17.3	16.0
Missing data	1.7	1.5	6.1	3.9	1.4	5.4	5.5	6.6	8.8	3.1	5.6	8.5
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	121	134	147	77	73	56	654	665	565	1,273	1,452	1,537
	White			Unable to Determine			Two or More Races			Missing Data
	1998	1999	2000	1998	1999	2000	1998	1999	2000	1998	1999	2000
Adoption	5.9	4.6	3.2	3.6	2.2	0.8	-	-	-	-	-	-
Guardianship	1.3	0.9	1.3	1.8	0.5	0.4	-	-	-	-	-	-
Reunification	70.6	71.5	70.7	79.3	85.1	86.4	-	-	-	-	-	-
Other	17.5	16.7	16.6	14.9	11.3	11.6	-	-	-	-	-	-
Missing data	4.7	6.3	8.2	0.3	1.0	0.8	-	-	-	-	-	-
Total %	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	-	-	-	-	-	-
Number	2,748	2,936	2,716	329	415	491	-	-	-	-	-	-

 

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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.	83.2	85.7	85.7
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos.	10.2	10.1	10.4
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos.	3.5	1.8	1.7
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos.	1.3	1.2	0.4
48 or more mos.	1.8	1.3	1.0
Missing data	-	-	0.8
Total (%)	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	3,718	4,058	3,954

 

 

4.2 Children Who Entered Foster Care (%)	1998	1999	2000
Children entering care for the first time	70.4	67.5	69.8
Children re-entering care within 12 mos. of a prior episode	18.3	20.0	19.3
Children re-entering care more than 12 mos. after a prior episode	10.7	10.9	10.4
Missing data	0.6	1.6	0.5
Total (%)	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	7,147	7,183	6,942

 

 

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.	19.8	23.4	24.9
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos.	26.5	29.8	36.4
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos.	22.9	13.9	22.0
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos.	17.1	16.3	6.9
48 or more mos.	13.7	16.6	9.8
Missing data	-	-	-
Total (%)	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	328	295	173

 

 

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	87.0 87.5 86.9	13.0 12.5 13.1	- - -	100.0 100.0 100.0	7,889 8,172 7,870
At least 12 mos., but <24 mos.	1998 1999 2000	55.5 56.7 57.7	44.5 43.3 42.3	- - -	100.0 100.0 100.0	2,113 2,266 2,316
At least 24 mos., but <36 mos.	1998 1999 2000	37.6 42.8 41.4	62.4 57.2 58.6	- - -	100.0 100.0 100.0	1,108 915 1,068
At least 36 mos., but <48 mos.	1998 1999 2000	32.3 33.9 33.1	67.7 66.1 66.9	- - -	100.0 100.0 100.0	774 641 513
48 or more mos.	1998 1999 2000	24.2 24.4 23.9	75.8 75.6 76.1	- - -	100.0 100.0 100.0	1,243 1,293 1,231
Missing data	1998 1999 2000	96.2 96.3 100.0	3.8 3.7 -	- - -	100.0 100.0 100.0	26 27 47

 

 

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	1.8	1.5	1.4
Institutions	7.0	6.2	5.7
Other settings	91.2	92.3	92.9
Missing data	-	-	-
Total (%)	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	3,809	3,777	3,783

 

Colorado [ State Comment ]

Jane Beveridge, Director
Child Welfare Services
Division of Child Welfare, Colorado Department of Human Services
303-866-4365

Colorado?s comments on the State data presented in Child Welfare Outcomes 2000: Report to Congress are the following:

1. Colorado did not report data for outcomes 1.1 and 2.1 for 1999 and 2000, although data were reported for these outcomes in 1998. The data for outcomes 1.1 and 2.1 are determined by using the NCANDS Detailed Case Data Component (DCDC). Colorado did not submit a NCANDS DCDC for CY 1999 and CY 2000. However, Colorado did submit a DCDC for 1998. Colorado submitted a Summary Data Component (SDC) to NCANDS for CY 1999 and CY 2000 instead of a DCDC. Colorado replicated the DCDC data using the central registry for child protection data, an alternative data source to the DCDC, for use in the Child and Family Service Review.

2. With respect to Section C, there are 1, 536 fewer children in care on October 1, 1999 than on September 30,1999. This may be explained by errors detected in the code. This issue has been addressed because the code was fixed when Colorado's SACWIS system was implemented. The discrepancy between the children in care on the last day of the Federal Fiscal Year to the children in care on the first day of the Federal Fiscal Year should be reduced in future years.

3. Data for outcome measure 4.2 indicate that almost 20 percent of the children who entered care in FY 2000 were re-entering care within 12 months of a prior episode. Colorado has found that children 12 and older are much more prevalent among the re-entries compared to children younger than 12. No differences were found in comparing sex and race between children who had no re-entries within twelve months and children who had re-entries. The Colorado Department of Human Services serves the juvenile justice population and these children contribute to Colorado's re-entry rate. For children who re-enter, caretaker inability to cope, child behavioral problems, and the death of a parent are more likely to be reasons for removal, compared to children who do not have prior removals.

4. The data in Section E indicate that 689 children were adopted in FY 2000 according to the AFCARS Adoption Data Base, but, in outcome 5.1, only 173 of the exits from foster care in FY 2000 (from the AFCARS Foster Care Database) were reported as discharges to adoption. As we prepared for Colorado's Child and Family Services Review (CFSR) we determined an alternative method to calculate outcome 5.1. The primary issue affecting the calculation of this outcome using the foster care file is a non-AFCARS code of ‘P - Placed for Adoption? that Colorado uses. Children captured in the adoption file are not captured in the foster care file as exiting to adoption as the exit reason 'P' is recoded into Missing in the AFCARS files. As an alternative, the FFY 2000 AFCARS Adoption file and CWEST removal tables were used to create an alternative data source used to calculate outcome 5.1 for the CFSR. Of the 679 children with a finalized adoption in FY 2000, 49.5 percent achieved a finalized adoption in less than 24 months from the time of entry into care, 22.7 percent achieved a finalized adoption between 24 months and 36 months from the time of entry into care, 12.1 percent achieved a finalized adoption in more than 36 months but less than 48 months from the time of entry into foster care, and 12.4 percent achieved a finalized adoption in 48 months or more.

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Colorado [ Federal Comment ]

The following discussion focuses on Colorado?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 Colorado 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
Colorado?s attainment of outcome 1 cannot be assessed in this Report 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 Colorado?s CFSR Final Report.

Outcome 2. Reduce the incidence of child abuse and/or neglect in foster care
Colorado?s attainment of outcome 2 cannot be evaluated in this Report because the State does not provide data to the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) to calculate this measure. 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 provided in Colorado?s CFSR Final Report.

Outcome 3. Increase permanency for children in foster care
The data for outcome 3 regarding permanency must be interpreted with caution because of the discrepancy between the number of finalized adoptions in fiscal year (FY) 2000 reported to the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) Adoption Database (691) and the number of children reported to the AFCARS Foster Care Database as discharged to a finalized adoption (173) during FY 2000. The State notes in the State Comment section that this discrepancy is due to the State?s use of a discharge code for adoption that is not accepted by AFCARS so that exits to adoption are recorded as “missing data.” If these exits had been coded as discharges to adoption, the State would exhibit a better performance relevant to outcome 3 than is apparent from the data presented in the State Data Pages. However, even if the “missing data” percentages are added to the permanency exits (i.e., exits to adoption, guardianship, and reunification), the State?s performance is still lower than the national median for exits to permanency for all children (84.7 percent), exits to permanency for children with a diagnosed disability (79.5 percent), and exits to permanency of children who were older than age 12 at entry into foster care (72.6 percent). Information from the CFSR Final Report suggests that a key barrier to achieving permanency for children is the agency practice of establishing a case goal of long-term foster care when reunification efforts fail, rather than considering other permanency goals, such as adoption or guardianship. According to information provided in the CFSR Final Report, this practice appears to stem from a belief among many caseworkers that older children and children with disabilities are unlikely to be adopted.

The FY 2000 data also indicate that only 18.7 percent of children exiting foster care through emancipation were age 12 or younger at the time of entry (which is less than the national median of 24.2 percent). Thus, the State does appear to be effective in ensuring that children who enter foster care at young ages do not “grow up” in the system. Information from the Final Report suggests that performance on this measure may be attributed in part to the State?s Expedited Permanency Program for children age 6 and younger.

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 85.7, which exceeds the national standard of 76.2 percent and the national median of 68.0 percent. Information from the CFSR Final Report suggests that performance on this measure may be attributed in part to an increased use of concurrent planning in the State. Stakeholders interviewed during the CFSR reported that concurrent planning has made birth parents more cognizant of the need to engage in services and bring about changes in existing risk factors if they want to be reunified with their children.

Colorado?s high 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 19.3, which does not meet the national standard of 8.6 and is higher than the national median of 10.3. Information from the CFSR Final Report suggests that re-entries may be attributed in part to a lack of post-reunification services.

Outcome 5. Reduce time in foster care to adoption
As noted in the discussion of outcome 3, there were approximately 500 discharges to adoption in FY 2000 that were not reported as discharges to adoption in the AFCARS Foster Care Database and therefore are not included in the assessment of outcome 5. Consequently, the data reported in the State Data Pages for outcome measure 5.1 are not reliable. Prior to the CFSR, the State revised their data pertaining to the percentage of adoptions occurring within 24 months of a child?s entry into foster care to include the missing data. This information, which is provided in the State Comment section, indicates that 49.5 percent of finalized adoptions occurred within 24 months of entry into foster care, which exceeds both the national standard and the national median. Information from the CFSR Final Report suggests that performance on this outcome measure may be attributed to the State?s Expedited Permanency Program for children age 6 and younger. However, information from the Final Report also indicates that the State is not diligent in its efforts to expedite adoptions for older children.

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 86.9, which meets the national standard of 86.7 percent and is higher than the national median of 84.3 percent. Information from the CFSR Final Report suggests that Colorado?s performance on this outcome measure may be attributed to the following: (1) diligent agency efforts to place children with relatives whenever possible; and (2) provision of training to foster parents to ensure that they have the skills necessary to provide stability for the children placed in their care. However, the Final Report also notes that children in many of the cases reviewed for the CFSR did not experience placement stability, primarily because foster parents requested the child?s removal and the agency did not attempt to resolve the problems leading to that request.

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 7.1, which is lower than the national median of 9.0 percent. Information from the CFSR Final Report suggests that performance on this outcome may be attributed to a focus on placement with relatives whenever possible.

Child well-being outcomes
With respect to child well-being, the CSFR Final Report indicates that the State is effective in addressing children?s educational needs, but is less effective in meeting children?s physical and mental health needs. The Final Report identifies the following as potential barriers to meeting these needs: (1) delays in providing foster families with children?s Medicaid cards, (2) a shortage of providers in the State who will accept Medicaid payments, and (3) insufficient agency follow up in some cases to ensure that children are receiving the necessary mental health services.

 

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