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Home > Statistics & Research > Child Welfare Outcomes 2000 > South Dakota

 

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

Context Data | Outcomes Data | State Comment | Federal Comment
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South Dakota [ Context Data ]

A. Key Context Statistics

General Population	1998	1999	2000
Total children under 18 years	200,937	198,037	202,649
Race/ethnicity (%)1
Alaska Native/American Indian	14.1	14.4	13.3
Asian/Pacific Islander	0.8	0.9	0.6
Black	0.7	0.7	0.8
Hispanic	1.8	1.8	2.2
White	82.6	82.1	80.6
Two or more races	N/A	N/A	2.3
Other	N/A	N/A	0.1
% Child population in poverty	20.4	7.3	13.3
% Child population living in metropolitan areas	38.9	36.1	34.3

 

Child Welfare	1998	1999	2000
Child maltreatment victims	2,647	2,561	3,081
Children in foster care on 9/30	-	1,101	1,215
Children adopted	55	84	94

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	5,313	4,709	5,605	26.4 per 1,000	23.8 per 1,000	27.7 per 1,000
Child maltreatment victims2	2,647	2,561	3,081	13.2 per 1,000	12.9 per 1,000	15.2 per 1,000
Child fatalities	3	3	6	1.5 per 100,000	1.5 per 100,000	3.0 per 100,000

 

Age of Child Victims (%)	1998	1999	2000
Under 1 year	0.8	-	4.1
1-5 years	20.9	-	28.6
6-10 years	35.5	-	30.2
11-15 years	27.8	-	24.4
16+ years	10.7	-	10.5
Unknown	4.3	-	2.3
Total %	100.0	-	100.0
Number	2,647	-	3,081

 

Race/Ethnicity of Child Victims (%)	1998	1999	2000
Alaska Native/American Indian	45.1	-	45.4
Asian/Pacific Islander	-	-	-
Black	-	-	-
Hispanic	-	-	-
White	42.6	-	48.0
Two or more races	N/A	N/A	-
Other/Unknown	12.3	-	6.6
Total %3	100.0	-	100.0
Number	2,647	-	3,081

 

Maltreatment Type of Child Victims (%)	1998	1999	2000
Emotional abuse	10.6	11.4	11.3
Medical neglect	-	-	-
Neglect	73.0	70.9	70.3
Physical abuse	23.3	25.1	21.5
Sexual abuse	8.3	10.0	6.3
Other	-	-	-
Unknown	-	-	-
Total %4	115.3	117.5	109.4
Number	2,647	2,561	3,081

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)	-	-	-	-	-
FY1999 (10/1/98-9/30/99)	898	1,308	1,106	1,101	2,206
FY2000 (10/1/99-9/30/00)	816	1,441	1,042	1,215	2,257
Median Length of Stay (Months)
FY1998 (10/1/97-9/30/98)	-	N/A	-	-	N/A
FY1999 (10/1/98-9/30/99)	12.7	N/A	2.3	10.5	N/A
FY2000 (10/1/99-9/30/00)	11.3	N/A	2.2	8.3	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	-	4.6	5.5	-	13.9	12.8	-	9.5	9.7	-	6.3	6.1
1-5 years	-	28.7	27.2	-	33.8	32.8	-	35.8	33.3	-	26.9	29.4
6-10 years	-	29.5	28.8	-	26.0	26.4	-	26.9	27.2	-	27.6	25.8
11-15 years	-	28.1	27.7	-	20.6	21.9	-	18.9	19.8	-	28.9	28.9
16-18 years	-	8.9	10.3	-	5.3	5.8	-	8.4	9.7	-	10.1	9.5
19+ years	-	0.1	0.2	-	-	-	-	0.2	0.3	-	0.2	0.1
Unknown	-	0.1	0.2	-	0.5	0.2	-	0.3	0.1	-	0.1	0.2
Total %	-	100.0	100.0	-	100.0	100.0	-	100.0	100.0	-	100.0	100.0
Number	-	898	816	-	1,308	1,441	-	1,106	1,042	-	1,101	1,215

 

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	-	63.8	63.4	-	60.2	59.7	-	59.2	60.3	-	64.2	61.6
Asian/Pacific Islander	-	-	0.1	-	0.1	0.1	-	-	0.1	-	0.1	0.2
Black	-	1.8	2.3	-	2.7	2.2	-	2.4	2.9	-	2.2	1.6
Hispanic	-	1.9	3.6	-	3.4	4.2	-	2.0	4.1	-	3.5	3.9
White	-	32.3	29.0	-	32.7	31.3	-	35.9	30.8	-	29.2	30.2
Two or more races	-	-	1.2	-	0.2	2.0	-	0.1	1.1	-	0.1	2.3
Unknown	-	0.2	0.4	-	0.8	0.5	-	0.4	0.8	-	0.7	0.2
Total %	-	100.0	100.0	-	100.0	100.0	-	100.0	100.0	-	100.0	100.0
Number	-	898	816	-	1,308	1,441	-	1,106	1,042	-	1,101	1,215

 

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	-	284	311
Children whose parents' rights have been terminated (TPR)	-	198	238

 

Age of Waiting Children (%)	1998	1999	2000
Under 1 year	-	8.5	4.2
1-5 years	-	26.1	32.8
6-10 years	-	32.4	28.6
11-15 years	-	27.5	31.5
16+ years	-	5.3	2.6
Unknown	-	0.4	0.3
Total %	-	100.0	100.0
Number	-	284	311

 

Race/Ethnicity of Waiting Children (%)	1998	1999	2000
Alaska Native/American Indian	-	58.1	56.6
Asian/Pacific Islander	-	0.4	-
Black	-	2.8	2.6
Hispanic	-	4.2	4.8
White	-	33.5	34.4
Two or more races	-	0.4	1.6
Unknown	-	0.7	-
Total %	-	100.0	100.0
Number	-	284	311

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	1.8	1.2	4.3
1-5 years	45.5	45.2	55.3
6-10 years	32.7	39.3	26.6
11-15 years	18.2	9.5	13.8
16+ years	1.8	4.8	-
Unknown	-	-	-
Total %	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	55	84	94

 

Race/Ethnicity of Adopted Children (%)	1998	1999	2000
Alaska Native/American Indian	34.5	46.4	51.1
Asian/Pacific Islander	-	-	-
Black	1.8	2.4	-
Hispanic	1.8	3.6	6.4
White	61.8	46.4	37.2
Two or more races	-	-	5.3
Unknown	-	1.2	-
Total %	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	55	84	94

 

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South Dakota [ 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	-	9.9	8.3
Guardianship	-	3.1	3.9
Reunification	-	77.2	76.6
Other	-	6.7	8.3
Missing data	-	3.1	2.9
Total %	-	100.0	100.0
Number	-	1,106	1,042

 

 

3.2 Exits of Disabled Children (%)	1998	1999	2000
Adoption	-	23.9	29.1
Guardianship	-	8.0	4.5
Reunification	-	44.2	37.3
Other	-	17.7	20.9
Missing data	-	6.2	8.2
Total %	-	100.0	100.0
Number	-	113	110

 

3.3 Exits of Children Over Age 12 at Entry (%)	1998	1999	2000
Adoption	-	0.5	1.0
Guardianship	-	4.9	5.6
Reunification	-	68.3	73.2
Other	-	18.0	15.7
Missing data	-	8.2	4.5
Total %	-	100.0	100.0
Number	-	183	198

 

3.4 Exits to Emancipation (%)	1998	1999	2000
Children age 12 or younger at entry	-	21.7	21.7
Children older than 12 at entry	-	78.3	78.3
Missing data	-	-	-
Total %	-	100.0	100.0
Number	-	23	23

 

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	-	6.6	6.5	-	-	100.0	-	7.4	6.7	-	9.1	11.6
Guardianship	-	2.6	4.6	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Reunification	-	80.9	76.8	-	-	-	-	92.6	83.3	-	68.2	67.4
Other	-	6.9	9.1	-	-	-	-	-	10.0	-	18.2	16.3
Missing data	-	3.1	3.0	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	4.5	4.7
Total %	-	100.0	100.0	-	-	100.0	-	100.0	100.0	-	100.0	100.0
Number	-	655	628	-	-	1	-	27	30	-	22	43
	White			Unable to Determine			Two or More Races			Missing Data
	1998	1999	2000	1998	1999	2000	1998	1999	2000	1998	1999	2000
Adoption	-	15.6	11.2	-	25.0	12.5	-	-	9.1	-	-	-
Guardianship	-	4.3	3.4	-	-	12.5	-	-	-	-	-	-
Reunification	-	70.8	76.9	-	75.0	75.0	-	-	81.8	-	-	-
Other	-	6.3	5.6	-	-	-	-	-	9.1	-	-	-
Missing data	-	3.0	2.8	-	-	-	-	100.0	-	-	-	-
Total %	-	100.0	100.0	-	100.0	100.0	-	100.0	100.0	-	-	-
Number	-	397	321	-	4	8	-	1	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.	-	81.1	84.0
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos.	-	9.4	6.8
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos.	-	2.2	1.3
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos.	-	0.4	0.9
48 or more mos.	-	0.9	0.5
Missing data	-	6.0	6.6
Total (%)	-	100.0	100.0
Number	-	854	798

 

 

4.2 Children Who Entered Foster Care (%)	1998	1999	2000
Children entering care for the first time	-	62.1	65.9
Children re-entering care within 12 mos. of a prior episode	-	14.1	14.4
Children re-entering care more than 12 mos. after a prior episode	-	22.5	17.8
Missing data	-	1.3	1.8
Total (%)	-	100.0	100.0
Number	-	1,308	1,441

 

 

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.	-	24.5	31.0
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos.	-	36.4	41.4
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos.	-	28.2	19.5
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos.	-	4.5	2.3
48 or more mos.	-	6.4	5.7
Missing data	-	-	-
Total (%)	-	100.0	100.0
Number	-	110	87

 

 

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	- 84.9 85.3	- 13.8 13.8	- 1.4 0.9	- 100.0 100.0	- 1,387 1,529
At least 12 mos., but <24 mos.	1998 1999 2000	- 68.3 58.0	- 31.7 41.7	- - 0.3	- 100.0 100.0	- 357 319
At least 24 mos., but <36 mos.	1998 1999 2000	- 46.0 51.1	- 53.4 48.9	- 0.6 -	- 100.0 100.0	- 176 137
At least 36 mos., but <48 mos.	1998 1999 2000	- 41.6 39.6	- 57.1 60.4	- 1.3 -	- 100.0 100.0	- 77 96
48 or more mos.	1998 1999 2000	- 35.3 39.6	- 64.0 60.4	- 0.7 -	- 100.0 100.0	- 139 111
Missing data	1998 1999 2000	- 95.7 92.3	- 4.3 1.5	- - 6.2	- 100.0 100.0	- 70 65

 

 

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	-	0.7	1.2
Institutions	-	15.1	15.3
Other settings	-	83.3	83.3
Missing data	-	1.0	0.3
Total (%)	-	100.0	100.0
Number	-	1,015	1,108

 

South Dakota [ State Comment ]

Virgena Wieseler, Administrator
Child Protection Services
South Dakota Department of Social Services
605-773-3227

In Section C - Children in Foster Care we re-ran the data for the number of children in care on 09-30-99 (1039) and 10-01-99 (996). The difference is 43 children, however we believe that number represents the number of children who we showed as discharged to adoption but were not yet finalized. With our latest submission of AFCARS data for fiscal year 2002 A, we are now reporting children as still in care.

Data were not available to calculate outcome measures 1.1 and 2.1 because South Dakota does not submit DCDC data. South Dakota completed SDC for NCANDS and SDC does not include these data. However, data regarding recurrence obtained in preparation for South Dakota's Child and Family Service Review in October 2001 was 14.5% in 1998, 11.1% in 1999 and 11% in 2000.

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South Dakota [ Federal Comment ]

The following discussion focuses on South Dakota?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 South Dakota 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 the Federal 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
South Dakota?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) 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 South Dakota?s CFSR Final Report and in the State Comment section.

Outcome 2. Reduce incidence of maltreatment in foster care
South Dakota?s attainment of outcome 2 cannot be evaluated in the Federal Comment section because the State does not provide data to 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 South Dakota?s CFSR Final Report.

Outcome 3. Increase permanency for children in foster care
In fiscal year (FY) 2000, 88.8 percent of children leaving foster care were discharged to permanent homes (which is higher than the national median of 84.7 percent), and 79.8 percent of children who were older than age 12 at entry into foster care exited foster care to permanent homes (which is higher than the national median of 72.6). Information from the CFSR Final Report suggests that the State?s performance on these measures may be attributed to the availability of subsidized guardianship as a permanency option. However, only 70.9 percent of children with a diagnosed disability who exited foster care were discharged to permanent homes, which is less than the national median of 79.5 percent. This suggests that although the State appears to be generally effective in establishing permanency for children, it is less effective in establishing permanency for children with a diagnosed disability.

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 84.0, which is higher 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 the State?s performance on this outcome measure may be attributed in part to the following: (1) diligent efforts to promote parent-child visitation, (2) frequent caseworker visits with parents, and (3) an extensive array of services.

South Dakota?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 14.4, which is higher than both the national standard of 8.6 percent and the national median of 10.3 percent. Information from the CFSR Final Report identifies the following as potential reasons for performance on this outcome measure: (1) inadequate risk assessment prior to reunification in some cases, (2) reunification of some families when there is no evidence of behavior change by the parents (e.g., the parents did not complete a recommended treatment program), and (3) lack of post-reunification services.

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 72.4, which is higher than the national standard of 32.0 percent and is the highest rate reported nationally. However, information from the CFSR Final Report indicates that the data for measure 5.1 concerning time to adoption are not accurate because the State data system records adoptive placements as discharges to adoption rather than only recording finalized adoptions as discharges, as is required by the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS). Therefore, it is not possible to interpret the data for this measure provided in the Report to Congress. According to information in the CFSR Final Report, the State plans to correct this problem in their future submissions to AFCARS.

Outcome 6. Increase placement stability
In FY 2000, the percentage of children who experienced no more than 2 placements in their first 12 months in foster care was 85.3, which does not meet the national standard of 86.7 percent, but is higher than the national median of 84.3 percent. Information from the CFSR Final Report identifies the key barrier to achieving placement stability for children as the scarcity of foster homes and placement settings, which results in placement decisions being based on available “beds” rather than on the needs of the child.

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 16.5, which is higher than the national median of 9.0 percent. Information from the CFSR Final Report suggests that the State?s performance on this measure may be attributed to a lack of mental health day-treatment options for children and home-based mental health services. As noted in the Final Report, the lack of these services results in placement in residential treatment facilities, even for young children who might otherwise be treated in their own homes, or in less restrictive placements within their communities.

Child well-being outcomes
With respect to child well-being, information from the CFSR Final Report indicates that the State is not consistently effective in meeting children?s educational, physical health, and mental health needs. The Final Report identifies the following as potential barriers to meeting these needs: (1) a lack of attention to children?s educational needs, particularly in the children?s case plans, (2) a failure to provide some children with health screenings at the time of entry into foster care, (3) a lack of dentists willing to accept Medicaid payments, (4) a lack of mental health assessments and a failure to provide services in all cases in which mental health needs were identified and services recommended, and (5) significant gaps in mental health services for children, particularly day treatment and home-based services.

 

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