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

 

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

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

A. Key Context Statistics

General Population	1998	1999	2000
Total children under 18 years	2,022,351	2,056,885	2,169,234
Race/ethnicity (%)1
Alaska Native/American Indian	0.2	0.2	0.2
Asian/Pacific Islander	2.1	2.2	2.0
Black	34.0	33.9	34.1
Hispanic	3.9	4.2	6.3
White	59.9	59.5	55.5
Two or more races	N/A	N/A	1.7
Other	N/A	N/A	0.3
% Child population in poverty	25.9	19.5	16.9
% Child population living in metropolitan areas	62.5	64.1	69.4

 

Child Welfare	1998	1999	2000
Child maltreatment victims	24,567	26,888	30,806
Children in foster care on 9/30	9,937	11,991	11,204
Children adopted	720	1,129	1,057

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	74,180	78,734	92,254	36.7 per 1,000	38.3 per 1,000	42.5 per 1,000
Child maltreatment victims2	24,567	26,888	30,806	12.1 per 1,000	13.1 per 1,000	14.2 per 1,000
Child fatalities	37	42	45	1.8 per 100,000	2.0 per 100,000	2.1 per 100,000

 

Age of Child Victims (%)	1998	1999	2000
Under 1 year	10.4	10.2	7.2
1-5 years	30.1	29.8	30.4
6-10 years	30.6	30.6	31.6
11-15 years	23.7	24.3	24.3
16+ years	4.6	4.7	6.0
Unknown	0.6	0.4	0.4
Total %	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	24,567	26,888	30,806

 

Race/Ethnicity of Child Victims (%)	1998	1999	2000
Alaska Native/American Indian	0.1	0.1	0.1
Asian/Pacific Islander	0.3	0.4	0.3
Black	47.8	47.4	46.2
Hispanic	2.6	3.1	3.3
White	46.3	45.9	46.9
Two or more races	N/A	N/A	-
Other/Unknown	5.5	6.2	3.3
Total %3	102.6	103.1	100.0
Number	24,567	26,888	30,806

 

Maltreatment Type of Child Victims (%)	1998	1999	2000
Emotional abuse	4.1	3.9	4.6
Medical neglect	4.6	4.4	4.9
Neglect	62.3	63.1	68.9
Physical abuse	14.3	13.4	12.3
Sexual abuse	8.3	8.4	7.5
Other	6.5	6.7	8.1
Unknown	-	-	-
Total %4	100.0	100.0	106.2
Number	24,567	26,888	30,806

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)	9,844	3,724	3,632	9,937	13,568
FY1999 (10/1/98-9/30/99)	11,040	7,218	6,267	11,991	18,258
FY2000 (10/1/99-9/30/00)	8,832	7,028	4,657	11,024	15,860
Median Length of Stay (Months)
FY1998 (10/1/97-9/30/98)	23.0	N/A	12.2	26.2	N/A
FY1999 (10/1/98-9/30/99)	22.9	N/A	11.7	18.9	N/A
FY2000 (10/1/99-9/30/00)	21.6	N/A	7.7	15.2	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	4.5	5.9	16.5	17.1	18.1	4.6	6.3	6.8	3.3	6.0	7.0
1-5 years	28.4	27.7	28.0	28.8	28.9	28.0	29.2	30.4	31.3	27.7	27.1	28.4
6-10 years	29.1	29.2	29.1	25.6	24.2	24.5	26.5	27.3	28.8	29.3	27.1	26.0
11-15 years	27.6	26.8	31.5	23.3	24.3	25.0	23.1	22.7	24.6	27.2	27.5	29.3
16-18 years	10.0	10.8	5.5	5.6	5.2	4.1	15.2	11.7	8.5	11.8	11.3	9.2
19+ years	0.6	0.8	-	0.1	0.1	-	1.2	1.3	-	0.7	0.8	-
Unknown	0.1	0.1	0.0	0.1	0.1	0.2	0.2	0.3	-	0.1	0.2	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	9,844	11,040	8,832	3,724	7,218	7,028	3,632	6,267	4,657	9,937	11,991	11,024

 

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	0.1	0.2	0.2	0.4	0.2	0.1	0.4	0.1	0.5	0.2	0.2	0.1
Asian/Pacific Islander	0.3	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.4	0.4	0.3	0.3	0.4	0.2	0.2	0.3
Black	60.7	58.7	59.7	50.5	49.4	52.1	53.9	50.0	53.0	59.3	57.6	57.7
Hispanic	1.4	3.0	2.4	4.0	4.4	4.3	3.9	2.6	3.7	1.4	4.1	3.0
White	34.4	34.3	33.6	41.5	39.3	40.1	39.1	42.7	38.9	35.4	32.9	35.5
Two or more races	-	-	2.9	-	1.3	2.3	-	-	2.3	-	0.8	2.8
Unknown	3.1	3.7	1.0	3.4	4.9	0.7	2.4	4.3	1.3	3.5	4.1	0.7
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	9,844	11,040	8,832	3,724	7,218	7,028	3,632	6,267	4,657	9,937	11,991	11,204

 

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	2,403	2,713	2,875
Children whose parents' rights have been terminated (TPR)	1,394	1,323	1,511

 

Age of Waiting Children (%)	1998	1999	2000
Under 1 year	2.4	4.6	3.9
1-5 years	32.6	27.2	31.4
6-10 years	35.5	36.2	35.0
11-15 years	24.2	26.6	26.0
16+ years	4.7	4.4	3.7
Unknown	0.7	1.1	-
Total %	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	2,403	2,713	2,875

 

Race/Ethnicity of Waiting Children (%)	1998	1999	2000
Alaska Native/American Indian	0.1	0.4	0.0
Asian/Pacific Islander	0.3	0.4	0.3
Black	57.1	58.9	60.2
Hispanic	0.8	4.5	3.3
White	37.5	30.9	31.1
Two or more races	-	0.6	4.2
Unknown	4.1	4.3	0.8
Total %	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	2,403	2,713	2,875

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	1.5	1.9	0.8
1-5 years	47.5	44.5	38.8
6-10 years	35.0	38.4	40.2
11-15 years	14.3	13.7	17.3
16+ years	1.7	1.5	2.9
Unknown	-	-	-
Total %	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	720	1,129	1,057

 

Race/Ethnicity of Adopted Children (%)	1998	1999	2000
Alaska Native/American Indian	-	-	-
Asian/Pacific Islander	-	0.1	0.2
Black	56.4	55.4	56.1
Hispanic	2.4	1.9	1.9
White	38.8	41.0	35.6
Two or more races	0.1	1.1	4.2
Unknown	2.4	0.5	2.1
Total %	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	720	1,129	1,057

 

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Georgia [ 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	14.6	16.8	23.5
Guardianship	1.5	1.8	2.5
Reunification	69.2	67.4	66.5
Other	10.2	10.2	7.4
Missing data	4.5	3.9	0.1
Total %	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	3,632	6,267	4,657

 

 

3.2 Exits of Disabled Children (%)	1998	1999	2000
Adoption	19.1	28.6	42.0
Guardianship	1.3	1.8	2.3
Reunification	51.5	44.3	43.2
Other	21.3	20.4	12.4
Missing data	6.8	5.0	-
Total %	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	456	619	474

 

3.3 Exits of Children Over Age 12 at Entry (%)	1998	1999	2000
Adoption	0.8	0.4	1.2
Guardianship	2.0	1.5	2.3
Reunification	68.1	68.7	76.4
Other	25.4	25.5	19.9
Missing data	3.7	3.9	0.2
Total %	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	783	1,190	833

 

3.4 Exits to Emancipation (%)	1998	1999	2000
Children age 12 or younger at entry	47.0	45.1	28.6
Children older than 12 at entry	53.0	54.9	71.4
Missing data	-	-	-
Total %	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	232	346	56

 

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	30.8	100.0	57.1	-	4.8	35.3	13.6	15.9	24.3	15.4	3.1	17.9
Guardianship	-	-	-	-	-	-	2.0	2.3	3.4	-	-	1.2
Reunification	30.8	-	33.3	81.8	81.0	58.8	70.5	67.0	65.4	72.7	82.1	75.7
Other	-	-	9.5	18.2	-	5.9	9.2	10.8	6.9	9.8	3.7	5.2
Missing data	38.5	-	-	-	14.3	-	4.7	3.9	0.0	2.1	11.1	-
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	13	4	21	11	21	17	1,958	3,136	2,469	143	162	173
	White			Unable to Determine			Two or More Races			Missing Data
	1998	1999	2000	1998	1999	2000	1998	1999	2000	1998	1999	2000
Adoption	15.2	17.9	22.2	24.1	23.0	33.3	-	-	21.5	-	-	-
Guardianship	1.1	1.4	1.5	2.3	0.4	5.0	-	-	2.8	-	-	-
Reunification	67.7	66.8	67.8	62.1	68.5	55.0	-	-	69.2	-	-	-
Other	12.2	10.7	8.3	3.4	3.7	6.7	-	-	6.5	-	-	-
Missing data	3.9	3.2	0.2	8.0	4.4	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Total %	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	-	-	100.0	-	100.0	-
Number	1,420	2,673	1,810	87	270	60	-	-	107	-	1	-

 

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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.	62.1	63.0	75.9
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos.	15.4	16.4	14.4
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos.	8.6	6.9	4.2
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos.	5.3	3.0	2.2
48 or more mos.	6.4	5.3	3.2
Missing data	2.2	5.4	0.1
Total (%)	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	2,512	4,223	3,097

 

 

4.2 Children Who Entered Foster Care (%)	1998	1999	2000
Children entering care for the first time	92.4	91.0	87.6
Children re-entering care within 12 mos. of a prior episode	4.0	4.4	6.1
Children re-entering care more than 12 mos. after a prior episode	3.1	3.6	5.8
Missing data	0.5	1.0	0.5
Total (%)	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	3,724	7,218	7,028

 

 

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.	6.0	8.6	2.7
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos.	12.9	14.5	14.9
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos.	20.4	24.5	22.9
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos.	17.0	19.0	18.8
48 or more mos.	43.7	32.7	40.6
Missing data	-	0.8	-
Total (%)	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	529	1,050	1,093

 

 

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	90.0 92.3 94.3	10.0 7.7 5.7	- - -	100.0 100.0 100.0	4,141 7,733 7,512
At least 12 mos., but <24 mos.	1998 1999 2000	77.1 72.2 75.8	22.9 27.6 24.2	- 0.2 -	100.0 100.0 100.0	2,787 3,036 2,841
At least 24 mos., but <36 mos.	1998 1999 2000	70.4 64.2 57.5	29.6 35.7 42.5	- 0.0 0.1	100.0 100.0 100.0	2,039 2,133 1,577
At least 36 mos., but <48 mos.	1998 1999 2000	64.5 55.9 49.8	35.5 43.9 50.1	- 0.2 0.1	100.0 100.0 100.0	1,423 1,514 1,162
48 or more mos.	1998 1999 2000	54.8 47.7 40.0	45.2 52.2 60.0	- 0.1 0.1	100.0 100.0 100.0	3,105 3,496 2,757
Missing data	1998 1999 2000	97.3 96.8 100.0	2.7 3.2 -	- - -	100.0 100.0 100.0	73 346 11

 

 

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	5.8	3.9	2.1
Institutions	5.7	8.1	3.0
Other settings	88.5	88.0	94.9
Missing data	-	0.0	-
Total (%)	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	2,946	5,564	5,477

 

Georgia [ State Comment ]

Steve E. Love, Acting Director
Division of Family and Children Services
Georgia Department of Human Resources
404-651-8049

Georgia did not provide data for measures 1.1 and 2.1 because this information is obtained through NCANDS DCDC submission. Georgia does not have a Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information System (SACWIS) that allows for tracking of "unique" children receiving child protective services. Once SACWIS is developed, this information will become available.

Georgia's AFCARS data continues to be reported through legacy computer systems. Significant efforts are being made to identify the source of data discrepancies and to make corrections to the data as needed. The recent Child and Family Services Review illuminated data issues that are also being addressed. The review of Georgia's AFCARS data includes an analysis of the data extraction methodology, as well as an analysis at the data input level, in order to identify any flaws in the process. Georgia will continue to update and improve the legacy system in order to stay current with federal requirements and to provide consistent and accurate data while developing the SACWIS system.

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Georgia [ Federal Comment ]

The following discussion focuses on Georgia?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. In using CFSR information to interpret performance, it is important to note that the Georgia CFSR was conducted in 2001 and the national data used for the review to assess performance regarding national standards was from 1999. However, the discussion of State performance relevant to the national standards in this Federal Comment section focuses on data from the year 2000, as provided in the State Data Pages. In addition, 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 child well-being with regard to meeting children?s physical health, mental health, and educational needs.

Outcome 1. Reduce recurrence of child abuse and/or neglect
Georgia?s performance on 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) for calculating 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 Georgia?s CFSR Final Report.

Outcome 2. Reduce the incidence of child abuse and/or neglect in foster care
Georgia?s performance on outcome 2 cannot be evaluated in the Federal Comment section because the State does not provide data to NCANDS to calculate this outcome. Only maltreatment data from NCANDS are presented for this outcome in the Report to Congress. However, for the CFSR, the State provided data for this measure using an alternative source. These data are provided in Georgia?s CFSR Final Report.

Outcome 3. Increase permanency for children in foster care
In fiscal year (FY) 2000, 92.5 percent of children leaving foster care were discharged to permanent homes (which is higher than the national median of 84.7 percent), 87.5 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), and 79.9 percent of children exiting foster care who were older than age 12 at the time of entry into foster care were discharged to permanent homes (which is higher than the national median of 72.6 percent). These data suggest that the State is generally effective in attaining permanency for children, even when they have a diagnosed disability or are older than age 12 when they enter foster care. Information from the CFSR Final Report suggests that Georgia?s performance on these measures may be attributed to the following: (1) implementation of the Georgia Relative Care subsidy program, and (2) use of Family Group Conferencing to increase family participation and engage families in working toward permanency. However, the data for outcome 3 also demonstrate that 28.6 percent of children emancipating from foster care in FY 2000 were age 12 or younger at the time of entry, which is higher than the national median of 24.2 percent. This suggests that the State has not been consistently effective in ensuring that children who enter foster care at young ages do not “grow up” in the system.

Outcome 4. Reduce time to reunification without increasing re-entry
In FY 2000, the percentage of all reunifications occurring within 12 months of children?s entry into foster care was 75.9 percent, which does not meet the national standard of 76.2 percent but exceeds the national median of 68.0 percent. Information from the CFSR Final Report identifies the following as potential barriers to achieving reunifications in a timely manner: (1) insufficient attention to ensuring that the needs of families are fully assessed and met (due in large part to high caseworker caseloads and staff turnover); (2) the scarcity of mental health, substance abuse treatment, and domestic violence services; (3) failure in some cases to individualize services for the family, and (4) inconsistencies with regard to involving families in the case planning process.

Georgia?s performance with regard to reunifications 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 6.1, 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 foster care re-entries may be attributed to the provision of post-reunification services that include assistance with a family?s concrete needs for rent and household goods.

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 17.6, which does not meet the national standard of 32.0 percent and was less than the national median of 19.7 percent. Information from the CFSR Final Report identifies the following as potential barriers to achieving finalized adoptions in a timely manner: (1) agency delays in filing for termination of parental rights (TPR), (2) court delays in hearing TPR petitions and finalizing adoptions, and (3) a failure in some cases to provide foster parents with accurate information about adoption. The Final Report also notes that when the agency considers children to be in stable foster care placements, little attention is given to seeking more permanent homes.

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 94.3, which exceeds both the national median of 84.3 percent and the national standard of 86.7 percent. Information from the CFSR Final Report suggests that the State?s performance on this outcome may be attributed to its First Placement/Best Placement policy, which requires (1) a careful determination of needs and services before placing a child with a foster family, and (2) a thorough exploration and evaluation of relative placements before children are placed in relative homes. However, information from the CFSR Final Report also indicates that placement stability was an area needing improvement due to the following: (1) frequent use of shelter care placements, even for newborn infants and very young children; (2) lack of resources to support relative placements; and (3) insufficient supports and services to foster parents to prevent placement disruptions.

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 5.1, which is lower than the national median of 9.0. This is not consistent with information in the CFSR Final Report indicating that many young children in the State are being placed in emergency shelters and often remain in those placements for long periods of time.

Child well-being outcomes
With respect to child well-being, the CFSR 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) lack of attention of agency caseworkers to children?s education-related issues; (2) lack of sufficient access to health care providers and mental health services in rural areas and to affordable services in all areas; (3) long waiting lists for mental health services; and (4) insufficient follow up to ensure that children are receiving services to address identified needs.

 

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