Skip ACF banner and navigation
Department of Health and Human Services logo
Questions?  
Privacy  
Site Index  
Contact Us  
  Home   |   Services   |   Working with ACF   |   Policy/Planning   |   About ACF   |   ACF News Search  
Administration for Children and Families US Department of Health and Human Services

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

Home > Statistics & Research > Child Welfare Outcomes 2001 > Chapter Four > Utah

 

Utah

Context Data | Outcomes Data | State Comment | Federal Comment

Utah [ Context Data ]

A. Key Context Statistics

General Population 1998 1999 2000 2001
Total children under 18 years 701,300 707,366 718,698 716,243
Race/ethnicity (%)1
 Alaska Native/American Indian 1.5 1.5 1.4 1.5
 Asian N/A N/A N/A 1.7
 Asian/Pacific Islander 2.6 2.7 2.1 N/A
 Black 0.7 0.7 0.8 0.9
 Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander N/A N/A N/A 0.9
 Hispanic 8.3 8.7 10.9 11.2
 White 87.0 86.4 82.4 81.7
 Two or more races N/A N/A 2.3 2.2
 Other N/A N/A 0.1 N/A
% Child population in poverty 12.2 7.1 11.5 12.5
% Child population living in metropolitan areas 83.5 80.0 75.9 80.7
Child Welfare 1998 1999 2000 2001
Child maltreatment victims 7,990 8,660 8,729 10,200
Children in foster care on 9/30 2,468 2,273 1,805 1,957
Children adopted 334 369 303 349

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 27,222 26,847 25,102 28,485 38.8 per 1,000 38.0 per 1,000 34.9 per 1,000 39.0 per 1,000
Child maltreatment victims2 7,990 8,660 8,729 10,200 11.4 per 1,000 12.2 per 1,000 12.1 per 1,000 14.0 per 1,000
Child fatalities 12 7 12 11 1.7 per 100,000 1.0 per 100,000 1.7 per 100,000 1.5 per 100,000
Age of Child Victims (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Under 1 year 3.7 4.1 7.9 7.2
1-5 years 29.2 30.8 31.7 30.0
6-10 years 31.4 30.0 29.7 28.8
11-15 years 26.7 25.5 24.5 27.3
16+ years 8.9 9.6 6.0 6.7
Unknown — — 0.2 —
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 7,990 8,660 8,729 10,200
Race/Ethnicity of Child Victims (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Alaska Native/American Indian 3.0 2.0 1.2 1.7
Asian/Pacific Islander 1.8 1.2 1.0 1.4
Black 2.4 1.9 1.6 2.0
Hispanic 12.7 12.9 13.1 13.9
White 71.5 49.7 38.7 43.9
Two or more races — — — —
Other/Unknown 21.4 45.3 44.4 37.1
Total %3 112.7 112.9 100.0 100.0
Number 7,990 8,660 8,729 10,200
Maltreatment Type of Child Victims (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Emotional 40.3 41.4 40.8 31.7
Medical neglect 1.4 1.2 1.0 0.8
Neglect 33.0 28.8 29.3 25.9
Physical abuse 18.8 16.6 15.8 14.3
Sexual abuse 23.2 21.8 19.6 22.7
Other 11.6 10.1 9.5 7.2
Unknown — 0.0 0.0 14.6
Total %4 128.3 119.9 116.0 117.2
Number 7,990 8,660 8,729 10,200

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) 2,228 2,196 1,956 2,468 4,424
FY1999 (10/1/98-9/30/99) 2,222 2,383 2,332 2,273 4,605
FY2000 (10/1/99-9/30/00) 1,921 2,148 2,264 1,805 4,069
FY2001 (10/1/00-9/30/01) 1,960 2,006 2,009 1,957 3,966
Median Length of Stay (Months)          
FY1998 (10/1/97-9/30/98) 11.7 N/A 5.5 12.5 N/A
FY1999 (10/1/98-9/30/99) 12.7 N/A 5.5 11.2 N/A
FY2000 (10/1/99-9/30/00) 12.0 N/A 5.8 10.4 N/A
FY2001 (10/1/00-9/30/01) 12.6 N/A 6.8 10.9 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 2.9 3.6 4.4 4.7 10.3 12.8 12.8 11.6 6.4 7.9 8.1 7.5 3.7 4.8 5.1 4.3
1-5 years 19.9 19.1 16.6 20.6 28.9 26.6 32.8 26.5 28.7 29.0 30.3 29.9 20.1 17.9 20.0 18.3
6-10 years 23.0 22.6 19.6 19.9 23.2 22.7 23.1 22.4 23.2 23.3 21.4 22.4 22.6 19.6 20.5 18.4
11-15 years 34.1 34.1 36.6 33.8 29.5 29.2 23.1 29.7 24.8 23.3 21.0 21.8 33.4 35.9 35.2 38.5
16-18 years 19.8 20.1 22.2 20.1 8.1 8.6 8.1 9.7 16.2 15.4 17.8 17.1 19.6 21.2 18.6 19.5
19+ years 0.3 0.5 0.5 0.9 0.0 — — — 0.6 0.9 1.3 1.2 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.9
Unknown 0.0 — — 0.1 — — 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.0 — — — —
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 2,228 2,222 1,921 1,960 2,196 2,383 2,148 2,006 1,956 2,332 2,264 2,009 2,468 2,273 1,805 1,957
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 6.2 4.2 5.2 5.2 4.3 5.1 2.8 3.1 6.2 3.1 2.4 3.8 4.5 6.3 5.9 4.5
Asian — — 0.5 1.1 — — 0.6 0.3 — — 0.5 0.6 — — 0.6 0.9
Asian/Pacific 0.6 0.7 — — 1.1 0.8 — — 1.0 0.8 — — 0.7 0.7 — —
Black 4.0 3.6 3.0 5.5 3.8 4.8 1.9 2.9 4.3 4.3 1.1 4.5 3.6 4.1 4.2 3.8
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander — — 0.2 0.7 — — 0.4 1.1 — — 0.2 0.9 — — 0.4 0.8
Hispanic 13.6 14.2 13.8 19.2 15.9 16.2 18.6 20.8 15.7 15.5 16.1 21.9 14.0 15.0 16.6 18.1
White 73.0 72.7 49.3 59.2 69.7 62.6 33.3 42.7 68.5 67.5 29.5 47.3 73.6 67.5 55.1 54.5
Two or more races — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Unknown 2.6 4.5 28.0 9.1 5.1 10.4 42.4 29.0 4.2 8.8 50.3 21.0 3.6 6.3 17.2 17.4
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
Number 2,228 2,222 1,921 1,960 2,196 2,383 2,148 2,006 1,956 2,332 2,264 2,009 2,468 2,273 1,805 1,957

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 658 325 371 336
Children whose parents' rights have been terminated (TPR) 647 245 310 254
Age of Waiting Children (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Under 1 year 6.8 4.3 9.4 6.0
1-5 years 35.0 27.4 29.4 29.8
6-10 years 36.3 32.0 32.1 32.1
11-15 years 18.5 30.5 25.9 28.3
16+ years 2.1 4.6 3.2 3.0
Unknown 1.2 1.2 — 0.9
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 658 325 371 336
Race/Ethnicity of Waiting Children (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Alaska Native/American Indian 1.2 1.5 4.9 1.2
Asian — — 0.8 1.2
Asian/Pacific Islander 0.8 1.5 — —
Black 4.3 4.9 4.3 5.4
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander — — — 0.3
Hispanic 17.5 19.4 22.6 24.7
White 72.8 67.1 57.7 60.7
Two or more races — — — —
Unknown 3.5 5.5 9.7 6.5
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 658 325 371 336

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 4.8 7.6 7.6 8.6
1-5 years 47.9 43.1 50.8 53.6
6-10 years 34.1 36.9 29.7 26.9
11-15 years 12.9 12.2 10.6 9.7
16+ years 0.3 0.3 1.3 1.1
Unknown — — — —
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 334 369 303 349
Race/Ethnicity of Adopted Children (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Alaska Native/American Indian 1.8 0.5 1.7 2.9
Asian — — 1.0 1.4
Asian/Pacific Islander 0.9 — — —
Black 4.2 2.4 3.3 5.7
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander — — 0.3 1.1
Hispanic 16.2 20.3 18.5 28.4
White 62.6 33.9 54.5 51.9
Two or more races — — — —
Unknown 14.4 42.8 20.8 8.6
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 334 369 303 349

Back to Top

Utah [ 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 91.6 92.9 92.9
Children with one or more recurrences 8.3 8.4 7.1 7.1
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 3,967 4,062 4,241 4,965

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 1.10 0.52 0.54 0.55
Children not maltreated while in foster care 98.90 99.48 99.46 99.45
Total % 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00
Number 3,885 4,069 3,535 3,440

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 14.3 15.7 13.4 17.4
Guardianship 22.2 27.7 9.5 1.3
Reunification 54.1 47.6 63.7 70.3
Other 8.8 8.6 11.3 10.8
Missing data 0.7 0.4 2.1 0.2
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 1,956 2,332 2,264 2,009

Pie Charts describing data from Table 3.1 above.

3.2 Exits of Disabled Children (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Adoption 14.4 21.1 23.2 26.0
Guardianship 16.4 18.9 8.3 1.2
Reunification 52.5 44.5 53.2 59.4
Other 16.7 15.5 14.0 12.8
Missing data — — 1.3 0.6
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 299 375 457 335
3.3 Exits of Children Over Age 12 at Entry (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Adoption 0.2 0.3 0.8 0.6
Guardianship 13.8 15.3 6.5 1.5
Reunification 59.8 57.1 57.4 65.5
Other 25.7 26.6 33.7 32.1
Missing data 0.5 0.7 1.6 0.4
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 552 608 618 545
3.4 Exits to Emancipation (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Children age 12 or younger at entry 12.8 14.0 10.5 13.5
Children older than 12 at entry 87.2 86.0 89.5 86.5
Missing data — — — —
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 109 121 172 163
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 4.1 4.1 9.3 13.2 — — 25.0 41.7 15.0 — — — 16.7 12.0 25.0 22.0 — — 25.0 21.1
Guardianship 25.6 38.4 7.4 1.3 — — — — 10.0 27.8 — — 27.4 31.0 — 1.1 — — 50.0 —
Reunification 62.8 49.3 66.7 63.2 — — 41.7 33.3 65.0 66.7 — — 46.4 51.0 58.3 61.5 — — 25.0 63.2
Other 6.6 6.8 16.7 22.4 — — 33.3 25.0 10.0 5.6 — — 9.5 5.0 16.7 15.4 — — — 15.8
Missing data 0.8 1.4 — — — — — — — — — — — 1.0 — — — — — —
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 — — 100.0 100.0
Number 121 73 54 76 — — 12 12 20 18 — — 84 100 24 91 — — 4 19
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 14.6 20.5 15.1 22.5 15.4 16.3 21.0 19.1 7.2 9.7 8.3 7.1 — — — — — — — —
Guardianship 18.2 29.1 7.4 — 23.0 26.0 3.3 1.6 16.9 9.7 8.3 7.1 — — — — — — — —
Reunification 61.7 46.3 68.2 72.0 50.8 46.8 52.8 64.6 71.1 51.5 69.0 85.7 — — — — — — — —
Other 5.5 3.9 7.9 5.0 10.0 10.4 22.0 14.6 3.6 5.3 5.4 4.3 — — — — — — — —
Missing data — 0.3 1.4 0.5 0.8 0.4 0.9 0.1 1.2 0.5 3.2 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 — — — — — — — —
Number 308 361 365 440 1,340 1,574 667 950 83 206 1,138 421 — — — — — — — —

Back to Top

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. 76.6 73.9 82.9 81.7
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos. 15.6 16.9 11.6 12.4
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos. 3.4 4.7 2.4 2.7
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos. 1.0 1.2 1.8 1.4
48 or more mos. 1.2 1.5 0.8 1.3
Missing data 2.2 1.9 0.5 0.4
Total (%) 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 1,058 1,109 1,442 1,412

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 69.6 75.9 73.9 75.1
Children re-entering care within 12 mos. of a prior episode 17.3 14.3 13.0 15.2
Children re-entering care more than 12 mos. after a prior episode 8.6 7.8 6.7 8.1
Missing data 4.5 2.1 6.4 1.5
Total (%) 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 2,196 2,383 2,148 2,006

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. 12.9 15.6 27.3 25.5
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos. 36.2 42.3 39.1 45.3
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos. 33.0 25.4 23.7 20.1
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos. 12.2 9.3 5.9 5.7
48 or more mos. 5.7 7.4 3.9 3.4
Missing data — — — —
Total (%) 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 279 366 304 349

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		 43.7
58.9
74.0
80.1		 56.3
41.1
26.0
19.9		 —
—
—
—		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 2,449
2,674
2,575
2,345
At least 12 mos., but <24 mos. 1998
1999
2000
2001		 22.5
24.7
31.3
42.2		 77.5
75.3
68.7
57.8		 —
—
—
—		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 1,003
904
684
772
At least 24 mos., but <36 mos. 1998
1999
2000
2001		 24.4
28.9
16.5
16.6		 75.6
71.1
83.5
83.4		 —
—
—
—		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 446
494
327
343
At least 36 mos., but <48 mos. 1998
1999
2000
2001		 33.6
28.6
14.6
15.1		 66.4
71.4
85.4
84.9		 —
—
—
—		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 229
199
219
179
48 or more mos. 1998
1999
2000
2001		 31.6
33.2
16.0
15.0		 68.4
66.8
84.0
85.1		 —
—
—
—		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 247
280
256
321
Missing data 1998
1999
2000
2001		 82.0
90.7
100.0
83.3		 18.0
9.3
—
16.7		 —
—
—
—		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 50
54
8
6

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)