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Home > Statistics & Research > Child Welfare Outcomes 2001 > Chapter Four > North Carolina

 

North Carolina

Context Data | Outcomes Data | State Comment | Federal Comment

North Carolina [ Context Data ]

A. Key Context Statistics

General Population 1998 1999 2000 2001
Total children under 18 years 1,919,774 1,940,947 1,964,047 2,028,146
Race/ethnicity (%)1
   Alaska Native/American Indian 1.7 1.7 1.5 1.4
   Asian N/A N/A N/A 1.7
   Asian/Pacific Islander 1.6 1.7 1.6 N/A
   Black 26.6 26.4 26.2 26.1
   Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander N/A N/A N/A 0.1
   Hispanic 3.3 3.6 6.1 6.5
   White 66.8 66.6 62.5 62.6
   Two or more races N/A N/A 1.8 1.6
   Other N/A N/A 0.3 N/A
% Child population in poverty 16.9 18.5 18.5 16.4
% Child population living in metropolitan areas 72.8 76.5 67.9 72.3
Child Welfare 1998 1999 2000 2001
Child maltreatment victims 37,357 36,976 36,186 36,601
Children in foster care on 9/30 11,314 11,339 10,847 10,130
Children adopted 882 949 1,337 1,327

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 125,862 127,522 123,043 122,354 65.6 per 1,000 65.7 per 1,000 62.6 per 1,000 61.5 per 1,000
Child maltreatment victims2 37,357 36,976 36,186 36,601 19.5 per 1,000 19.1 per 1,000 18.4 per 1,000 18.4 per 1,000
Child fatalities 23 21 0 0 1.2 per 100,000 1.1 per 100,000 — per 100,000 — per 100,000
Age of Child Victims (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Under 1 year 7.1 1.7 9.5 9.4
1-5 years 35.5 32.8 32.5 33.2
6-10 years 29.8 32.4 31.7 30.4
11-15 years 19.5 24.5 23.0 23.3
16+ years 8.1 8.5 3.4 3.7
Unknown — — 0.0 0.0
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 37,357 36,976 36,186 36,601
Race/Ethnicity of Child Victims (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Alaska Native/American Indian 2.3 2.4 1.9 1.7
Asian/Pacific Islander 0.8 1.1 0.7 0.9
Black 39.1 37.9 36.6 36.2
Hispanic 7.0 6.9 8.2 7.9
White 56.2 57.1 51.8 52.2
Two or more races — — 0.7 0.8
Other/Unknown 1.6 1.5 0.2 0.3
Total %3 107.0 106.9 100.0 100.0
Number 37,357 36,976 36,186 36,601
Maltreatment Type of Child Victims (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Emotional 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.3
Medical neglect 2.6 2.5 2.1 2.3
Neglect 87.2 87.8 89.9 90.0
Physical abuse 3.9 3.6 3.9 3.7
Sexual abuse 4.1 3.7 3.5 3.4
Other 1.8 2.1 0.4 0.4
Unknown — — — —
Total %4 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 37,357 36,976 36,186 36,601

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) 9,843 5,646 3,993 11,314 15,307
FY1999 (10/1/98-9/30/99) 10,265 5,391 4,317 11,339 15,656
FY2000 (10/1/99-9/30/00) 9,870 5,458 4,481 10,847 15,328
FY2001 (10/1/00-9/30/01) 10,068 5,301 5,239 10,130 15,369
Median Length of Stay (Months)          
FY1998 (10/1/97-9/30/98) 16.1 N/A 13.4 16.3 N/A
FY1999 (10/1/98-9/30/99) 16.9 N/A 13.0 17.9 N/A
FY2000 (10/1/99-9/30/00) 17.7 N/A 14.9 16.4 N/A
FY2001 (10/1/00-9/30/01) 16.5 N/A 14.7 16.3 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 4.6 4.6 4.3 5.1 14.9 15.1 16.0 15.4 3.9 4.7 4.2 3.8 4.5 4.3 5.1 5.0
1-5 years 27.6 27.1 26.5 25.6 28.9 26.5 25.7 28.3 30.0 29.3 29.7 30.9 27.5 26.3 25.8 26.3
6-10 years 26.8 26.4 26.5 25.0 23.7 24.2 23.3 23.4 25.1 24.2 25.0 24.7 26.5 26.3 24.8 23.5
11-15 years 29.0 29.5 29.9 31.0 27.6 29.2 29.6 26.8 21.6 24.6 23.2 23.8 28.8 29.4 30.6 30.3
16-18 years 11.5 11.5 12.1 12.5 4.8 4.9 5.3 5.9 18.3 15.9 16.8 15.7 11.8 12.9 12.9 13.9
19+ years 0.4 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.1 1.0 1.1 0.9 1.0 0.6 0.7 0.7 0.8
Unknown 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 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 9,843 10,265 9,870 10,068 5,464 5,391 5,458 5,301 3,993 4,317 4,481 5,239 11,314 11,339 10,847 10,130
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 1.7 1.5 1.9 2.3 1.9 2.6 3.5 2.6 2.7 2.4 3.0 3.2 1.5 1.7 2.3 2.0
Asian — — 0.3 0.2 — — 0.3 0.4 — — 0.4 0.2 — — 0.2 0.3
Asian/Pacific Islander 0.2 0.3 — — 0.5 0.3 — — 0.5 0.4 — — 0.3 0.2 — —
Black 54.3 53.1 50.9 49.3 43.9 41.6 41.5 38.7 45.4 45.1 43.8 43.5 52.4 50.7 49.1 46.8
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander — — 0.1 0.1 — — 0.2 0.3 — — 0.1 0.1 — — 0.1 0.2
Hispanic 4.7 5.6 6.2 5.6 8.0 7.9 6.5 8.8 6.3 6.6 7.6 7.6 5.8 6.3 5.8 6.2
White 38.5 39.2 39.9 41.2 45.4 47.1 46.8 47.5 44.5 45.2 44.3 44.2 39.7 40.7 41.6 42.9
Two or more races — — 0.5 1.0 — 0.0 1.2 1.7 — — 0.4 0.9 — 0.0 0.9 1.4
Unknown 0.5 0.4 0.4 0.2 0.4 0.4 0.1 0.0 0.6 0.3 0.4 0.2 0.4 0.4 0.2 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 9,843 10,265 9,870 10,068 5,464 5,391 5,458 5,301 3,993 4,317 4,481 5,239 11,314 11,339 10,847 10,130

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 4,298 3,603 3,715 3,337
Children whose parents' rights have been terminated (TPR) 2,486 1,757 2,134 2,047
Age of Waiting Children (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Under 1 year 4.9 2.7 2.8 2.7
1-5 years 35.2 31.1 29.7 27.8
6-10 years 33.1 33.9 31.9 29.5
11-15 years 22.5 26.3 28.5 31.8
16+ years 3.9 5.1 6.6 7.7
Unknown 0.5 0.9 0.5 0.6
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 4,298 3,603 3,715 3,337
Race/Ethnicity of Waiting Children (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Alaska Native/American Indian 1.3 1.4 1.6 1.5
Asian — — 0.3 0.3
Asian/Pacific Islander 0.1 0.1 — —
Black 53.8 53.5 53.9 52.0
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander — — 0.1 0.1
Hispanic 5.4 5.9 5.7 5.1
White 38.9 38.5 37.1 39.1
Two or more races — — 1.0 1.6
Unknown 0.6 0.6 0.4 0.4
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 4,298 3,603 3,715 3,337

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 4.3 3.8 4.0 4.0
1-5 years 44.0 46.4 44.9 45.4
6-10 years 33.3 32.0 33.5 29.8
11-15 years 15.6 16.2 15.3 17.6
16+ years 2.7 1.6 2.2 2.7
Unknown — — 0.1 0.5
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 882 949 1,337 1,327
Race/Ethnicity of Adopted Children (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Alaska Native/American Indian 1.4 0.6 1.2 1.9
Asian — — 0.5 0.5
Asian/Pacific Islander 0.8 0.5 — —
Black 54.2 51.6 44.9 48.2
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander — — — 0.2
Hispanic 2.8 4.1 6.7 5.7
White 40.1 41.8 42.9 37.0
Two or more races — — 3.1 5.8
Unknown 0.7 1.3 0.7 0.8
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 882 949 1,337 1,327

Back to Top

North Carolina [ 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 92.4 92.0 91.5 91.5
Children with one or more recurrences 7.6 8.0 8.5 8.5
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 14,261 14,159 15,841 16,315

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 0.60 0.83 1.52 1.11
Children not maltreated while in foster care 99.40 99.17 98.48 98.89
Total % 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00
Number 14,316 14,447 14,121 13,986

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 17.1 16.3 23.0 25.3
Guardianship 10.1 10.0 8.8 9.6
Reunification 62.7 64.6 57.6 56.0
Other 10.1 9.1 10.6 9.1
Missing data — — — —
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 3,993 4,317 4,481 5,239

Pie Charts describing data from Table 3.1 above.

3.2 Exits of Disabled Children (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Adoption 28.2 24.1 27.0 27.8
Guardianship 10.0 8.0 6.8 11.1
Reunification 47.0 53.3 45.8 44.1
Other 14.8 14.7 20.5 17.0
Missing data — — — —
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 642 565 533 583
3.3 Exits of Children Over Age 12 at Entry (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Adoption 1.4 0.8 0.9 2.4
Guardianship 6.9 7.8 5.7 8.2
Reunification 65.8 70.6 68.7 67.9
Other 25.8 20.8 24.7 21.5
Missing data — — — —
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 972 1,024 1,088 1,193
3.4 Exits to Emancipation (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Children age 12 or younger at entry 27.3 33.2 28.5 33.8
Children older than 12 at entry 72.7 66.8 71.5 66.2
Missing data — — — —
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 256 244 277 302
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 9.2 3.8 11.3 19.8 — — 5.3 36.4 4.8 11.1 — — 19.4 17.7 24.4 28.5 — — — 57.1
Guardianship 20.2 40.4 33.8 29.9 — — 5.3 9.1 9.5 — — — 12.6 10.3 7.9 9.8 — — — 14.3
Reunification 67.0 53.8 43.6 46.1 — — 78.9 54.5 66.7 88.9 — — 57.6 62.8 55.9 50.8 — — 75.0 28.6
Other 3.7 1.9 11.3 4.2 — — 10.5 — 19.0 — — — 10.4 9.1 11.9 10.9 — — 25.0 —
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 — — 100.0 100.0
Number 109 104 133 167 — — 19 11 21 18 — — 1,813 1,946 1,963 2,277 — — 4 7
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 10.7 11.6 21.4 23.1 16.3 16.4 22.6 22.4 13.6 23.1 47.1 36.4 — — 25.0 40.8 — — — —
Guardianship 8.7 10.2 7.0 9.3 7.2 8.2 8.3 8.2 9.1 — 17.6 — — — 20.0 — — — — —
Reunification 71.0 71.2 60.7 61.2 66.4 65.7 59.8 61.0 59.1 76.9 17.6 63.6 — — 50.0 55.1 — — — —
Other 9.5 7.0 10.9 6.5 10.1 9.8 9.3 8.4 18.2 — 17.6 — — — 5.0 4.1 — — — —
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 — — 100.0 100.0 — — — —
Number 252 285 341 399 1,776 1,951 1,984 2,318 22 13 17 11 — — 20 49 — — — —

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. 56.6 57.7 59.2 60.0
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos. 25.4 24.1 23.1 24.5
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos. 8.9 9.4 9.1 7.9
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos. 3.8 3.8 4.3 3.2
48 or more mos. 5.3 4.7 4.0 4.1
Missing data 0.2 0.4 0.2 0.3
Total (%) 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 2,503 2,789 2,579 2,932

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 96.7 97.9 97.5 97.7
Children re-entering care within 12 mos. of a prior episode 1.3 1.2 1.3 1.1
Children re-entering care more than 12 mos. after a prior episode 2.0 0.9 1.3 1.1
Missing data — 0.0 — 0.0
Total (%) 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 5,464 5,391 5,458 5,301

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. 14.8 8.5 6.2 5.0
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos. 22.3 17.4 21.3 24.6
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos. 21.4 28.9 28.1 25.5
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos. 15.5 18.0 19.0 20.1
48 or more mos. 26.0 27.1 25.5 24.8
Missing data — — — 0.1
Total (%) 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 682 705 1,029 1,326

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		 58.7
61.3
57.7
59.5		 41.3
38.7
42.3
40.5		 —
—
—
—		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 6,263
6,260
6,312
6,343
At least 12 mos., but <24 mos. 1998
1999
2000
2001		 46.7
41.5
38.9
33.4		 53.3
58.5
61.1
66.6		 —
—
—
—		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 3,631
3,523
3,329
3,548
At least 24 mos., but <36 mos. 1998
1999
2000
2001		 40.7
39.9
30.8
27.6		 59.3
60.1
69.2
72.4		 —
—
—
—		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 1,894
2,205
2,074
1,901
At least 36 mos., but <48 mos. 1998
1999
2000
2001		 40.9
37.8
31.8
23.1		 59.1
62.2
68.2
77.0		 —
—
—
—		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 1,188
1,184
1,287
1,267
48 or more mos. 1998
1999
2000
2001		 35.7
35.0
29.7
24.5		 64.3
65.0
70.3
75.5		 —
—
—
—		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 2,306
2,453
2,313
2,287
Missing data 1998
1999
2000
2001		 88.0
80.6
84.6
91.3		 12.0
19.4
15.4
8.7		 —
—
—
—		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 25
31
13
23