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Home > Statistics & Research > Child Welfare Outcomes 2001 > Chapter Four > Puerto Rico

 

Puerto Rico

Context Data | Outcomes Data | State Comment | Federal Comment

Puerto Rico [ Context Data ]

A. Key Context Statistics

General Population	1998	1999	2000	2001
Total children under 18 years	1,222,818	-	1,092,101	1,101,000
Race/ethnicity (%)1
Alaska Native/American Indian	N/A	N/A	0.0	N/A
Asian	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Asian/Pacific Islander	N/A	N/A	0.1	N/A
Black	N/A	N/A	0.1	N/A
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Hispanic	N/A	N/A	99.0	N/A
White	N/A	N/A	0.7	N/A
Two or more races	N/A	N/A	0.1	N/A
Other	N/A	N/A	0.0	N/A
% Child population in poverty	-	-	-	-
% Child population living in metropolitan areas	-	-	83.2	-

 

Child Welfare	1998	1999	2000	2001
Child maltreatment victims	-	-	-	12,840
Children in foster care on 9/30	6,629	7,760	-	8,476
Children adopted	281	326	231	257

¹ The 2000 Census of the United States includes two new race catagories: (1) Persons of two or more races and (2) Other. Back

B. Child Maltreatment Data (NCANDS)

	Number				Rate
Maltreatment Information Overview	1998	1999	2000	2001	1998	1999	2000	2001
Children subject of an investigated report alleging child maltreatment	-	-	-	33,831	- per 1,000	- per 1,000	- per 1,000	30.7 per 1,000
Child maltreatment victims2	-	-	-	12,840	- per 1,000	- per 1,000	- per 1,000	11.7 per 1,000
Child fatalities	-	-	-	38	- per 100,000	- per 100,000	- per 100,000	3.5 per 100,000

 

Age of Child Victims (%)	1998	1999	2000	2001
Under 1 year	-	-	-	-
1-5 years	-	-	-	-
6-10 years	-	-	-	-
11-15 years	-	-	-	-
16+ years	-	-	-	-
Unknown	-	-	-	-
Total %	-	-	-	-
Number	-	-	-	-

 

Race/Ethnicity of Child Victims (%)	1998	1999	2000	2001
Alaska Native/American Indian	-	-	-	-
Asian/Pacific Islander	-	-	-	-
Black	-	-	-	-
Hispanic	-	-	-	-
White	-	-	-	-
Two or more races	-	-	-	-
Other/Unknown	-	-	-	-
Total %3	-	-	-	-
Number	-	-	-	-

 

Maltreatment Type of Child Victims (%)	1998	1999	2000	2001
Emotional abuse	-	-	-	-
Medical neglect	-	-	-	-
Neglect	-	-	-	-
Physical abuse	-	-	-	-
Sexual abuse	-	-	-	-
Other	-	-	-	-
Unknown	-	-	-	-
Total %4	-	-	-	-
Number	-	-	-	-

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)	6,073	2,171	1,615	6,629	8,244
FY1999 (10/1/98-9/30/99)	6,568	2,703	1,510	7,760	9,271
FY2000 (10/1/99-9/30/00)	-	-	-	-	-
FY2001 (10/1/00-9/30/01)	6,195	3,254	977	8,476	9,013
Median Length of Stay (Months)
FY1998 (10/1/97-9/30/98)	21.6	N/A	11.5	28.0	N/A
FY1999 (10/1/98-9/30/99)	26.6	N/A	13.0	26.4	N/A
FY2000 (10/1/99-9/30/00)	-	N/A	-	-	N/A
FY2001 (10/1/00-9/30/01)	27.4	N/A	11.7	22.4	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	3.3	2.9	-	3.2	14.2	12.8	-	12.5	4.0	2.9	-	4.3	2.9	2.9	-	3.4
1-5 years	32.7	29.1	-	24.6	35.5	34.3	-	35.0	40.1	36.6	-	40.2	29.2	27.4	-	25.4
6-10 years	31.9	32.4	-	31.4	29.8	29.7	-	29.5	31.3	31.4	-	32.8	32.3	32.2	-	30.1
11-15 years	26.0	26.7	-	32.2	17.1	19.8	-	19.2	19.6	21.5	-	21.7	26.5	26.7	-	28.7
16-18 years	6.0	8.7	-	8.3	2.6	2.8	-	2.9	4.7	7.4	-	1.3	9.0	9.1	-	12.1
19+ years	-	0.0	-	0.1	-	-	-	-	-	0.3	-	-	-	1.6	-	0.2
Unknown	0.1	0.1	-	0.1	0.8	0.6	-	0.9	0.2	-	-	-	0.2	0.1	-	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
Number	6,073	6,568	-	6,195	2,171	2,703	-	3,254	1,615	1,510	-	977	6,629	7,760	-	8,476

 

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	0.0	0.0	-	0.2	0.1	-	-	0.0	-	0.1	-	-	0.1	0.0	-	0.2
Asian	-	-	-	0.0	-	-	-	0.0	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	0.0
Asian/Pacific Islander	0.1	0.0	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	0.1	0.0	-	-
Black	0.2	0.2	-	0.1	0.1	0.0	-	0.3	0.1	0.1	-	-	0.2	0.2	-	0.2
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander	-	-	-	0.0	-	-	-	0.6	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	0.3
Hispanic	99.1	99.4	-	98.7	99.8	99.8	-	98.6	99.6	99.5	-	99.3	99.2	99.5	-	98.6
White	0.4	0.3	-	0.6	0.0	0.1	-	0.5	0.3	0.2	-	0.3	0.4	0.3	-	0.6
Two or more races	-	-	-	0.0	-	-	-	0.1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	0.0
Unknown	0.2	0.1	-	0.1	-	0.0	-	-	-	0.1	-	0.4	0.2	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
Number	6,073	6,568	-	6,195	2,171	2,703	-	3,254	1,615	1,510	-	977	6,629	7,760	-	8,476

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	628	625	-	418
Children whose parents' rights have been terminated (TPR)	144	165	-	69

 

Age of Waiting Children (%)	1998	1999	2000	2001
Under 1 year	3.0	1.6	-	9.1
1-5 years	18.0	14.7	-	23.2
6-10 years	39.8	38.6	-	25.8
11-15 years	30.6	34.6	-	27.0
16+ years	6.1	6.6	-	11.0
Unknown	2.5	4.0	-	3.8
Total %	100.0	100.0	-	100.0
Number	628	625	-	418

 

Race/Ethnicity of Waiting Children (%)	1998	1999	2000	2001
Alaska Native/American Indian	-	-	-	-
Asian	-	-	-	-
Asian/Pacific Islander	-	-	-	-
Black	-	-	-	0.2
Hawaiian Native/Other Pacific Islander	-	-	-	0.5
Hispanic	99.5	99.8	-	98.8
White	0.5	0.2	-	0.5
Two or more races	-	-	-	-
Unknown	-	-	-	-
Total %	100.0	100.0	-	100.0
Number	628	625	-	418

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	5.0	6.1	5.8	3.1
1-5 years	56.6	41.2	44.6	45.5
6-10 years	24.6	37.5	32.7	32.7
11-15 years	10.0	13.7	10.0	12.8
16+ years	3.9	1.4	6.9	5.8
Unknown	-	-	-	-
Total %	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	281	357	260	257

 

Race/Ethnicity of Adopted Children (%)	1998	1999	2000	2001
Alaska Native/American Indian	-	-	-	-
Asian	-	-	-	-
Asian/Pacific Islander	0.4	-	-	-
Black	-	-	0.4	-
Hawaiian Native/Other Pacific Islander	-	-	-	-
Hispanic	98.9	99.4	98.5	99.6
White	0.4	0.6	1.2	0.4
Two or more races	-	-	-	-
Unknown	0.4	-	-	-
Total %	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	281	357	260	257

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Puerto Rico [ 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	-	-	-	90.7
Children with one or more recurrences	-	-	-	9.3
Total %	-	-	-	100.0
Number	-	-	-	6,138

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	-	-	-	0.45
Children not maltreated while in foster care	-	-	-	99.55
Total %	-	-	-	100.0
Number	-	-	-	9,401

3. Increase Permanency for Children in Foster Care
(AFCARS Annual Foster Care Database)

3.1 Exits from Foster Care (%)	1998	1999	2000	2001
Adoption	-	-	-	7.6
Guardianship	-	-	-	-
Reunification	-	-	-	89.8
Other	-	-	-	2.1
Missing data	-	-	-	0.5
Total %	-	-	-	100.0
Number	-	-	-	977

3.2 Exits of Disabled Children (%)	1998	1999	2000	2001
Adoption	-	-	-	15.8
Guardianship	-	-	-	-
Reunification	-	-	-	80.7
Other	-	-	-	3.5
Missing data	100.0	100.0	-	0.5
Total %	100.0	100.0	-	100.0
Number	1,615	1,510	-	977

 

3.3 Exits of Children Over Age 12 at Entry (%)	1998	1999	2000	2001
Adoption	-	-	-	-
Guardianship	-	-	-	-
Reunification	-	-	-	92.4
Other	-	-	-	7.6
Missing data	100.0	100.0	-	-
Total %	100.0	100.0	-	100.0
Number	164	199	-	66

 

3.4 Exits to Emancipation (%)	1998	1999	2000	2001
Children age 12 or younger at entry	-	-	-	62.5
Children older than 12 at entry	-	-	-	25.0
Missing data	-	-	-	12.5
Total %	-	-	-	100.0
Number	-	-	-	8

 

3.5 Exits by Race/Ethnicity (%)	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	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Guardianship	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Reunification	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	100.0	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Other	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Missing data	-	100.0	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	100.0	100.0	-	-	-	-	-	-
Total %	-	100.0	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	100.0	100.0	-	-	-	-	-	-
Number	-	2	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	2	1	-	-	-	-	-	-
	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	-	-	-	7.5	-	-	-	33.3	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Guardianship	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Reunification	-	-	-	89.8	-	-	-	66.7	-	-	-	100.0	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Other	-	-	-	2.2	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Missing data	100.0	100.0	-	0.5	100.0	100.0	-	-	-	100.0	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Total %	100.0	100.0	-	100.0	100.0	100.0	-	100.0	-	100.0	-	100.0	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Number	1,608	1,503	-	970	5	3	-	3	-	1	-	4	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

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.	-	-	-	56.1
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos.	-	-	-	28.6
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos.	-	-	-	6.0
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos.	-	-	-	4.3
48 or more mos.	-	-	-	3.3
Missing data	-	-	-	1.6
Total (%)	-	-	-	100.0
Number	-	-	-	877

4.2 Children Who Entered Foster Care (%)	1998	1999	2000	2001
Children entering care for the first time	94.4	92.9	-	90.7
Children re-entering care within 12 mos. of a prior episode	1.8	1.2	-	2.4
Children re-entering care more than 12 mos. after a prior episode	3.7	5.8	-	5.6
Missing data	-	-	1.1	1.3
Total (%)	100.0	100.0	-	100.0
Number	2,171	2,703	-	3,254

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.	-	-	-	4.1
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos.	-	-	-	10.8
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos.	-	-	-	21.6
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos.	-	-	-	16.2
48 or more mos.	-	-	-	47.3
Missing data	-	-	-	-
Total (%)	-	-	-	100.0
Number	-	-	-	74

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	99.9 99.6 - 99.6	0.1 0.4 - 0.4	- - - -	100.0 100.0 - 100.0	2,708 3,073 - 3,417
At least 12 mos., but <24 mos.	1998 1999 2000 2001	99.6 99.5 - 98.9	0.4 0.5 - 1.1	- - - -	100.0 100.0 - 100.0	1,610 1,748 - 1,725
At least 24 mos., but <36 mos.	1998 1999 2000 2001	99.1 99.4 - 98.5	0.9 0.6 - 1.5	- - - -	100.0 100.0 - 100.0	1,169 1,050 - 1,017
At least 36 mos., but <48 mos.	1998 1999 2000 2001	97.9 98.9 - 99.3	2.1 1.2 - 0.7	- - - -	100.0 100.0 - 100.0	1,214 901 - 669
48 or more mos.	1998 1999 2000 2001	84.3 90.6 - 99.2	15.7 9.4 - 0.8	- - - -	100.0 100.0 - 100.0	1,530 2,491 - 2,610
Missing data	1998 1999 2000 2001	100.0 100.0 - 100.0	- - - -	- - - -	100.0 100.0 - 100.0	13 8 - 11

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	5.0	0.4	-	1.0
Institutions	5.3	6.6	-	6.7
Other settings	89.7	93.0	-	92.3
Missing data	-	-	-	-
Total (%)	100.0	100.0	-	100.0
Number	1,894	2,330	-	2,719

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Puerto Rico [ State Comment ]

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

We observed discrepancies between the Annual Report and the Data Profile. Our Administration transmitted data collected through the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) with updated information. Said data are reflected in the Data Profile but not in the Annual Report. Therefore, we request that the Annual Report be updated in accordance to the Data Profile.

We are collecting some of the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) data elements. These data elements were also included in the 2001 Calendar Year Data Profile mentioned above. We hereby request that your Office update the Annual Report accordingly.

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Puerto Rico [ Federal Comment ]

The following discussion focuses on Puerto Rico's performance with regard to each of the outcomes assessed in the Child Welfare Outcomes Annual Reports to Congress. The Puerto Rico Child and Family Services Review (CFSR) was completed in fiscal year (FY) 2003, and compliance with the national standards was based on data from 2001. 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 Puerto Rico's performance on the Report to Congress Outcomes is provided below.

Puerto Rico'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 in less than 6 months was 9.3 percent, which does not meet the national standard of 6.1 percent or less and is higher than the national median of 8.0 percent. Change in performance on this measure from 1999 to 2001 cannot be evaluated because the State did not provide data to the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) for calculating this outcome for 1999. Information from the CFSR Final Report suggests that the reported rate of maltreatment recurrence within 6 months may be an undercount because reports of alleged maltreatment on open cases are not always investigated as new reports. Information from the CFSR Final Report notes that previous backlogs of uninvestigated reports due to staff shortages have been reduced in the past two years. The CFSR Final Report identifies several factors which may contribute to maltreatment recurrence: (1) lack of services in the communities to meet the needs of children and families; (2) lack of consistent and comprehensive assessment of needs; (3) lack of ongoing risk assessment; and (4) inconsistent contact between caseworkers and children and parents.

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 0.45 percent, which meets the national standard of 0.57 percent or less and is lower than 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. Information in the CFSR Final Report indicates that the rate of maltreatment in foster care may be underreported because: (1) maltreatment by relative caregivers is not reported as maltreatment in foster care, and (2) there are too few workers to investigate all allegations of institutional abuse. The CFSR Final Report also notes that Puerto Rico lacks a uniform training program for prospective foster parents.

Outcome 3. Increase permanency for children in foster care
In FY 2001, 97.3 percent of children leaving foster care were discharged to permanent homes (which is the highest rate reported nationally); 96.5 percent of children with a diagnosed disability who exited foster care were discharged to permanent homes (which is the highest rate reported nationally); and 92.4 percent of children exiting foster care who were older than age 12 at the time of entry into foster care were discharged to permanent homes (which is the highest rate reported nationally). Change in performance on this measure from 1999 to 2001 cannot be evaluated because the State did not provide data to the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) for calculating this outcome for 1999.

Also in FY 2001, 62.5 percent of the children who were emancipated from foster care in FY 2001 were age 12 or younger when they entered foster care, (which is the highest rate reported nationally). Change in performance on this measure from 1999 to 2001 cannot be evaluated because the State did not provide data to AFCARS for calculating this outcome for 1999. Overall, these data suggest that the State is effective in achieving permanency for children in foster care; however, the State is not effective in ensuring that children who enter foster care at young ages do not “grow 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 a child's entry into foster care was 56.1, which does not meet the national standard of 76.2 percent or more and is lower than the national median of 69.2 percent. Change in performance on this measure from 1999 to 2001 cannot be evaluated because the State did not provide data to AFCARS for calculating this outcome for 1999. Information from the CFSR Final Report identifies the following potential barriers to timely reunification: (1) lack of services, particularly substance abuse treatment and mental health evaluation; (2) efforts to promote frequent parent-child visits or to support parent-child relationships; and (3) inconsistent efforts to involve parents in the case planning process.

Puerto Rico's performance with regard to reunifications within 12 months of entry into foster care 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 2.4. This performance meets the national standard of 8.6 percent or less and is lower than the national median of 10.4 percent. However, performance on this measure declined from FY 1999 to FY 2001 (+96.3 percent change). According to the Puerto Rico's self-assessment, the actual rate of re-entry may be lower than indicated by the data because changes in temporary custody to other government agencies may be coded as re-entries when the children return to child welfare agency custody. Puerto Rico's selfassessment also identifies continued monitoring and support from caseworkers after case closure as a key factor contributing to preventing re-entry.

Outcome 5. Reduce time in foster care to adoption
In FY 2001, the percentage of all adoptions finalized within 24 months of a child's entry into foster care was 14.9, which does not meet the national standard of 32.0 percent or more and is lower than the national median of 21.0 percent. These data are difficult to interpret because the number of finalized adoptions in FY 2001 reported to the AFCARS Adoption Database was 257 (Section E), but the number of children reported to the AFCARS Foster Care Database as exiting to a finalized adoption (outcome measures 3.1 and 5.1) was only 74. Information in the CFSR Final Report identifies the following as potential barriers to timely adoptions: (1) maintaining the goal of reunification for too long; (2) delays in completing paperwork; (3) lack of discussion about adoption and adoption subsidies with foster parents; and (4) court-related barriers such as continuances, delays in seeking termination of parental rights (TPR), and lengthy TPR appeals.

Outcome 6. Increase placement stability
In FY 2001, the percentage of children who were in foster care for less than 12 months and experienced no more than 2 placements was 99.6, which meets the national standard of 86.7 percent or more and is greater than the national median of 83.3 percent. Performance on this measure did not change substantively from FY 1999 to FY 2001. According to Puerto Rico's self-assessment, the data reported for this measure may be incorrect because placement changes are not routinely entered into the data system.

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 7.7, which is lower than the national median of 8.7 percent. Performance on this measure declined from FY 1999 to FY 2001 (+10.4 percent change). Information in the CFSR Final Report notes that shelter is used as a first placement, even for infants. The CFSR Final Report also notes that the lack of therapeutic foster homes results in placements in residential treatment facilities.

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