Skip Navigation
Administration for Children and Families  
ACF
ACF Home   |   Services   |   Working with ACF   |   Policy/Planning   |   About ACF   |   ACF News   |   HHS Home

  Questions?  |  Privacy  |  Site Index  |  Contact Us  |  Download Reader™  |  Print      


Children's Bureau Safety, Permanency, Well-being  Advanced
 Search

Home > Statistics & Research > Child Welfare Outcomes 2001 > Chapter Four > South Dakota

 

South Dakota

Context Data | Outcomes Data | State Comment | Federal Comment

South Dakota [ Context Data ]

A. Key Context Statistics

General Population 1998 1999 2000 2001
Total children under 18 years 200,937 198,037 202,649 197,879
Race/ethnicity (%)1
   Alaska Native/American Indian 14.1 14.4 13.3 13.5
   Asian N/A N/A N/A 0.7
   Asian/Pacific Islander 0.8 0.9 0.6 N/A
   Black 0.7 0.7 0.8 1.0
   Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander N/A N/A N/A 0.1
   Hispanic 1.8 1.8 2.2 2.3
   White 82.6 82.1 80.6 80.3
   Two or more races N/A N/A 2.3 2.1
   Other N/A N/A 0.1 N/A
% Child population in poverty 20.4 7.3 13.3 8.2
% Child population living in metropolitan areas 38.9 36.1 34.3 35.8
Child Welfare 1998 1999 2000 2001
Child maltreatment victims 2,647 2,561 3,081 3,707
Children in foster care on 9/30 — 1,101 1,215 1,367
Children adopted 55 84 94 97

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 5,313 4,709 10,403 9,984 26.4 per 1,000 23.8 per 1,000 51.3 per 1,000 49.2 per 1,000
Child maltreatment victims2 2,647 2,561 3,081 3,707 13.2 per 1,000 12.9 per 1,000 15.2 per 1,000 18.3 per 1,000
Child fatalities 3 3 6 2 1.5 per 100,000 1.5 per 100,000 3.0 per 100,000 1.0 per 100,000
Age of Child Victims (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Under 1 year 0.8 — 4.1 4.8
1-5 years 20.9 — 28.6 29.8
6-10 years 35.5 — 30.2 29.0
11-15 years 27.8 — 24.4 23.7
16+ years 10.7 — 10.5 10.1
Unknown 4.3 — 2.3 2.6
Total % 100.0 — 100.0 100.0
Number 2,647 — 3,081 3,707
Race/Ethnicity of Child Victims (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Alaska Native/American Indian 45.1 — 45.4 45.1
Asian/Pacific Islander — — — —
Black — — — —
Hispanic — — — —
White 42.6 — 48.0 45.1
Two or more races — — — —
Other/Unknown 12.3 — 6.6 9.8
Total %3 100.0 — 100.0 100.0
Number 2,647 — 3,081 3,707
Maltreatment Type of Child Victims (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Emotional 10.6 11.4 11.3 18.3
Medical neglect — — — —
Neglect 73.0 70.9 70.3 78.9
Physical abuse 23.3 25.1 21.5 19.7
Sexual abuse 8.3 10.0 6.3 4.6
Other — — — —
Unknown — — — —
Total %4 115.3 117.5 109.4 121.4
Number 2,647 2,561 3,081 3,707

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) — — — — —
FY1999 (10/1/98-9/30/99) 898 1,308 1,106 1,101 2,206
FY2000 (10/1/99-9/30/00) 816 1,441 1,042 1,215 2,257
FY2001 (10/1/00-9/30/01) 1,182 1,357 1,173 1,367 2,539
Median Length of Stay (Months)          
FY1998 (10/1/97-9/30/98) — N/A — — N/A
FY1999 (10/1/98-9/30/99) 12.7 N/A 2.3 10.5 N/A
FY2000 (10/1/99-9/30/00) 11.3 N/A 2.2 8.3 N/A
FY2001 (10/1/00-9/30/01) 11.3 N/A 2.8 12.4 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 — 4.6 5.5 5.4 — 13.9 12.8 11.3 — 9.5 9.7 8.2 — 6.3 6.1 3.1
1-5 years — 28.7 27.2 26.5 — 33.8 32.8 37.6 — 35.8 33.3 37.1 — 26.9 29.4 29.7
6-10 years — 29.5 28.8 26.5 — 26.0 26.4 25.9 — 26.9 27.2 26.4 — 27.6 25.8 25.4
11-15 years — 28.1 27.7 30.8 — 20.6 21.9 20.6 — 18.9 19.8 18.6 — 28.9 28.9 29.9
16-18 years — 8.9 10.3 10.6 — 5.3 5.8 4.3 — 8.4 9.7 9.2 — 10.1 9.5 11.7
19+ years — 0.1 0.2 0.1 — — — — — 0.2 0.3 0.2 — 0.2 0.1 0.1
Unknown — 0.1 0.2 0.2 — 0.5 0.2 0.2 — 0.3 0.1 0.3 — 0.1 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 — 898 816 1,182 — 1,308 1,441 1,357 — 1,106 1,042 1,173 — 1,101 1,215 1,367
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 — 63.8 63.4 61.4 — 60.2 59.7 59.8 — 59.2 60.3 59.7 — 64.2 61.6 61.3
Asian — — 0.1 — — — 0.1 0.3 — — 0.1 — — — 0.2 0.3
Asian/Pacific — — — — — 0.1 — — — — — — — 0.1 — —
Black — 1.8 2.3 1.4 — 2.7 2.2 1.5 — 2.4 2.9 1.2 — 2.2 1.6 1.6
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander — — — 0.1 — — — 0.1 — — — 0.1 — — — 0.1
Hispanic — 1.9 3.6 3.6 — 3.4 4.2 4.7 — 2.0 4.1 4.6 — 3.5 3.9 3.8
White — 32.3 29.0 30.8 — 32.7 31.3 29.3 — 35.9 30.8 30.9 — 29.2 30.2 29.3
Two or more races — — 1.2 2.6 — 0.2 2.0 2.7 — 0.1 1.1 2.0 — 0.1 2.3 3.2
Unknown — 0.2 0.4 0.2 — 0.8 0.5 1.6 — 0.4 0.8 1.6 — 0.7 0.2 0.4
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
Number — 898 816 1,182 — 1,308 1,441 1,357 — 1,106 1,042 1,173 — 1,101 1,215 1,367

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 — 284 311 411
Children whose parents' rights have been terminated (TPR) — 198 238 332
Age of Waiting Children (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Under 1 year — 8.5 4.2 3.2
1-5 years — 26.1 32.8 29.2
6-10 years — 32.4 28.6 28.5
11-15 years — 27.5 31.5 31.9
16+ years — 5.3 2.6 6.6
Unknown — 0.4 0.3 0.7
Total % — 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number — 284 311 411
Race/Ethnicity of Waiting Children (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Alaska Native/American Indian — 58.1 56.6 57.9
Asian — — — 0.2
Asian/Pacific Islander — 0.4 — —
Black — 2.8 2.6 1.9
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander — — — —
Hispanic — 4.2 4.8 3.2
White — 33.5 34.4 33.8
Two or more races — 0.4 1.6 2.9
Unknown — 0.7 — —
Total % — 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number — 284 311 411

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 1.8 1.2 4.3 2.1
1-5 years 45.5 45.2 55.3 51.5
6-10 years 32.7 39.3 26.6 37.1
11-15 years 18.2 9.5 13.8 7.2
16+ years 1.8 4.8 — 2.1
Unknown — — — —
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 55 84 94 97
Race/Ethnicity of Adopted Children (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Alaska Native/American Indian 34.5 46.4 51.1 41.2
Asian — — — —
Asian/Pacific Islander — — — —
Black 1.8 2.4 — 2.1
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander — — — —
Hispanic 1.8 3.6 6.4 11.3
White 61.8 46.4 37.2 41.2
Two or more races — — 5.3 4.1
Unknown — 1.2 — —
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 55 84 94 97

Back to Top

South Dakota [ 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 — — — —
Children with one or more recurrences — — — —
Total % — — — —
Number — — — —

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 — — — —
Children not maltreated while in foster care — — — —
Total % — — — —
Number — — — —

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

3.1 Exits from Foster Care (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Adoption — 9.9 8.3 10.7
Guardianship — 3.1 3.9 4.7
Reunification — 77.2 76.6 69.7
Other — 6.7 8.3 12.4
Missing data — 3.1 2.9 2.5
Total % — 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number — 1,106 1,042 1,173

Pie Charts describing data from Table 3.1 above.

3.2 Exits of Disabled Children (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Adoption — 23.9 29.1 29.2
Guardianship — 8.0 4.5 6.9
Reunification — 44.2 37.3 33.8
Other — 17.7 20.9 26.9
Missing data — 6.2 8.2 3.1
Total % — 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number — 113 110 130
3.3 Exits of Children Over Age 12 at Entry (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Adoption — 0.5 1.0 —
Guardianship — 4.9 5.6 3.8
Reunification — 68.3 73.2 67.6
Other — 18.0 15.7 23.8
Missing data — 8.2 4.5 4.9
Total % — 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number — 183 198 185
3.4 Exits to Emancipation (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Children age 12 or younger at entry — 21.7 21.7 26.2
Children older than 12 at entry — 78.3 78.3 73.8
Missing data — — — —
Total % — 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number — 23 23 42
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 — 6.6 6.5 7.1 — — 100.0 — — — — — — 7.4 6.7 42.9 — — — —
Guardianship — 2.6 4.6 4.9 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Reunification — 80.9 76.8 70.9 — — — — — — — — — 92.6 83.3 42.9 — — — 100.0
Other — 6.9 9.1 14.1 — — — — — — — — — — 10.0 14.3 — — — —
Missing data — 3.1 3.0 3.0 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Total % — 100.0 100.0 100.0 — — 100.0 — — — — — — 100.0 100.0 100.0 — — — 100.0
Number — 655 628 700 — — 1 — — — — — — 27 30 14 — — — 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 — 9.1 11.6 20.4 — 15.6 11.2 14.4 — 25.0 12.5 — — — 9.1 30.4 — — — —
Guardianship — — — 1.9 — 4.3 3.4 4.7 — — 12.5 — — — — 13.0 — — — —
Reunification — 68.2 67.4 66.7 — 70.8 76.9 69.6 — 75.0 75.0 84.2 — — 81.8 43.5 — — — —
Other — 18.2 16.3 11.1 — 6.3 5.6 9.1 — — — 15.8 — — 9.1 13.0 — — — —
Missing data — 4.5 4.7 — — 3.0 2.8 2.2 — — — — — 100.0 — — — — — —
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 — — — —
Number — 22 43 54 — 397 321 362 — 4 8 19 — 1 11 23 — — — —

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. — 81.1 84.0 86.5
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos. — 9.4 6.8 7.1
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos. — 2.2 1.3 2.1
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos. — 0.4 0.9 0.7
48 or more mos. — 0.9 0.5 0.5
Missing data — 6.0 6.6 3.1
Total (%) — 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number — 854 798 817

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 — 62.1 65.9 69.0
Children re-entering care within 12 mos. of a prior episode — 14.1 14.4 16.7
Children re-entering care more than 12 mos. after a prior episode — 22.5 17.8 14.0
Missing data — 1.3 1.8 0.4
Total (%) — 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number — 1,308 1,441 1,357

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. — 24.5 31.0 26.2
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos. — 36.4 41.4 31.0
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos. — 28.2 19.5 20.6
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos. — 4.5 2.3 11.1
48 or more mos. — 6.4 5.7 11.1
Missing data — — — —
Total (%) — 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number — 110 87 126

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		 —
84.9
85.3
84.7		 —
13.8
13.8
15.1		 —
1.4
0.9
0.2		 —
100.0
100.0
100.0		 —
1,387
1,529
1,544
At least 12 mos., but <24 mos. 1998
1999
2000
2001		 —
68.3
58.0
57.5		 —
31.7
41.7
42.3		 —
—
0.3
0.2		 —
100.0
100.0
100.0		 —
357
319
470
At least 24 mos., but <36 mos. 1998
1999
2000
2001		 —
46.0
51.1
50.6		 —
53.4
48.9
49.4		 —
0.6
—
—		 —
100.0
100.0
100.0		 —
176
137
168
At least 36 mos., but <48 mos. 1998
1999
2000
2001		 —
41.6
39.6
57.1		 —
57.1
60.4
42.9		 —
1.3
—
—		 —
100.0
100.0
100.0		 —
77
96
105
48 or more mos. 1998
1999
2000
2001		 —
35.3
39.6
44.3		 —
64.0
60.4
55.8		 —
0.7
—
—		 —
100.0
100.0
100.0		 —
139
111
226
Missing data 1998
1999
2000
2001		 —
95.7
92.3
96.2		 —
4.3
1.5
3.9		 —
—
6.2
—		 —
100.0
100.0
100.0		 —
70
65
26

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 — 0.7 1.2 1.7
Institutions — 15.1 15.3 13.7
Other settings — 83.3 83.3 84.6
Missing data — 1.0 0.3 —
Total (%) — 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number — 1,015 1,108 1,110

Back to Top

South Dakota [ State Comment ]

Virgena Weiseler, Administrator
Child Protection Services
South Dakota Department of Social Services
605-773-3227

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

With regard to Context Section B: The number of children for which there was an investigation in 2001 was 7049 instead of 9984. The number of children victims was 3703 which would be 53%. Apparently the number of children for whom an assessment was completed for 2001 (2935) was added to the 7049. This number should have not have been added in because there are no findings of maltreatment in assessments.

With regard to Section E, the data were submitted incorrectly. South Dakota was counting the children leaving foster care and moving into adoption as a discharge, even though the adoption was not finalized. There were 97 finalized adoptions based on the AFCARS Adoption Database. There were 126 children discharged to adoption on the AFCARS Foster Care Database, but not all of the 126 were finalized within the AFCARS reporting period. This has been corrected and the last two AFCARS submissions have reflected this correction.

With regard to Outcome Measure 1.1, the SDC NCANDS report does not require that this information be reported. In the future, the DCDC Child Profile will be completed.

With regard to Outcome Measure 2.2, the SDC NCANDS report does not require that this information be reported. In the future, the DCDC Child Profile will be completed.

With regard to Outcome Measure 4.2, we believe the increase in the percentage of children entering foster care within 12 months is due to not reporting trial home visits in AFCARS. Trial home visits had been reported as discharges and we are working to assure that staff are reporting trial home visits correctly. We are also addressing the issue of children entering care having a prior foster care episode through our Program Improvement Plan.

Back to Top

South Dakota [ Federal Comment ]

The following discussion focuses on South Dakota's performance with regard to each of the outcomes assessed in the Child Welfare Outcomes Annual Reports to Congress. The South Dakota Child and Family Services Review (CFSR) was completed in fiscal year (FY) 2001, and compliance with the national standards was based on data from 1999. 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 South Dakota'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
South Dakota's performance on outcome 1 cannot be assessed as part of the Federal Comment section because the State does not provide data to the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) for calculating this outcome. To ensure data consistency across States, only data submitted through NCANDS are presented for this outcome in the Report to Congress. However, the State provided data for this outcome for its CFSR using an alternative source. These data are presented in South Dakota's CFSR Final Report.

Outcome 2. Reduce incidence of maltreatment in foster care
South Dakota's performance on outcome 2 cannot be assessed as part of the Federal Comment section because the State does not provide data to NCANDS for calculating this outcome. To ensure data consistency across States, only data submitted through NCANDS are presented for this outcome in the Report to Congress. However, the State provided data for this outcome for its CFSR using an alternative source. These data are presented in South Dakota's CFSR Final Report.

Outcome 3. Increase permanency for children in foster care
In FY 2001, 85.1 percent of children leaving foster care were discharged to permanent homes (which is just below the national median of 85.3 percent); 69.9 percent of children with a diagnosed disability were discharged to permanent homes (which is lower than the national median of 78.4 percent); and 71.4 percent of children who were older than age 12 at entry into foster care exited foster care to permanent homes (which is lower than the national median of 72.3). However, 26.2 percent of children exiting foster care through emancipation were age 12 or younger at the time of entry, which is lower than the national median of 28.0 percent. These data suggest that the State is not consistently effective in establishing permanency for children.

South Dakota's performance related to attainment of permanency for children in foster care declined between FY 1999 and FY 2001. In addition, although data related to the percentage of children exiting foster care through emancipation who were age 12 or younger at the time of entry indicate that the State is somewhat effective at ensuring that children do not "grow up" in foster care, performance on this measure declined between FY 1999 and FY 2001 (+20.5 percent change).

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 86.5, which is higher than both the national standard of 76.2 percent or more and the national median of 69.2 percent. South Dakota's performance on this measure improved continuously from FY 1999 to FY 2001 (+6.6 percent change).

South Dakota's high 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 16.7, which is higher than both the national standard of 8.6 percent or less and the national median of 10.4 percent. Performance on this measure declined from FY 1999 to FY 2001 (+17.8 percent change). The State notes in its comment letter that it believes the increase in the re-entry rate is due to a change in the way trial home visits are recorded.

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 57.2, which is higher than the national standard of 32.0 percent or more and the national median of 21.0 percent. Change in performance on this measure cannot be evaluated because in previous years the State data system recorded adoptive placements as discharges to adoption rather than only recording finalized adoptions as discharges, as is required by the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System.

Outcome 6. Increase placement stability
In FY 2001, the percentage of children who experienced no more than 2 placements in their first 12 months in foster care was 84.7, which does not meet the national standard of 86.7 percent or more, but is higher than the national median of 83.3 percent. There was no substantive change in performance on this measure 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 15.4, which is higher than the national median of 8.7 percent. There was no substantive change in performance on this measure from FY 1999 to FY 2001.

Back to Top

Return to Chapter IV State Data Pages

Return to Table of Contents