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

 

Missouri

Context Data | Outcomes Data | State Comment | Federal Comment

Missouri [ Context Data ]

A. Key Context Statistics

General Population 1998 1999 2000 2001
Total children under 18 years 1,406,616 1,399,492 1,427,692 1,407,321
Race/ethnicity (%)1
   Alaska Native/American Indian 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.4
   Asian N/A N/A N/A 1.1
   Asian/Pacific Islander 1.2 1.3 1.1 N/A
   Black 14.3 14.4 14.3 14.5
   Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander N/A N/A N/A 0.1
   Hispanic 2.2 2.3 3.0 3.0
   White 81.9 81.7 78.9 78.8
   Two or more races N/A N/A 2.1 2.1
   Other N/A N/A 0.2 N/A
% Child population in poverty 18.7 18.2 10.2 12.9
% Child population living in metropolitan areas 72.9 74.0 68.7 71.8
Child Welfare 1998 1999 2000 2001
Child maltreatment victims 12,556 9,079 7,658 9,237
Children in foster care on 9/30 12,495 12,577 13,181 13,349
Children adopted 640 849 1,265 1,102

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 75,178 71,488 74,412 80,743 53.4 per 1,000 51.1 per 1,000 52.1 per 1,000 56.4 per 1,000
Child maltreatment victims2 12,556 9,079 7,658 9,237 8.9 per 1,000 6.5 per 1,000 5.4 per 1,000 6.5 per 1,000
Child fatalities 28 36 48 33 2.0 per 100,000 2.6 per 100,000 3.4 per 100,000 2.3 per 100,000
Age of Child Victims (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Under 1 year 5.7 5.5 6.4 5.2
1-5 years 28.1 28.7 27.9 29.4
6-10 years 33.3 31.2 30.4 29.6
11-15 years 28.0 29.5 29.1 30.0
16+ years 4.6 4.7 5.5 5.7
Unknown 0.2 0.3 0.7 —
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 12,556 9,079 7,658 9,237
Race/Ethnicity of Child Victims (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Alaska Native/American Indian 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.5
Asian/Pacific Islander 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.2
Black 27.5 26.0 22.5 20.6
Hispanic 1.1 0.9 1.8 2.0
White 70.3 72.0 74.2 75.6
Two or more races — — 0.1 0.1
Other/Unknown 1.8 1.4 0.7 1.0
Total %3 101.1 100.9 100.0 100.0
Number 12,556 9,079 7,658 9,237
Maltreatment Type of Child Victims (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Emotional 2.0 1.5 4.0 7.7
Medical neglect 2.8 2.5 2.7 3.0
Neglect 54.6 49.6 45.2 51.5
Physical abuse 21.7 24.1 27.4 27.3
Sexual abuse 18.3 26.0 28.3 24.5
Other 9.5 5.2 2.6 3.5
Unknown 0.7 1.1 2.7 —
Total %4 109.5 110.1 112.9 117.6
Number 12,556 9,079 7,658 9,237

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) 10,941 6,504 4,950 12,495 17,445
FY1999 (10/1/98-9/30/99) 11,540 6,341 5,304 12,577 17,881
FY2000 (10/1/99-9/30/00) 11,474 7,216 5,509 13,181 18,690
FY2001 (10/1/00-9/30/01) 11,830 7,268 5,749 13,349 19,098
Median Length of Stay (Months)          
FY1998 (10/1/97-9/30/98) 19.3 N/A 10.6 18.8 N/A
FY1999 (10/1/98-9/30/99) 19.3 N/A 12.8 18.9 N/A
FY2000 (10/1/99-9/30/00) 19.3 N/A 12.2 17.0 N/A
FY2001 (10/1/00-9/30/01) 17.0 N/A 12.8 15.9 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 3.4 3.7 3.9 4.1 12.5 12.7 12.7 12.6 4.2 4.0 4.0 4.2 3.9 3.8 4.1 4.1
1-5 years 24.6 23.5 22.2 22.2 24.7 24.2 24.7 25.9 24.6 24.6 25.1 27.0 23.4 22.8 22.5 22.7
6-10 years 26.2 26.2 26.5 24.6 23.4 24.2 24.1 24.1 23.4 24.3 25.2 23.7 26.2 26.3 25.2 23.9
11-15 years 29.9 29.7 30.4 31.2 32.0 31.4 31.4 30.5 27.3 24.9 26.0 25.3 29.6 30.3 30.9 30.8
16-18 years 14.2 15.0 15.0 15.8 7.3 7.4 7.1 6.9 17.5 18.8 16.6 16.0 15.0 15.0 15.3 16.1
19+ years 1.7 1.8 1.9 2.0 0.0 0.0 — 0.0 2.5 2.9 2.4 3.4 1.8 1.9 1.9 2.3
Unknown 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.0 — 0.5 0.5 0.6 0.4 0.1 0.0 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 10,941 11,540 11,474 11,830 6,504 6,641 7,216 7,268 4,950 5,304 5,509 5,749 12,495 12,577 13,181 13,349
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 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.2
Asian — — 0.2 0.3 — — 0.6 0.3 — — 0.6 0.5 — — 0.2 0.2
Asian/Pacific Islander 0.2 0.1 — — 0.3 0.3 — — 0.5 0.2 — — 0.1 0.2 — —
Black 43.0 43.5 43.6 41.2 35.9 35.0 31.3 27.2 33.4 33.5 32.4 32.8 43.1 43.5 41.6 37.2
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Hispanic 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.2 1.5 1.8 1.8 2.0 1.6 2.1 1.9 1.7 1.1 1.0 1.2 1.4
White 55.2 54.7 54.5 56.7 61.8 62.3 65.3 68.9 64.0 63.6 64.3 63.9 55.2 54.7 56.4 60.3
Two or more races — — 0.0 0.0 — — 0.1 0.1 — — 0.0 0.0 — — 0.1 0.1
Unknown 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.7 1.1 0.3 0.2 0.6 0.7 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.6
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 10,941 11,540 11,474 11,830 6,504 6,341 7,216 7,268 4,950 5,304 5,509 5,749 12,495 12,577 13,181 13,349

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 2,459 3,143 3,131 3,003
Children whose parents' rights have been terminated (TPR) 1,323 2,150 1,527 1,612
Age of Waiting Children (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Under 1 year 1.9 1.9 1.8 1.9
1-5 years 29.8 28.0 26.8 25.5
6-10 years 35.4 35.4 33.9 31.5
11-15 years 26.3 28.1 32.0 35.2
16+ years 4.8 5.4 4.8 5.1
Unknown 1.8 1.2 0.8 0.8
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 2,459 3,143 3,131 3,003
Race/Ethnicity of Waiting Children (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Alaska Native/American Indian 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.3
Asian — — 0.1 0.2
Asian/Pacific Islander 0.1 0.2 — —
Black 45.3 43.2 47.3 45.1
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander — — — —
Hispanic 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.2
White 53.2 54.9 50.8 52.8
Two or more races — — 0.1 0.0
Unknown 0.1 0.3 0.4 0.3
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 2,459 3,143 3,131 3,003

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 1.3 1.3 2.3 2.6
1-5 years 42.8 45.1 42.1 46.5
6-10 years 36.7 32.9 35.1 31.6
11-15 years 16.6 17.2 17.3 15.9
16+ years 2.7 3.5 3.2 3.4
Unknown — — — —
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 640 849 1,265 1,102
Race/Ethnicity of Adopted Children (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Alaska Native/American Indian 0.5 0.7 0.6 0.3
Asian — — 0.2 —
Asian/Pacific Islander 0.3 0.1 — —
Black 39.8 39.8 39.3 38.9
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander — — — —
Hispanic 0.3 1.1 1.1 2.0
White 58.9 58.2 58.3 58.5
Two or more races — — 0.3 —
Unknown 0.2 0.1 0.3 0.3
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 640 849 1,265 1,102

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Missouri [ 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 — 92.1 94.1 89.7
Children with one or more recurrences — 7.9 5.9 10.3
Total % — 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number — 4,109 3,436 4,128

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 — — 0.52 0.60
Children not maltreated while in foster care — — 99.48 99.40
Total % — — 100.00 100.00
Number — — 17,316 17,610

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 12.9 15.9 19.6 19.0
Guardianship 3.3 4.7 5.0 7.0
Reunification 70.2 65.1 61.1 59.5
Other 13.6 14.2 14.3 14.5
Missing data — — — —
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 4,950 5,304 5,509 5,749

Pie Charts describing data from Table 3.1 above.

3.2 Exits of Disabled Children (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Adoption 18.4 24.3 22.0 20.9
Guardianship 2.5 3.8 5.7 6.8
Reunification 61.0 50.9 51.0 51.5
Other 18.0 21.0 21.3 20.8
Missing data — — — —
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 1,378 822 1,308 1,333
3.3 Exits of Children Over Age 12 at Entry (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Adoption 0.4 1.3 1.4 2.4
Guardianship 1.7 2.5 3.2 5.0
Reunification 73.2 70.1 66.2 63.9
Other 24.7 26.0 29.3 28.6
Missing data — — — —
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 1,523 1,597 1,521 1,553
3.4 Exits to Emancipation (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Children age 12 or younger at entry 49.3 47.1 46.5 50.3
Children older than 12 at entry 50.7 52.9 53.5 49.7
Missing data — — — —
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 489 594 600 680
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 21.4 42.9 35.7 13.6 — — 5.7 — 8.7 8.3 — — 15.4 19.0 23.0 22.6 — — — —
Guardianship 7.1 — — — — — — — — 8.3 — — 3.5 5.0 4.8 9.4 — — — —
Reunification 57.1 50.0 50.0 72.7 — — 85.7 86.2 87.0 75.0 — — 67.4 63.0 58.0 51.5 — — — —
Other 14.3 7.1 14.3 13.6 — — 8.6 13.8 4.3 8.3 — — 13.7 13.1 14.2 16.6 — — — —
Missing data — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
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 14 14 14 22 — — 35 29 23 12 — — 1,655 1,776 1,784 1,884 — — — —
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 2.6 7.9 12.7 22.2 11.9 14.5 18.2 17.4 6.7 7.7 17.4 7.9 — — 50.0 — — — — —
Guardianship — 3.5 1.0 2.0 3.3 4.7 5.3 6.0 6.7 — — 2.6 — — — — — — 11.1 —
Reunification 83.1 64.9 75.5 57.6 71.2 66.3 61.9 63.2 80.0 84.6 78.3 73.7 — — 50.0 100.0 — — 88.9 100.0
Other 14.3 23.7 10.8 18.2 13.6 14.6 14.6 13.4 6.7 7.7 4.3 15.8 — — — — — — — —
Missing data — — — — — — — 0.0 — — — — — — — — — — — —
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 77 114 102 99 3,166 3,375 3,540 3,672 15 13 23 38 — — 2 2 — — 9 3

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. 65.1 63.9 68.0 65.6
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos. 16.4 19.2 16.4 20.7
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos. 8.0 6.5 7.0 5.4
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos. 3.6 3.4 3.1 3.1
48 or more mos. 6.1 5.8 4.5 4.4
Missing data 0.9 1.2 1.0 0.8
Total (%) 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 3,473 3,455 3,367 3,420

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 76.8 76.8 78.1 78.5
Children re-entering care within 12 mos. of a prior episode 11.0 10.5 8.8 8.7
Children re-entering care more than 12 mos. after a prior episode 10.2 10.9 10.9 10.8
Missing data 2.0 1.8 2.2 2.0
Total (%) 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 6,504 6,341 7,216 7,268

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. 3.4 5.0 5.5 7.3
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos. 15.5 18.8 19.1 22.0
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos. 20.0 24.8 25.4 27.3
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos. 22.2 16.7 18.6 17.5
48 or more mos. 38.9 34.7 31.2 25.9
Missing data — — 0.2 0.1
Total (%) 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 640 844 1,078 1,093

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		 80.9
79.4
79.1
76.9		 19.1
20.6
20.9
23.1		 —
—
—
—		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 7,105
7,048
8,020
8,193
At least 12 mos., but <24 mos. 1998
1999
2000
2001		 54.1
56.0
53.6
51.9		 45.9
44.0
46.4
48.1		 —
—
—
—		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 3,485
3,768
3,630
4,252
At least 24 mos., but <36 mos. 1998
1999
2000
2001		 43.0
44.1
43.1
38.4		 57.0
55.9
56.9
61.6		 —
—
—
—		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 2,291
2,265
2,381
2,222
At least 36 mos., but <48 mos. 1998
1999
2000
2001		 35.0
34.7
34.6
32.7		 65.0
65.3
65.4
67.3		 —
—
—
—		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 1,439
1,544
1,452
1,472
48 or more mos. 1998
1999
2000
2001		 25.6
24.8
23.9
19.8		 74.4
75.2
76.1
80.2		 —
—
—
—		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 3,075
3,194
3,171
2,914
Missing data 1998
1999
2000
2001		 98.0
93.5
100.0
95.6		 2.0
6.5
—
4.4		 —
—
—
—		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 50
62
36
45

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 1.6 1.8 1.8
Institutions 12.1 12.0 9.3 8.7
Other settings 86.1 86.4 88.9 89.4
Missing data — 0.0 — 0.0
Total (%) 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 4,464 4,402 5,051 5,152

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Missouri [ State Comment ]

Denise Cross, Director
Division of Family Services
Missouri Department of Social Services
573-751-3221

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

Missouri continues to be committed to providing the most accurate data possible through our NCANDS and AFCARS transmissions. We continue to enhance our data systems to more completely detail our compliance with the mandates of ASFA and to better serve our families. We have intensified our efforts to safely return children to their families and have seen an increase in the percentage of children returned home within 24 months of placement. We have also seen an increase in adoptions within 12 and 24 months of placement. Our Child Fatality Review Panels continue their aggressive pursuit to accurately identify all child maltreatment deaths.

The data in Section C indicate that Missouri has significantly fewer children in care on 10-1-00 than on 9-30-00. This difference is because the 10-1 number counts only those children in the care and custody of Missouri placed in alternative care. The 9-30 number also includes children in the temporary custody of adoptive parents, children in the custody of other agencies, and children for whom the agency provides supervision services only who are generally in the custody of relatives.

Additionally the seeming discrepancy between the number of children awaiting adoption and the number of children with termination of parental rights is reflective of the practice in many Missouri courts to delay termination of parental rights until an adoptive home has been found for a specific child or sibling group.

Missouri is committed to providing timely and accurate data to ACF. We continue to believe our data would be more accurate if we were permitted to update past AFCARS transmissions every time we sent a new transmission.

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Missouri [ Federal Comment ]

At the time of preparation of this report, the Missouri Child and Family Service Review had not been conducted. States are not accountable for meeting national standards until the time of their review.

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