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

 

Louisiana

Context Data | Outcomes Data | State Comment | Federal Comment

Louisiana [ Context Data ]

A. Key Context Statistics

General Population 1998 1999 2000 2001
Total children under 18 years 1,191,412 1,190,001 1,219,799 1,201,111
Race/ethnicity (%)1
   Alaska Native/American Indian 0.5 0.4 0.6 0.6
   Asian N/A N/A N/A 1.2
   Asian/Pacific Islander 1.4 1.4 1.2 N/A
   Black 39.2 39.4 39.7 39.7
   Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander N/A N/A N/A 0.0
   Hispanic 2.8 2.9 2.5 2.6
   White 56.1 55.8 54.6 54.6
   Two or more races N/A N/A 1.2 1.3
   Other N/A N/A 0.2 N/A
% Child population in poverty 24.2 26.6 23.7 23.1
% Child population living in metropolitan areas 77.6 72.3 75.3 80.5
Child Welfare 1998 1999 2000 2001
Child maltreatment victims 13,773 12,614 10,618 11,158
Children in foster care on 9/30 6,301 5,581 5,406 5,024
Children adopted 237 356 476 470

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 45,318 46,230 36,355 38,085 38.0 per 1,000 38.8 per 1,000 29.8 per 1,000 31.3 per 1,000
Child maltreatment victims2 13,773 12,614 10,618 11,158 11.6 per 1,000 10.6 per 1,000 8.7 per 1,000 9.2 per 1,000
Child fatalities 27 21 30 33 2.3 per 100,000 1.8 per 100,000 2.5 per 100,000 2.7 per 100,000
Age of Child Victims (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Under 1 year 7.3 7.8 8.2 8.5
1-5 years 30.6 29.6 30.4 30.8
6-10 years 30.3 29.8 31.7 30.4
11-15 years 24.6 25.7 25.0 25.3
16+ years 7.2 7.0 4.7 4.9
Unknown 0.1 0.2 — —
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 13,773 12,614 10,618 11,158
Race/Ethnicity of Child Victims (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Alaska Native/American Indian 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.2
Asian/Pacific Islander 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.3
Black 53.9 51.9 51.1 49.6
Hispanic 0.5 0.8 1.0 0.8
White 44.7 46.6 46.0 48.0
Two or more races — — 0.7 0.4
Other/Unknown 1.0 0.9 0.8 0.7
Total %3 100.5 100.8 100.0 100.0
Number 13,773 12,614 10,618 11,158
Maltreatment Type of Child Victims (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Emotional 4.0 4.2 4.3 4.2
Medical neglect — — — —
Neglect 69.5 68.1 76.5 76.7
Physical abuse 19.5 20.9 23.0 22.4
Sexual abuse 6.6 6.5 6.7 7.8
Other 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.0
Unknown — — — —
Total %4 100.0 100.0 110.8 111.1
Number 13,773 12,614 10,618 11,158

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) 5,649 3,051 2,399 6,301 8,700
FY1999 (10/1/98-9/30/99) 5,523 2,912 2,854 5,581 8,435
FY2000 (10/1/99-9/30/00) 5,395 3,157 3,146 5,406 8,552
FY2001 (10/1/00-9/30/01) 5,194 3,014 3,184 5,024 8,208
Median Length of Stay (Months)          
FY1998 (10/1/97-9/30/98) 23.0 N/A 15.8 19.6 N/A
FY1999 (10/1/98-9/30/99) 22.9 N/A 13.5 19.5 N/A
FY2000 (10/1/99-9/30/00) 19.8 N/A 11.8 16.3 N/A
FY2001 (10/1/00-9/30/01) 17.1 N/A 11.7 15.3 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 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 2.8 2.4 2.7 10.3 9.2 9.8 10.0 3.7 2.5 2.8 2.9 2.8 2.4 2.7 2.7
1-5 years 25.2 22.2 21.1 20.8 22.6 22.8 22.5 23.3 28.9 24.2 22.4 22.3 21.0 21.0 20.7 21.3
6-10 years 27.8 26.7 24.5 24.3 22.2 20.6 20.7 19.1 26.4 23.5 19.9 20.5 25.3 24.4 24.0 22.8
11-15 years 31.2 34.9 36.0 35.8 35.8 37.9 38.1 38.6 20.0 26.1 28.6 29.3 36.2 36.5 36.3 36.8
16-18 years 13.3 13.4 15.9 16.4 9.1 9.4 8.9 9.1 21.0 23.7 26.2 24.9 14.7 15.7 16.4 16.4
19+ years — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Unknown — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
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 5,649 5,523 5,395 5,194 3,051 2,912 3,157 3,014 2,399 2,854 3,146 3,184 6,301 5,581 5,406 5,024
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 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.3 0.2
Asian — — 0.3 0.3 — — 0.2 0.4 — — 0.3 0.3 — — 0.2 0.3
Asian/Pacific Islander 0.2 0.2 — — 0.3 0.4 — — 0.3 0.3 — — 0.2 0.3 — —
Black 66.3 64.6 62.9 61.7 60.0 59.7 57.2 58.1 62.4 61.7 58.9 59.9 64.7 63.5 61.9 60.7
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander — — — — — — — 0.1 — — — 0.1 — — — 0.0
Hispanic 0.4 0.6 0.8 0.9 1.0 1.0 1.6 1.0 0.5 0.8 1.3 1.2 0.6 0.7 0.9 0.7
White 32.2 33.7 34.0 35.4 38.0 38.2 39.8 39.0 36.0 36.4 37.8 37.1 33.6 34.7 35.2 36.5
Two or more races — — 1.4 1.2 — — 0.7 0.4 — — 1.1 0.7 — — 1.2 1.0
Unknown 0.5 0.5 0.3 0.3 0.5 0.3 0.4 0.8 0.5 0.5 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.5
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 5,649 5,523 5,395 5,194 3,051 2,912 3,157 3,014 2,399 2,854 3,146 3,184 6,301 5,581 5,406 5,024

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 1,171 1,477 1,542 1,441
Children whose parents' rights have been terminated (TPR) 253 375 514 553
Age of Waiting Children (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Under 1 year 2.3 1.2 1.0 1.4
1-5 years 31.0 28.4 26.7 25.4
6-10 years 41.0 39.3 35.9 34.4
11-15 years 23.7 29.1 32.3 33.1
16+ years 2.0 2.1 4.0 5.7
Unknown — — — —
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 1,171 1,477 1,542 1,441
Race/Ethnicity of Waiting Children (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Alaska Native/American Indian 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.1
Asian — — — 0.3
Asian/Pacific Islander — — — —
Black 61.1 62.5 60.4 58.8
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander — — — —
Hispanic 0.5 0.5 0.6 1.0
White 36.7 35.8 36.6 37.7
Two or more races — — 1.7 2.0
Unknown 1.3 0.9 0.3 0.1
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 1,171 1,477 1,542 1,441

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 1.7 1.4 0.6 0.2
1-5 years 37.1 37.1 35.1 37.7
6-10 years 45.1 44.7 40.8 41.3
11-15 years 15.2 14.9 21.8 17.4
16+ years 0.8 2.0 1.7 3.4
Unknown — — — —
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 237 356 476 470
Race/Ethnicity of Adopted Children (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Alaska Native/American Indian — 0.8 0.4 0.6
Asian — — — —
Asian/Pacific Islander 0.4 — — —
Black 64.1 64.3 59.9 58.1
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander — — — —
Hispanic — 0.3 1.3 0.4
White 34.6 34.0 36.8 38.9
Two or more races — — 1.5 1.7
Unknown 0.8 0.6 0.2 0.2
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 237 356 476 470

Back to Top

Louisiana [ 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 93.8 92.7 92.0 93.2
Children with one or more recurrences 6.2 7.3 8.0 6.8
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 5,466 4,489 5,021 4,666

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 0.80 0.69 — 0.58
Children not maltreated while in foster care 99.20 99.31 — 99.42
Total % 100.0 100.0 — 100.0
Number 8,063 7,793 — 7,351

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 9.8 12.3 15.0 14.9
Guardianship 2.2 1.3 1.8 1.4
Reunification 72.8 66.3 58.6 55.9
Other 14.7 19.8 24.6 27.8
Missing data 0.5 0.3 — —
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 2,399 2,854 3,146 3,184

Pie Charts describing data from Table 3.1 above.

3.2 Exits of Disabled Children (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Adoption 21.1 16.7 12.6 13.2
Guardianship 2.9 1.0 0.9 —
Reunification 39.1 43.1 42.4 40.1
Other 36.2 39.1 44.1 46.7
Missing data 0.8 0.2 — —
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 384 599 762 713
3.3 Exits of Children Over Age 12 at Entry (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Adoption — 0.1 0.3 0.6
Guardianship 1.9 1.1 1.4 0.6
Reunification 60.3 52.6 46.6 41.0
Other 37.0 45.2 51.8 57.8
Missing data 0.8 1.0 — —
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 476 812 1,101 1,128
3.4 Exits to Emancipation (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Children age 12 or younger at entry 50.3 50.2 49.3 51.1
Children older than 12 at entry 49.7 49.8 50.7 48.9
Missing data — — — —
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 304 315 298 311
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 — 27.3 25.0 30.0 — — — — 16.7 — — — 9.6 12.7 15.1 14.4 — — — —
Guardianship — — — — — — — — — — — — 2.0 1.0 1.4 1.2 — — — —
Reunification 42.9 45.5 75.0 60.0 — — 70.0 87.5 33.3 62.5 — — 72.7 65.1 56.0 54.8 — — — 100.0
Other 57.1 27.3 — 10.0 — — 30.0 12.5 50.0 37.5 — — 15.1 20.9 27.5 29.6 — — — —
Missing data — — — — — — — — — — — — 0.5 0.3 — — — — — —
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 7 11 8 10 — — 10 8 6 8 — — 1,497 1,761 1,853 1,908 — — — 3
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 — 4.5 14.6 5.1 10.2 11.6 14.8 15.7 23.1 15.4 9.1 8.3 — — 20.6 36.4 — — — —
Guardianship — 4.5 — — 2.3 1.8 2.5 1.8 15.4 — — 16.7 — — — — — — — —
Reunification 76.9 72.7 65.9 71.8 73.7 68.4 61.9 56.8 53.8 69.2 72.7 50.0 — — 64.7 63.6 — — — —
Other 23.1 18.2 19.5 23.1 13.3 17.9 20.8 25.8 7.7 15.4 18.2 25.0 — — 14.7 — — — — —
Missing data — — — — 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 — — — —
Number 13 22 41 39 863 1,039 1,189 1,182 13 13 11 12 — — 34 22 — — — —

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. 54.0 57.5 64.8 65.0
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos. 26.2 24.4 20.9 23.9
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos. 10.3 8.4 7.1 5.9
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos. 3.8 3.6 2.6 1.6
48 or more mos. 5.3 6.0 4.3 3.4
Missing data 0.3 0.1 0.3 0.2
Total (%) 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 1,747 1,893 1,843 1,781

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 83.3 85.0 84.4 83.0
Children re-entering care within 12 mos. of a prior episode 7.4 6.8 7.1 7.8
Children re-entering care more than 12 mos. after a prior episode 9.2 8.2 8.5 9.2
Missing data 0.1 — — —
Total (%) 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 3,051 2,912 3,157 3,014

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. 4.2 3.4 1.5 1.1
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos. 8.1 7.4 11.4 10.6
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos. 19.5 19.1 21.8 28.3
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos. 23.7 21.1 20.3 24.1
48 or more mos. 44.5 48.9 44.9 35.9
Missing data — — — —
Total (%) 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 236 350 472 473

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		 78.3
80.3
79.4
83.3		 20.4
18.7
19.3
15.3		 1.3
1.0
1.4
1.4		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 3,415
3,394
3,849
3,784
At least 12 mos., but <24 mos. 1998
1999
2000
2001		 45.8
50.1
49.7
56.7		 53.9
49.8
49.8
42.6		 0.4
0.1
0.5
0.6		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 1,628
1,585
1,510
1,588
At least 24 mos., but <36 mos. 1998
1999
2000
2001		 29.0
30.8
30.4
48.1		 70.8
69.0
69.5
51.5		 0.2
0.1
0.1
0.4		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 1,005
898
862
757
At least 36 mos., but <48 mos. 1998
1999
2000
2001		 25.0
20.1
22.3
42.2		 74.9
79.5
77.7
57.8		 0.1
0.5
—
—		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 669
648
561
521
48 or more mos. 1998
1999
2000
2001		 15.3
13.0
10.8
26.7		 84.5
86.9
89.1
73.2		 0.2
0.1
0.1
0.1		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 1,962
1,888
1,762
1,554
Missing data 1998
1999
2000
2001		 85.7
100.0
87.5
50.0		 9.5
—
—
—		 4.8
—
12.5
50.0		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 21
22
8
4