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

 

Virginia

Context Data | Outcomes Data | State Comment | Federal Comment

Virginia [ Context Data ]

A. Key Context Statistics

General Population 1998 1999 2000 2001
Total children under 18 years 1,644,678 1,664,810 1,738,262 1,761,515
Race/ethnicity (%)1
   Alaska Native/American Indian 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.3
   Asian N/A N/A N/A 3.7
   Asian/Pacific Islander 4.0 4.1 3.5 N/A
   Black 23.0 23.1 23.1 23.2
   Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander N/A N/A N/A 0.1
   Hispanic 4.9 5.1 5.9 6.2
   White 67.9 67.5 64.0 64.1
   Two or more races N/A N/A 2.9 2.6
   Other N/A N/A 0.4 N/A
% Child population in poverty 18.8 10.9 7.8 8.4
% Child population living in metropolitan areas 77.8 81.8 80.4 83.7
Child Welfare 1998 1999 2000 2001
Child maltreatment victims 9,766 8,199 7,416 9,873
Children in foster care on 9/30 7,213 6,778 6,789 6,866
Children adopted 235 326 448 495

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 49,026 53,837 40,799 37,988 29.8 per 1,000 32.3 per 1,000 23.5 per 1,000 21.6 per 1,000
Child maltreatment victims2 9,766 8,199 7,416 9,873 5.9 per 1,000 4.9 per 1,000 4.3 per 1,000 5.6 per 1,000
Child fatalities 29 36 31 36 1.8 per 100,000 2.2 per 100,000 1.8 per 100,000 2.0 per 100,000
Age of Child Victims (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Under 1 year 7.1 3.9 9.4 10.4
1-5 years 30.3 30.4 30.6 29.6
6-10 years 32.8 31.8 31.1 30.3
11-15 years 23.9 24.7 23.2 23.7
16+ years 5.9 8.4 5.6 5.8
Unknown — 0.9 0.2 0.3
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 9,766 8,199 7,416 9,873
Race/Ethnicity of Child Victims (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Alaska Native/American Indian 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.1
Asian/Pacific Islander 0.8 1.1 1.4 1.0
Black 39.4 39.3 36.6 37.3
Hispanic 4.6 3.1 6.4 6.3
White 51.3 51.6 49.6 48.7
Two or more races — — 3.2 3.4
Other/Unknown 8.3 7.9 2.8 3.3
Total %3 104.6 103.1 100.0 100.0
Number 9,766 8,199 7,416 9,873
Maltreatment Type of Child Victims (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Emotional 4.1 3.4 1.8 1.6
Medical neglect 2.6 1.0 2.4 2.4
Neglect 65.4 64.7 58.6 58.8
Physical abuse 28.1 31.1 28.5 28.0
Sexual abuse 16.2 14.4 11.0 12.2
Other 1.0 — — —
Unknown — 0.1 — —
Total %4 117.4 114.6 102.4 102.9
Number 9,766 8,199 7,416 9,873

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) 5,916 2,639 1,354 7,213 8,555
FY1999 (10/1/98-9/30/99) 5,804 2,683 1,715 6,778 8,487
FY2000 (10/1/99-9/30/00) 5,871 2,738 1,826 6,789 8,609
FY2001 (10/1/00-9/30/01) 6,055 2,904 2,096 6,866 8,959
Median Length of Stay (Months)          
FY1998 (10/1/97-9/30/98) 26.2 N/A 11.9 25.5 N/A
FY1999 (10/1/98-9/30/99) 23.7 N/A 14.2 22.3 N/A
FY2000 (10/1/99-9/30/00) 22.9 N/A 17.5 21.8 N/A
FY2001 (10/1/00-9/30/01) 22.2 N/A 16.2 20.5 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 2.1 2.3 2.5 2.5 10.5 11.2 11.3 10.7 3.6 4.0 4.1 3.0 2.2 2.4 2.6 2.7
1-5 years 20.4 19.2 17.9 17.7 22.4 21.9 22.2 23.2 24.9 19.8 21.1 23.1 19.1 19.0 18.4 18.2
6-10 years 23.0 22.8 23.1 22.3 21.2 20.8 21.5 19.6 20.8 17.8 19.2 19.1 22.4 23.1 22.2 20.4
11-15 years 32.9 35.4 35.6 36.5 33.7 34.2 33.9 33.4 24.7 18.9 17.5 18.9 31.2 34.5 35.3 36.1
16-18 years 19.7 20.3 20.9 21.0 12.1 11.9 11.0 13.1 23.0 38.8 36.3 33.9 21.8 20.9 21.5 22.6
19+ years 1.8 — — 0.0 0.0 — — — 2.7 0.7 1.8 1.9 3.1 — — —
Unknown 0.1 0.0 — — 0.2 0.0 — 0.1 0.4 — — — 0.3 — — —
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 5,916 5,804 5,871 6,055 2,639 2,683 2,738 2,904 1,354 1,715 1,826 2,096 7,213 6,778 6,789 6,866
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 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.3 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1
Asian — — 0.6 0.4 — — 0.5 0.2 — — 1.0 0.4 — — 0.4 0.3
Asian/Pacific 0.8 0.8 — — 0.8 0.6 — — 0.8 1.0 — — 0.8 0.7 — —
Black 54.0 53.4 53.9 51.8 44.3 46.1 39.9 40.9 41.1 46.2 45.6 44.2 52.9 52.3 50.5 49.5
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander — — 0.0 0.0 — — 0.0 — — — 0.1 0.1 — — 0.0 —
Hispanic 3.6 3.1 3.6 3.8 3.8 5.3 4.4 4.8 4.2 4.3 3.4 5.0 3.6 3.7 3.9 3.9
White 40.7 41.1 40.3 41.5 49.5 46.0 50.3 48.2 53.2 47.3 46.9 46.6 41.6 41.7 42.5 42.8
Two or more races 0.4 0.7 1.0 1.9 0.4 1.0 4.1 4.5 0.1 0.1 2.2 3.1 0.4 1.0 1.9 2.7
Unknown 0.4 0.6 0.5 0.4 1.1 0.9 0.7 1.0 0.5 1.0 0.7 0.5 0.6 0.6 0.5 0.6
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 5,916 5,804 5,871 6,055 2,639 2,683 2,738 2,904 1,354 1,715 1,826 2,096 7,213 6,778 6,789 6,866

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 2,167 2,178 2,132 1,947
Children whose parents' rights have been terminated (TPR) 904 749 640 484
Age of Waiting Children (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Under 1 year 4.0 4.3 4.9 4.1
1-5 years 39.7 38.4 36.0 34.4
6-10 years 40.0 40.5 40.1 37.6
11-15 years 15.2 15.8 18.3 22.9
16+ years 0.8 1.0 0.8 1.0
Unknown 0.3 — 0.1 —
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 2,167 2,178 2,132 1,947
Race/Ethnicity of Waiting Children (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Alaska Native/American Indian 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1
Asian — — 0.3 0.3
Asian/Pacific Islander 0.6 0.6 — —
Black 54.4 54.2 53.0 54.2
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander — — 0.0 —
Hispanic 4.1 4.2 4.2 4.4
White 39.5 38.9 39.4 37.4
Two or more races 0.6 1.1 2.2 3.1
Unknown 0.7 0.9 0.7 0.6
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 2,167 2,178 2,132 1,947

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 0.4 1.5 0.2 0.4
1-5 years 34.9 45.7 36.2 39.8
6-10 years 47.7 37.4 42.0 40.0
11-15 years 15.7 15.3 18.8 17.2
16+ years 1.3 — 2.9 2.6
Unknown — — — —
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 235 326 448 495
Race/Ethnicity of Adopted Children (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Alaska Native/American Indian — — — —
Asian — — 0.4 0.6
Asian/Pacific Islander 0.4 1.8 — —
Black 43.8 45.1 45.8 41.0
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander — — — —
Hispanic 4.7 5.8 4.7 4.8
White 49.4 45.4 44.4 45.5
Two or more races — 1.5 4.0 7.9
Unknown 1.7 0.3 0.7 0.2
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 235 326 448 495

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Virginia [ 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 — — — 98.2
Children with one or more recurrences — — — 1.8
Total % — — — 100.0
Number — — — 4,242

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 9.7 12.1 19.6 20.0
Guardianship 0.4 — — —
Reunification 72.7 53.4 47.3 48.8
Other 17.1 34.5 33.1 31.2
Missing data — — — —
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 1,354 1,715 1,826 2,096

Pie Charts describing data from Table 3.1 above.

3.2 Exits of Disabled Children (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Adoption 16.5 13.1 19.0 20.5
Guardianship 0.4 — — —
Reunification 60.9 42.0 38.9 32.5
Other 22.2 44.9 42.2 47.0
Missing data — — — —
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 243 336 453 453
3.3 Exits of Children Over Age 12 at Entry (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Adoption 0.2 0.1 0.3 0.8
Guardianship 0.2 — — —
Reunification 61.8 36.9 35.3 36.7
Other 37.8 62.9 64.4 62.5
Missing data — — — —
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 434 674 660 774
3.4 Exits to Emancipation (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Children age 12 or younger at entry 36.6 26.3 29.9 24.3
Children older than 12 at entry 63.4 73.3 69.9 75.7
Missing data — — — —
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 134 520 542 556
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 — — — — — — 15.8 25.0 — — — — 10.4 11.0 18.6 19.1 — — — 50.0
Guardianship — — — — — — — — — — — — 0.5 — — — — — — —
Reunification 100.0 50.0 — 33.3 — — 26.3 25.0 63.6 47.1 — — 68.6 52.1 43.1 46.9 — — 100.0 —
Other — 50.0 100.0 66.7 — — 57.9 50.0 36.4 52.9 — — 20.5 36.9 38.3 34.0 — — — 50.0
Missing data — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
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 1 2 1 3 — — 19 8 11 17 — — 557 792 833 926 — — 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 — 11.0 24.2 21.9 10.3 13.4 20.6 21.3 — 11.1 38.5 — — 100.0 7.3 13.8 — — — —
Guardianship — — — — 0.3 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Reunification 86.0 67.1 48.4 53.3 74.9 53.4 50.1 48.4 85.7 66.7 53.8 100.0 100.0 — 80.5 70.8 — — — —
Other 14.0 21.9 27.4 24.8 14.6 33.2 29.3 30.3 14.3 22.2 7.7 — — — 12.2 15.4 — — — —
Missing data — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
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 57 73 62 105 720 811 856 976 7 18 13 11 1 2 41 65 — — — —

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. 62.4 71.2 72.2 73.6
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos. 20.2 17.1 18.1 15.8
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos. 8.6 6.3 5.3 6.2
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos. 4.6 1.2 1.9 2.4
48 or more mos. 2.7 2.7 1.9 1.7
Missing data 1.4 1.4 0.7 0.4
Total (%) 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 985 916 864 1,022

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 97.9 94.6 92.1 93.0
Children re-entering care within 12 mos. of a prior episode 0.5 3.3 3.9 3.5
Children re-entering care more than 12 mos. after a prior episode — 0.7 1.5 1.7
Missing data 1.6 1.4 2.6 1.8
Total (%) 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 2,639 2,683 2,738 2,904

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. 4.5 1.4 3.1 1.0
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos. 13.6 11.1 17.4 16.9
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos. 19.7 23.1 26.1 29.3
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos. 19.7 25.5 18.8 18.6
48 or more mos. 42.4 38.9 34.2 34.3
Missing data — — 0.6 —
Total (%) 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 132 208 357 420

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		 93.1
88.6
85.8
84.8		 6.9
10.6
13.0
14.5		 —
0.8
1.2
0.8		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 2,851
2,893
2,947
3,205
At least 12 mos., but <24 mos. 1998
1999
2000
2001		 90.9
76.3
70.4
67.0		 9.1
22.9
29.2
32.4		 —
0.8
0.4
0.6		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 1,529
1,733
1,717
1,800
At least 24 mos., but <36 mos. 1998
1999
2000
2001		 92.2
79.0
62.3
54.9		 7.8
20.4
37.3
44.9		 —
0.6
0.4
0.2		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 1,089
1,049
1,177
1,204
At least 36 mos., but <48 mos. 1998
1999
2000
2001		 94.5
79.7
65.6
51.0		 5.5
19.5
34.1
48.7		 —
0.8
0.3
0.4		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 880
728
756
781
48 or more mos. 1998
1999
2000
2001		 95.9
88.1
75.7
65.8		 4.1
11.4
23.9
34.0		 —
0.5
0.4
0.3		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 2,192
2,065
2,007
1,965
Missing data 1998
1999
2000
2001		 100.0
84.2
60.0
50.0		 —
—
—
—		 —
15.8
40.0
50.0		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 14
19
5
4

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 6.6 0.7 0.6 0.6
Institutions 0.2 5.9 5.4 5.8
Other settings 93.0 92.7 93.1 93.4
Missing data 0.2 0.6 0.8 0.2
Total (%) 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 1,632 1,653 1,712 1,768

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Virginia [ State Comment ]

Cathleen Newbanks, Director
Division of Family Services
Virginia Department of Social Services
804-692-2227

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

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Virginia [ Federal Comment ]

The following discussion focuses on Virginia's performance with regard to each of the outcomes assessed in the Child Welfare Outcomes Annual Reports to Congress. The Virginia 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 Virginia'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 1.8 percent, which meets the national standard of 6.1 percent or less, and was the lowest rate reported nationally. However, this differs from the data reported in the State's Comment.

Information from the CFSR Final Report suggests that the reported rate of maltreatment recurrence within 6 months may be misleading because the agency supports local policies that do not require formal investigations of maltreatment reports on open cases. However, CFSR Final Report information also suggests that the State's performance on this measure may be attributed in part to the following: (1) a large array of services available to protect children who remain in their homes, and (2) the use of risk assessments on a consistent ongoing basis.

Outcome 2. Reduce incidence of maltreatment in foster care
Virginia'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 Virginia's CFSR Final Report in the State's Comment.

Outcome 3. Increase permanency for children in foster care
In FY 2001, 68.8 percent of children leaving foster care were discharged to permanent homes (which is less than the national median of 85.3 percent); 53.0 percent of children with a diagnosed disability who exited foster care were discharged to permanent homes (which is the lowest rate reported nationally); and only 37.5 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 considerably lower than the national median of 72.3 percent). Performance related to the percent of children leaving foster care who were discharged to permanent homes improved slightly from FY 1999 to FY 2001 (+5.0 percent change).

Also in FY 2001, 24.3 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 lower than the national median of 28.0 percent. Performance on this measure improved from FY 1999 to FY 2001 (-7.8 percent change). Overall, these data suggest that the State is not consistently effective in achieving permanency for children in foster care; however, the State is generally effective in ensuring that children who enter foster care at young ages do not "grow up" in foster care.

Information from the CFSR Final Report identifies the following key concerns related to achieving permanency: (1) inconsistent implementation of periodic reviews and procedures seeking termination of parental rights (TPR), and (2) lack of consistency with regard to fully exploring adoption with children and foster parents or providing adoption counseling.

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 73.6, which does not meet the national standard of 76.2 percent or more, but is greater than the national median of 69.2 percent. Performance on this measure did not change substantively from FY 1999 to FY 2001. Information from the CFSR Final Report identifies the following potential barriers to timely reunification: (1) children and families are not consistently involved in case planning across the State; (2) the State is not consistent in supporting visitation between parents and children in foster care; and (3) there is inadequate service delivery to children and parents, related to both the inconsistent quality of needs assessments and the availability of culturally appropriate services.

Virginia'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 3.5. This performance meets the national standard of 8.6 percent or less and is considerably lower than the national median of 10.4 percent. However, performance on this measure declined from FY 1999 to FY 2001 (+8.1 percent change). Information from the CFSR Final Report identifies continued monitoring of families after reunification as a key factor contributing to the prevention of reentry into foster care.

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 17.9, which does not meet the national standard of 32.0 percent or more and is lower than the national median of 21.0 percent. Performance on this measure improved from FY 1999 to FY 2001 (+42.0 percent change). Information in the CFSR Final Report identifies the following as potential barriers to timely adoptions: (1) court-related delays including overcrowded dockets, continuances, and lengthy appeals; (2) agency delays in completing paperwork and filing for TPR; and (3) a lack of adoptive homes for older children and children with special needs.

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 84.8, which does not meet the national standard of 86.7 percent or more, but is greater than the national median of 83.3 percent. Performance on this measure did not change substantively from FY 1999 to FY 2001. Information in the CFSR Final Report identifies several potential barriers to placement stability: (1) inadequate standards for foster family homes and child care institutions; (2) lack of consistent agency support to maintain placements; and (3) inconsistent assessments of children's needs.

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 6.4, which is lower than the national median of 8.7 percent. Performance on this measure did not change substantively from FY 1999 to FY 2001.

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