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 > 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)

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 19.6 25.0 1.2 1.1
Institutions 0.3 0.4 1.9 3.7
Other settings 80.0 74.4 97.0 95.1
Missing data 0.1 0.1 — —
Total (%) 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 1,318 1,600 1,295 1,307

Back to Top

Utah [ State Comment ]

Richard Anderson, LCSW, Director
Division of Child and Family Services
Utah Department of Human Services
801-538-4100

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

With regard to foster care exits, Utah has a closure reason of discharge to relative/guardian. Prior to 2000, this category was mapped to guardianship. Upon determining most of these cases were relatives, Utah corrected the mapping. Consequently 1998-1999 guardianship closures are inflated. This correction is reflected in 2000.

Regarding placement changes, placement changes data are inflated. Utah had counted every coding change, which included actual movement and changes in service levels for the same provider. The programming for this fixed in mid-2000 to show actual movement of children to different providers. In 2002, the Children's Bureau issued clarifications on types of placements to count and exclude. Utah's programming was again altered to exclude the temporary placements outlined in the federal clarification. With these programming changes Utah's trend shows an increase in performance that is more a reflection of data measurement changes.

Regarding placement settings, it was determined that some placement settings were incorrectly mapped to group homes. This error was remedied in 2000.

Regarding ethnicity of victims, children in care and adopted, errors were found with edits in the system and a glitch, which caused ethnicity to be set to unknown. These errors have been fixed and will begin to show in the 2001-2002 data.

Regarding maltreatment type, in October 1997 Utah started tracking domestic violence related abuse as an allegation subcategory of emotional abuse. In 1998, it became one of the most substantiated allegations investigated, resulting in an increase in the percentage of emotional abuse.

Regarding time to adoption, in the mid 1990's Utah worked with the court system to improve time to adoption. We are proud of our timeliness in this area.

Regarding re-entry to care, Utah is currently researching our re-entry rate to determine contributing factors and area's needing improvement.

Back to Top

Utah [ Federal Comment ]

The following discussion focuses on Utah's performance with regard to each of the outcomes assessed in the Child Welfare Outcomes Annual Reports to Congress. The Utah 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 Utah's performance on the Report to Congress Outcomes is provided below.

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
In calendar year (CY) 2001, the rate of maltreatment recurrence in less than 6 months was 7.1 percent, which does not meet the national standard of 6.1 percent or less, but was lower than the national median of 8.0 percent. Performance on this measure improved from 1999 to 2001 (-15.5 percent change). Information in the CFSR Final Report indicates that, according to the State's self-assessment, the maltreatment recurrence rate may be inflated because when a child or someone else reports a previous maltreatment incident during an investigation of a current incident, that maltreatment is entered using the date of the disclosure rather than the date of the maltreatment.

Outcome 2. Reduce incidence of maltreatment in foster care
In CY 2001, the incidence of maltreatment in foster care was 0.55 which meets the national standard of 0.57 percent or less, but is higher than the national median of 0.47 percent. Utah's performance on this measure declined slightly from 1999 to 2001 (+7.0 percent change). Information from the CFSR Final Report suggests that performance on this measure may be attributed at least in part to the high quality and comprehensiveness of foster parent training.

Outcome 3. Increase permanency for children in foster care
In FY 2001, 89.0 percent of children leaving foster care were discharged to permanent homes (which is higher than the national median of 85.3 percent), and 86.6 percent of children with a diagnosed disability who exited foster care were discharged to permanent homes (which is higher than the national median of 78.4 percent). However, only 67.6 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 lower than the national median of 72.3 percent). Performance related to permanency for children who entered foster care after age 12 declined from FY 1999 to FY 2001 (-7.1 percent change).

In FY 2001, 13.5 percent of children who were emancipated from foster care in FY 2001 were age 12 or younger when they entered foster care, which is lower than the national median of 28.0 percent. Performance on this measure did not change substantively from FY 1999 to FY 2001. Overall, these data suggest that the State is effective in achieving permanency for most children in foster care (with the exception of children who enter care after age 12) and is 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 81.7, which exceeds both the national standard of 76.2 percent or more and the national median of 69.2 percent. Performance on this measure improved from FY 1999 to FY 2001 (+10.7 percent change). Information from the CFSR Final Report indicates that performance on this measure may be attributed to concerted efforts on the part of the agency to (1) support the parent-child relationships of children in foster care, and (2) ensure frequent visitation between children in foster care and their parents.

Utah'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 15.2. This performance 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 (+6.6 percent change). Information from the CFSR Final Report identifies the following practices as possibly contributing to the State's performance on this measure: (1) premature reunifications in some cases, and (2) lack of post-reunification services.

Outcome 5. Reduce time in foster care to adoption
In FY 2001, the percent of all adoptions finalized within 24 months of a child's entry into foster care was 70.8, which exceeds the national standard of 32.0 percent or more and is the highest rate reported nationally. Performance on this measure improved from FY 1999 to FY 2001 (+22.2 percent change). The State's comment letter attributes this high level of performance to collaborative efforts with the court system in the mid-1990s to improve time to adoption. Information in the CFSR Final Report identifies the following as contributing to timely adoptions: (1) placement of children in foster homes that are already licensed as adoptive placements; (2) timely filing for termination of parental rights, (3) adherence to the provisions of the Adoption and Safe Families Act; and (4) the large array of services and resources available to support adoption.

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 80.1, which does not meet the national standard of 86.7 percent or more and is lower than the national median of 83.3 percent. However, performance on this measure improved substantially from FY 1999 to FY 2001 (+36.1 percent change). The State's comment page notes that these changes reflect improvements in the way data are entered for this measure rather than changes in practice. Information from the CFSR final report notes that almost all children coming into foster care are initially placed into shelter placements for comprehensive assessments. Although this practice adds a "placement setting" to each foster care episode, the State believes that the practice has resulted in improvements in placement stability.

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 4.8, which is considerably lower than the national median of 8.7 percent. Performance on this measure improved substantially from FY 1999 to FY 2001 (-80.8 percent change), with most of the change occurring between FY 1999 and FY 2000. The State's comment letter indicates that this change is due primarily to resolution of data errors.

Back to Top

Return to Chapter IV State Data Pages

Return to Table of Contents