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

 

Montana

Context Data | Outcomes Data | Federal Comment

Montana [ Context Data ]

A. Key Context Statistics

General Population 1998 1999 2000 2001
Total children under 18 years 224,403 223,819 230,062 220,254
Race/ethnicity (%)1
   Alaska Native/American Indian 10.1 10.4 9.2 9.4
   Asian N/A N/A N/A 0.6
   Asian/Pacific Islander 0.8 0.8 0.6 N/A
   Black 0.4 0.3 0.4 0.5
   Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander N/A N/A N/A 0.1
   Hispanic 2.6 2.7 3.2 3.2
   White 86.2 85.7 83.9 83.8
   Two or more races N/A N/A 2.6 2.4
   Other N/A N/A 0.1 N/A
% Child population in poverty 20.5 21.8 24.6 16.4
% Child population living in metropolitan areas 19.8 23.3 32.9 26.4
Child Welfare 1998 1999 2000 2001
Child maltreatment victims 3,292 3,414 3,431 1,935
Children in foster care on 9/30 1,991 2,156 2,180 2,008
Children adopted 149 188 238 275

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 19,004 20,315 15,788 15,032 84.7 per 1,000 90.8 per 1,000 69.0 per 1,000 65.4 per 1,000
Child maltreatment victims2 3,292 3,414 2,431 1,935 14.7 per 1,000 15.3 per 1,000 10.6 per 1,000 8.4 per 1,000
Child fatalities 3 4 1 4 1.3 per 100,000 1.8 per 100,000 0.4 per 100,000 1.7 per 100,000
Age of Child Victims (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Under 1 year 7.3 7.0 8.8 9.4
1-5 years 33.7 31.9 29.1 32.7
6-10 years 31.1 32.0 31.5 28.0
11-15 years 23.2 24.8 24.1 23.1
16+ years 4.7 4.2 3.4 3.7
Unknown — 0.0 3.2 3.2
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 3,292 3,414 2,431 1,935
Race/Ethnicity of Child Victims (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Alaska Native/American Indian 25.0 24.9 25.4 21.4
Asian/Pacific Islander 0.1 0.3 0.3 0.1
Black 1.2 0.8 1.1 0.7
Hispanic 2.8 1.9 2.6 2.4
White 56.5 57.1 52.3 55.1
Two or more races — — — 1.9
Other/Unknown 17.2 16.8 18.4 18.4
Total %3 102.8 101.9 100.0 100.0
Number 3,292 3,414 2,431 1,935
Maltreatment Type of Child Victims (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Emotional 15.9 12.2 16.0 15.4
Medical neglect 2.5 2.5 2.7 2.0
Neglect 54.3 62.0 43.4 37.3
Physical abuse 13.0 9.2 44.8 53.2
Sexual abuse 9.7 9.2 14.8 14.9
Other 4.7 4.9 0.4 1.1
Unknown — — — —
Total %4 100.0 100.0 122.1 123.9
Number 3,292 3,414 2,431 122

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) 1,711 1,503 1,223 1,991 3,214
FY1999 (10/1/98-9/30/99) 1,891 1,596 1,331 2,156 3,487
FY2000 (10/1/99-9/30/00) 1,918 1,588 1,327 2,180 3,506
FY2001 (10/1/00-9/30/01) 1,999 1,506 1,497 2,008 3,505
Median Length of Stay (Months)          
FY1998 (10/1/97-9/30/98) 16.8 N/A 3.4 17.0 N/A
FY1999 (10/1/98-9/30/99) 18.6 N/A 4.5 15.6 N/A
FY2000 (10/1/99-9/30/00) 15.9 N/A 5.1 16.0 N/A
FY2001 (10/1/00-9/30/01) 17.0 N/A 6.3 16.2 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 4.1 5.0 4.7 4.5 14.0 13.1 13.7 13.0 7.2 7.4 7.0 6.7 4.9 4.6 4.7 4.1
1-5 years 24.9 24.1 24.9 25.7 29.4 27.2 29.0 30.3 30.1 27.0 30.4 30.7 25.4 24.3 25.9 25.9
6-10 years 28.0 27.2 27.7 27.3 23.7 26.7 25.8 25.4 25.3 26.1 24.0 25.5 26.3 26.9 26.7 25.9
11-15 years 30.2 28.8 29.7 29.3 25.7 25.8 23.7 24.6 24.4 22.7 23.4 22.0 28.7 29.7 28.9 31.2
16-18 years 12.7 14.8 12.9 13.0 7.2 7.1 7.9 6.7 12.4 15.7 14.5 14.1 14.4 14.4 13.6 12.6
19+ years 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.3 — 0.1 0.1 — 0.7 1.1 0.7 1.0 0.3 0.1 0.3 0.2
Unknown — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
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 1,711 1,891 1,918 1,999 1,503 1,596 1,588 1,506 1,223 1,331 1,327 1,497 1,991 2,156 2,180 2,008
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 27.7 26.3 29.5 32.7 28.7 31.0 32.4 30.3 30.3 25.8 27.5 30.6 26.9 30.1 32.8 32.5
Asian — — 0.3 0.3 — — 0.4 0.1 — — 0.6 0.1 — — 0.2 0.2
Asian/Pacific Islander 0.4 0.4 — — 0.2 0.6 — — 0.1 0.7 — — 0.4 0.4 — —
Black 1.3 1.8 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.2 1.3 1.1 1.0 1.4 1.6 1.7 1.9 1.6 1.4 1.1
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander — — — — — — — 0.1 — — — 0.1 — — — —
Hispanic 1.8 3.1 3.3 4.2 3.9 2.9 4.3 3.9 2.9 2.9 3.6 4.3 2.8 3.1 3.9 3.9
White 66.3 64.5 61.9 58.3 58.7 59.0 55.7 55.7 60.7 64.2 61.0 56.8 64.0 60.6 58.0 57.5
Two or more races — — — — — — — 0.7 — — — 0.2 — — — —
Unknown 2.6 3.9 3.4 3.0 6.7 5.2 5.9 8.2 5.1 5.0 5.7 6.2 4.1 4.1 3.8 4.5
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 1,711 1,891 1,918 1,999 1,503 1,596 1,588 1,506 1,223 1,331 1,327 1,497 1,991 2,156 2,180 2,008

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 709 780 854 752
Children whose parents' rights have been terminated (TPR) 626 690 717 631
Age of Waiting Children (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Under 1 year 2.0 2.4 3.4 1.9
1-5 years 26.8 24.9 24.7 24.5
6-10 years 27.9 27.8 29.3 29.8
11-15 years 33.3 32.6 31.1 32.2
16+ years 9.2 10.9 10.0 10.5
Unknown 0.8 1.4 1.5 1.2
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 709 780 854 752
Race/Ethnicity of Waiting Children (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Alaska Native/American Indian 18.9 19.0 23.4 24.8
Asian — — 0.2 0.3
Asian/Pacific Islander 0.7 0.5 — —
Black 1.4 2.1 2.6 1.9
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander — — — —
Hispanic 2.8 3.8 4.5 4.5
White 72.2 70.3 65.9 65.3
Two or more races — — — —
Unknown 3.9 4.4 3.4 3.2
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 709 780 854 752

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 — 2.1 1.3 2.5
1-5 years 44.3 46.3 52.5 42.2
6-10 years 36.9 30.3 28.6 32.7
11-15 years 16.8 18.6 15.5 19.3
16+ years 2.0 2.7 2.1 3.3
Unknown — — — —
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 149 188 238 275
Race/Ethnicity of Adopted Children (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Alaska Native/American Indian 10.7 19.1 14.3 21.8
Asian — — 0.4 —
Asian/Pacific Islander — 1.1 — —
Black 1.3 1.1 0.4 3.6
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander — — — —
Hispanic 3.4 2.1 6.7 7.3
White 83.9 72.9 71.8 67.3
Two or more races — — — —
Unknown 0.7 3.7 6.3 —
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 149 188 238 275

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Montana [ 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 — — 86.9 89.4
Children with one or more recurrences — — 13.1 10.6
Total % — — 100.0 100.0
Number — — 1,111 871

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 — — 0.19 0.19
Children not maltreated while in foster care — — 99.81 99.81
Total % — — 100.00 100.00
Number — — 3,221 3,116

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 13.7 15.4 19.3 19.6
Guardianship 1.2 1.5 2.0 2.9
Reunification 62.9 60.8 57.5 58.6
Other 8.1 10.4 8.8 9.2
Missing data 14.1 11.9 12.4 9.8
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 1,223 1,331 1,327 1,497

Pie Charts describing data from Table 3.1 above.

3.2 Exits of Disabled Children (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Adoption 22.7 28.2 38.5 39.2
Guardianship — 5.1 1.5 2.4
Reunification 40.9 25.6 29.2 32.0
Other 27.3 23.1 15.4 19.2
Missing data 9.1 17.9 15.4 7.2
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 22 39 65 125
3.3 Exits of Children Over Age 12 at Entry (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Adoption 0.3 0.3 2.2 2.5
Guardianship 2.7 1.6 1.9 1.9
Reunification 51.0 52.5 47.4 46.2
Other 27.2 34.0 29.9 30.3
Missing data 18.8 11.6 18.7 19.1
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 298 318 321 314
3.4 Exits to Emancipation (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Children age 12 or younger at entry 20.8 27.3 18.9 34.3
Children older than 12 at entry 79.2 72.7 81.1 65.7
Missing data — — — —
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 53 99 90 99
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 5.1 11.4 9.9 13.3 — — 12.5 — — 22.2 — — 16.7 11.1 9.5 38.5 — — — —
Guardianship 1.6 1.7 1.4 4.4 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Reunification 65.0 61.8 64.9 62.9 — — 25.0 50.0 — 66.7 — — 41.7 72.2 66.7 34.6 — — — —
Other 5.1 4.7 5.2 4.6 — — 25.0 — — 11.1 — — 8.3 16.7 9.5 19.2 — — — —
Missing data 23.2 20.4 18.6 14.8 — — 37.5 50.0 100.0 — — — 33.3 — 14.3 7.7 — — — —
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 — — — 100.0
Number 371 343 365 458 — — 8 2 1 9 — — 12 18 21 26 — — — 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 17.1 10.3 35.4 31.3 18.1 17.0 22.9 23.4 10.5 20.0 19.7 4.3 — — — — — — — —
Guardianship — 2.6 2.1 1.6 0.8 1.4 2.2 1.8 5.3 1.5 2.6 7.5 — — — — — — — —
Reunification 65.7 66.7 52.1 48.4 61.5 59.2 54.1 55.5 70.2 67.7 61.8 78.5 — — — 66.7 80.0 100.0 — —
Other 5.7 — 2.1 10.9 10.1 13.7 11.0 11.5 1.8 3.1 5.3 5.4 — — — 33.3 20.0 — — —
Missing data 11.4 20.5 8.3 7.8 9.6 8.8 9.8 7.8 12.3 7.7 10.5 4.3 — — — — — — — —
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 — —
Number 35 39 48 64 742 855 809 850 57 65 76 93 — — — 3 5 2 — —

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. 85.6 83.4 87.0 84.7
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos. 11.2 10.8 9.8 10.9
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos. 2.6 2.8 1.4 3.0
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos. 0.4 1.0 0.8 0.6
48 or more mos. 0.3 2.0 0.9 0.8
Missing data — — — —
Total (%) 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 769 809 763 877

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 69.2 72.0 68.5 68.5
Children re-entering care within 12 mos. of a prior episode 23.2 16.8 20.2 19.1
Children re-entering care more than 12 mos. after a prior episode 5.0 8.3 8.9 10.6
Missing data 2.6 2.9 2.4 1.9
Total (%) 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 1,503 1,596 1,588 1,506

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. 15.6 14.1 10.9 10.2
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos. 27.5 19.0 31.3 21.8
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos. 22.8 32.2 30.5 27.6
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos. 11.4 19.5 13.3 19.0
48 or more mos. 22.8 15.1 13.3 21.4
Missing data — — 0.8 —
Total (%) 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 167 205 256 294

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		 81.9
81.0
80.8
81.3		 18.1
19.0
19.2
18.7		 —
—
—
—		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 1,668
1,770
1,779
1,746
At least 12 mos., but <24 mos. 1998
1999
2000
2001		 61.6
50.4
57.5
55.2		 38.4
49.6
42.5
44.8		 —
—
—
—		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 560
607
669
629
At least 24 mos., but <36 mos. 1998
1999
2000
2001		 47.8
50.3
41.7
47.3		 52.2
49.7
58.3
52.7		 —
—
—
—		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 362
366
391
419
At least 36 mos., but <48 mos. 1998
1999
2000
2001		 49.4
40.1
42.9
34.6		 50.6
59.9
57.1
65.4		 —
—
—
—		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 241
252
212
240
48 or more mos. 1998
1999
2000
2001		 36.3
37.0
34.5
34.7		 63.7
63.0
65.5
65.3		 —
—
—
—		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 380
487
452
470
Missing data 1998
1999
2000
2001		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 —
—
—
—		 —
—
—
—		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 3
5
3
1

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 10.8 8.6 11.9 11.8
Institutions 0.4 0.2 1.0 0.9
Other settings 88.7 91.2 87.1 87.2
Missing data — — — —
Total (%) 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 1,145 1,204 1,220 1,166

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Montana [ Federal Comment ]

The following discussion focuses on Montana's performance with regard to each of the outcomes assessed in the Child Welfare Outcomes Annual Reports to Congress. The Montana Child and Family Services Review (CFSR) Final Report was completed in fiscal year (FY) 2002, and compliance with the national standards was based on data from 2000. 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 Montana'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, Montana's rate of maltreatment recurrence was 10.6 percent, which is higher than the national standard of 6.1 percent or less and the national median of 8.0 percent. Information from the CFSR Final Report suggests that the actual rate of maltreatment recurrence may be higher than the reported rate, because in some areas of the State new maltreatment reports on open child welfare cases are not fully investigated, and in other areas maltreatment reports on open cases are not recorded as new reports. Change in performance on this measure cannot be evaluated because Montana did not provide data for 1999 and 2000 to the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) for calculating this outcome.

Outcome 2. Reduce the incidence of child abuse and/or neglect in foster care
In CY 2001, the incidence of maltreatment in foster care was 0.19 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 Montana did not provide data to NCANDS for calculating this outcome for 1999. There was no substantive change in performance from 2000 to 2001.

Outcome 3. Increase permanency for children in foster care
In FY 2001, 81.1 percent of children exiting foster care were discharged to permanent homes (which is lower than the national median of 85.3 percent); 73.6 percent of children with a diagnosed disability exiting foster care were discharged to permanent homes (which is lower than the national median of 78.4 percent); and 50.6 percent of children exiting foster care who were older than age 12 at entry into foster care were discharged to permanent homes (which is lower than the national median of 72.3 percent). Although these data suggest that the State has not been effective in achieving permanency for children in foster care, the data are difficult to interpret because "reason for discharge" information was not reported to the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) for 9.8 percent of the children exiting foster care in FY 2001, and for 19.1 percent of the children exiting foster care who were older than age 12 at the time of entry into foster care.

In FY 2001, 34.3 percent of children exiting foster care through emancipation were age 12 or younger at the time of entry into foster care, which is higher than the national median of 28.0 percent. This suggests that Montana has not been successful in ensuring that children do not "grow up" in foster care. Performance on this measure declined from FY 1999 to FY 2001 (+25.9 percent change).

Outcome 4. Reduce time to reunification without increasing re-entry
In FY 2001, the percentage of all reported reunifications occurring within 12 months of a child's entry into foster care was 84.7, which is higher than both the national standard of 76.2 percent and the national median of 69.2 percent. Performance on this measure did not change substantively from FY 1999 to FY 2001.

Montana's 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 19.1, which is higher than both the national standard of 8.6 percent or less and the national median of 10.4 percent. According to information from the CFSR Final Report, the State believes that the rate of foster care re-entry is due to the way the State's management information system records exits and entries. Because the management information system is a payment system, many workers believe that they have to close the case as a foster care case if the child runs away, leaves a foster family to enter respite care for the weekend, go home for a trial visit, or enters a hospital. The worker then re-opens the case as a foster care case when the child returns to the foster family. This is not consistent with AFCARS reporting procedures.

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 32.0, which equals the national standard of 32.0 percent and exceeds the national median of 21.0 percent. The State's reported rate of adoption finalizations occurring within 24 months did not change substantively from FY 1999 to FY 2001.

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 81.3, which is lower than both the national standard of 86.7 percent and the national median of 83.3 percent. Montana's performance on this measure did not change substantively 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 12.7, which is higher than the national median of 8.7 percent. Montana's performance on this measure declined from FY 1999 to FY 2001 (+45.1 percent change).

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