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Home > Statistics & Research > Child Welfare Outcomes 2001 > Chapter Four > Iowa

 

Iowa

Context Data | Outcomes Data | State Comment | Federal Comment

Iowa [ Context Data ]

A. Key Context Statistics

General Population 1998 1999 2000 2001
Total children under 18 years 722,139 719,685 733,638 710,735
Race/ethnicity (%)1
 Alaska Native/American Indian 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.4
 Asian N/A N/A N/A 1.5
 Asian/Pacific Islander 1.7 1.7 1.4 N/A
 Black 2.5 2.5 2.9 3.2
Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander N/A N/A N/A 0.1
 Hispanic 3.1 3.3 4.5 4.6
 White 92.4 92.0 88.8 88.4
 Two or more races N/A N/A 1.8 1.8
 Other N/A N/A 0.2 N/A
% Child population in poverty 13.2 9.9 8.4 7.6
% Child population living in metropolitan areas 47.3 53.5 45.7 47.9
Child Welfare 1998 1999 2000 2001
Child maltreatment victims 7,311 9,763 10,822 12,792
Children in foster care on 9/30 4,920 4,854 5,068 5,202
Children adopted 525 764 729 661

1 The 2000 Census of the United States includes two new race categories: (1) Persons of two or more races and (2) Other. Back

B. Child Maltreatment Data (NCANDS)

blank cell Number Rate
Maltreatment Information Overview 1998 1999 2000 2000 1998 1998 2000 2001
Children subject of an investigated report alleging child maltreatment 28,072 26,812 31,317 37,704 38.9 per 1,000 37.3 per 1,000 42.7 per 1,000 51.6 per 1,000
Child maltreatment victims2 7,311 9,763 10,822 12,792 10.1 per 1,000 13.6 per 1,000 14.8 per 1,000 17.5 per 1,000
Child fatalities 10 11 10 15 1.4 per 100,000 1.5 per 100,000 1.4 per 100,000 2.1 per 100,000
Age of Child Victims (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Under 1 year 8.4 4.5 8.8 8.6
1-5 years 32.5 34.1 34.7 35.9
6-10 years 28.7 30.3 28.5 28.2
11-15 years 20.6 22.3 21.4 20.9
16+ years 4.8 7.4 5.6 4.9
Unknown 5.0 1.4 1.0 1.5
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 7,311 9,763 10,822 12,792
Race/Ethnicity of Child Victims (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Alaska Native/American Indian 1.3 0.9 0.8 1.0
Asian/Pacific Islander 0.3 0.7 0.6 0.6
Black 8.2 8.0 8.3 8.1
Hispanic 3.5 3.7 3.9 5.1
White 71.4 74.2 74.0 72.0
Two or more races — — — —
Other/Unknown 18.8 16.2 12.5 13.2
Total %3 103.5 103.7 100.0 100.0
Number 7,311 9,763 10,822 12,792
Maltreatment Type of Child Victims (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Emotional 0.4 1.2 1.2 1.4
Medical neglect 2.9 1.6 1.6 1.6
Neglect 59.4 63.1 68.1 71.9
Physical abuse 22.0 25.2 22.4 18.7
Sexual abuse 13.2 11.1 8.7 8.1
Other 4.1 2.4 2.8 3.8
Unknown — — — —
Total %4 102.1 104.7 104.7 105.5
Number 7,311 9,763 10,822 12,892

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) 4,846 5,331 5,257 4,920 10,177
FY1999 (10/1/98-9/30/99) 4,954 5,343 5,443 4,854 10,297
FY2000 (10/1/99-9/30/00) 4,862 5,620 5,414 5,068 10,482
FY2001 (10/1/00-9/30/01) 5,085 5,829 5,712 5,202 10,914
Median Length of Stay (Months)          
FY1998 (10/1/97-9/30/98) 12.9 N/A 4.0 12.5 N/A
FY1999 (10/1/98-9/30/99) 13.5 N/A 4.7 11.7 N/A
FY2000 (10/1/99-9/30/00) 12.5 N/A 4.3 10.7 N/A
FY2001 (10/1/00-9/30/01) 11.3 N/A 4.2 10.7 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 2.5 2.6 2.4 3.2 5.3 4.9 6.4 6.7 2.5 2.3 2.9 2.9 2.6 2.4 3.2 3.7
1-5 years 18.4 17.2 16.9 16.8 13.2 15.0 15.2 17.0 14.0 15.4 15.8 14.6 16.8 16.4 16.7 20.4
6-10 years 20.1 20.1 18.5 16.9 13.0 12.9 13.4 14.3 12.3 14.1 13.7 13.8 19.9 18.1 16.4 16.6
11-15 years 35.6 36.4 37.6 38.1 44.1 43.0 40.9 40.0 34.6 33.4 32.7 34.6 37.1 38.5 38.5 36.1
16-18 years 23.3 23.6 24.5 24.9 24.4 24.1 24.0 21.9 36.0 34.6 34.5 33.8 23.4 24.4 25.0 23.0
19+ years 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 — — 0.0 0.0 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.2
Unknown 0.0 — — 0.0 0.1 — 0.1 0.0 0.1 — 0.0 0.0 — — 0.0 0.0
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 4,846 4,954 4,862 5,085 5,331 5,343 5,620 5,829 5,257 5,443 5,414 5,712 4,920 4,854 5,068 5,202
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 2.7 2.6 2.1 2.3 1.5 1.7 1.4 2.1 1.7 2.3 1.4 2.0 2.5 1.9 2.1 2.4
Asian — — 0.8 0.9 — — 0.9 0.7 — — 0.9 0.9 — — 0.9 0.7
Asian/Pacific 0.8 0.6 — — 0.7 0.9 — — 0.8 0.7 — — 0.7 0.9 — —
Black 13.6 13.6 12.3 11.5 10.2 9.1 9.3 10.8 10.3 10.6 10.3 10.5 13.5 12.0 11.1 11.8
Native Hawaiian/ Other Pacific Islander — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Hispanic 3.1 3.9 4.0 4.2 3.7 3.8 4.1 4.6 3.1 3.7 4.1 4.1 3.8 4.0 4.0 4.7
White 72.9 71.0 71.3 70.6 70.6 72.0 71.8 71.0 71.9 71.5 72.6 71.4 71.5 71.5 70.5 70.1
Two or more races 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.6 0.1 0.2 1.1 0.2 0.0 0.1 0.6 0.4 0.2 0.3 0.8 0.4
Unknown 6.7 8.2 9.2 9.9 13.1 12.4 11.4 10.7 12.2 11.2 10.1 10.6 7.8 9.4 10.6 9.9
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 4,846 4,954 4,862 5,085 5,331 5,343 5,620 5,829 5,257 5,443 5,414 5,712 4,920 4,854 5,068 5,202

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 1,039 1,044 1,019 1,130
Children whose parents' rights have been terminated (TPR) 938 922 826 961
Age of Waiting Children (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Under 1 year 2.1 2.4 1.8 2.2
1-5 years 33.5 32.6 31.6 34.3
6-10 years 36.4 32.9 31.1 27.9
11-15 years 23.1 25.7 29.0 28.5
16+ years 4.6 5.4 5.9 6.6
Unknown 0.3 1.2 0.7 0.5
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 1,039 1,044 1,019 1,130
Race/Ethnicity of Waiting Children (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Alaska Native/American Indian 5.4 4.3 3.1 2.7
Asian — — 0.6 0.4
Asian/Pacific Islander 1.1 0.4 — —
Black 20.3 19.1 17.6 13.7
Native Hawaiian/ Other Pacific Islander — — — —
Hispanic 3.5 5.6 4.8 6.4
White 66.3 63.7 63.9 66.4
Two or more races — — 0.6 0.7
Unknown 3.5 7.0 9.4 9.6
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 1,039 1,044 1,019 1,130

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 0.8 1.2 1.8 2.0
1-5 years 47.0 44.4 44.9 43.7
6-10 years 36.8 37.7 34.3 31.6
11-15 years 13.1 14.9 17.6 19.1
16+ years 2.3 1.8 1.5 3.6
Unknown — — — —
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 525 764 729 661
Race/Ethnicity of Adopted Children (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Alaska Native/American Indian 5.5 3.3 3.2 3.0
Asian — — — 1.1
Asian/Pacific Islander 1.0 1.2 — —
Black 16.6 17.8 20.4 20.6
Native Hawaiian/ Other Pacific Islander — — — —
Hispanic 2.3 5.2 6.0 6.2
White 69.1 64.1 65.6 63.2
Two or more races — — — —
Unknown 5.5 8.4 4.8 5.9
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 525 764 729 661

Back to Top

Iowa [ 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 90.8 91.6 88.2 88.8
Children with one or more recurrences 9.2 8.4 11.8 11.2
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 8,698 8,699 5,041 6,184

Bar chart describing Percentage of Children With One or More Recurrences of Maltreatment within 6 months data from Table 1.1 above.

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 0.43 0.45 0.79 0.89
Children not maltreated while in foster care 99.57 99.55 99.21 99.11
Total % 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00
Number 8,875 9,127 9,381 9,638

Bar chart describing Percentage of Children Maltreated While in Foster Care data from Table 2.1 above.

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

3.1 Exits from Foster Care (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Adoption 10.2 14.1 13.3 11.6
Guardianship — — — 0.6
Reunification 79.3 77.3 78.4 79.6
Other 9.9 8.3 8.2 8.2
Missing data 0.6 0.3 0.0 0.0
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 5,257 5,443 5,414 5,712

Pie Charts describing data from Table 3.1 above.

3.2 Exits of Disabled Children (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Adoption 27.0 40.8 43.8 39.5
Guardianship — — — 0.4
Reunification 55.6 47.7 43.9 47.3
Other 15.8 10.8 12.3 12.7
Missing data 1.6 0.7 — —
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 891 969 886 919
3.3 Exits of Children Over Age 12 at Entry (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Adoption 0.5 0.4 0.5 0.9
Guardianship — — — 0.4
Reunification 84.1 86.4 87.0 86.7
Other 15.3 13.2 12.5 12.0
Missing data 0.1 0.0 — —
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 3,175 3,106 2,995 3,127
3.4 Exits to Emancipation (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Children age 12 or younger at entry 2.7 9.5 18.1 26.0
Children older than 12 at entry 97.3 90.5 81.9 74.0
Missing data — — — —
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 255 231 249 269
3.5 Exits by Race/Ethnicity (%)
blank cell 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 32.6 20.2 29.9 18.6 — — — 11.1 11.6 21.6 — — 17.0 23.2 24.7 19.5 — — — —
Guardianship — — — 0.9 — — — — — — — — — — — 0.7 — — — —
Reunification 53.9 73.4 64.9 70.8 — — 95.7 75.9 74.4 59.5 — — 70.2 68.3 68.3 72.2 — — — —
Other 11.2 6.5 5.2 9.7 — — 4.3 13.0 11.6 18.9 — — 10.7 8.3 6.8 7.7 — — — —
Missing data 2.2 — — — — — — — 2.3 — — — 2.0 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 — — — —
Number 89 124 77 113 — — 47 54 43 37 — — 540 577 558 601 — — — —
blank cell 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 9.3 19.6 18.9 15.7 9.7 12.7 11.7 9.6 4.9 11.0 10.2 13.7 — — — 26.1 — — — —
Guardianship — — — — — — — 0.7 — — — 0.2 — — — — — — — —
Reunification 85.8 73.9 74.8 75.0 79.9 78.4 79.8 81.1 85.8 81.6 79.4 80.8 100.0 100.0 100.0 73.9 — — — —
Other 4.3 6.5 6.3 9.3 10.2 8.6 8.4 8.6 8.9 7.2 10.4 5.4 — — — — — — — —
Missing data 0.6 — — — 0.3 0.3 — 0.0 0.5 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 162 199 222 236 3,782 3,892 3,928 4,077 639 608 549 608 2 6 33 23 — — — —

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. 81.0 80.2 81.1 81.1
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos. 11.5 13.2 11.6 12.1
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos. 3.7 3.2 3.4 3.2
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos. 2.1 1.1 1.3 1.3
48 or more mos. 0.9 1.5 1.8 1.8
Missing data 0.8 0.7 0.8 0.6
Total (%) 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 4,168 4,207 4,247 4,547

Bar chart describing reunification percentages data in Table 4.1 above.

4.2 Children Who Entered Foster Care (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Children entering care for the first time 66.4 64.8 66.4 67.1
Children re-entering care within 12 mos. of a prior episode 27.0 26.7 24.9 24.4
Children re-entering care more than 12 mos. after a prior episode 5.7 7.7 8.2 7.9
Missing data 0.9 0.8 0.5 0.6
Total (%) 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 5,331 5,343 5,620 5,829

Bar chart describing re-entries into Foster Care within 12 months from data in Table 4.2 above.

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. 17.3 15.5 18.6 18.1
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos. 23.2 22.0 20.8 27.9
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos. 32.0 27.4 27.4 26.9
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos. 17.7 22.1 19.2 15.0
48 or more mos. 8.7 12.7 13.8 11.8
Missing data 1.1 0.3 0.3 0.3
Total (%) 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 538 769 720 662

Bar Chart describing Percentage of Adoptions Occurring in Less Than 24 or greater than 48 Months of Entry data from Table 5.1 above

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
2001		 87.7
89.2
88.6
88.8		 12.3
10.8
11.4
11.2		 —
—
—
—		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 6,100
6,162
6,474
6,782
At least 12 mos., but <24 mos. 1998
1999
2000
2001		 56.3
58.0
53.8
54.7		 43.7
42.0
46.2
45.3		 —
—
—
—		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 1,746
1,750
1,743
1,935
At least 24 mos., but <36 mos. 1998
1999
2000
2001		 34.4
33.3
38.1
33.7		 65.6
66.7
61.9
66.3		 —
—
—
—		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 993
958
908
900
At least 36 mos., but <48 mos. 1998
1999
2000
2001		 33.7
28.6
25.4
27.5		 66.3
71.4
74.6
72.5		 —
—
—
—		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 751
598
531
520
48 or more mos. 1998
1999
2000
2001		 46.2
34.6
29.4
26.0		 53.8
65.4
70.6
74.0		 —
—
—
—		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 528
772
779
734
Missing data 1998
1999
2000
2001		 100.0
100.0
100.0
97.7		 —
—
—
2.3		 —
—
—
—		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 59
57
47
43

Bar chart describing foster care placements over time percentages data from Table 6.1 above.

7. Reduce Placements of Young Children in Group Homes or Institutions
(AFCARS Annual Foster C