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Alabama
Context Data | Outcomes Data | Federal Comment
Alabama [ Context Data ]
A. Key Context Statistics
|
General Population |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
|
Total children under 18 years |
1,084,135 |
1,066,177 |
1,123,422 |
1,112,996 |
|
Race/ethnicity (%)1 |
||||
|
Alaska Native/American Indian |
0.3 |
0.3 |
0.5 |
0.5 |
|
Asian |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
0.7 |
|
Asian/Pacific Islander |
0.7 |
0.8 |
0.7 |
N/A |
|
Black |
32.2 |
32.2 |
31.8 |
31.8 |
|
Hawaian/Other Pacific Islander |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
0.0 |
|
Hispanic |
1.4 |
1.5 |
2.2 |
2.4 |
|
White |
65.3 |
65.3 |
63.3 |
63.3 |
|
Two or more races |
N/A |
N/A |
1.3 |
1.3 |
|
Other |
N/A |
N/A |
0.1 |
N/A |
|
% Child population in poverty |
25.9 |
24.0 |
19.2 |
23.2 |
|
% Child population living in metropolitan areas |
69.5 |
75.5 |
69.9 |
67.3 |
|
Child Welfare |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
|
Child maltreatment victims |
16,668 |
13,773 |
9,990 |
|
Children in foster care on 9/30 |
5,198 |
5,511 |
5,621 |
|
Children adopted |
115 |
153 |
202 |
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 |
2001 |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
|
Children subject of an investigated report alleging child maltreatment |
35,705 |
35,919 |
32,655 |
29,911 |
32.9 per 1,000 |
33.7 per 1,000 |
29.1 per 1,000 |
26.6 per 1,000 |
|
Child maltreatment victims2 |
16,668 |
13,773 |
9,990 |
9,229 |
15.4 per 1,000 |
12.9 per 1,000 |
8.9 per 1,000 |
8.2 per 1,000 |
|
Child fatalities |
25 |
29 |
27 |
24 |
2.3 per 100,000 |
2.7 per 100,000 |
2.4 per 100,000 |
2.1 per 100,000 |
|
Age of Child Victims (%) |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
|
Under 1 year |
7.0 |
7.7 |
8.6 |
8.5 |
|
1-5 years |
27.8 |
27.2 |
27.4 |
28.0 |
|
6-10 years |
30.6 |
29.3 |
27.9 |
27.7 |
|
11-15 years |
27.4 |
28.1 |
28.9 |
28.2 |
|
16+ years |
5.6 |
5.1 |
5.2 |
5.0 |
|
Unknown |
1.5 |
2.5 |
1.9 |
2.6 |
|
Total % |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
|
Number |
16,668 |
13,773 |
9,990 |
9,229 |
|
Race/Ethnicity of Child Victims (%) |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
|
Alaska Native/American Indian |
0.1 |
0.2 |
0.1 |
0.1 |
|
Asian/Pacific Islander |
0.2 |
0.2 |
0.2 |
0.2 |
|
Black |
36.6 |
38.0 |
38.5 |
33.5 |
|
Hispanic |
0.7 |
1.0 |
0.9 |
1.3 |
|
White |
62.1 |
60.0 |
59.7 |
62.5 |
|
Two or more races |
N/A |
N/A |
- |
- |
|
Other/Unknown |
1.0 |
1.6 |
0.6 |
2.3 |
|
Total %3 |
100.7 |
101.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
|
Number |
16,668 |
13,773 |
9,990 |
9,229 |
|
Maltreatment Type of Child Victims (%) |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
|
Emotional abuse |
6.4 |
4.9 |
3.7 |
3.4 |
|
Medical neglect |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Neglect |
46.3 |
46.0 |
43.8 |
44.5 |
|
Physical abuse |
39.7 |
40.9 |
40.4 |
44.4 |
|
Sexual abuse |
21.4 |
23.1 |
26.5 |
21.1 |
|
Other |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Unknown |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Total %4 |
113.8 |
114.9 |
114.5 |
113.4 |
|
Number |
16,668 |
13,773 |
9,990 |
9,229 |
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) |
5,246 |
2,803 |
2,851 |
5,198 |
8,049 |
|
FY1999 (10/1/98-9/30/99) |
4,839 |
2,734 |
2,062 |
5,511 |
7,573 |
|
FY2000 (10/1/99-9/30/00) |
5,294 |
2,661 |
2,334 |
5,621 |
7,955 |
|
FY2001 (10/1/00-9/30/01) |
5,458 |
2,672 |
2,271 |
5,859 |
8,130 |
|
Median Length of Stay (Months) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
FY1998 (10/1/97-9/30/98) |
19.3 |
N/A |
9.4 |
22.3 |
N/A |
|
FY1999 (10/1/98-9/30/99) |
22.0 |
N/A |
8.8 |
21.5 |
N/A |
|
FY2000 (10/1/99-9/30/00) |
21.8 |
N/A |
11.1 |
22.0 |
N/A |
|
FY2001 (10/1/00-9/30/01) |
21.8 |
N/A |
12.4 |
21.5 |
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 |
In Care on 10/1/00 |
Entered Care During FY 1998 |
Entered Care During FY 1999 |
Entered Care During FY 2000 |
Entered Care During FY 2001 |
Exited Care During FY 1998 |
Exited Care During FY 1999 |
Exited Care During FY 2000 |
Exited Care During FY 2001 |
In Care on 9/30/98 |
In Care on 9/30/99 |
In Care on 9/30/00 |
In Care on 9/30/01 |
|
Under 1 year |
3.9 |
4.0 |
3.8 |
4.1 |
14.3 |
14.3 |
15.4 |
15.4 |
5.3 |
5.1 |
5.7 |
5.3 |
4.0 |
4.0 |
4.3 |
3.9 |
|
1-5 years |
24.5 |
22.6 |
23.3 |
22.2 |
24.3 |
25.2 |
24.2 |
26.6 |
25.0 |
25.4 |
25.7 |
27.9 |
23.5 |
23.5 |
22.8 |
23.0 |
|
6-10 years |
24.2 |
25.0 |
24.6 |
23.8 |
21.8 |
21.5 |
22.8 |
21.5 |
22.5 |
20.5 |
22.0 |
19.9 |
24.7 |
24.4 |
23.9 |
23.0 |
|
11-15 years |
28.5 |
30.2 |
29.8 |
31.5 |
28.5 |
28.7 |
29.5 |
27.7 |
24.0 |
24.5 |
23.5 |
22.8 |
29.0 |
29.7 |
30.8 |
31.0 |
|
16-18 years |
17.0 |
16.0 |
16.2 |
16.3 |
11.0 |
9.9 |
7.9 |
8.5 |
18.7 |
19.3 |
17.0 |
17.9 |
16.5 |
16.0 |
16.1 |
16.9 |
|
19+ years |
1.9 |
2.2 |
2.3 |
2.1 |
0.0 |
0.3 |
0.1 |
0.2 |
4.0 |
4.9 |
5.0 |
5.4 |
2.2 |
2.3 |
2.1 |
2.2 |
|
Unknown |
- |
0.1 |
0.1 |
0.1 |
- |
0.1 |
0.1 |
0.1 |
0.5 |
0.4 |
1.1 |
0.8 |
0.1 |
0.1 |
0.1 |
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 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
|
Number |
5,246 |
4,839 |
5,294 |
5,458 |
2,803 |
2,736 |
2,661 |
2,672 |
2,851 |
2,062 |
2,334 |
2,271 |
5,198 |
5,511 |
5,621 |
5,859 |
|
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 |
In Care on 10/1/00 |
Entered Care During FY 1998 |
Entered Care During FY 1999 |
Entered Care During FY 2000 |
Entered Care During FY 2001 |
Exited Care During FY 1998 |
Exited Care During FY 1999 |
Exited Care During FY 2000 |
Exited Care During FY 2001 |
In Care on 9/30/98 |
In Care on 9/30/99 |
In Care on 9/30/00 |
In Care on 9/30/01 |
|
Alaska Native/American Indian |
0.3 |
0.2 |
0.2 |
0.1 |
0.1 |
0.1 |
0.0 |
0.1 |
0.2 |
0.1 |
0.1 |
0.1 |
0.2 |
0.2 |
0.1 |
0.2 |
|
Asian |
- |
- |
- |
0.0 |
- |
- |
0.1 |
0.0 |
- |
- |
- |
0.0 |
- |
- |
0.0 |
0.0 |
|
Asian/Pacific Islander |
0.0 |
0.1 |
- |
- |
0.3 |
0.3 |
- |
- |
0.2 |
0.2 |
- |
- |
0.1 |
0.1 |
- |
- |
|
Black |
55.1 |
55.6 |
55.9 |
54.5 |
48.9 |
49.5 |
46.1 |
42.6 |
48.7 |
48.7 |
47.7 |
48.7 |
55.2 |
55.1 |
54.6 |
51.3 |
|
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Hispanic |
0.7 |
0.6 |
0.7 |
0.9 |
1.2 |
0.9 |
1.5 |
0.9 |
1.2 |
1.1 |
1.0 |
0.5 |
0.7 |
0.6 |
0.9 |
1.0 |
|
White |
43.8 |
43.5 |
42.9 |
43.7 |
49.4 |
48.9 |
51.2 |
55.6 |
49.6 |
49.9 |
50.8 |
50.1 |
43.7 |
43.7 |
43.6 |
46.7 |
|
Two or more races |
- |
- |
0.2 |
0.5 |
- |
- |
0.9 |
0.6 |
- |
- |
0.2 |
0.4 |
- |
- |
0.5 |
0.6 |
|
Unknown |
0.1 |
0.0 |
0.2 |
0.2 |
- |
0.4 |
0.3 |
0.1 |
0.1 |
- |
0.2 |
0.2 |
0.1 |
0.2 |
0.2 |
0.2 |
|
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 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
|
Number |
5,246 |
4,839 |
5,294 |
5,458 |
2,803 |
2,734 |
2,661 |
2,672 |
2,851 |
2,062 |
2,334 |
2,271 |
5,198 |
5,511 |
5,621 |
5,859 |
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
D. Children Waiting to Be Adopted
(AFCARS Annual Foster Care Database)6
|
Overview |
9/30/98 |
9/30/99 |
9/30/00 |
9/30/01 |
|
Children waiting to be adopted |
972 |
1,013 |
1,162 |
1,288 |
|
Children whose parents' rights have been terminated (TPR) |
489 |
567 |
653 |
839 |
|
Age of Waiting Children (%) |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
|
Under 1 year |
2.4 |
2.4 |
2.8 |
2.1 |
|
1-5 years |
29.8 |
27.5 |
27.8 |
25.2 |
|
6-10 years |
37.6 |
36.2 |
35.1 |
32.8 |
|
11-15 years |
20.2 |
24.3 |
25.9 |
30.5 |
|
16+ years |
5.3 |
5.1 |
4.7 |
5.8 |
|
Unknown |
4.7 |
4.4 |
3.7 |
3.5 |
|
Total % |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
|
Number |
972 |
1,013 |
1,162 |
1,288 |
|
Race/Ethnicity of Waiting Children (%) |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
|
Alaska Native/American Indian |
0.5 |
0.4 |
0.3 |
0.1 |
|
Asian |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Asian/Pacific Islander |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Black |
55.7 |
53.4 |
53.6 |
51.6 |
|
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Hispanic |
1.0 |
0.4 |
0.7 |
1.2 |
|
White |
42.5 |
45.5 |
45.0 |
45.7 |
|
Two or more races |
- |
- |
0.3 |
1.0 |
|
Unknown |
0.3 |
0.3 |
0.2 |
0.5 |
|
Total % |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
|
Number |
972 |
1,013 |
1,162 |
1,288 |
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 |
2001 |
|
Under 1 year |
3.5 |
1.3 |
2.5 |
2.5 |
|
1-5 years |
45.2 |
49.0 |
48.5 |
46.6 |
|
6-10 years |
37.4 |
37.3 |
33.2 |
33.2 |
|
11-15 years |
13.9 |
11.8 |
13.4 |
16.4 |
|
16+ years |
- |
0.7 |
2.5 |
1.3 |
|
Unknown |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Total % |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
|
Number |
115 |
153 |
202 |
238 |
|
Race/Ethnicity of Adopted Children (%) |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
|
Alaska Native/American Indian |
- |
- |
- |
0.8 |
|
Asian |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Asian/Pacific Islander |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Black |
47.0 |
51.0 |
40.6 |
42.4 |
|
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Hispanic |
2.6 |
2.0 |
1.0 |
- |
|
White |
50.4 |
46.4 |
57.9 |
55.5 |
|
Two or more races |
- |
- |
0.5 |
1.3 |
|
Unknown |
- |
0.7 |
- |
- |
|
Total % |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
|
Number |
115 |
153 |
202 |
238 |
Alabama [ Outcomes Data ]
1. Reduce Recurrence of Child Abuse and/or Neglect
(NCANDS)
|
1.1 Recurrence of Maltreatment Within 6 Months (%) |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
|
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 |
2001 |
|
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 |
2001 |
|
Adoption |
- |
- |
6.2 |
8.0 |
|
Guardianship |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Reunification |
82.1 |
81.3 |
77.7 |
75.0 |
|
Other |
7.6 |
7.4 |
9.0 |
9.5 |
|
Missing data |
10.3 |
11.3 |
7.2 |
7.5 |
|
Total % |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
|
Number |
2,851 |
2,062 |
2,334 |
2,271 |
|
3.2 Exits of Disabled Children (%) |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
|
Adoption |
- |
- |
12.4 |
8.4 |
|
Guardianship |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Reunification |
60.6 |
69.9 |
53.2 |
62.3 |
|
Other |
19.2 |
15.6 |
25.3 |
19.9 |
|
Missing data |
20.2 |
14.5 |
9.1 |
9.4 |
|
Total % |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
|
Number |
208 |
173 |
186 |
191 |
|
3.3 Exits of Children Over Age 12 at Entry (%) |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
|
Adoption |
- |
- |
- |
0.2 |
|
Guardianship |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Reunification |
77.7 |
74.1 |
72.8 |
71.6 |
|
Other |
12.9 |
12.7 |
14.7 |
16.2 |
|
Missing data |
9.4 |
13.2 |
12.4 |
12.0 |
|
Total % |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
|
Number |
837 |
629 |
651 |
623 |
|
3.4 Exits to Emancipation (%) |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
|
Children age 12 or younger at entry |
64.4 |
63.0 |
61.2 |
60.0 |
|
Children older than 12 at entry |
35.6 |
37.0 |
38.8 |
39.1 |
|
Missing data |
- |
- |
- |
0.9 |
|
Total % |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
|
Number |
87 |
81 |
103 |
110 |
|
3.5 Exits by Race/Ethnicity (%) |
Alaska Native/A.I. |
Asian |
Asian/Pacific Islander |
Black |
Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander |
|||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
|
Adoption |
- |
- |
- |
100.0 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
6.0 |
6.0 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Guardianship |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Reunification |
100.0 |
50.0 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
100.0 |
80.0 |
60.0 |
- |
- |
82.5 |
80.6 |
75.7 |
73.8 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Other |
- |
50.0 |
66.7 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
40.0 |
- |
- |
9.1 |
8.4 |
10.8 |
11.1 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Missing data |
- |
- |
33.3 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
20.0 |
- |
- |
- |
8.4 |
11.1 |
7.5 |
9.1 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Total % |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
- |
- |
- |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
- |
- |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Number |
7 |
2 |
3 |
2 |
- |
- |
- |
1 |
5 |
5 |
- |
- |
1,389 |
1,004 |
1,113 |
1,107 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
|
Hispanic |
White |
Unable to Determine |
Two or More Races |
Missing Data |
|||||||||||||||
|
|
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
|
Adoption |
- |
- |
8.7 |
- |
- |
- |
6.3 |
9.7 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
20.0 |
37.5 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Guardianship |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Reunification |
88.6 |
86.4 |
87.0 |
83.3 |
81.5 |
82.0 |
79.4 |
76.3 |
50.0 |
- |
100.0 |
100.0 |
- |
- |
80.0 |
62.5 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Other |
2.9 |
9.1 |
4.3 |
- |
6.3 |
6.2 |
7.3 |
8.1 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Missing data |
8.6 |
4.5 |
- |
16.7 |
12.2 |
11.8 |
7.0 |
6.0 |
50.0 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
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 |
100.0 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Number |
35 |
22 |
23 |
12 |
1,413 |
1,029 |
1,185 |
1,137 |
2 |
- |
5 |
4 |
- |
- |
5 |
8 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
4. Reduce Time to Reunification Without Increasing
Re-entry
(AFCARS Annual Foster Care Database)
|
4.1 Time to Reunification (%) |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
|
Less than 12 mos. |
63.1 |
63.5 |
61.7 |
57.7 |
|
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos. |
19.8 |
16.6 |
20.0 |
22.7 |
|
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos. |
7.3 |
10.2 |
7.4 |
8.4 |
|
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos. |
3.3 |
3.3 |
3.6 |
4.7 |
|
48 or more mos. |
6.5 |
6.4 |
7.3 |
6.6 |
|
Missing data |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Total (%) |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
|
Number |
2,341 |
1,676 |
1,813 |
1,704 |
|
4.2 Children Who Entered Foster Care (%) |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
|
Children entering care for the first time |
80.8 |
81.1 |
81.8 |
78.6 |
|
Children re-entering care within 12 mos. of a prior episode |
8.5 |
8.6 |
7.9 |
8.8 |
|
Children re-entering care more than 12 mos. after a prior episode |
10.2 |
10.0 |
10.0 |
12.2 |
|
Missing data |
0.5 |
0.3 |
0.3 |
0.4 |
|
Total (%) |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
|
Number |
2,803 |
2,734 |
2,661 |
2,672 |
5. Reduce Time in Foster Care to Adoption
(AFCARS Annual Foster Care Database)
|
5.1 Time to Adoption (%) |
1998 |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
|
Less than 12 mos. |
- |
- |
4.8 |
2.2 |
|
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos. |
- |
- |
8.3 |
11.6 |
|
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos. |
- |
- |
22.8 |
21.5 |
|
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos. |
- |
- |
25.5 |
21.5 |
|
48 or more mos. |
- |
- |
38.6 |
43.1 |
|
Missing data |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Total (%) |
- |
- |
100.0 |
100.0 |
|
Number |
- |
- |
145 |
181 |
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 |
94.7 |
5.3 |
- |
100.0 |
3,277 |
|
At least 12 mos., but <24 mos. |
1998 |
82.4 |
17.6 |
- |
100.0 |
1,651 |
|
At least 24 mos., but <36 mos. |
1998 |
69.6 |
30.4 |
- |
100.0 |
881 |
|
At least 36 mos., but <48 mos. |
1998 |
69.2 |
30.8 |
- |
100.0 |
539 |
|
48 or more mos. |
1998 |
49.0 |
51.0 |
- |
100.0 |
1,689 |
|
Missing data |
1998 |
91.7 |
8.3 |
- |
100.0 |
12 |
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 |
2001 |
|
Group homes |
2.4 |
1.8 |
4.0 |
3.3 |
|
Institutions |
6.2 |
6.9 |
6.8 |
4.7 |
|
Other settings |
88.1 |
87.8 |
88.4 |
91.5 |
|
Missing data |
3.3 |
3.5 |
0.8 |
0.5 |
|
Total (%) |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
|
Number |
1,929 |
1,876 |
1,907 |
1,901 |
Alabama [ Federal Comment ]
The following discussion focuses on Alabama?s performance with regard to each of the outcomes assessed in the Child Welfare Outcomes Annual Reports to Congress. The Alabama Child and Family Services Review (CRSR) was completed in fiscal year (FY) 2002, and compliance with the national standards was based on data from 2000. The final report for that review is available from the [Put CB WEBSITE information here]. A discussion of the implications of CFSR findings for Alabama?s performance on the Report to Congress Outcomes is provided in Child Welfare Outcomes 2000.
The State?s performance was assessed by examining the percent change in the data for each outcome measure from 1999 to 2001. The percent change was calculated using data carried out to the second decimal point. However, with the exception of outcome measure 2.1, the data presented in the Report to Congress are rounded to one decimal for ease of reading the tables (measure 2.1 must be presented as two decimals because the national standard is less than one percent).
Outcome 1. Reduce recurrence of child abuse and/or
neglect
Alabama's performance on outcome 1 cannot be assessed as part of
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. To ensure data consistency across States,
only data submitted through NCANDS are presented for this outcome
in the Report to Congress. However, the State provided data for
this outcome for its CFSR using an alternative source. These data
are presented in Alabama's CFSR Final Report.
Outcome 2. Reduce the incidence of child abuse and/or neglect
in foster care
Alabama's attainment of outcome 2 cannot be evaluated as part of
the Federal Comment section because the State does not provide data
to NCANDS for calculating this outcome. In order to ensure data
consistency across States, only data submitted through the NCANDS
system are presented for this outcome in the Report to Congress.
However, the State provided data for this outcome for its CFSR
using an alternative source. These data are provided in
Alabama?s CFSR Final Report.
Outcome 3. Increase permanency for children in foster
care
In FY 2001, 83.0 percent of children leaving foster care were
discharged to permanent homes (which is lower than the national
median of 85.3 percent); 70.7 percent of children with a diagnosed
disability who exited from foster care were discharged to permanent
homes (which is lower than the national median of 78.4 percent);
and 71.8 percent of children who were older than age 12 at entry
into foster care exited to a permanent home (which is less than the
national median of 72.3). In addition, 60.0 percent of the children
exiting foster care through emancipation were age 12 or younger at
the time of entry into foster care, which was the highest
percentage for this measure of all States. Alabama's performance on
the measures for outcome 3 did not change substantially from FY
1999 to FY 2001 (i.e., the percent change was less than 5.0 in
either direction). These data suggest that the State is not
consistently successful in attaining permanency for children in
foster care and in ensuring that children do not "grow up" in
foster care.
Outcome 4. Reduce time to reunification without increasing
re-entry
In FY 2001, the percentage of all reunifications occurring within 12 months of children's entry into foster care was 57.7, which was less than both the national standard of 76.2 percent and the national median of 69.2 percent. In addition, performance with regard to reunifications within 12 months exhibited a decline from FY 1999 to FY 2001 (-9.1 percent change).
Alabama's performance in FY 2001 with regard to the percent of re-entries into foster care within 12 months of a discharge from a prior foster care episode was 8.8 percent. This is greater than the national standard of 8.6 percent or less, but less than the national median of 10.4 percent. From FY 1999 to FY 2000, performance on this measure demonstrated an improvement and in FY 2000, the State's re-entry rate (7.9 percent) met the national standard. However, from FY 2000 to FY 2001, performance declined to 8.8 percent (+11.4 percent change).
Outcome 5. Reduce time in foster care to adoption
In FY 2001, the percentage of all finalized adoptions occurring
within 24 months of a child?s entry into foster care was
13.8, which does not meet the national standard of 32.0 percent or
more, and was lower than the national median of 21.0 percent. These
data are difficult to interpret because the number of fi nalized
adoptions in FY 2001 reported to the AFCARS Adoption Database was
238 (Section E), but the number of children reported to the AFCARS
foster care data base as exiting to a finalized adoption (outcome
measures 3.1 and 5.1) was only 181. This data discrepancy also
occurred in FY 2000. It will be necessary for Alabama to resolve
this data issue before performance on outcome 5 can be
appropriately assessed. Data provided in 1998 or 1999 were not
sufficient to calculate the measure for this outcome (5.1).
Outcome 6. Increase placement stability
In FY 2001, the percentage of children who experienced no more
than 2 placements during their first 12 months in foster care was
96.5, which exceeds the national standard of 86.7 percent or more
and the national median of 83.3 percent. Performance on this
measure has been consistently high since 1999.
Outcome 7. Reduce placements of young children in group homes
and institutions
In FY 2001, the percentage of children age 12 or younger placed in
a group home or institution was 8.0, which is less than the
national median of 8.7 percent. The State's performance on this
measure improved from 1999 to 2001 (-8.6 percent change).
