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Home > Statistics & Research > Child Welfare Outcomes 2001 > Chapter Four > New Mexico

 

New Mexico

Context Data | Outcomes Data | Federal Comment

New Mexico [ Context Data ]

A. Key Context Statistics

General Population 1998 1999 2000 2001
Total children under 18 years 504,210 495,612 508,574 501,239
Race/ethnicity (%)1
 Alaska Native/American Indian 11.8 11.9 11.7 11.7
 Asian N/A N/A N/A 1.0
 Asian/Pacific Islander 1.2 1.2 0.9 N/A
 Black 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.9
 Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander N/A N/A N/A 0.1
 Hispanic 48.4 49.2 50.9 50.8
 White 36.9 36.0 32.5 32.9
 Two or more races N/A N/A 2.1 1.6
 Other N/A N/A 0.2 N/A
% Child population in poverty 30.7 29.7 24.9 25.4
% Child population living in metropolitan areas 49.6 56.4 54.1 56.8
Child Welfare 1998 1999 2000 2001
Child maltreatment victims 4,241 3,730 6,288 6,929
Children in foster care on 9/30 821 1,941 1,912 1,757
Children adopted 197 258 347 369

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 13,403 12,084 20,956 23,314 26.6 per 1,000 24.4 per 1,000 41.2 per 1,000 45.6 per 1,000
Child maltreatment victims2 4,241 3,730 6,288 6,929 8.4 per 1,000 7.5 per 1,000 12.4 per 1,000 13.6 per 1,000
Child fatalities 5 7 6 blank cell 1.0 per 100,000 1.4 per 100,000 1.2 per 100,000 — per 100,000
Age of Child Victims (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Under 1 year — 5.5 7.5 8.0
1-5 years — 23.0 25.6 25.7
6-10 years — 31.1 30.4 30.8
11-15 years — 27.1 25.5 24.0
16+ years — 9.0 4.8 4.9
Unknown — 4.3 6.1 6.5
Total % — 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number — 3,730 6,288 6,929
Race/Ethnicity of Child Victims (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Alaska Native/American Indian — 8.6 10.4 10.5
Asian/Pacific Islander — 0.7 0.3 0.2
Black — 3.7 3.0 3.1
Hispanic — 45.9 48.2 46.5
White — 75.7 30.4 29.1
Two or more races — — 1.5 1.7
Other/Unknown — 11.2 6.2 8.9
Total %3 — 145.9 100.0 100.0
Number — 3,730 6,288 6,929
Maltreatment Type of Child Victims (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Emotional 13.7 16.5 6.6 6.9
Medical neglect 2.7 2.8 2.3 2.0
Neglect 52.3 52.4 63.4 64.5
Physical abuse 24.9 22.3 33.5 32.1
Sexual abuse 6.3 6.0 6.0 6.6
Other 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.0
Unknown — — — —
Total %4 100.0 100.0 112.0 112.2
Number 4,241 3,730 6,288 6,929

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) 470 1,480 1,137 821 1,950
FY1999 (10/1/98-9/30/99) 1,761 1,829 1,691 1,941 3,590
FY2000 (10/1/99-9/30/00) 1,731 1,780 1,716 1,912 3,511
FY2001 (10/1/00-9/30/01) 1,613 1,887 1,754 1,757 3,500
Median Length of Stay (Months)          
FY1998 (10/1/97-9/30/98) 2.1 N/A 0.3 6.9 N/A
FY1999 (10/1/98-9/30/99) 14.0 N/A 1.0 18.4 N/A
FY2000 (10/1/99-9/30/00) 18.2 N/A 1.2 17.5 N/A
FY2001 (10/1/00-9/30/01) 16.5 N/A 0.2 15.7 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 5.3 4.3 4.2 4.0 11.4 11.8 11.5 11.8 8.6 6.6 6.9 6.9 6.7 4.1 4.0 4.2
1-5 years 29.6 31.4 27.7 24.7 32.9 33.7 31.0 33.0 31.9 35.8 33.4 32.8 32.9 28.1 25.1 26.2
6-10 years 33.8 30.6 31.5 30.8 26.8 28.1 28.2 27.9 27.4 30.0 29.5 32.3 30.5 30.9 30.1 26.5
11-15 years 23.8 26.3 28.2 30.2 23.2 21.3 24.0 22.6 24.1 20.7 23.4 21.7 23.1 26.5 28.2 29.6
16-18 years 7.2 7.4 8.4 10.3 5.7 5.1 5.3 4.7 7.9 6.9 6.8 6.2 6.7 10.4 12.6 13.5
19+ years 0.2 — — — — — — — 0.1 — — — — — — —
Unknown — — — — 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 470 1,761 1,731 1,613 1,480 1,829 1,780 1,887 1,137 1,691 1,716 1,754 821 1,941 1,912 1,757
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 10/1/01 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 7.2 5.7 6.5 7.4 12.0 13.5 9.7 16.1 14.6 14.8 10.8 14.9 5.5 6.5 6.6 9.2
Asian — — 0.3 0.2 — — 0.1 0.4 — — 0.1 0.5 — — 0.3 0.1
Asian/Pacific Islander — 0.3 — — 0.2 0.4 — — 0.3 0.4 — — — 0.3 — —
Black 6.2 8.0 7.7 7.3 5.9 4.2 4.8 3.2 4.3 4.4 5.5 3.2 8.2 7.4 6.5 6.9
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander — — — 0.1 — — 0.1 0.2 — — 0.1 0.2 — — 0.1 0.1
Hispanic 55.1 56.3 55.2 53.8 44.9 48.3 49.3 47.0 41.0 46.4 48.7 45.7 56.4 56.6 54.7 54.5
White 31.3 29.4 28.9 29.6 28.4 31.3 32.6 27.9 30.0 32.3 31.4 30.8 28.0 28.1 30.2 26.6
Two or more races — 0.3 1.0 1.6 — 1.0 2.2 2.9 — 0.5 1.8 2.3 — 0.8 1.5 2.2
Unknown 0.2 — 0.3 0.1 8.6 1.3 1.1 2.3 9.9 1.1 1.6 2.2 2.0 0.3 0.2 0.5
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 470 1,761 1,731 1,613 1,480 1,829 1,780 1,887 1,137 1,691 1,716 1,754 821 1,941 1,912 1,757

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 120 878 822 668
Children whose parents' rights have been terminated (TPR) 18 53 22 14
Age of Waiting Children (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Under 1 year 5.0 1.7 1.8 2.0
1-5 years 33.3 32.0 30.7 28.7
6-10 years 36.7 41.8 37.1 37.6
11-15 years 23.3 23.2 28.8 29.8
16+ years 1.7 1.3 1.6 1.8
Unknown — — — —
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 120 878 822 668
Race/Ethnicity of Waiting Children (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Alaska Native/American Indian 2.5 5.9 6.1 7.0
Asian — — 0.2 —
Asian/Pacific Islander — 0.2 — —
Black 5.0 8.5 7.9 8.7
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander — — — —
Hispanic 69.2 58.5 56.2 57.2
White 23.3 26.2 28.0 24.6
Two or more races — 0.6 1.6 2.5
Unknown — — — —
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 120 878 822 668

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 2.0 1.2 1.4 0.5
1-5 years 41.1 32.9 46.7 37.4
6-10 years 36.0 46.1 38.0 42.5
11-15 years 17.8 17.1 13.5 16.8
16+ years 2.5 2.7 0.3 2.7
Unknown 0.5 — — —
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 197 258 347 369
Race/Ethnicity of Adopted Children (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Alaska Native/American Indian 3.0 — 0.6 3.5
Asian — — 3.7 0.3
Asian/Pacific Islander — — — —
Black 4.1 — 4.3 5.7
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander — — 0.3 —
Hispanic 47.7 54.3 59.1 55.8
White 42.1 45.7 30.3 33.6
Two or more races — — 1.7 1.1
Unknown 3.0 — — —
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 197 258 347 369

Back to Top

New Mexico [ 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 — 91.7 91.5 92.3
Children with one or more recurrences — 8.3 8.5 7.8
Total % — 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number — 915 2,986 2,891

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 — — — 0.06
Children not maltreated while in foster care — — — 99.94
Total % — — — 100.00
Number — — — 3,083

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 0.2 13.7 14.1 15.7
Guardianship 3.0 3.5 4.2 2.5
Reunification 54.6 73.5 74.7 73.1
Other 4.4 8.9 6.0 7.6
Missing data 37.8 0.4 1.0 1.0
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 1,137 1,691 1,716 1,754

Pie Charts describing data from Table 3.1 above.

3.2 Exits of Disabled Children (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Adoption — 21.0 21.1 30.8
Guardianship 1.3 1.0 3.0 4.8
Reunification 30.8 67.6 69.9 54.8
Other 11.5 9.5 6.0 5.8
Missing data 56.4 1.0 — 3.8
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 78 105 133 104
3.3 Exits of Children Over Age 12 at Entry (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Adoption — 5.2 1.8 1.9
Guardianship 1.7 1.4 3.5 3.0
Reunification 48.0 69.2 77.1 76.3
Other 7.4 23.5 16.9 17.4
Missing data 42.8 0.7 0.7 1.5
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 229 289 284 270
3.4 Exits to Emancipation (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Children age 12 or younger at entry — — — —
Children older than 12 at entry 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Missing data — — — —
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 6 22 26 13
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 — 3.2 8.6 6.5 — — — 11.1 — — — — — 28.4 18.9 28.1 — — — —
Guardianship 3.6 4.4 3.8 1.9 — — — — — 14.3 — — — 1.4 4.2 — — — — —
Reunification 51.2 66.0 65.9 69.1 — — 50.0 77.8 100.0 85.7 — — 51.0 66.2 68.4 66.7 — — 100.0 100.0
Other 12.7 26.0 21.1 22.5 — — 50.0 11.1 — — — — 2.0 4.1 8.4 5.3 — — — —
Missing data 32.5 0.4 0.5 — — — — — — — — — 46.9 — — — — — — —
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 166 250 185 262 — — 2 9 3 7 — — 49 74 95 57 — — 1 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 0.4 18.2 16.0 19.7 — 11.0 13.8 14.6 — — — 2.6 — — — 9.8 — — — —
Guardianship 5.4 3.7 4.7 3.0 0.9 3.1 4.1 2.4 — — — 5.3 — — — — — — — —
Reunification 50.6 71.8 74.6 73.1 57.8 79.0 77.0 75.6 60.0 92.9 100.0 78.9 — 100.0 87.1 68.3 76.6 100.0 100.0 100.0
Other 2.4 5.6 3.9 3.1 5.0 6.9 3.3 6.5 — 7.1 — 13.2 — — 12.9 14.6 — — — —
Missing data 41.2 0.6 0.7 1.1 36.4 — 1.9 0.9 40.0 — — — — — — 7.3 23.4 — — —
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 — 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 466 785 836 802 341 547 538 541 65 14 25 38 — 9 31 41 47 5 3 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. 94.0 86.4 81.8 90.1
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos. 0.2 9.5 5.5 5.7
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos. 0.2 0.2 2.0 0.3
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos. — — 0.2 0.5
48 or more mos. — — 0.1 0.2
Missing data 5.6 3.9 10.4 3.2
Total (%) 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 621 1,243 1,282 1,283

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 90.8 88.6 86.9 86.1
Children re-entering care within 12 mos. of a prior episode 4.4 8.9 8.7 8.4
Children re-entering care more than 12 mos. after a prior episode 0.1 1.0 2.2 4.7
Missing data 4.7 1.5 2.2 0.8
Total (%) 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 1,480 1,829 1,780 1,887

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. — 2.2 2.9 1.4
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos. 100.0 68.5 16.9 25.4
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos. — 26.7 67.4 32.6
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos. — — 6.6 33.7
48 or more mos. — — — 3.6
Missing data — 2.6 6.2 3.3
Total (%) 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 2 232 242 276

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		 97.7
95.4
95.6
88.0		 2.3
4.6
4.4
12.0		 —
—
—
—		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 1,589
1,958
1,946
2,001
At least 12 mos., but <24 mos. 1998
1999
2000
2001		 96.7
99.7
99.6
58.0		 3.3
0.3
0.4
42.0		 —
—
—
—		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 305
744
478
579
At least 24 mos., but <36 mos. 1998
1999
2000
2001		 100.0
99.5
99.8
43.3		 —
0.5
0.2
56.7		 —
—
—
—		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 1
842
522
305
At least 36 mos., but <48 mos. 1998
1999
2000
2001		 —
—
99.8
43.3		 —
—
0.2
56.7		 —
—
—
—		 —
—
100.0
100.0		 —
—
513
264
48 or more mos. 1998
1999
2000
2001		 —
100.0
100.0
59.3		 —
—
—
40.7		 —
—
—
—		 —
100.0
100.0
100.0		 —
1
1
300
Missing data 1998
1999
2000