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

 

Tennessee

Context Data | Outcomes Data | Federal Comment

Tennessee [ Context Data ]

A. Key Context Statistics

General Population 1998 1999 2000 2001
Total children under 18 years 1,331,402 1,340,930 1,398,521 1,397,933
Race/ethnicity (%)1
   Alaska Native/American Indian 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2
   Asian N/A N/A N/A 1.1
   Asian/Pacific Islander 1.2 1.2 1.0 N/A
   Black 21.4 21.4 21.1 21.2
   Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander N/A N/A N/A 0.1
   Hispanic 1.6 1.7 2.8 2.9
   White 75.6 75.4 73.0 73.0
   Two or more races N/A N/A 1.6 1.5
   Other N/A N/A 0.2 N/A
% Child population in poverty 20.3 17.4 19.7 20.4
% Child population living in metropolitan areas 76.2 73.4 69.0 71.0
Child Welfare 1998 1999 2000 2001
Child maltreatment victims 9,930 10,611 16,572 9571
Children in foster care on 9/30 10,796 10,144 9,679
Children adopted 337 382 431 646

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 32,286 33,629 51,917 50,870 24.2 per 1,000 25.1 per 1,000 37.1 per 1,000 36.2 per 1,000
Child maltreatment victims2 9,930 10,611 16,572 9,571 7.5 per 1,000 7.9 per 1,000 11.8 per 1,000 6.8 per 1,000
Child fatalities 12 16 3 13 0.9 per 100,000 1.2 per 100,000 0.2 per 100,000 0.9 per 100,000
Age of Child Victims (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Under 1 year 9.6 9.1 9.9 10.8
1-5 years 31.7 30.5 30.9 31.1
6-10 years 31.2 31.1 29.4 28.7
11-15 years 22.1 23.8 24.0 24.2
16+ years 5.2 5.2 5.7 5.1
Unknown 0.1 0.3 0.2 0.1
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 9,930 10,611 16,572 9,571
Race/Ethnicity of Child Victims (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Alaska Native/American Indian 0.2 0.0 0.1 0.2
Asian/Pacific Islander 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.7
Black 31.1 31.6 30.4 29.8
Hispanic 0.8 1.5 1.0 1.9
White 63.5 62.5 64.2 57.0
Two or more races
Other/Unknown 4.9 5.6 4.0 16.8
Total %3 102.3 102.3 100.0 100.0
Number 9,930 10,611 16,572 9,571
Maltreatment Type of Child Victims (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Emotional 1.8 1.2 2.3 1.1
Medical neglect 3.1 3.1 3.3 2.8
Neglect 43.0 43.5 42.9 39.5
Physical abuse 19.6 20.0 20.0 16.4
Sexual abuse 22.4 21.0 21.0 24.4
Other 10.1 11.2 10.5 20.0
Unknown
Total %4 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 9,930 10,611 16,572 9,571

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) 8,296 5,968 3,481 10,796 14,264
FY2000 (10/1/99-9/30/00) 9,034 5,480 4,370 10,144 14,514
FY2001 (10/1/00-9/30/01) 9,101 5,667 5,089 9,679 14,768
Median Length of Stay (Months)          
FY1998 (10/1/97-9/30/98) N/A N/A
FY1999 (10/1/98-9/30/99) 17.5 N/A 12.3 13.6 N/A
FY2000 (10/1/99-9/30/00) 17.9 N/A 11.8 16.8 N/A
FY2001 (10/1/00-9/30/01) 17.4 N/A 12.0 15.6 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 2.7 2.7 2.6 9.0 7.8 8.6 2.6 2.3 3.2 3.2 2.5 2.8
1-5 years 18.5 17.4 18.3 13.1 13.9 14.8 15.5 13.3 16.2 16.6 17.3 17.1
6-10 years 18.9 18.9 18.9 12.6 12.5 12.2 11.9 12.2 13.1 17.6 17.4 17.6
11-15 years 30.8 30.8 32.0 35.3 36.6 34.7 19.1 21.2 21.9 29.8 30.9 31.5
16-18 years 28.3 29.2 28.3 30.0 29.2 29.7 48.5 48.0 44.1 31.8 31.1 31.0
19+ years 0.7 0.9 0.0 0.4 0.3 1.0 0.1
Unknown 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.4 0.3 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
Number 8,296 9,034 9,101 5,968 5,480 5,667 3,481 4,370 5,089 10,796 10,144 9,679
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 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2
Asian 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.2 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.3
Asian/Pacific Islander 0.3 0.5 0.4 0.4
Black 38.2 40.0 38.1 35.2 30.4 28.1 29.9 31.5 30.9 39.2 38.4 36.0
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Hispanic 1.4 1.6 1.9 1.6 2.4 2.9 1.2 2.2 2.8 1.5 1.8 2.0
White 59.5 56.7 57.5 61.5 64.5 65.3 67.5 64.8 63.6 58.0 57.4 58.8
Two or more races 1.2 1.8 1.0 2.0 0.3 1.7 1.4 1.9
Unknown 0.5 0.1 0.3 1.0 0.9 1.1 0.7 0.5 0.4 0.7 0.4 0.7
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
Number 8,296 9,034 9,101 5,968 5,480 5,667 3,481 4,370 5,089 10,796 10,144 9,679

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 1,666 2,044 2,289
Children whose parents' rights have been terminated (TPR) 992 397 480
Age of Waiting Children (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Under 1 year 2.1 1.5 1.8
1-5 years 24.0 27.4 26.5
6-10 years 34.1 35.9 33.1
11-15 years 30.0 29.4 33.2
16+ years 8.1 4.9 5.2
Unknown 1.7 0.9 0.2
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 1,666 2,044 2,289
Race/Ethnicity of Waiting Children (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Alaska Native/American Indian 0.2 0.2 0.1
Asian 0.2 0.4
Asian/Pacific Islander 0.2
Black 48.3 45.7 43.4
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander
Hispanic 1.9 1.9 1.8
White 49.1 49.7 51.6
Two or more races 2.3 2.4
Unknown 0.4 0.0 0.3
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 1,666 2,044 2,289

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 1.5 1.0 0.5 1.1
1-5 years 46.9 44.5 35.3 35.3
6-10 years 32.3 34.0 40.6 37.5
11-15 years 16.3 17.0 20.4 21.5
16+ years 3.0 3.4 3.2 4.6
Unknown
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 337 382 431 646
Race/Ethnicity of Adopted Children (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Alaska Native/American Indian 0.3 0.8 0.2
Asian
Asian/Pacific Islander
Black 44.8 37.4 38.3 31.0
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander
Hispanic 3.6 2.4 3.0 4.5
White 51.0 59.2 56.1 57.0
Two or more races 1.4 7.3
Unknown 0.3 0.3 1.2 0.2
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 337 382 431 646

Back to Top

Tennessee [ 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 7.8 8.1 12.7
Guardianship 0.7 0.2 0.1
Reunification 64.1 72.1 71.1
Other 15.7 16.0 14.1
Missing data 11.7 3.6 2.0
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 3,481 4,370 5,089

Pie Charts describing data from Table 3.1 above.

3.2 Exits of Disabled Children (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Adoption 18.2 24.4 43.4
Guardianship 0.7 0.3
Reunification 44.2 52.0 41.8
Other 22.6 20.0 13.5
Missing data 14.2 3.6 1.0
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 274 225 392
3.3 Exits of Children Over Age 12 at Entry (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Adoption 0.1 0.0 0.2
Guardianship 0.4 0.1 0.1
Reunification 64.4 73.6 74.4
Other 22.3 22.0 22.3
Missing data 12.8 4.2 3.0
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 2,045 2,599 2,793
3.4 Exits to Emancipation (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Children age 12 or younger at entry 14.5 17.8 12.7
Children older than 12 at entry 84.9 82.2 87.3
Missing data 0.6
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 496 596 581
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 4.8 7.5 7.8 13.9
Guardianship 11.1 1.3 0.1
Reunification 77.8 72.7 87.5 75.0 66.7 71.4 65.9 70.1 68.2 100.0
Other 11.1 18.2 18.8 28.6 28.6 15.7 17.6 15.8
Missing data 9.1 12.5 6.3 9.6 4.4 2.0 100.0
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 9 11 8 16 21 14 1,041 1,378 1,571 1 2
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 11.9 10.4 15.4 7.9 8.2 11.7 4.3 13.6 21.4 22.4
Guardianship 0.4 0.2 0.2
Reunification 61.9 69.8 69.9 63.1 73.0 72.5 83.3 85.0 72.7 71.4 69.4 100.0
Other 14.3 11.5 12.6 15.8 15.6 13.5 4.2 9.1 7.1 7.1
Missing data 11.9 8.3 2.1 12.7 2.9 2.0 8.3 15.0 4.5 1.2 100.0
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 42 96 143 2,350 2,833 3,237 24 20 22 14 85 1 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. 59.0 61.3 62.5
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos. 24.8 23.4 23.4
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos. 8.2 6.9 7.7
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos. 3.3 3.5 3.1
48 or more mos. 4.3 4.0 3.0
Missing data 0.5 0.9 0.3
Total (%) 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 2,233 3,150 3,617

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 84.2 83.1 81.9
Children re-entering care within 12 mos. of a prior episode 9.3 10.1 11.0
Children re-entering care more than 12 mos. after a prior episode 6.2 6.8 7.0
Missing data 0.4
Total (%) 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 5,968 5,480 5,667

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. 3.0 3.1 1.7
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos. 13.3 7.4 12.1
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos. 17.4 17.3 13.7
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos. 13.3 19.5 16.3
48 or more mos. 52.6 52.4 56.1
Missing data 0.4 0.3 0.2
Total (%) 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 270 353 644

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

72.9
61.1
61.0

25.2
32.4
36.8

1.9
6.5
2.2

100.0
100.0
100.0

6,734
6,334
6,726
At least 12 mos., but <24 mos. 1998
1999
2000
2001

52.2
47.4
40.0

47.3
49.6
58.8

0.5
3.0
0.8

100.0
100.0
100.0

2,876
2,950
2,981
At least 24 mos., but <36 mos. 1998
1999
2000
2001

51.0
53.5
43.4

48.8
44.0
55.8

0.2
2.5
0.8

100.0
100.0
100.0

1,448
1,635
1,606
At least 36 mos., but <48 mos. 1998
1999
2000
2001

48.5
54.4
50.7

51.2
43.5
49.2

0.3
2.0
0.1

100.0
100.0
100.0

934
981
1,050
48 or more mos. 1998
1999
2000
2001

50.0
56.2
52.1

49.6
41.0
47.4

0.4
2.8
0.6

100.0
100.0
100.0

2,245
2,556
2,383
Missing data 1998
1999
2000
2001

81.5
34.5
50.0

14.8

4.6

3.7
65.5
45.5

100.0
100.0
100.0

27
58
22

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 8.3 5.9 4.6
Institutions 6.8 7.6 4.2
Other settings 84.5 86.4 91.2
Missing data 0.4
Total (%) 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 2,264 1,987 2,296

Back to Top

Tennessee [ Federal Comment ]

The following discussion focuses on Tennessee's performance with regard to each of the outcomes assessed in the Child Welfare Outcomes Annual Reports to Congress. The Tennessee Child and Family Services Review (CFSR) 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 Tennessee'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
Tennessee'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 Tennessee's CFSR Final Report.

Outcome 2. Reduce the incidence of child abuse and/or neglect in foster care
Tennessee's attainment of outcome 2 cannot be evaluated as part of the Federal Comment section because the State does not provide data to NCANDS for calculating this outcome. In order to ensure data consistency across States, only data submitted through the NCANDS system 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 provided in Tennessee's CFSR Final Report.

Outcome 3. Increase permanency for children in foster care
In FY 2001, 83.9 percent of children exiting foster care were discharged to permanent homes (which is lower than the national median of 85.3 percent). Although these data suggest that the State is not consistently effective in achieving permanency for children in foster care, the data for outcome 3 also indicate that 85.5 percent of children with a diagnosed disability exiting foster care were discharged to permanent homes (which is greater than the national median of 78.4 percent) and 74.7 percent of children exiting foster care who were older than age 12 at entry into foster care were discharged to permanent homes (which is higher than the national median of 72.3). Only 12.7 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 has experienced success in achieving permanency for children with a diagnosed disability and children who are older than age 12 when they enter foster care. Also, the State has been effective in ensuring that children who enter foster care at younger ages do not "grow up" in the system. Tennessee's performance on all of the indicators for this outcome exhibited substantial improvement from FY 1999 to FY 2001.

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 62.5, which is lower than both the national standard of 76.2 percent or more and the national median of 69.2 percent. However,Tennessee's performance on this measure improved between FY 1999 and FY 2001 (+6.0 percent change).

Also in FY 2001, the percentage of children re-entering foster care within 12 months of discharge from a prior foster care episode was 11.0, which does not meet the national standard of 8.6 percent or less and is greater than the national median of 10.4 percent. Performance on this measure declined from FY 1999 to FY 2001 (+18.8 percent change).

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 13.8, which is lower than both the national standard of 32.0 percent or more and the national median of 21.0 percent. Tennessee's performance on this measure declined from FY 1999 to FY 2001 (-15.2 percent change).

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 61.0, which is lower than both the national standard of 86.7 percent or more and the national median of 83.3 percent. According to information in the CFSR Final Report, the State believes that the actual number of placement changes may be higher than the number reported to the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System, because the State's management information system does not capture changes in foster care placements for children who remain with the same private child placement provider agency. That is, a child could move from one foster home to another, but if both foster homes were under the supervision of the same foster care provider agency, this move would not be recorded in the State's management information system. This suggests that placement stability is a concern for the State. Tennessee's reported performance on this measure declined between FY 1999 and FY 2001 (-16.3 percent change).

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 8.8, which is about equal to the national median of 8.7 percent. Tennessee's performance on this measure improved considerably from FY 1999 to FY 2001 (-42.0 percent change).

Back to Top

Return to Chapter IV State Data Pages

Return to Table of Contents