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

 

Minnesota

Context Data | Outcomes Data | State Comment | Federal Comment

Minnesota [ Context Data ]

A. Key Context Statistics

General Population 1998 1999 2000 2001
Total children under 18 years 1,259,447 1,271,850 1,286,894 1,264,306
Race/ethnicity (%)1
   Alaska Native/American Indian 1.8 1.8 1.5 1.5
   Asian N/A N/A N/A 4.2
   Asian/Pacific Islander 4.1 4.3 4.2 N/A
   Black 4.1 4.3 4.9 5.4
   Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander N/A N/A N/A 0.1
   Hispanic 2.8 3.0 4.3 4.4
   White 87.1 86.6 82.0 81.7
   Two or more races N/A N/A 2.9 2.8
   Other N/A N/A 0.2 N/A
% Child population in poverty 17.8 7.9 8.5 8.4
% Child population living in metropolitan areas 73.5 73.8 71.1 67.7
Child Welfare 1998 1999 2000 2001
Child maltreatment victims 10,572 11,113 11,824 9,840
Children in foster care on 9/30 8,521 8,996 8,530 8,167
Children adopted 429 633 614 567

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 24,844 24,855 24,840 23,842 19.7 per 1,000 19.5 per 1,000 19.3 per 1,000 18.4 per 1,000
Child maltreatment victims2 10,572 11,113 11,824 9,840 8.4 per 1,000 8.7 per 1,000 9.2 per 1,000 7.6 per 1,000
Child fatalities 3 28 21 16 0.2 per 100,000 2.2 per 100,000 1.6 per 100,000 1.2 per 100,000
Age of Child Victims (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Under 1 year 5.6 6.2 8.4 8.6
1-5 years 30.8 31.3 30.2 28.5
6-10 years 35.2 35.1 34.1 33.9
11-15 years 23.5 22.0 22.1 23.0
16+ years 4.9 4.7 4.5 4.6
Unknown 0.1 0.8 0.8 1.4
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 10,572 11,113 11,824 9,840
Race/Ethnicity of Child Victims (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Alaska Native/American Indian 7.5 10.1 7.1 6.9
Asian/Pacific Islander 2.8 4.0 3.7 2.8
Black 25.9 28.1 25.1 25.0
Hispanic 6.7 7.4 7.2 6.9
White 62.6 62.6 48.9 49.7
Two or more races — — 4.9 4.9
Other/Unknown 1.2 1.9 3.0 3.9
Total %3 106.7 114.1 100.0 100.0
Number 10,572 11,113 11,824 9,840
Maltreatment Type of Child Victims (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Emotional 0.9 1.0 0.8 0.6
Medical neglect 3.5 4.6 0.2 0.1
Neglect 69.4 77.4 73.6 72.1
Physical abuse 26.1 24.8 21.9 22.3
Sexual abuse 8.1 7.3 7.4 9.3
Other — — — —
Unknown — — — —
Total %4 108.1 115.0 104.0 104.4
Number 10,572 11,113 11,824 9,840

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) 7,118 9,574 8,171 8,521 16,692
FY1999 (10/1/98-9/30/99) 8,012 10,724 9,743 8,996 18,736
FY2000 (10/1/99-9/30/00) 7,664 10,803 9,939 8,530 18,467
FY2001 (10/1/00-9/30/01) 7,424 10,012 9,269 8,167 17,436
Median Length of Stay (Months)          
FY1998 (10/1/97-9/30/98) 16.9 N/A 2.1 12.7 N/A
FY1999 (10/1/98-9/30/99) 13.7 N/A 2.3 12.5 N/A
FY2000 (10/1/99-9/30/00) 14.8 N/A 2.0 12.7 N/A
FY2001 (10/1/00-9/30/01) 14.6 N/A 2.1 12.7 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 2.3 2.6 2.8 3.0 5.3 5.8 5.6 5.9 2.9 2.9 2.9 3.0 2.6 3.0 3.0 3.2
1-5 years 17.2 15.6 16.3 16.0 15.7 14.6 14.3 14.4 15.8 14.5 15.3 16.2 15.3 15.6 15.3 14.9
6-10 years 23.7 21.5 21.4 20.4 15.2 14.8 15.0 14.4 16.2 15.0 15.0 15.0 20.9 19.8 19.1 17.0
11-15 years 35.8 36.9 35.1 35.1 41.3 39.7 39.6 39.7 34.3 34.2 33.8 32.2 37.6 35.8 36.4 37.8
16-18 years 20.2 22.5 23.5 24.6 22.1 24.7 25.2 25.4 29.3 32.1 31.5 32.4 22.7 24.8 25.2 25.8
19+ years 0.7 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.2 1.1 1.1 1.4 1.2 0.8 0.9 0.9 1.1
Unknown 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.3 0.2 0.0 — 0.4 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 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 7,118 8,012 7,664 7,424 9,574 10,724 10,803 10,012 8,171 9,743 9,939 9,269 8,521 8,996 8,530 8,167
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 11.8 11.9 11.3 11.1 8.2 8.0 8.4 9.3 7.8 8.4 8.5 8.1 11.6 11.1 10.8 12.3
Asian — — 1.4 1.4 — — 3.1 2.8 — — 3.1 2.6 — — 1.5 1.8
Asian/Pacific Islander 1.2 1.2 — — 2.2 2.7 — — 2.2 2.6 — — 1.3 1.5 — —
Black 20.5 20.2 22.5 21.9 19.1 19.1 19.4 18.4 19.0 18.3 20.0 18.8 20.3 20.9 21.5 21.1
Native Hawaiian/ Other Pacific Islander — — — — — — 0.0 0.1 — — — 0.0 — — 0.0 0.1
Hispanic 4.5 4.8 5.4 5.8 5.1 5.2 5.4 5.7 4.8 4.8 5.1 5.7 4.8 5.2 5.8 5.9
White 54.0 54.1 52.0 51.7 57.6 58.4 56.8 57.3 57.9 58.8 56.9 57.7 54.2 54.2 52.5 51.8
Two or more races 7.2 7.0 6.9 7.0 5.6 5.0 4.8 4.0 5.6 5.3 4.7 4.7 7.0 6.4 6.8 5.9
Unknown 0.9 0.8 0.5 0.9 2.3 1.6 2.0 2.5 2.7 1.8 1.6 2.4 0.8 0.7 1.1 1.2
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 7,118 8,012 7,664 7,424 9,574 10,724 10,803 10,012 8,171 9,743 9,939 9,269 8,521 8,996 8,530 8,167

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 2,215 2,147 1,839 1,670
Children whose parents' rights have been terminated (TPR) 1,850 1,763 1,480 1,332
Age of Waiting Children (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Under 1 year 4.4 3.6 3.2 3.4
1-5 years 28.9 28.8 25.8 23.7
6-10 years 37.2 34.5 31.9 28.7
11-15 years 22.2 24.4 28.4 31.0
16+ years 5.6 6.7 7.6 9.8
Unknown 1.8 2.0 3.1 3.4
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 2,215 2,147 1,839 1,670
Race/Ethnicity of Waiting Children (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Alaska Native/American Indian 8.9 8.4 8.4 8.9
Asian — — 0.4 0.4
Asian/Pacific Islander 0.5 0.5 — —
Black 31.2 31.0 31.2 31.6
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander — — — —
Hispanic 6.3 6.4 6.3 6.6
White 42.5 44.4 43.6 42.7
Two or more races 10.2 9.1 10.0 9.7
Unknown 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.2
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 2,215 2,147 1,839 1,670

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 1.2 1.6 1.6 1.9
1-5 years 36.4 40.4 40.9 47.6
6-10 years 45.9 41.5 39.4 33.2
11-15 years 14.9 15.6 17.8 16.0
16+ years 1.6 0.8 0.3 1.2
Unknown — — — —
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 429 633 614 567
Race/Ethnicity of Adopted Children (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Alaska Native/American Indian 8.6 — — —
Asian — — — —
Asian/Pacific Islander 1.6 — — —
Black 42.2 33.0 29.0 22.4
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander — — — —
Hispanic 5.6 3.5 4.1 7.2
White 42.0 46.4 47.9 54.3
Two or more races — 11.8 11.1 11.5
Unknown — 5.2 8.0 4.6
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 429 633 614 567

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Minnesota [ 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 — — 95.4 94.7
Children with one or more recurrences — — 4.6 5.3
Total % — — 100.0 100.0
Number — — 6,334 4,903

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 — — 0.18 0.24
Children not maltreated while in foster care — — 99.82 99.76
Total % — — 100.00 100.00
Number — — 16,382 15,306

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 4.8 5.6 5.9 6.1
Guardianship 0.6 0.6 0.7 1.0
Reunification 75.1 76.6 82.8 81.5
Other 17.5 15.9 10.5 11.3
Missing data 1.9 1.4 0.1 0.0
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 8,171 9,743 9,939 9,269

Pie Charts describing data from Table 3.1 above.

3.2 Exits of Disabled Children (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Adoption 5.1 9.0 12.7 11.4
Guardianship 0.6 0.5 0.7 0.6
Reunification 67.4 68.4 71.6 70.8
Other 22.0 19.1 14.9 17.3
Missing data 4.8 2.9 0.1 0.0
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 1,735 2,510 2,591 2,520
3.3 Exits of Children Over Age 12 at Entry (%) 1998 1999 2000 2000
Adoption 0.2 0.0 — 0.1
Guardianship 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.2
Reunification 75.5 77.8 85.2 83.3
Other 22.3 20.6 14.6 16.4
Missing data 1.7 1.3 0.0 —
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 4,432 5,573 5,597 5,122
3.4 Exits to Emancipation (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Children age 12 or younger at entry 22.3 21.9 21.4 20.0
Children older than 12 at entry 77.7 78.1 78.4 80.0
Missing data — — 0.2 —
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 291 347 527 520
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 4.7 6.0 4.7 5.1 — — 1.0 0.8 1.1 0.8 — — 7.7 10.2 8.5 7.3 — — — —
Guardianship 0.3 0.1 0.5 1.3 — — — — — — — — 0.6 0.5 0.7 1.1 — — — —
Reunification 74.6 76.3 81.3 79.4 — — 91.7 88.2 71.4 80.0 — — 70.1 70.2 80.3 80.2 — — — 100.0
Other 18.6 15.8 13.4 14.2 — — 7.1 10.9 23.1 16.1 — — 18.2 16.9 10.4 11.3 — — — —
Missing data 1.7 1.8 0.1 — — — 0.3 — 4.4 3.1 — — 3.5 2.2 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
Number 635 818 845 751 — — 312 238 182 255 — — 1,556 1,781 1,987 1,742 — — — 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 4.6 7.1 7.1 7.8 3.4 3.5 4.8 5.5 2.3 1.1 0.6 0.9 12.1 14.7 14.1 14.1 — — — —
Guardianship 0.5 0.4 1.0 1.0 0.7 0.6 0.7 0.9 0.5 — 0.6 0.5 0.4 1.4 1.3 3.4 — — — —
Reunification 80.4 75.0 83.3 79.2 76.4 78.8 84.0 82.7 87.6 86.8 89.4 88.2 71.7 70.7 73.1 70.2 — — — —
Other 14.2 16.7 8.6 12.0 17.9 15.9 10.5 10.9 8.8 11.5 8.7 10.5 14.5 13.1 11.5 12.3 — — — —
Missing data 0.3 0.9 — — 1.6 1.1 0.1 — 0.9 0.6 0.6 — 1.3 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 393 468 510 524 4,732 5,729 5,655 5,351 217 174 161 220 456 518 469 440 — — — —

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. 80.7 80.3 84.9 87.0
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos. 9.7 10.5 8.2 7.8
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos. 2.4 2.7 1.8 1.4
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos. 1.3 1.3 0.7 0.4
48 or more mos. 1.6 1.4 1.0 0.5
Missing data 4.3 3.9 3.4 2.8
Total (%) 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 6,140 7,461 8,232 7,551

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 65.2 62.9 61.2 60.7
Children re-entering care within 12 mos. of a prior episode 21.8 22.7 27.7 27.7
Children re-entering care more than 12 mos. after a prior episode 8.4 8.6 8.6 9.6
Missing data 4.6 5.8 2.6 2.0
Total (%) 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 9,574 10,724 10,803 10,012

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. 10.5 11.4 7.4 6.3
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos. 12.8 16.1 22.9 29.9
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos. 13.8 18.9 23.9 28.6
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos. 14.3 17.6 17.3 15.6
48 or more mos. 48.7 35.5 28.5 19.3
Missing data — 0.5 — 0.2
Total (%) 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 392 546 585 569

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		 82.7
82.3
85.4
86.2		 17.3
17.7
14.6
13.9		 —
—
—
—		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 10,232
11,596
11,762
11,170
At least 12 mos., but <24 mos. 1998
1999
2000
2001		 51.5
49.9
54.4
54.4		 48.5
50.1
45.6
45.6		 —
—
—
—		 100.0
100.0
100.0
 2,239
2,794
2,484
2,292
At least 24 mos., but <36 mos. 1998
1999
2000
2001		 41.6
40.0
39.6
40.5		 58.4
60.1
60.4
59.6		 —
—
—
—		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 1,161
1,199
1,317
1,152
At least 36 mos., but <48 mos. 1998
1999
2000
2001		 36.6
37.8
40.4
32.7		 63.4
62.2
59.6
67.4		 —
—
—
—		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 749
799
713
781
48 or more mos. 1998
1999
2000
2001		 42.0
37.8
37.8
37.7		 58.0
62.2
62.2
62.3		 —
—
—
—		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 1,957
1,961
1,866
1,785
Missing data 1998
1999
2000
2001		 100.0
99.0
100.0
99.6		 —
1.0
—
0.4		 —
—
—
—		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 354
387
325
256

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 1.7 2.4 4.6 4.7
Institutions 25.5 24.0 22.4 19.7
Other settings 50.9 60.3 73.0 75.6
Missing data 21.9 13.3 0.1 —
Total (%) 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 4,206 4,532 4,600 4,287

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Minnesota [ State Comment ]

Erin Sullivan Sutton, Director
Child, Safety and Permanency
Minnesota Department of Human Services
651-296-2487

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

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Minnesota [ Federal Comment ]

The following discussion focuses on Minnesota's performance with regard to each of the outcomes assessed in the Child Welfare Outcomes Annual Reports to Congress. The Minnesota 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 Minnesota's 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 5.3 percent, which is lower than both the national standard of 6.1 percent or less and the national median of 8.0 percent. This statistic is somewhat difficult to interpret because the State has recently implemented an Alternative Response approach that deflects child maltreatment reports from the traditional response of investigation and substantiation. 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 this outcome. However, performance on the measure declined from 2000 to 2001 (+15.8 percent change).

Outcome 2. Reduce incidence of maltreatment in foster care
In CY 2001, the incidence of maltreatment in foster care was 0.24 percent, which is lower than both the national standard of 0.57 percent or less and 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 the measure declined from 2000 to 2001 (+36.6 percent change).

Outcome 3. Increase permanency for children in foster care
In FY 2001, 88.6 percent of children exiting foster care were discharged to permanent placements (which is higher than the national median of 85.3 percent); 82.8 percent of disabled children leaving foster care were discharged to permanent homes (which is higher than the national median of 78.4 percent); 83.6 percent of children who were older than age 12 when they entered foster care exited to permanent homes (which is higher than the national median of 72.3); and 20.0 percent of children exiting foster care through emancipation were age 12 or younger at the time of entry into foster care (which is lower than the national median of 28.0 percent). Performance on all of these indicators improved from FY 1999 to FY 2001, with a larger percentage of children exiting foster care to permanent homes and fewer children "growing up" in foster care.

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 87.0, which is higher than the national standard of 76.2 percent and the national median of 69.2 percent. Minnesota's performance on this measure has exhibited continuous improvement from FY 1999 to FY 2001 (+8.4 percent change).

Minnesota's high performance with regard to reunification within 12 months must be balanced by the finding that in FY 2001, the percentage of children re-entering foster care within 12 months of discharge from a prior foster care episode was 27.7, which exceeds the national standard of 8.6 percent or less and the national median of 10.4. The State's performance on this measure declined from FY 1999 to 2001 (+22.0 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 36.2, which exceeds the national standard of 32.0 percent and is higher than the national median of 21.0 percent. Minnesota's performance on this measure improved from FY 1999 to FY 2001 (+31.8 percent change).

Outcome 6. Increase placement stability
In FY 2001, the percentage of children who experienced no more than 2 placements during their first 12 months in foster care was 86.2, which does not meet the national standard of 86.7 percent or more, but is greater than the national median of 83.3 percent. Minnesota's performance related to placement stability improved from FY 1999 to FY 2001 (+4.7 percent change).

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 24.4, which is considerably higher than the national median of 8.7 percent. However, Minnesota's performance on this measure improved slightly from FY 1999 to FY 2001 (-7.3 percent change).

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