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

 

Maine

Context Data | Outcomes Data | State Comment | Federal Comment

Maine [ Context Data ]

A. Key Context Statistics

General Population 1998 1999 2000 2001
Total children under 18 years 291,585 290,439 301,238 286,097
Race/ethnicity (%)1
   Alaska Native/American Indian 0.6 0.6 0.7 0.7
   Asian N/A N/A N/A 1.0
   Asian/Pacific Islander 0.9 1.0 0.9 N/A
   Black 0.6 0.5 0.8 1.0
   Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander N/A N/A N/A 0.1
   Hispanic 1.0 1.0 1.2 1.2
   White 97.0 96.9 94.6 94.4
   Two or more races N/A N/A 1.7 1.7
   Other N/A N/A 0.1 N/A
% Child population in poverty 15.5 17.5 8.9 12.4
% Child population living in metropolitan areas 37.2 40.9 36.0 41.6
Child Welfare 1998 1999 2000 2001
Child maltreatment victims 3,579 4,154 4,779 4,355
Children in foster care on 9/30 3,595 3,154 3,191 3,226
Children adopted 125 202 379 364

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 9,030 9,877 9,687 9,163 31.0 per 1,000 34.0 per 1,000 32.2 per 1,000 30.2 per 1,000
Child maltreatment victims2 3,579 4,154 4,779 4,355 12.3 per 1,000 14.3 per 1,000 15.9 per 1,000 14.4 per 1,000
Child fatalities 4 3 2 0 1.4 per 100,000 1.0 per 100,000 0.7 per 100,000 0 per 100,000
Age of Child Victims (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Under 1 year 10.7 9.8 9.3 10.4
1-5 years 32.0 31.3 30.6 31.8
6-10 years 31.7 31.8 31.0 30.7
11-15 years 22.5 23.6 23.1 24.1
16+ years 3.1 3.3 3.6 3.0
Unknown — — 2.4 —
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 3,579 4,154 4,779 4,355
Race/Ethnicity of Child Victims (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Alaska Native/American Indian 0.8 0.5 0.5 0.9
Asian/Pacific Islander 0.4 0.2 0.5 0.2
Black 0.5 0.6 0.9 0.7
Hispanic 0.5 — 1.2 0.8
White 49.5 97.4 44.0 43.4
Two or more races — — 0.6 0.8
Other/Unknown 48.8 1.3 52.4 53.3
Total %3 100.5 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 3,579 4,154 4,779 4,355
Maltreatment Type of Child Victims (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Emotional abuse 64.2 54.5 54.5 54.1
Medical neglect — — — —
Neglect 65.9 59.1 62.0 62.3
Physical abuse 39.8 34.4 30.3 27.0
Sexual abuse 23.2 21.5 20.4 20.3
Other — — — —
Unknown — — — —
Total %4 193.0 169.5 167.2 163.7
Number 3,579 4,154 4,779 4,355

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) 2,658 1,646 712 3,595 4,304
FY1999 (10/1/98-9/30/99) 2,675 1,014 535 3,154 3,689
FY2000 (10/1/99-9/30/00) 2,860 1,052 721 3,191 3,912
FY2001 (10/1/00-9/30/01) 2,894 1,047 715 3,226 3,941
Median Length of Stay (Months)          
FY1998 (10/1/97-9/30/98) 26.2 N/A 15.0 18.7 N/A
FY1999 (10/1/98-9/30/99) 27.8 N/A 19.5 27.0 N/A
FY2000 (10/1/99-9/30/00) 27.9 N/A 31.7 24.9 N/A
FY2001 (10/1/00-9/30/01) 25.7 N/A 31.2 23.6 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 10/100 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 2.2 3.7 3.4 3.7 16.0 17.2 19.6 18.9 4.6 4.9 4.0 4.9 4.9 3.6 4.2 4.1
1-5 years 21.1 20.6 20.8 20.2 24.7 28.4 25.6 27.3 23.2 28.8 30.5 33.1 21.4 21.1 21.1 20.6
6-10 years 26.3 27.2 26.6 24.0 22.7 22.9 23.3 20.3 20.4 24.5 24.5 22.1 25.6 26.3 23.9 21.6
11-15 years 29.6 31.0 30.3 32.4 28.5 27.0 26.6 26.7 21.2 16.8 18.0 14.0 29.1 30.1 30.8 32.1
16-18 years 17.1 15.6 16.6 17.0 6.9 4.3 4.8 6.5 23.7 19.4 16.5 17.8 15.6 16.7 17.2 18.1
19+ years 2.1 1.8 2.2 2.7 — 0.1 0.2 0.2 5.5 5.4 5.1 6.6 1.9 2.1 2.8 3.4
Unknown 1.7 0.1 — — 1.2 0.1 — — 1.4 0.2 1.2 1.5 1.6 0.1 — 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 2,658 2,675 2,860 2,894 1,646 1,014 1,052 1,047 712 535 721 715 3,595 3,154 3,191 3,226
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 0.9 1.6 1.3 1.2 1.8 0.9 1.4 1.9 3.0 2.6 1.8 2.5 0.9 1.2 1.3 1.1
Asian — — 0.5 0.6 — — 0.8 — — — 0.4 0.6 — — 0.6 0.4
Asian/Pacific Islander 0.4 0.4 — — 0.5 0.3 — — 0.3 — — — 0.5 0.4 — —
Black 2.4 2.1 1.7 1.9 1.5 1.0 1.4 2.3 2.5 1.9 1.1 2.8 2.0 1.8 1.8 1.8
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander — — — 0.0 — — 0.1 0.3 — — — 0.1 — — 0.0 0.1
Hispanic 1.3 2.2 2.3 2.1 2.1 1.4 2.1 2.4 1.0 0.9 1.5 2.0 1.7 2.1 2.4 2.2
White 93.3 91.0 85.3 78.9 83.7 63.3 60.7 60.3 90.7 78.7 84.0 70.2 89.4 84.2 77.5 74.8
Two or more races — — 0.4 1.1 — 0.2 1.2 1.4 — — 0.8 1.0 — 0.1 0.6 1.2
Unknown 1.7 2.7 8.4 14.2 10.5 32.9 32.2 31.4 2.5 15.9 10.3 20.8 5.6 10.2 15.8 18.3
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 2,658 2,675 2,860 2,894 1,646 1,014 1,052 1,047 712 535 721 715 3,595 3,154 3,191 3,226

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 1,199 1,098 1,101 1,101
Children whose parents' rights have been terminated (TPR) 175 688 735 735
Age of Waiting Children (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Under 1 year 5.3 3.2 4.0 2.7
1-5 years 28.7 33.5 32.2 30.0
6-10 years 34.8 43.2 38.4 36.2
11-15 years 21.2 17.9 23.3 28.1
16+ years 6.3 2.2 1.9 2.0
Unknown 3.8 — 0.1 1.1
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 1,199 1,098 1,101 1,008
Race/Ethnicity of Waiting Children (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Alaska Native/American Indian 1.4 1.5 2.0 1.6
Asian — — 0.3 0.3
Asian/Pacific Islander 0.5 0.2 — —
Black 2.4 2.7 2.2 1.6
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander — — — —
Hispanic 0.8 1.4 2.5 2.5
White 91.9 89.8 83.1 77.9
Two or more races — — 0.8 1.3
Unknown 2.9 4.5 9.2 14.9
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 1,199 1,098 1,101 1,008

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 2.5
1-5 years 36.0 37.1 45.5 45.9
6-10 years 35.2 47.5 39.8 34.3
11-15 years 23.2 13.4 14.0 14.6
16+ years 3.2 1.5 0.5 2.7
Unknown 2.4 — — —
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 125 202 379 364
Race/Ethnicity of Adopted Children (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Alaska Native/American Indian 4.8 4.5 2.1 1.4
Asian — — — 0.5
Asian/Pacific Islander — — — —
Black 1.6 2.0 2.4 2.5
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander — — — —
Hispanic 1.6 1.0 0.8 0.5
White 88.8 92.1 90.5 86.5
Two or more races — — 0.8 1.4
Unknown 3.2 0.5 3.4 7.1
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 125 202 379 364

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Maine [ 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 — — 95.3 94.3
Children with one or more recurrences — — 4.7 5.7
Total % — — 100.0 100.0
Number — — 2,107 2,280

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 — — 0.08 0.48
Children not maltreated while in foster care — — 99.92 99.52
Total % — — 100.0 100.0
Number — — 3,767 3,724

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 4.2 19.6 41.3 38.9
Guardianship 0.7 — 0.7 0.3
Reunification 59.0 52.9 39.5 40.3
Other 12.5 4.3 2.9 3.8
Missing data 23.6 23.2 15.5 16.8
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 712 535 721 715

Pie Charts describing data from Table 3.1 above.

3.2 Exits of Disabled Children (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Adoption — 46.2 52.4 37.8
Guardianship — — 14.3 2.7
Reunification 50.0 15.4 14.3 16.2
Other — 15.4 — 13.5
Missing data 50.0 23.1 19.0 29.7
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 2 13 21 37
3.3 Exits of Children Over Age 12 at Entry (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Adoption — — — 0.8
Guardianship 1.5 — — 0.8
Reunification 40.3 52.5 47.3 39.4
Other 32.8 11.7 8.2 12.1
Missing data 25.4 35.8 44.5 47.0
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 201 120 146 132
3.4 Exits to Emancipation (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Children age 12 or younger at entry 21.7 36.8 26.7 33.3
Children older than 12 at entry 78.3 63.2 73.3 66.7
Missing data — — — —
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 60 19 15 24
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 — 28.6 38.5 22.2 — — — 25.0 — — — — 5.6 30.0 62.5 50.0 — — — —
Guardianship 9.5 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Reunification 76.2 50.0 30.8 66.7 — — 66.7 25.0 50.0 — — — 61.1 20.0 25.0 45.0 — — — 100.0
Other 9.5 7.1 23.1 — — — — 25.0 50.0 — — — — — — — — — — —
Missing data 4.8 14.3 7.7 11.1 — — 33.3 25.0 — — — — 33.3 50.0 12.5 5.0 — — — —
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
Number 21 14 13 18 — — 3 4 2 — — — 18 10 8 20 — — — 1
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 14.3 20.0 27.3 21.4 4.2 22.8 45.2 46.4 — 1.2 11.0 14.8 — — 50.0 71.4 16.7 — — —
Guardianship — — — — 0.5 — 0.8 0.4 — — — — — — — — — — — —
Reunification — 40.0 45.5 42.9 59.1 47.5 34.3 28.9 75.0 84.7 82.2 75.8 — — 50.0 14.3 16.7 — 100.0 —
Other — 20.0 — — 13.2 5.0 2.6 4.8 — — 2.7 1.3 — — — — 16.7 — — —
Missing data 85.7 20.0 27.3 35.7 23.1 24.7 17.0 19.5 25.0 14.1 4.1 8.1 — — — 14.3 50.0 — — —
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 — — 100.0 100.0 100.0 — 100.0 —
Number 7 5 11 14 646 421 606 502 12 85 73 149 — — 6 7 6 — 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. 57.4 64.0 50.5 54.2
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos. 23.3 13.8 21.1 26.4
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos. 9.8 7.1 14.7 10.4
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos. 3.3 7.4 6.0 3.5
48 or more mos. 5.0 7.8 7.4 4.9
Missing data 1.2 — 0.4 0.7
Total (%) 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 420 283 285 288

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 89.2 91.3 93.1 89.3
Children re-entering care within 12 mos. of a prior episode 2.2 5.8 4.3 7.3
Children re-entering care more than 12 mos. after a prior episode 0.5 1.9 2.4 3.1
Missing data 8.1 1.0 0.3 0.4
Total (%) 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 1,646 1,014 1,052 1,047

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. — 2.9 1.0 1.0
3.2 6.7 10.5 15.8 8.6
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos. 20.0 19.0 19.8 24.1
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos. 10.0 18.1 16.1 26.3
48 or more mos. 60.0 49.5 47.3 37.8
Missing data 3.3 — — —
Total (%) 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 30 105 298 278

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		 66.1
74.5
75.8
74.1		 32.6
24.3
23.5
25.1		 1.3
1.2
0.6
0.8		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 1,737
1,076
1,093
1,103
At least 12 mos., but <24 mos. 1998
1999
2000
2001		 45.1
41.3
46.6
48.0		 54.5
58.4
53.1
51.5		 0.4
0.3
0.3
0.5		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 697
673
746
825
At least 24 mos., but <36 mos. 1998
1999
2000
2001		 33.8
32.5
25.8
33.0		 65.6
67.3
74.0
67.0		 0.6
0.2
0.2
—		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 479
514
550
573
At least 36 mos., but <48 mos. 1998
1999
2000
2001		 31.3
21.9
20.5
16.6		 68.4
77.9
79.5
83.4		 0.3
0.3
—
—		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 358
366
415
379
48 or more mos. 1998
1999
2000
2001		 28.2
14.4
12.1
10.7		 71.2
85.3
87.6
89.1		 0.6
0.4
0.3
0.3		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 1,002
1,059
1,107
1,059
Missing data 1998
1999
2000
2001		 80.6
100.0
100.0
100.0		 9.7
—
—
—		 9.7
—
—
—		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 31
1
1
2

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 1.1 2.6 3.6 4.4
Institutions 2.5 2.4 2.2 1.6
Other settings 87.2 93.0 89.9 89.1
Missing data 9.3 2.0 4.3 4.8
Total (%) 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 1,012 760 775 746

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Maine [ State Comment ]

Karen M. Westburg, Director
Bureau of Child and Family Services
Maine Department of Human Services
207-287-5060

Maine's comments on the State data presented in Child Welfare Outcomes 2001: Report to Congress are the following:

The Data in Section E indicates that 364 children were reported as adopted in FY 2001 to the AFCARS Adoption database. However, as shown in outcome measures 3.1 and 5.1, only 278 children were reported to the AFCARS foster care database as discharges to adoption. This can be explained by the fact that adoption discharge reasons and the number of adoptions are "captured" in different tables within our SACWIS system. Part of this discrepancy is also related to the fact that our system was modified to force a discharge reason after FY 2001.

The data for outcome measures 3.1, 3.2, and 3.3 indicate a substantial percentage of missing data with regard to 'reason for discharge' information. During the 2001 calendar year our SACWIS system was modified to force the user to enter a discharge reason when a client left custody. Information was not updated in that AFCARS submission to adjust discharge reasons. However, since 2001 our system has forced the selection of a discharge reason. That change should drastically reduce the number of missing data fields in our AFCARS submissions.

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Maine [ Federal Comment ]

The following discussion focuses on Maine's performance with regard to each of the outcomes assessed in the Child Welfare Outcomes Annual Reports to Congress. The Maine 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 Maine'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 5.7 percent, which meets the national standard of 6.1 percent or less and is less than the national median of 8.0 percent. Change in performance on this measure from 1999 to 2001 cannot be evaluated because the State did not provide data for 1999 to the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) for calculating this measure. Performance on this measure declined from 2000 to 2001 (+21.6 percent change).

CFSR Final Report information suggests that the actual rate of maltreatment recurrence may be higher than the reported rate of recurrence because maltreatment allegations on open cases often are not reported to intake as new reports for investigation. Also, some reports are referred to Community Intervention Agencies (CIAs) and are never investigated. The CFSR Final Report also identifies the following as potential barriers to preventing maltreatment recurrence: (1) inconsistent face-to-face contact between caseworkers and children and parents; (2) inconsistent assessments, resulting in services that are not appropriate to ensure children's safety and to reduce the risk of harm; and (3) long timeframes between maltreatment report intake and agency face-to-face contact with the child who is the subject of the report.

Outcome 2. Reduce incidence of maltreatment in foster care
In CY 2001, the incidence of maltreatment in foster care was 0.48 percent, which meets the national standard of 0.57 percent or less, and is close to the national median of 0.47 percent. Change in performance on this measure from 1999 to 2001 cannot be evaluated because the State did not provide data to NCANDS for calculating this outcome for 1999. However, performance on this measure declined dramatically from 2000 to 2001 (+506.9 percent change). Key concerns identified in the CFSR Final Report are: (1) the agency is not consistent with regard to timely responses to reports of child maltreatment by foster parents on facility staff; and (2) often, caseworker contacts with children in foster care are not of sufficient frequency to ensure the children's safety and well being.

Outcome 3. Increase permanency for children in foster care
The State's performance relevant to this outcome cannot be assessed because "reason for discharge" information was not reported to the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) for 16.8 percent of children who exited foster care in FY 2001. Consequently, the percentage of children achieving permanency at exit from foster care cannot be determined. The State notes in its comment letter that this problem should be drastically reduced in their FY 2002 data submissions.

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 54.2, which does not meet the national standard of 76.2 percent or more and is less than the national median of 69.2 percent. However, because "reason for discharge" information was not reported to AFCARS for 16.8 percent of children exiting foster care in FY 2001, the current data pertaining to the time to reunification cannot be meaningfully interpreted.

In FY 2001, the percentage of children re-entering foster care within 12 months of discharge from a prior foster care episode was 7.3, which meets the national standard of 8.6 percent or less and is less than the national median of 10.4 percent. However, performance on this measure declined from FY 1999 to FY 2001 (+24.8 percent change). Information from the CFSR Final Report suggests that performance on this measure may be attributed to agency efforts to provide services and supports to children and families after reunification.

Outcome 5. Reduce time in foster care to adoption
In FY 2001, the percentage of all reported finalized adoptions occurring within 24 months of a child's entry into foster care was 11.8, which is lower than the national standard of 32.0 percent or more and the national median of 21.0 percent. However, Maine's data pertaining to time-in-foster care to finalized adoption cannot be meaningfully interpreted because of the following data quality issues: (1) "reason for discharge" information was not reported to AFCARS for 16.8 percent of the children exiting foster care in FY 2001; and (2) the State reported 364 finalized adoptions to the AFCARS Adoption Database (Section E), but only 278 exits to a finalized adoption to the AFCARS Foster Care Database (Outcome measure 3.1 and 5.1). The CFSR Final Report identified several barriers to timely adoption, including: (1) a practice of maintaining the goal of reunification for too long; (2) delays in achieving termination of parental rights (TPR); (3) an insufficient number of adoptive homes; and (4) delays finalizing adoptions after TPR is obtained.

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 74.1, which does not meet the national standard of 86.7 percent or more and is less than the national median of 83.3 percent. Maine's performance on this measure did not change substantively from FY 1999 to FY 2001. Information from the CFSR Final Report identifies several barriers to placement stability: (1) inconsistent matching of children with appropriate resources; (2) too frequent use of short-term emergency placements; and (3) inconsistent supports for foster parents when problems arise in the placement.

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 6.0, which is less than the national median of 8.7 percent. However, Maine's performance on this measure declined from FY 1999 to FY 2001 (+20.6 percent change).

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