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

 

Illinois

Context Data | Outcomes Data | Federal Comment

Illinois [ Context Data ]

A. Key Context Statistics

General Population 1998 1999 2000 2001
Total children under 18 years 3,187,332 3,181,338 3,245,451 3,247,687
Race/ethnicity (%)1
   Alaska Native/American Indian 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.2
   Asian N/A N/A N/A 3.2
   Asian/Pacific Islander 3.4 3.5 3.0 N/A
   Black 18.5 18.5 18.5 18.4
   Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander N/A N/A N/A 0.0
   Hispanic 14.4 15.0 17.0 17.6
   White 63.6 63.0 59.2 58.9
   Two or more races N/A N/A 2.0 1.7
   Other N/A N/A 0.2 N/A
% Child population in poverty 17.5 15.0 17.0 15.8
% Child population living in metropolitan areas 80.1 88.6 86.3 86.8
Child Welfare 1998 1999 2000 2001
Child maltreatment victims 35,657 33,125 31,447 27,557
Children in foster care on 9/30 48,737 38,975 32,079 28,460
Children adopted 4,656 7,113 5,664 4,107

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 110,658 104,418 146,792 142,967 34.7 per 1,000 32.8 per 1,000 45.2 per 1,000 44.0 per 1,000
Child maltreatment victims2 35,657 33,125 31,447 27,557 11.2 per 1,000 10.4 per 1,000 9.7 per 1,000 8.5 per 1,000
Child fatalities 58 80 61 79 1.8 per 100,000 2.5 per 100,000 1.9 per 100,000 2.4 per 100,000
Age of Child Victims (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Under 1 year 14.6 13.8 13.7 13.9
1-5 years 32.8 32.9 33.3 33.2
6-10 years 29.9 30.1 29.2 28.6
11-15 years 18.9 19.4 19.9 20.3
16+ years 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9
Unknown 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 35,657 33,125 31,447 27,557
Race/Ethnicity of Child Victims (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Alaska Native/American Indian 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.1
Asian/Pacific Islander 0.4 0.4 3.6 0.3
Black 39.3 39.1 38.4 37.2
Hispanic 8.5 8.5 9.4 10.0
White 48.6 48.6 48.0 48.4
Two or more races — — — —
Other/Unknown 11.6 11.9 0.5 4.1
Total %3 108.5 108.5 100.0 100.0
Number 35,657 33,125 31,447 27,557
Maltreatment Type of Child Victims (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Emotional 1.3 1.2 0.2 0.2
Medical neglect 3.5 3.1 3.4 3.1
Neglect 44.8 40.6 44.0 43.7
Physical abuse 11.4 11.2 12.7 12.8
Sexual abuse 10.1 10.2 10.1 10.0
Other 43.2 42.8 43.7 43.5
Unknown — — — —
Total %4 114.3 109.0 114.1 113.3
Number 35,657 33,125 31,447 27,557

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) 52,134 9,229 12,627 48,737 61,363
FY1999 (10/1/98-9/30/99) 45,123 7,756 19,904 38,975 52,879
FY2000 (10/1/99-9/30/00) 37,105 6,582 11,608 32,079 43,687
FY2001 (10/1/00-9/30/01) 31,380 6,587 9,507 28,460 37,967
Median Length of Stay (Months)          
FY1998 (10/1/97-9/30/98) 35.6 N/A 42.7 40.0 N/A
FY1999 (10/1/98-9/30/99) 40.2 N/A 48.7 40.4 N/A
FY2000 (10/1/99-9/30/00) 39.9 N/A 47.6 39.8 N/A
FY2001 (10/1/00-9/30/01) 40.4 N/A 45.0 39.0 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 3.1 3.4 3.4 3.2 24.8 23.3 22.2 22.0 1.9 2.0 1.8 2.2 3.4 3.3 3.2 3.6
1-5 years 29.9 28.0 26.3 24.6 27.8 28.1 27.0 28.5 27.5 28.6 28.5 27.2 27.7 25.8 24.6 24.3
6-10 years 29.9 29.7 27.6 25.3 21.1 21.1 19.4 20.6 29.4 33.0 30.7 28.2 29.7 27.6 25.1 22.7
11-15 years 22.9 23.2 23.8 24.4 19.0 18.7 20.8 20.3 18.7 19.3 19.3 18.4 23.7 24.3 24.6 25.0
16-18 years 11.1 12.2 14.1 15.7 6.5 7.9 8.7 7.5 12.9 9.4 10.1 10.8 12.1 14.2 15.9 16.5
19+ years 3.0 3.4 4.7 6.6 0.7 0.9 1.7 1.0 7.5 5.5 5.5 7.4 3.3 4.6 6.5 7.7
Unknown 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.2 — 2.1 2.3 4.3 5.8 0.1 0.2 0.1 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 52,134 45,123 37,105 31,380 9,229 7,756 6,582 6,587 12,627 13,904 11,608 9,507 48,737 38,975 32,079 28,460
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 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1
Asian — — 0.1 0.1 — — 0.2 0.2 — — 0.2 0.2 — — 0.1 0.1
Asian/Pacific 0.1 0.1 — — 0.2 0.2 — — 0.2 0.2 — — 0.1 0.1 — —
Black 77.6 78.2 76.2 74.7 64.0 60.3 58.4 56.6 69.3 74.2 72.0 69.5 77.2 76.0 74.1 72.3
Native Hawaiian/ Other Pacific Islander — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Hispanic 4.6 4.8 5.1 5.0 7.2 6.0 5.9 6.3 6.1 5.0 5.6 5.4 4.7 5.0 5.0 5.2
White 16.3 15.6 17.1 18.4 26.5 30.7 32.3 33.6 22.7 19.2 20.2 23.0 16.5 17.3 19.0 20.4
Two or more races — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Unknown 1.3 1.2 1.4 1.6 2.2 2.7 3.1 3.0 1.6 1.4 1.8 1.7 1.4 1.4 1.6 1.9
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 52,134 45,123 37,105 31,380 9,229 7,756 6,582 6,587 12,627 13,904 11,608 9,507 48,737 38,975 32,079 28,460

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 23,023 19,632 15,091 11,884
Children whose parents' rights have been terminated (TPR) 6,066 16,651 11,531 7,718
Age of Waiting Children (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Under 1 year 2.1 5.2 5.0 4.5
1-5 years 35.5 38.8 37.7 36.6
6-10 years 39.4 37.2 35.6 32.9
11-15 years 21.0 17.9 20.4 24.2
16+ years 1.6 0.8 1.0 1.4
Unknown 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.4
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 23,023 19,632 15,091 11,884
Race/Ethnicity of Waiting Children (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Alaska Native/American Indian 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1
Asian — — 0.1 0.1
Asian/Pacific Islander 0.0 0.1 — —
Black 83.3 77.3 75.3 73.1
Native Hawaiian/ Other Pacific Islander — — — —
Hispanic 4.0 4.6 4.7 4.8
White 11.6 16.3 18.1 20.0
Two or more races — — — —
Unknown 1.0 1.6 1.7 1.9
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 23,023 19,632 15,091 11,884

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 0.5 0.5 0.5
1-5 years 39.2 36.6 39.7 40.0
6-10 years 40.9 41.9 40.4 38.7
11-15 years 17.0 18.9 17.7 18.7
16+ years 2.1 2.1 1.7 2.1
Unknown — — — —
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 4,656 7,113 5,664 4,107
Race/Ethnicity of Adopted Children (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Alaska Native/American Indian 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.2
Asian — — 0.1 0.0
Asian/Pacific Islander 0.1 0.1 — —
Black 75.1 79.9 76.9 77.0
Native Hawaiian/ Other Pacific Islander — — — —
Hispanic 4.6 4.1 4.8 4.6
White 18.8 14.7 16.0 16.6
Two or more races — — — —
Unknown 1.3 1.2 2.1 1.5
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 4,656 7,113 5,664 4,107

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Illinois [ Outcomes Data ]

1. Reduce Recurrence of Child Abuse and/or Neglect
(NCANDS)

741.1 Recurrence of Maltreatment Within 6 Months (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Children without a recurrence 89.0 89.5 90.3 89.9
Children with one or more recurrences 11.0 10.5 9.7 10.1
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 16,960 15,520 15,391 13,074

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 0.70 0.60 0.66 0.55
Children not maltreated while in foster care 99.30 99.40 99.34 99.45
Total % 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00
Number 58,640 49,867 40,698 35,772

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 27.4 50.9 48.3 42.6
Guardianship 0.0 8.3 9.9 9.3
Reunification 45.1 27.2 26.1 28.7
Other 5.0 10.8 13.5 16.9
Missing data 22.4 2.7 2.1 2.5
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 12,627 13,904 11,608 9,507

Pie Charts describing data from Table 3.1 above.

3.2 Exits of Disabled Children (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Adoption 32.2 45.4 40.1 36.6
Guardianship — 5.7 6.5 6.6
Reunification 29.1 20.1 21.6 18.8
Other 8.4 22.6 25.7 30.5
Missing data 30.3 6.3 6.1 7.5
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 1,687 1,919 1,772 1,720
3.3 Exits of Children Over Age 12 at Entry (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Adoption 0.7 1.9 2.8 2.6
Guardianship — 0.4 0.8 1.5
Reunification 30.3 33.5 31.0 29.1
Other 18.7 52.5 57.6 59.1
Missing data 50.3 11.7 7.7 7.6
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 2,296 1,774 1,605 1,572
3.4 Exits to Emancipation (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Children age 12 or younger at entry 28.1 34.9 38.8 41.0
Children older than 12 at entry 71.9 64.8 60.2 58.9
Missing data — 0.3 1.0 0.1
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 516 1,314 1,426 1,479
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 13.3 35.7 55.6 76.9 — — 30.0 5.3 10.7 19.0 — — 29.3 55.6 52.5 47.7 — — — —
Guardianship — — — 7.7 — — — 10.5 — — — — — 9.9 11.5 10.8 — — — —
Reunification 53.3 28.6 22.2 7.7 — — 55.0 52.6 53.6 57.1 — — 41.7 22.2 21.2 22.3 — — — —
Other 20.0 28.6 22.2 7.7 — — 10.0 26.3 25.0 23.8 — — 4.9 9.9 12.9 17.1 — — — —
Missing data 13.3 7.1 — — — — 5.0 5.3 10.7 — — — 24.1 2.4 2.0 2.1 — — — —
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 — — — —
Number 15 14 9 13 — — 20 19 28 21 — — 8,747 10,311 8,363 6,605 — — — —
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 22.9 42.0 39.5 34.6 23.4 35.8 35.4 29.5 26.0 41.0 55.5 38.9 — — — — — — — —
Guardianship — 2.3 5.2 3.1 0.1 4.6 6.6 6.3 — 1.0 3.8 4.9 — — — — — — — —
Reunification 56.3 45.2 41.2 43.7 51.5 40.5 38.9 43.1 58.5 42.5 30.3 46.3 — — — — — — — —
Other 5.1 6.9 11.1 15.7 5.1 15.4 16.7 17.5 3.0 10.5 10.4 7.4 — — — — — — — —
Missing data 15.7 3.6 2.9 2.9 19.9 3.6 2.4 3.5 12.5 5.0 — 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 765 691 655 517 2,872 2,667 2,350 2,191 200 200 211 162 — — — — — — — —

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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 2001
Less than 12 mos. 28.7 39.0 39.9 48.0
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos. 16.3 15.7 17.1 17.0
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos. 15.2 13.9 11.8 12.7
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos. 14.8 10.0 9.3 5.3
48 or more mos. 24.5 18.6 17.9 13.2
Missing data 0.6 2.7 4.1 3.9
Total (%) 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 5,696 3,788 3,030 2,727

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 78.3 72.4 72.2 73.9
Children re-entering care within 12 mos. of a prior episode 13.6 15.6 14.8 12.6
Children re-entering care more than 12 mos. after a prior episode 6.5 7.1 7.9 8.6
Missing data 1.5 5.0 5.2 4.9
Total (%) 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 9,229 7,756 6,582 6,587

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. 1.2 1.3 1.0 1.6
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos. 5.6 5.4 7.3 7.4
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos. 13.1 12.5 14.0 18.3
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos. 21.9 19.1 21.9 19.2
48 or more mos. 58.0 61.0 55.3 53.0
Missing data 0.1 0.8 0.5 0.5
Total (%) 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 3,466 7,075 5,610 4,053

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		 79.4
80.2
80.5
80.5		 20.6
17.9
17.6
17.9		 0.1
1.9
1.9
1.5		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 9,787
7,983
6,703
6,771
At least 12 mos., but <24 mos. 1998
1999
2000
2001		 61.6
63.7
64.2
63.9		 38.4
36.0
35.4
35.6		 —
0.3
0.4
0.5		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 8,434
7,159
6,073
5,025
At least 24 mos., but <36 mos. 1998
1999
2000
2001		 55.5
56.7
54.4
54.3		 44.5
43.1
45.5
45.6		 —
0.1
0.1
0.1		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 8,964
6,907
5,983
5,209
At least 36 mos., but <48 mos. 1998
1999
2000
2001		 49.3
50.5
47.4
43.8		 50.7
49.4
52.6
56.2		 —
—
—
0.0		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 9,213
6,833
5,257
4,319
48 or more mos. 1998
1999
2000
2001		 37.5
39.2
32.1
27.2		 62.5
60.8
67.9
72.8		 0.0
—
—
0.0
 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 24,849
23,709
19,359
16,418
Missing data 1998
1999
2000
2001		 56.9
74.0
78.5
72.0		 2.6
0.3
0.6
0.4		 40.5
25.7
20.8
27.6		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 116
288
312
225

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 0.4 0.2 0.3 0.4
Institutions 3.4 4.0 4.2 3.2
Other settings 93.9 95.8 95.6 96.4
Missing data 2.3 — — —
Total (%) 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 7,376 6,701 4,945 5,112

 

Illinois [ Federal Comment ]

The following discussion focuses on Illinois' performance with regard to each of the outcomes assessed in the Child Welfare Outcomes Annual Reports to Congress. The Illinois 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 Reports and Results of the Child and Family Service Reviews (CFSRs) . A discussion of the implications of CFSR findings for Illinois' 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 10.1 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. Performance on this measure did not exhibit a substantive change from 1999 to 2001. The CFSR Final Report indicates that the State questions the validity of the data used to calculate maltreatment recurrence. However, the Final Report also identifies the following as potential barriers to preventing maltreatment recurrence: (1) inconsistent provision of services to protect children in the home and reduce risk of harm, and (2) lack of comprehensive risk and safety assessments.

Outcome 2. Reduce incidence of maltreatment in foster care
In CY 2001, the incidence of maltreatment in foster care was 0.56 percent, which meets the national standard of 0.57 percent or less but is higher than the national median of 0.47 percent. Performance on this measure improved from 1999 to 2001 (-8.2 percent change).

Outcome 3. Increase permanency for children in foster care
In FY 2001, 80.6 percent of children leaving foster care were discharged to permanent homes (which is lower than the national median of 85.3 percent); 62.0 percent of children with a diagnosed disability who exited foster care were discharged to permanent homes (which is lower than the national median of 78.4 percent); and 33.2 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 lower than the national median of 72.3 percent). Performance on all three measures declined from FY 1999 to FY 2001 (the percent change ranged from -6.8 to -12.9). In addition, 41 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 considerably higher than the national median of 28.0 percent. Performance on this measure also declined from FY 1999 to FY 2001 (+17.3 percent change).

These data suggest that Illinois is not consistently effective in achieving permanency for children in foster care and that a considerable percentage of children emancipated from foster care may be said to have "grown up" in the foster care system (i.e., they entered the system when they were age 12 or younger). CFSR Final Report information attributes the State's performance on these measures to the multiple barriers in the system to achieving termination of parental rights (TPR) and adoption. However, the CFSR Final Report also notes that many children are beginning to achieve permanency through the State's subsidized guardianship program.

Outcome 4. Reduce time to reunification without increasing re-entry
In FY 2001, the percentage of all reunifications occurring within 12 months of a child's entry into foster care was 48.0, which does not meet the national standard of 76.2 percent or more and is lower than the national median of 69.2 percent. However, performance on this measure improved from FY 1999 to FY 2001 (+23.0 percent change). Information from the CFSR Final Report suggests that the State's performance on this measure may be attributed to the following: (1) inconsistent engagement of parents in meeting case goals; (2) maintaining the goal of reunification when the prognosis for attaining that goal is low; (3) inadequate services and resources in the community to assist in the reunification process; (4) inconsistent agency efforts to promote more frequent parent/child visitation; and (5) infrequent caseworker contact with parents, particularly fathers.

Also in FY 2001, the percentage of children re-entering foster care within 12 months of discharge from a prior foster care episode was 12.6, which does not meet the national standard of 8.6 percent or less and is greater than the national median of 10.4 percent. However, performance on this measure improved from FY 1999 to FY 2001 (-19.2 percent change). Information from the CFSR Final Report notes that the agency's ability to prevent re-entries into foster care is impeded somewhat by a lack of services and ongoing support to families following case closure.

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 9.0, which does not meet the national standard of 32.0 percent or more and is lower than the national median of 21.0 percent. However, performance on this measure improved from FY 1999 to FY 2001 (+34.9 percent change). Information in the CFSR Final Report attributes performance on this measure to the following: (1) court delays, including lengthy appeals to TPR findings; (2) agency delays, including delays in seeking TPR and delays in transferring cases; and (3) lack of adoptive resources.

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 80.5, which does not meet the national standard of 86.7 percent or more and is lower than the national median of 83.3 percent. Performance on this measure did not change from FY 1999 to FY 2001. Information from the CFSR Final Reports suggests that one barrier to achieving placement stability is the lack of consistent support services for foster parents and relative caregivers.

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 3.6, which is lower than the national median of 8.7 percent. Performance on this measure improved from FY 1999 to FY 2001 (-15.6 percent change).

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