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

 

Idaho

Context Data | Outcomes Data | Federal Comment

Idaho [ Context Data ]

A. Key Context Statistics

General Population 1998 1999 2000 2001
Total children under 18 years 351,158 350,464 369,030 370,645
Race/ethnicity (%)1
   Alaska Native/American
    Indian		 1.3 1.2 1.4 1.4
   Asian N/A N/A N/A 0.9
   Asian/Pacific Islander 1.1 1.1 0.8 N/A
   Black 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.6
   Hawaiian/ Other Pacific
    Islander		 N/A N/A N/A 0.1
   Hispanic 10.5 11.0 11.6 12.0
   White 86.7 86.2 83.4 83.0
   Two or more races N/A N/A 2.2 2.0
   Other N/A N/A 0.1 N/A
% Child population in poverty 22.5 21.9 21.0 15.9
% Child population living in metropolitan areas 33.6 37.3 39.0 38.6
Child Welfare 1998 1999 2000 2001
Child maltreatment victims 7,936 2,928 3,171 3,557
Children in foster care on 9/30 963 959 1,015 1,114
Children adopted 14 107 140 132

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 2001 1998 1999 2000 2001
Children subject of an investigated report alleging child maltreatment 26,682 11,161 14,158 9,959 76.0 per 1,000 31.8 per 1,000 38.4 per 1,000 26.6 per 1,000
Child maltreatment victims2 7,936 2,928 3,171 3,557 22.6 per 1,000 8.4 per 1,000 8.6 per 1,000 9.5 per 1,000
Child fatalities 5 4 1 4 1.4 per 100,000 1.1 per 100,000 0.3 per 100,000 1.1 per 100,000
Age of Child Victims (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Under 1 year 2.8 5.8 7.9 8.0
1-5 years 23.5 21.8 31.3 32.1
6-10 years 27.6 21.3 29.3 29.9
11-15 years 23.8 16.5 24.6 24.1
16+ years 11.8 4.5 5.7 5.9
Unknown 10.5 30.1 1.2 —
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 7,936 2,928 3,171 3,557
Race/Ethnicity of Child Victims (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Alaska Native/American Indian 1.5 1.6 2.8 3.7
Asian/Pacific Islander 0.3 0.1 0.5 0.3
Black 0.2 0.4 0.8 0.7
Hispanic 9.2 7.0 9.0 10.4
White 78.5 55.7 81.9 74.6
Two or more races — — — 0.1
Other/Unknown 19.5 42.2 5.0 10.1
Total %3 109.2 107.0 100.0 100.0
Number 7,936 2,928 3,171 3,557
Maltreatment Type of Child Victims (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Emotional — 0.3 1.4 3.3
Medical neglect — 2.6 11.2 2.0
Neglect 47.5 49.5 46.4 61.9
Physical abuse 31.1 29.0 21.9 19.9
Sexual abuse 16.3 13.1 10.9 8.3
Other 4.8 1.7 0.6 9.1
Unknown 0.2 3.9 7.6 —
Total %4 100.0 100.0 100.0 104.5
Number 7,936 2,928 3,171 3,557

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) 682 851 572 963 1,533
FY1999 (10/1/98-9/30/99) 757 999 806 959 1,756
FY2000 (10/1/99-9/30/00) 900 1,125 991 1,034 2,026
FY2000 (10/1/00-9/30/01) 989 1,209 1,084 1,114 2,198
Median Length of Stay (Months)
FY1998 (10/1/97-9/30/98) 12.8 N/A 1.2 12.4 N/A
FY1999 (10/1/98-9/30/99) 12.6 N/A 2.1 12.5 N/A
FY2000 (10/1/99-9/30/00) 13.4 N/A 3.2 11.0 N/A
FY2000 (10/1/00-9/30/01) 11.4 N/A 3.3 11.1 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 5.0 4.5 4.2 3.8 12.6 9.8 9.8 10.4 7.0 5.5 5.0 5.3 4.4 4.5 4.0 4.4
1-5 years 27.6 25.4 27.0 27.5 25.7 29.1 27.2 28.4 30.8 28.4 28.3 29.8 25.5 26.4 27.3 26.4
6-10 years 29.3 29.6 25.4 23.3 25.0 21.3 22.3 24.6 22.7 26.3 23.7 23.7 29.7 24.4 23.3 25.2
11-15 years 26.2 30.4 28.9 30.7 28.4 28.5 30.3 27.7 26.7 26.1 25.9 27.3 27.5 29.2 30.9 27.9
16-18 years 11.7 10.2 14.5 14.7 8.2 11.2 10.6 8.9 12.8 13.8 16.9 13.8 12.7 15.5 14.4 16.1
19+ years 0.1 — — — — — — — — — 0.1 0.1 0.1 — — —
Unknown — — — — — — — — — — — — 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 682 757 899 989 851 999 1,127 1,209 572 806 1,011 1,084 963 959 1,015 1,114
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 2.9 8.5 9.7 9.4 3.6 6.2 5.7 5.2 2.1 4.5 5.6 6.3 4.0 9.5 9.3 7.9
Asian — — 0.2 0.2 — — 0.2 0.5 — — 0.4 0.4 — — — 0.4
Asian/Pacific Islander — 0.5 — — — 0.5 — — — 0.7 — — — 0.3 — —
Black 1.9 2.5 2.2 2.6 1.2 1.6 2.2 1.2 0.7 2.1 1.6 1.8 2.0 1.9 2.9 2.0
Native Hawaiian/ Other Pacific Islander — — 0.1 — — — 0.1 0.1 — — — — — — 0.2 0.1
Hispanic 7.3 11.4 13.9 9.7 10.8 12.5 10.1 12.0 12.9 10.9 13.5 9.6 7.1 12.8 10.1 12.3
White 87.2 76.6 72.6 78.1 83.3 73.4 76.7 80.6 83.0 77.4 72.3 81.6 86.3 72.7 77.4 77.4
Two or more races — — 0.2 — — — — — — — 0.1 — — — 0.1 —
Unknown 0.6 0.5 1.0 — 1.1 5.8 5.1 0.3 1.2 4.3 6.5 0.4 0.6 2.8 — —
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 682 757 899 989 851 999 1,127 1,209 572 806 1,011 1,084 963 959 1,015 1,114

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 149 86 379 243
Children whose parents' rights have been terminated (TPR) 97 13 378 242
Age of Waiting Children (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Under 1 year 2.7 1.2 4.8 0.8
1-5 years 30.9 38.4 32.5 22.6
6-10 years 38.3 37.2 30.1 33.3
11-15 years 20.8 20.9 28.8 33.3
16+ years 6.0 2.3 3.7 9.1
Unknown 1.3 — 0.3 0.8
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 149 86 379 243
Race/Ethnicity of Waiting Children (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Alaska Native/American Indian 1.3 7.0 11.3 8.6
Asian — — — 0.4
Asian/Pacific Islander — — — —
Black 2.7 1.2 2.9 1.6
Native Hawaiian/ Other Pacific Islander — — 0.3 —
Hispanic 10.1 33.7 9.2 10.7
White 85.9 55.8 76.3 78.6
Two or more races — — — —
Unknown — 2.3 — —
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 149 86 379 243

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 14.3 0.9 7.9 2.3
1-5 years 28.6 52.3 47.9 55.3
6-10 years 50.0 39.3 30.7 24.2
11-15 years 7.1 6.5 12.1 16.7
16+ years — 0.9 1.4 1.5
Unknown — — — —
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 14 107 140 132
Race/Ethnicity of Adopted Children (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Alaska Native/American Indian — 3.7 4.3 13.6
Asian — — 1.4 0.8
Asian/Pacific Islander — 0.9 — —
Black — 12.2 2.9 8.3
Native Hawaiian/ Other Pacific Islander — — 3.6 3.0
Hispanic — 6.5 23.6 12.1
White 85.7 73.8 60.7 62.1
Two or more races — — — —
Unknown 14.3 2.8 3.6 —
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 14 107 140 132

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Idaho [ 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 — — — 90.7
Children with one or more recurrences — — — 9.3
Total % — — — 100.0
Number — — — 1,747

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 — — — 0.36
Children not maltreated while in foster care — — — 9.3
Total % — — — 100.0
Number — — — 1,941

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 5.2 6.5 9.8 10.1
Guardianship — — — —
Reunification 82.2 84.7 81.7 81.5
Other 5.2 6.1 7.7 8.4
Missing data 7.3 2.7 0.8 —
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 572 806 1,011 1,084

Pie Charts describing data from Table 3.1 above.

3.2 Exits of Disabled Children (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Adoption 9.8 13.7 39.4 55.2
Guardianship — — — —
Reunification 74.5 74.5 57.6 31.0
Other 3.9 9.8 3.0 13.8
Missing data 11.8 2.0 — —
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 51 51 66 58
3.3 Exits of Children Over Age 12 at Entry (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Adoption — — 0.3 0.3
Guardianship — — — —
Reunification 78.2 79.5 78.9 77.9
Other 13.2 15.6 20.1 21.8
Missing data 8.6 4.9 0.7 —
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 174 224 298 317
3.4 Exits to Emancipation (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Children age 12 or younger at entry 10.5 21.9 20.5 10.3
Children older than 12 at entry 89.5 75.0 79.5 89.7
Missing data — 3.1 — —
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 19 32 44 58
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 — 5.6 10.5 27.9 — — — — — 16.7 — — — 41.2 6.3 36.8 — — — —
Guardianship — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Reunification 41.7 88.9 77.2 58.8 — — 75.0 100.0 — 83.3 — — 75.0 58.8 93.8 52.6 — — — —
Other 8.3 2.8 12.3 13.2 — — 25.0 — — — — — — — — 10.5 — — — —
Missing data 50.0 2.8 — — — — — — — — — — 25.0 — — — — — — —
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 — — 100.0 100.0 — 100.0 — — 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 — — — —
Number 12 36 57 68 — — 4 4 — 6 — — 4 17 16 19 — — — —
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 9.5 5.7 21.3 7.7 4.8 5.9 8.6 8.6 — — — — — — — — — — — —
Guardianship — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Reunification 74.3 88.6 75.0 81.7 84.2 84.0 82.1 83.6 100.0 97.1 92.4 100.0 — — 100.0 — — — — —
Other 6.8 4.5 3.7 10.6 5.1 7.1 8.2 7.8 — — 7.6 — — — — — — — — —
Missing data 9.5 1.1 — — 5.9 3.0 1.1 — — 2.9 — — — — — — — — — —
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 — — — — —
Number 74 88 136 104 475 624 731 885 7 35 66 4 — — 1 — — — — —

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. 89.4 83.2 81.5 88.9
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos. 6.6 10.2 12.5 8.0
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos. 1.9 2.3 4.1 1.4
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos. 0.9 0.9 1.2 0.5
48 or more mos. 0.4 1.0 0.6 0.8
Missing data 0.9 2.3 0.1 0.5
Total (%) 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 470 683 826 883

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 81.4 90.3 81.3 83.9
Children re-entering care within 12 mos. of a prior episode 6.8 5.4 10.3 11.9
Children re-entering care more than 12 mos. after a prior episode 4.5 1.5 6.7 3.1
Missing data 7.3 2.8 1.7 1.1
Total (%) 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 851 999 1,127 1,209

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. 6.7 3.8 — —
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos. 10.0 15.4 18.2 33.6
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos. 36.7 38.5 31.3 29.1
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos. 10.0 13.5 18.2 21.8
48 or more mos. 36.7 28.8 32.3 15.5
Missing data — — — —
Total (%) 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 30 52 99 110

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		 69.8
73.6
82.3
81.1		 26.0
22.9
17.7
18.8		 4.2
3.5
—
0.1		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 934
1,072
1,254
1,397
At least 12 mos., but <24 mos. 1998
1999
2000
2001		 46.4
53.0
49.6
49.3		 52.9
46.0
50.4
50.7		 0.8
1.0
—
—		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.00		 261
300
339
371
At least 24 mos., but <36 mos. 1998
1999
2000
2001		 40.6
64.2
51.3
36.3		 59.4
35.8
48.7
63.7		 —
—
—
—		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 133
151
196
193
182
At least 36 mos., but <48 mos. 1998
1999
2000
2001		 31.7
45.8
38.5
28.9
 59.8
54.2
61.5
71.2		 8.5
—
—
—		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 82
72
91
104
48 or more mos. 1998
1999
2000
2001		 25.0
62.8
71.6
51.8		 69.2
37.2
28.4
48.2		 5.8
—
—
—		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 120
148
148
137
Missing data 1998
1999
2000
2001		 100.0
92.3
100.0
100.0		 —
7.7
—
—		 —
—
—
—		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 3
13
1
7

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 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 3.2 3.9 4.2 4.4
Institutions 4.4 1.8 2.0 2.0
Other settings 91.6 93.3 93.7 93.7
Missing data 0.9 1.0 — —
Total (%) 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 571 674 783 870

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Idaho [ Federal Comment ]

The following discussion focuses on Idaho's performance with regard to each of the outcomes assessed in the Child Welfare Outcomes Annual Reports to Congress. The Idaho Child and Family Services Review (CFSR) was completed in fiscal year (FY) 2003, and compliance with the national standards was based on data from 2001. The final report for that review is available from http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/publications/cwo01. A discussion of the implications of CFSR findings for Idaho's performance on the Report to Congress Outcomes is provided below.

The State's performance is 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
In calendar year (CY) 2001, the rate of maltreatment recurrence in less than 6 months was 9.3 percent, which does not meet the national standard of 6.1 percent or less, and is higher than the national median of 8.0 percent. Change in performance cannot be assessed because in prior years, Idaho did not provide data to the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) to calculate this measure. Information from the CFSR Final Report indicates that performance on this measure may be attributed to inadequate initial and ongoing assessments and a lack of adequate services provided to families. Final Report information also suggests that the State does not have clear standards for substantiating reports and consequently many maltreatment reports are found to be "unsubstantiated."

Outcome 2. Reduce incidence of maltreatment in foster care
In CY 2001, the incidence of maltreatment in foster care was 0.36 percent, which meets the national standard of 0.57 percent or less and is lower than the national median of 0.47 percent. A change in performance cannot be assessed, because in prior years Idaho did not provide data to NCANDS to calculate this measure. Information from the CFSR Final Report suggests that performance on this measure may be attributed in part to new Child Care Licensing standards. Despite meeting the national standard, the CFSR Final Report notes that the procedures and guidelines for investigating reports of maltreatment in foster care are not consistent and the agency sometimes is hesitant to remove children from foster homes when problems arise.

Outcome 3. Increase permanency for children in foster care
In FY 2001, 91.6 percent of children leaving foster care were discharged to permanent homes (which is higher than the national median of 85.3 percent); 86.2 percent of children with a diagnosed disability who exited foster care were discharged to permanent homes (which is higher than the national median of 78.4 percent); and 78.2 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 72.3 percent). There were no substantive changes in performance from FY 1999 to FY 2001 for any of these measures. In addition, only 10.3 percent of the children who were emancipated from foster care in FY 2001 were 12 years old or younger at the time they entered foster care, which is less than the national median of 28.0 percent. Performance on this measure improved considerably from FY 1999 to FY 2001 (-52.7 percent change); however, this change may be due to the small number of children exiting care to emancipation each year.

These data suggest that Idaho is generally effective in achieving permanency for children in foster care. Information from the CFSR Final Report identifies the following as potential reasons for the State's effectiveness in attaining permanency for children exiting foster care: (1) frequent visitation between foster children and their parents; (2) strong agency efforts to maintain the relationship between parents and children in foster care; (3) maintaining connections between children in foster care and their extended family members; and (4) frequent placements of children with relatives.

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 88.9, which meets the national standard of 76.2 percent or more and is greater than the national median of 69.2 percent. Performance on this measure improved slightly from FY 1999 to FY 2001 (+6.9 percent change). Information from the CFSR Final Report suggests that the State's performance on this measure may be attributed to the following: (1) strong collaborations in some counties between child welfare, the court and the Deputy Attorney General; and (2) frequent visitation between parents and children.

Idaho's high performance with regard to reunifications within 12 months must be balanced by the finding that in FY 2001, the percentage of children re-entering foster care within 12 months of discharge from a prior foster care episode was 11.9, which does not meet the national standard of 8.6 percent or less and is greater than the national median of 10.4 percent. Performance on this measure declined considerably from FY 1999 to FY 2001 (+120.3 percent change). Information from the CFSR Final Report identifies the following as barriers to preventing re-entries into foster care: (1) reunifications without appropriate risk assessment, and (2) lack of post-reunification supports.

Outcome 5. Reduce time in foster care to adoption
In FY 2001, the percentage of all adoptions finalized within 24 months of a child's entry into foster care was 33.6, which meets the national standard of 32.0 percent or more and is higher than the national median of 21.0 percent. Performance on this measure improved substantially from FY 1999 to FY 2001 (+74.9 percent change). Information in the CFSR Final Report attributes performance with regard to timely adoptions to the following: (1) early initiation of concurrent planning, and (2) a broad array of programs to promote cross-jurisdictional adoptions. However, the CFSR Final Report noted several barriers to timely adoptions, including: (1) a tendency for the agency and courts to maintain the goal of reunification even when the prognosis for reunification is low, and (2) agency-related delays in processing paperwork necessary for termination of parental rights petitions.

Outcome 6. Increase placement stability
In FY 2001, the percentage of children who were in foster care for less than 12 months and experienced no more than 2 placements was 81.1, which does not meet the national standard of 86.7 percent or more and is lower than the national median of 83.3 percent. However, performance on this measure improved from FY 1999 to FY 2001(+10.2 percent change). Information from the CFSR identifies the following as potential barriers to achieving placement stability: (1) lack of appropriate placement resources; (2) inadequate foster parent training; and (3) lack of respite care and services to support foster care placements when problems arise.

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 6.4, which is lower than the national median of 8.7 percent. Performance on this measure declined from FY 1999 to FY 2001 (+12.1 percent change).

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