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

 

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

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

A. Key Context Statistics

General Population	1998	1999	2000
Total children under 18 years	697,452	698,637	712,993
Race/ethnicity (%)1
Alaska Native/American Indian	0.8	0.8	1.0
Asian/Pacific Islander	2.0	2.1	1.7
Black	6.8	6.8	6.9
Hispanic	7.9	8.4	10.4
White	82.5	81.9	77.0
Two or more races	N/A	N/A	2.9
Other	N/A	N/A	0.2
% Child population in poverty	13.6	18.5	15.0
`	63.7	65.6	57.5

 

Child Welfare	1998	1999	2000
Child maltreatment victims	5,312	8,452	8,356
Children in foster care on 9/30	8,488	6,774	6,569
Children adopted	419	566	469

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	26,751	28,694	30,627	38.4 per 1,000	41.1 per 1,000	43.0 per 1,000
Child maltreatment victims2	5,312	8,452	8,356	7.6 per 1,000	12.1 per 1,000	11.7 per 1,000
Child fatalities	13	6	7	1.9 per 100,000	0.9 per 100,000	1.0 per 100,000

 

Age of Child Victims (%)	1998	1999	2000
Under 1 year	22.5	6.9	7.5
1-5 years	24.5	31.5	31.4
6-10 years	28.0	31.7	30.4
11-15 years	20.1	24.2	25.0
16+ years	4.9	5.4	5.6
Unknown	-	0.4	-
Total %	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	5,312	8,452	8,356

 

Race/Ethnicity of Child Victims (%)	1998	1999	2000
Alaska Native/American Indian	0.8	0.7	1.1
Asian/Pacific Islander	0.4	0.1	0.5
Black	13.4	14.3	14.7
Hispanic	3.6	4.9	2.7
White	77.3	75.9	74.3
Two or more races	N/A	N/A	1.4
Other/Unknown	8.1	8.8	5.3
Total %3	103.6	104.8	100.0
Number	5,312	8,452	8,356

 

Maltreatment Type of Child Victims (%)	1998	1999	2000
Emotional abuse	11.1	14.0	88.1
Medical neglect	2.5	3.0	26.2
Neglect	45.5	49.5	77.0
Physical abuse	28.7	30.8	54.3
Sexual abuse	19.3	15.7	27.4
Other	-	-	82.5
Unknown	27.6	-	4.2
Total %4	134.6	113.0	359.8
Number	5,312	8,452	8,356

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)	5,205	6,683	3,400	8,488	11,888
FY1999 (10/1/98-9/30/99)	4,959	3,376	1,562	6,774	8,335
FY2000 (10/1/99-9/30/00)	5,166	3,191	1,788	6,569	8,357
Median Length of Stay (Months)
FY1998 (10/1/97-9/30/98)	11.1	N/A	12.7	8.8	N/A
FY1999 (10/1/98-9/30/99)	11.4	N/A	12.9	13.9	N/A
FY2000 (10/1/99-9/30/00)	12.3	N/A	13.2	14.8	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	0.6	3.3	3.9	4.1	10.9	10.0	0.9	2.0	2.3	2.0	3.6	3.0
1-5 years	3.6	20.0	21.3	7.2	21.7	21.4	7.3	16.4	18.3	5.3	21.5	23.5
6-10 years	4.8	21.3	21.3	8.5	20.6	20.2	7.0	17.6	16.4	6.4	21.5	21.3
11-15 years	15.1	34.4	32.5	19.9	33.5	35.0	21.4	28.3	28.6	13.0	30.4	30.3
16-18 years	13.7	20.1	20.2	11.5	12.6	13.0	30.1	33.7	32.9	9.2	21.5	20.7
19+ years	0.5	0.8	0.5	0.2	0.1	0.0	1.8	1.7	1.3	0.4	1.0	0.8
Unknown	61.8	0.1	0.2	48.7	0.7	0.3	31.4	0.2	0.2	63.7	0.5	0.3
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	5,205	4,959	5,166	6,683	3,376	3,191	3,400	1,562	1,788	8,488	6,774	6,569

 

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	1.5	1.3	1.5	1.2	1.4	0.7	1.2	1.3	2.1	1.4	1.4	0.9
Asian/Pacific Islander	0.8	0.4	0.4	0.8	0.5	0.5	1.1	0.7	0.6	0.7	0.4	0.4
Black	21.1	22.3	22.3	16.9	18.3	18.1	16.9	15.4	16.8	19.5	21.9	21.8
Hispanic	7.7	6.7	6.2	7.0	6.8	3.8	7.4	7.2	5.0	7.3	6.6	5.4
White	66.7	67.4	67.1	71.6	70.4	72.6	70.6	72.2	72.8	69.0	67.8	68.2
Two or more races	-	-	0.6	-	0.0	1.0	-	-	0.6	-	0.0	0.8
Unknown	2.2	1.9	1.9	2.6	2.6	3.3	2.8	3.2	2.2	2.2	1.9	2.5
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	5,205	4,959	5,166	6,683	3,376	3,191	3,400	1,562	1,788	8,488	6,774	6,569

 

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	1,528	1,757	1,910
Children whose parents' rights have been terminated (TPR)	789	987	1,190

 

Age of Waiting Children (%)	1998	1999	2000
Under 1 year	2.0	2.0	1.7
1-5 years	5.0	26.0	27.3
6-10 years	5.8	28.9	27.2
11-15 years	9.8	32.2	31.8
16+ years	2.8	9.4	10.0
Unknown	74.7	1.5	2.0
Total %	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	1,528	1,757	1,910

 

Race/Ethnicity of Waiting Children (%)	1998	1999	2000
Alaska Native/American Indian	1.9	1.6	1.2
Asian/Pacific Islander	0.2	0.3	0.1
Black	27.5	29.3	39.0
Hispanic	5.8	5.7	6.6
White	61.6	60.7	60.1
Two or more races	-	0.1	1.1
Unknown	3.0	2.4	1.9
Total %	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	1,528	1,757	1,910

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	0.5	0.2	-
1-5 years	37.9	39.4	39.9
6-10 years	36.5	34.8	32.6
11-15 years	19.8	21.9	20.9
16+ years	3.6	3.7	6.4
Unknown	1.7	-	0.2
Total %	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	419	566	469

 

Race/Ethnicity of Adopted Children (%)	1998	1999	2000
Alaska Native/American Indian	1.7	1.8	1.5
Asian/Pacific Islander	0.2	-	0.9
Black	21.5	26.9	27.9
Hispanic	6.2	8.3	5.3
White	67.3	58.8	59.3
Two or more races	-	1.4	1.9
Unknown	3.1	2.8	3.2
Total %	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	419	566	469

 

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Kansas [ 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	-	-	92.2
Children with one or more recurrences	-	-	7.8
Total %	-	-	100.0
Number	-	-	4,080

 

 

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	-	-	0.5
Children not maltreated while in foster care	-	-	99.5
Total %	-	-	100.0
Number	-	-	7,928

 

 

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

3.1 Exits from Foster Care (%)	1998	1999	2000
Adoption	4.1	2.1	1.7
Guardianship	0.4	6.2	5.6
Reunification	33.5	75.8	79.6
Other	9.4	15.9	13.0
Missing data	52.6	-	-
Total %	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	3,400	1,562	1,788

 

 

3.2 Exits of Disabled Children (%)	1998	1999	2000
Adoption	44.4	8.3	22.2
Guardianship	-	-	5.6
Reunification	11.1	66.7	66.7
Other	-	25.0	5.6
Missing data	44.4	-	-
Total %	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	9	12	18

 

3.3 Exits of Children Over Age 12 at Entry (%)	1998	1999	2000
Adoption	0.4	0.1	0.2
Guardianship	0.2	3.9	4.6
Reunification	32.9	72.1	73.5
Other	9.8	23.9	21.7
Missing data	56.6	-	-
Total %	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	1,412	727	808

 

3.4 Exits to Emancipation (%)	1998	1999	2000
Children age 12 or younger at entry	17.7	23.7	19.5
Children older than 12 at entry	45.8	76.3	80.5
Missing data	36.5	-	-
Total %	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	96	114	149

 

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	20.0-	-	-	-	-	-	5.2	3.7	2.3	4.4	2.7	2.2
Guardianship	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	10.4	5.3	0.8	4.4	3.4
Reunification	5.0	80.0	64.9	47.2	90.9	81.8	24.0	65.1	79.7	34.9	78.8	86.5
Other	20.0	20.0	35.1	-	9.1	18.2	10.9	20.7	12.7	3.2	14.2	7.9
Missing data	55.0	-	-	52.8	-	-	59.9	-	-	56.7	-	-
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	40	20	37	36	11	11	576	241	300	252	113	89
	White			Unable to Determine			Two or More Races			Missing Data
	1998	1999	2000	1998	1999	2000	1998	1999	2000	1998	1999	2000
Adoption	3.4	1.6	1.5	8.3	6.0	-	-	-	9.1	-	-	-
Guardianship	0.4	5.9	6.3	1.0	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Reunification	36.3	77.2	79.3	25.0	84.0	89.7	-	-	72.7	-	-	-
Other	9.6	15.3	12.8	10.4	10.0	10.3	-	-	18.2	-	-	-
Missing data	50.3	-	-	55.2	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Total %	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	-	-	100.0	-	-	-
Number	2,400	1,127	1,301	96	50	39	-	-	11	-	-	-

 

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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.	50.4	50.3	47.8
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos.	28.2	31.8	33.0
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos.	9.1	9.6	11.9
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos.	2.8	4.3	3.7
48 or more mos.	3.3	2.8	3.2
Missing data	6.1	1.2	0.4
Total (%)	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	1,140	1,184	1,424

 

 

4.2 Children Who Entered Foster Care (%)	1998	1999	2000
Children entering care for the first time	92.3	91.1	89.6
Children re-entering care within 12 mos. of a prior episode	2.3	2.4	4.3
Children re-entering care more than 12 mos. after a prior episode	0.7	0.7	1.1
Missing data	4.7	5.8	5.1
Total (%)	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	6,683	3,376	3,191

 

 

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.	13.7	30.3	16.7
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos.	21.6	27.3	20.0
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos.	30.2	6.1	36.7
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos.	12.9	18.2	6.7
48 or more mos.	18.7	18.2	20.0
Missing data	2.9	-	-
Total (%)	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	139	33	30

 

 

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	61.1 64.2 67.0	38.9 27.2 27.8	- 8.6 5.2	100.0 100.0 100.0	6,930 3,732 3,591
At least 12 mos., but <24 mos.	1998 1999 2000	30.0 44.5 42.5	70.0 50.7 55.2	- 4.9 2.2	100.0 100.0 100.0	2,284 2,377 2,339
At least 24 mos., but <36 mos.	1998 1999 2000	14.4 30.2 28.3	85.6 66.3 69.4	- 3.5 2.3	100.0 100.0 100.0	952 1,040 1,224
At least 36 mos., but <48 mos.	1998 1999 2000	10.3 21.2 20.7	89.7 76.8 76.8	- 2.0 2.5	100.0 100.0 100.0	447 449 569
48 or more mos.	1998 1999 2000	14.7 18.1 14.0	85.3 79.5 85.0	- 2.4 1.0	100.0 100.0 100.0	876 701 628
Missing data	1998 1999 2000	58.5 75.0 66.7	41.5 11.1 16.7	- 13.9 16.7	100.0 100.0 100.0	299 36 6

 

 

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	4.2	3.2	1.6
Institutions	3.7	2.3	2.9
Other settings	92.1	93.5	94.2
Missing data	-	1.1	1.2
Total (%)	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	976	1,806	1,701

 

Kansas [ State Comment ]

Marilyn L. Jacobson, Assistant Secretary
Children and Family Policy
Kansas Department of Social & Rehabilitation Services
785-348-6448

Data in Section C indicate a considerable decrease in the number entering and exiting foster care from FY 1998 to FY 1999. This discrepancy can be attributed to our legacy system conversion of foster care data in the fall of 1997. Data in Section C also indicate that there were 1,608 fewer children in care on October 1,1999 (5,166) than on September 30,1999 (6,774). At the time of this publication, we have not been able to determine an explanation for the variance in numbers, and will continue to research the data discrepancy between the two calendar days.

Data in Section E indicate that 469 children were adopted in FY 2000 (from the AFCARS Adoption Database). However, as shown in outcome 5.1, only 30 of the exits from foster care (from the AFCARS Foster Care Database) were reported as discharges to adoption. At the time of this publication, we have not been able to confirm an explanation for the variance in number; however, it would appear that staff were not entering an accurate reason for discharge.

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Kansas [ Federal Comment ]

The following discussion focuses on Kansas? 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 Kansas 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 on State performance relevant to the national standards in this comment section focuses on data from 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 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, the rate of maltreatment recurrence within 6 months was 7.8 percent, which does not meet the national standard of 6.1 but is about equal to the national median of 7.9 percent. For the CFSR conducted in 2001, the State provided data for this measure from a data source other than the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS). The State?s calculations produced a recurrence rate of 3.2 percent, resulting in the State meeting the national standard for this measure during the CFSR. The differences in rate suggest data quality issues that must be resolved before performance on this outcome can be interpreted. However, information from the CFSR Final Report identifies the following as potential barriers to preventing maltreatment recurrence: (1) the practice of providing short-term family preservation services in some cases to families that need more intensive, long-term services; and (2) a failure to consistently adhere to agency policy requiring special supervisory reviews of cases with multiple unsubstantiated reports.

Outcome 2. Reduce incidence of maltreatment in foster care
In CY 2000, the incidence of maltreatment in foster care was 0.5, which meets the national standard of 0.57 but exceeds the national median of 0.47 percent. For the CFSR conducted in 2001, the State provided data for this measure from a data source other than NCANDS. The State?s calculations produced a maltreatment in foster care rate of 1.5 percent, resulting in the State not meeting the national standard for this measure during the CFSR. Again, the differences in rate between 1999 and 2000 suggest that there are data quality issues that must be resolved before performance on this outcome can be assessed.

Outcome 3. Increase permanency for children in foster care
In fiscal year (FY) 2000, 86.9 percent of children exiting foster care were discharged to permanent homes (which is higher than the national median of 84.7 percent), 78.3 percent of children exiting foster care who entered foster care when they were older than age 12 were discharged to permanent homes (which is higher than the national median of 72.6), and only 19.5 percent of children exiting foster care through emancipation were age 12 or younger at the time of entry into foster care (which is lower than the national median of 24.2). (Also in FY 2000, 94.5 percent of children with a diagnosed disability who exited foster care were discharged to permanent homes, but only 18 children were reported in this category.) Information from the CFSR Final Report suggests that the State?s performance on these measures may be attributed to the following: (1) the existence of a permanent guardianship subsidy program, (2) the fact that agency policy does not include “long-term foster care” as a case goal, and (3) the fact that case reviews occur regularly and frequently.

Outcome 4. Reduce time to reunification without increasing re-entry
In FY 2000, the percentage of reunifications occurring within 12 months of a child?s entry into foster care was 47.8, which is lower than 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 reunifications in a timely manner is that there often is a delay in providing services to parents to resolve risk issues.

Kansas? 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 4.3, which is lower than both 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 re-entry rate may be attributed to (1) the fact that the State maintains children in out-of-home placements until family issues are fully resolved, and (2) the availability of flexible funds to provide post-reunification services that meet families? specific needs.

Outcome 5. Reduce time in foster care to adoption
The data reported in the State Data Pages regarding time in foster care to adoption (outcome measure 5.1) cannot be interpreted in a meaningful way. In FY 2000, the State reported 469 adoptions to the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) Adoption Data Base. However, the State reported only 30 children as discharged to finalized adoptions to the AFCARS Foster Care Database. Consequently, the finding regarding the percentage of finalized adoptions achieved within 24 months of a child?s entry into foster care is based on only 7.5 percent of the children adopted in 2000. The State comment letter indicated that the State is investigating the reason for this discrepancy.

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 67.0, which is less than the national standard of 86.7 percent and the national median of 84.3 percent. Information from the CFSR Final Report identifies the following as potential barriers to achieving placement stability: (1) the frequent use of shelter placements for children at the point of entry into foster care, (2) the lack of specialized foster homes to accommodate children with multiple problems, (3) inadequate matching of children?s needs and foster placements, and (4) a lack of respite care and supports for 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 4.5, which is lower than the national median of 9.0. Information from the CFSR Final Report suggests that performance on this measure may be attributed to a State requirement that contracted foster care provider agencies must place at least 85 percent of the children referred to them in family foster care.

Child well-being outcomes
With respect to child well-being, the CFSR Final Report indicates that the State is effective in meeting children?s educational and physical and mental health needs. In addition, the services provided by mental health centers were reported to be of high quality, although a key concern identified was a lack of available services to address the needs of severely emotionally disturbed children.

 

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