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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

Back to Top

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)