Skip Navigation
Administration for Children and Families  
ACF
ACF Home   |   Services   |   Working with ACF   |   Policy/Planning   |   About ACF   |   ACF News   |   HHS Home

  Questions?  |  Privacy  |  Site Index  |  Contact Us  |  Download Reader™  |  Print      


Children's Bureau Safety, Permanency, Well-being  Advanced
 Search

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

 

Massachusetts

Context Data | Outcomes Data | Federal Comment

Massachusetts [ Context Data ]

A. Key Context Statistics

General Population 1998 1999 2000 2001
Total children under 18 years 1,457,703 1,468,554 1,500,064 1,473,056
Race/ethnicity (%)1
 Alaska Native/American Indian 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2
 Asian N/A N/A N/A 4.2
 Asian/Pacific Islander 4.9 5.2 4.0 N/A
 Black 7.8 8.1 6.5 7.3
 Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander N/A N/A N/A 0.1
 Hispanic 10.0 10.4 10.5 10.8
 White 77.1 76.2 75.2 75.4
 Two or more races N/A N/A 2.7 2.0
 Other N/A N/A 0.8 N/A
% Child population in poverty 21.1 19.5 15.8 11.9
% Child population living in metropolitan areas 97.1 96.9 96.3 95.7
Child Welfare 1998 1999 2000 2001
Child maltreatment victims 27,559 29,633 32,334 33,218
Children in foster care on 9/30 — 11,169 11,619 11,568
Children adopted 1,100 922 861 778

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 52,899 56,620 61,226 61,329 36.3 per 1,000 38.6 per 1,000 40.8 per 1,000 40.9 per 1,000
Child maltreatment victims2 27,559 29,633 32,334 33,218 18.9 per 1,000 20.2 per 1,000 21.6 per 1,000 22.1 per 1,000
Child fatalities 13 3 4 19 0.9 per 100,000 0.2 per 100,000 0.3 per 100,000 1.3 per 100,000
Age of Child Victims (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Under 1 year — — 8.1 8.2
1-5 years — — 28.8 29.4
6-10 years — — 30.5 29.9
11-15 years — — 26.0 26.4
16+ years — — 5.5 5.5
Unknown — — 1.1 0.6
Total % — — 100.0 100.0
Number — — 32,334 33,218
Race/Ethnicity of Child Victims (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Alaska Native/American Indian — — 0.1 0.1
Asian/Pacific Islander — — 1.8 1.9
Black — — 12.4 13.8
Hispanic — — 11.4 16.9
White — — 39.0 43.8
Two or more races — — 0.9 1.5
Other/Unknown — — 34.3 22.1
Total %3 — — 100.0 100.0
Number — — 32,334 33,218
Maltreatment Type of Child Victims (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Emotional — — 0.4 0.3
Medical neglect — — — —
Neglect — — 87.4 88.0
Physical abuse — — 18.9 18.0
Sexual abuse — — 3.2 3.4
Other — — 0.1 0.1
Unknown — — — —
Total %4 — — 110.0 109.7
Number — — 32,334 33,218

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) — — — — —
FY1999 (10/1/98-9/30/99) 11,550 7,368 7,749 11,169 18,918
FY2000 (10/1/99-9/30/00) 10,630 7,381 6,392 11,619 18,011
FY2001 (10/1/00-9/30/01) 11,030 7,174 6,636 11,568 18,204
Median Length of Stay (Months)          
FY1998 (10/1/97-9/30/98) — N/A — — N/A
FY1999 (10/1/98-9/30/99) 22.1 N/A 10.7 18.5 N/A
FY2000 (10/1/99-9/30/00) 19.2 N/A 8.3 17.4 N/A
FY2001 (10/1/00-9/30/01) 17.9 N/A 9.4 17.5 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 — 2.4 2.6 3.0 — 8.5 9.2 9.7 — 3.0 3.0 3.4 — 2.6 3.0 3.2
1-5 years — 22.4 20.0 19.8 — 19.5 18.9 20.3 — 21.4 19.7 21.5 — 20.0 19.5 18.9
6-10 years — 24.4 23.4 21.4 — 19.1 19.2 17.4 — 21.3 20.0 18.0 — 22.9 21.1 20.2
11-15 years — 30.2 32.0 33.3 — 39.1 40.2 38.9 — 28.4 30.5 31.0 — 32.6 34.0 33.7
16-18 years — 18.0 19.2 19.5 — 13.3 12.2 13.3 — 23.1 23.9 23.3 — 19.2 19.4 20.9
19+ years — 1.9 2.3 2.4 — 0.2 0.1 0.2 — 1.6 1.6 1.7 — 2.2 2.4 2.5
Unknown — 0.6 0.6 0.6 — 0.3 0.1 0.1 — 1.2 1.2 1.2 — 0.6 0.6 0.7
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 — 11,550 10,630 11,030 — 7,368 7,381 7,174 — 7,749 6,392 6,636 — 11,169 11,619 11,568
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 0.3 — 0.3 0.2 0.1 — 0.2 0.2 0.2 — 0.3 0.3 0.2
Asian — — 1.5 1.6 — — 1.9 2.0 — — 1.9 1.9 — — 1.6 1.7
Asian/Pacific Islander — 1.6 — — — 1.6 — — — 1.7 — — — 1.5 — —
Black — 20.1 19.0 17.7 — 15.4 13.5 13.5 — 18.4 15.8 14.8 — 18.2 17.3 16.8
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander — — — — — — 0.0 0.0 — — 0.0 0.0 — — — —
Hispanic — 21.0 20.6 21.0 — 16.7 16.5 15.4 — 18.2 16.6 18.1 — 20.0 20.3 19.1
White — 48.7 48.4 46.8 — 47.1 45.1 43.9 — 47.9 48.2 46.5 — 48.3 46.4 45.2
Two or more races — 0.4 0.6 1.0 — 0.2 1.1 1.3 — 0.3 0.6 1.3 — 0.4 0.9 1.1
Unknown — 8.0 9.6 11.6 — 18.7 21.6 23.8 — 13.4 16.8 17.2 — 11.3 13.2 15.9
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
Number — 11,550 10,630 11,030 — 7,368 7,381 7,174 — 7,749 6,392 6,636 — 11,169 11,619 11,568

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 — 3,278 3,147 2,912
Children whose parents' rights have been terminated (TPR) — 927 897 720
Age of Waiting Children (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Under 1 year — 2.5 3.0 3.2
1-5 years — 39.5 38.6 39.7
6-10 years — 41.2 38.6 36.8
11-15 years — 16.1 19.2 19.2
16+ years — 0.7 0.5 1.0
Unknown — 0.1 0.1 0.1
Total % — 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number — 3,278 3,147 2,912
Race/Ethnicity of Waiting Children (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Alaska Native/American Indian — 0.3 0.3 0.2
Asian — — 1.9 2.0
Asian/Pacific Islander — 2.1 — —
Black — 19.5 16.4 14.4
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander — — — —
Hispanic — 24.9 24.8 25.6
White — 44.2 45.0 41.7
Two or more races — 0.9 1.1 1.8
Unknown — 8.1 10.6 14.4
Total % — 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number — 3,278 3,147 2,912

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 0.5 0.3 1.4 1.2
1-5 years 46.9 44.7 48.1 48.7
6-10 years 39.2 41.8 37.4 32.8
11-15 years 12.7 12.7 12.5 16.3
16+ years 0.6 0.5 0.6 1.0
Unknown — — — —
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 1,100 922 861 778
Race/Ethnicity of Adopted Children (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Alaska Native/American Indian 0.3 0.2 0.6 0.1
Asian — — 2.3 1.7
Asian/Pacific Islander 0.6 0.9 — —
Black 22.8 23.8 21.5 17.4
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander — — — —
Hispanic 23.1 20.9 20.3 23.1
White 46.2 51.6 49.7 52.2
Two or more races — — 2.8 2.1
Unknown 7.0 2.6 2.8 3.5
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 1,100 922 861 778

Back to Top

Massachusetts [ 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 — 92.6 89.8 88.9
Children with one or more recurrences — 7.4 10.2 11.1
Total % — 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number — 14,167 15,354 16,356

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 — 0.92 1.03 1.13
Children not maltreated while in foster care — 99.08 98.97 98.87
Total % — 100.00 100.00 100.00
Number — 17,019 16,579 16,619

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 — 16.4 12.1 12.8
Guardianship — 8.9 6.7 4.3
Reunification — 53.2 54.6 59.3
Other — 8.2 9.3 11.6
Missing data — 13.4 17.3 12.0
Total % — 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number — 7,749 6,392 6,636

Pie Charts describing data from Table 3.1 above.

3.2 Exits of Disabled Children (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Adoption — 29.4 16.7 38.9
Guardianship — 5.9 8.3 —
Reunification — 29.4 25.0 38.9
Other — 17.6 33.3 11.1
Missing data — 17.6 16.7 11.1
Total % — 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number — 17 12 18
3.3 Exits of Children Over Age 12 at Entry (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Adoption — 0.1 0.1 0.2
Guardianship — 3.0 2.6 1.9
Reunification — 64.2 59.5 61.3
Other — 16.0 16.8 22.0
Missing data — 16.6 21.0 14.6
Total % — 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number — 2,957 2,694 2,655
3.4 Exits to Emancipation (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Children age 12 or younger at entry — 25.0 24.2 25.5
Children older than 12 at entry — 74.6 75.8 74.5
Missing data — 0.3 — —
Total % — 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number — 635 557 542
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 — 5.9 — 30.8 — — 11.8 15.4 — 5.3 — — — 20.2 17.0 15.9 — — — —
Guardianship — — — 7.7 — — 2.5 1.6 — 0.8 — — — 13.7 9.1 5.4 — — — —
Reunification — 88.2 30.0 46.2 — — 64.7 61.8 — 71.2 — — — 43.0 43.0 52.2 — — 100.0 50.0
Other — 5.9 50.0 7.7 — — 5.9 13.0 — 9.1 — — — 8.6 11.6 14.2 — — — —
Missing data — — 20.0 7.7 — — 5.1 8.1 — 13.6 — — — 14.5 19.3 12.3 — — — 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
Number — 17 10 13 — — 119 123 — 132 — — — 1,422 1,010 982 — — 1 2
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 — 21.7 14.6 16.4 — 16.1 12.9 14.2 — 18.0 7.9 6.8 — 57.1 41.5 22.9 — 0.1 0.1 0.1
Guardianship — 7.0 6.3 4.2 — 8.9 7.1 4.5 — 9.3 8.4 5.3 — — — 2.4 — 4.1 3.4 2.9
Reunification — 49.0 51.4 53.8 — 53.8 54.8 57.3 — 49.4 46.3 68.0 — 33.3 51.2 62.7 — 77.2 72.3 78.1
Other — 8.2 8.8 12.3 — 9.1 10.3 12.3 — 8.7 15.0 9.2 — — — 1.2 — 2.3 2.8 6.8
Missing data — 14.1 18.9 13.3 — 12.1 14.8 11.7 — 14.7 22.4 10.7 — 9.5 7.3 10.8 — 16.3 21.4 12.1
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
Number — 1,414 1,058 1,204 — 3,708 3,079 3,088 — 334 214 206 — 21 41 83 — 701 860 935

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. — 72.9 76.6 75.1
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos. — 15.3 14.4 16.6
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos. — 5.4 4.3 3.6
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos. — 2.3 1.9 1.4
48 or more mos. — 1.9 1.7 1.9
Missing data — 2.1 1.1 1.1
Total (%) — 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number — 4,121 3,489 3,935

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 — 66.0 68.3 68.2
Children re-entering care within 12 mos. of a prior episode — 22.3 20.2 20.0
Children re-entering care more than 12 mos. after a prior episode — 11.3 11.3 11.7
Missing data — 0.4 0.1 0.2
Total (%) — 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number — 7,368 7,381 7,174

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. — 2.5 2.2 2.1
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos. — 6.8 13.5 17.2
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos. — 17.2 20.7 24.0
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos. — 21.2 20.3 18.8
48 or more mos. — 52.0 43.2 37.8
Missing data — 0.3 0.1 —
Total (%) — 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number — 1,271 773 849

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		 —
77.0
74.3
73.2		 —
18.4
22.7
23.7		 —
4.7
3.1
3.1		 —
100.0
100.0
100.0		 —
8,170
8,154
8,113
At least 12 mos., but <24 mos. 1998
1999
2000
2001		 —
58.7
53.8
54.4		 —
40.1
44.8
45.3		 —
1.2
1.4
0.3		 —
100.0
100.0
100.0		 —
3,252
3,386
3,614
At least 24 mos., but <36 mos. 1998
1999
2000
2001		 —
49.4
46.0
42.1		 —
50.5
53.3
57.8		 —
0.1
0.7
0.1		 —
100.0
100.0
100.0		 —
2,187
1,933
2,137
At least 36 mos., but <48 mos. 1998
1999
2000
2001		 —
39.9
34.1
39.7		 —
60.1
65.9
60.3		 —
—
—
0.1		 —
100.0
100.0
100.0		 —
1,460
1,338
1,258
48 or more mos. 1998
1999
2000
2001		 —
25.3
18.7
19.0		 —
74.7
81.3
81.0		 —
0.0
—
—		 —
100.0
100.0
100.0		 —
3,626
3,079
2,984
Missing data 1998
1999
2000
2001		 —
46.6
56.2
57.1		 —
0.9
0.8
1.0		 —
52.5
43.0
41.8		 —
100.0
100.0
100.0		 —
223
121
98

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 — 3.8 3.4 4.0
Institutions — 4.4 3.5 3.8
Other settings — 91.5 92.9 92.1
Missing data — 0.3 0.3 0.1
Total (%) — 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number — 3,877 3,998 3,870

Back to Top

Massachusetts [ Federal Comment ]

The following discussion focuses on Massachusetts' performance with regard to each of the outcomes assessed in the Child Welfare Outcomes Annual Reports to Congress. The Massachusetts Child and Family Services Review (CFSR) was completed in fiscal year (FY) 2001, and compliance with the national standards was based on data from 1999. 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 Massachusetts' performance on the Report to Congress Outcomes is provided in Child Welfare Outcomes 2000.

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 within 6 months was 11.1 percent, which exceeds both the national standard of 6.1 percent or less and the national median of 8.0 percent. Performance on this measure declined considerably between 1999 and 2001 (+50.0 percent change).

Outcome 2. Reduce incidence of maltreatment in foster care
In CY 2001, the incidence of maltreatment in foster care was 1.13 percent, which is higher than both the national standard of 0.57 percent or less and the national median of 0.47 percent. Performance on this measure declined from 1999 to 2001 (+23.4 percent change).

Outcome 3. Increase permanency for children in foster care
Data for outcome 3 indicate that in FY 2001, 76.4 percent of children leaving foster care were discharged to permanent homes, which is lower than the national median of 85.3 percent. However, the State's performance relevant to outcome 3 cannot be meaningfully interpreted because 12 percent of all exits from foster care in FY 2001 did not have "reason for discharge" information, and 14.6 percent of exits from foster care of children who were older than age 12 at the time of entry into care did not have "reason for discharge" information. In addition, only 18 of the 6,636 children who exited foster care in FY 2001 were reported to have a diagnosed disability.

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 75.1, which is less than the national standard of 76.2 percent or more but exceeds the national median of 69.2 percent. However, because 12 percent of exits from foster care in FY 2001 did not have "reason for discharge" information, the number of children reported as exiting to reunification in outcome measure 4.1 may not be accurate. Performance on this measure did not change substantively from FY 1999 to FY 2001.

Massachusetts' performance in FY 2001 with regard to the percentage of children re-entering foster care within 12 months of discharge from a prior foster care episode was 20.0 percent, which is greater than the national standard of 8.6 percent or less and is almost twice the national median of 10.4 percent. Performance on this measure improved from FY 1999 to FY 2001 (-10.5 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 19.3, which is less than both the national median of 21.0 percent and the national standard of 32.0 percent or more. Although the State did not meet the national standard for this measure, Massachusetts' performance on the measure exhibited continuous improvement from FY 1999 to FY 2001 (+106.3 percent change).

Outcome 6. Increase placement stability
In FY 2001, the percentage of children in foster care for less than 12 months who experienced no more than 2 placements was 73.2, which is lower than both the national standard of 86.7 percent or more and the national median of 83.3 percent. Performance on this measure did not exhibit substantive change from FY 1999 to FY 2001.

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 7.8, which is lower than the national median of 8.7 percent. Massachusetts' performance on this measure declined slightly from FY 1999 to FY 2001 (-5.5 percent change).

Back to Top

Return to Chapter IV State Data Pages

Return to Table of Contents