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

Vermont

Context Data | Outcomes Data | State Comment | Federal Comment

Vermont [ Context Data ]

A. Key Context Statistics

General Population 1998 1999 2000 2001
Total children under 18 years 141,347 139,346 147,523 141,415
Race/ethnicity (%)1
   Alaska Native/American Indian 0.2 0.2 0.4 0.4
   Asian N/A N/A N/A 1.1
   Asian/Pacific Islander 1.0 1.0 1.0 N/A
   Black 0.5 0.5 0.7 0.8
   Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander N/A N/A N/A 0.0
   Hispanic 0.9 0.9 1.2 1.2
   White 97.3 97.3 94.7 94.6
   Two or more races N/A N/A 1.8 1.8
   Other N/A N/A 0.2 N/A
% Child population in poverty 13.6 12.5 18.1 12.2
% Child population living in metropolitan areas 26.8 28.5 27.5 39.9
Child Welfare 1998 1999 2000 2001
Child maltreatment victims 887 1,080 1,347 1,139
Children in foster care on 9/30 1,316 1,445 1,318 1,360
Children adopted 118 139 122 116

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 1,973 2,470 3,609 3,558 14.0 per 1,000 17.7 per 1,000 24.5 per 1,000 24.0 per 1,000
Child maltreatment victims2 887 1,080 1,347 1,139 6.3 per 1,000 7.8 per 1,000 9.1 per 1,000 7.7 per 1,000
Child fatalities 0 4 1 0 — per 100,000 2.9 per 100,000 0.7 per 100,000 — per 100,000
Age of Child Victims (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Under 1 year 3.8 4.2 5.0 6.9
1-5 years 21.6 25.1 22.4 25.8
6-10 years 34.0 31.6 29.9 30.0
11-15 years 30.7 29.0 34.7 29.7
16+ years 8.2 10.1 7.9 7.6
Unknown 1.6 0.1 — 0.1
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 887 1,080 1,347 1,139
Race/Ethnicity of Child Victims (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Alaska Native/American Indian — 0.1 0.2 0.1
Asian/Pacific Islander 1.0 0.6 1.4 0.8
Black 0.7 0.6 1.6 0.7
Hispanic 0.1 0.6 0.4 —
White 98.1 97.9 95.8 97.5
Two or more races — — — —
Other/Unknown 0.2 0.8 0.6 0.9
Total %3 100.1 100.6 100.0 100.0
Number 887 1,080 1,347 1,139
Maltreatment Type of Child Victims (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Emotional 1.1 0.9 0.9 1.1
Medical neglect 2.7 1.9 2.2 2.3
Neglect 36.8 43.7 38.2 41.9
Physical abuse 26.5 22.0 22.1 20.5
Sexual abuse 41.8 40.4 40.8 37.8
Other — — — —
Unknown — — — —
Total %4 108.9 108.9 104.2 103.6
Number 887 1,080 1,347 1,139

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) 1,188 783 655 1,316 1,971
FY1999 (10/1/98-9/30/99) 1,417 750 722 1,445 2,167
FY2000 (10/1/99-9/30/00) 1,211 788 684 1,318 1,999
FY2001 (10/1/00-9/30/01) 1,227 697 581 1,360 1,924
Median Length of Stay (Months)          
FY1998 (10/1/97-9/30/98) 20.9 N/A 13.7 17.5 N/A
FY1999 (10/1/98-9/30/99) 20.5 N/A 16.0 19.9 N/A
FY2000 (10/1/99-9/30/00) 20.1 N/A 15.1 15.9 N/A
FY2001 (10/1/00-9/30/01) 19.2 N/A 13.4 18.9 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 1.9 2.1 2.1 1.4 5.5 7.2 7.2 8.3 1.1 2.1 2.5 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.3 2.6
1-5 years 12.8 13.1 11.1 14.0 14.3 14.5 15.9 15.8 15.3 16.2 14.5 16.2 12.4 12.4 12.4 13.1
6-10 years 14.6 16.6 14.1 15.5 15.6 16.3 14.6 15.5 11.9 14.8 14.2 14.1 15.6 15.4 13.7 15.8
11-15 years 40.9 39.6 41.5 40.9 50.2 49.9 48.4 44.5 30.4 27.3 27.9 31.0 39.4 42.2 40.2 37.5
16-18 years 29.2 28.5 31.1 28.1 14.4 12.1 14.0 15.9 38.3 37.5 39.8 35.1 30.2 27.6 31.0 30.4
19+ years 0.7 0.1 0.1 — — — — — 3.1 2.1 1.2 1.4 0.2 0.1 0.3 0.6
Unknown — — — 0.1 — — — — — — — 0.2 — — 0.1 —
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 1,188 1,417 1,211 1,227 783 750 788 697 655 722 684 581 1,316 1,445 1,318 1,360
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 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.3 — 0.1 0.3 — 0.2 — 0.1 — 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.3
Asian — — 0.3 0.3 — — 0.5 0.7 — — 0.9 0.7 — — 0.2 0.4
Asian/Pacific 0.3 0.1 — — 0.6 0.8 — — 1.1 0.4 — — 0.2 0.3 — —
Black 1.9 2.2 1.8 1.3 1.3 1.3 2.4 3.6 0.9 2.4 2.5 2.9 2.0 1.7 1.8 1.8
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander — — — 0.1 — — — — — — — — — — — 0.1
Hispanic 0.8 0.6 0.7 0.6 0.1 0.4 0.4 — 0.5 0.4 0.6 — 0.5 0.6 0.5 0.5
White 96.1 96.3 96.5 97.0 96.9 97.1 95.4 95.4 96.8 96.0 95.5 95.9 96.3 96.8 96.4 96.7
Two or more races — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Unknown 0.6 0.6 0.3 0.4 1.0 0.3 1.0 0.3 0.6 0.8 0.4 0.5 0.8 0.3 0.7 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 1,188 1,417 1,211 1,227 783 750 788 697 655 722 684 581 1,316 1,455 1,318 1,360

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 215 403 252 298
Children whose parents' rights have been terminated (TPR) 159 351 184 238
Age of Waiting Children (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Under 1 year 3.3 3.7 1.6 1.3
1-5 years 27.9 28.3 22.6 22.2
6-10 years 26.0 29.3 25.8 28.2
11-15 years 33.5 32.0 37.7 40.3
16+ years 8.4 6.2 9.5 7.1
Unknown 0.9 0.5 2.8 1.0
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 215 403 252 298
Race/Ethnicity of Waiting Children (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Alaska Native/American Indian — 0.2 0.4 0.3
Asian — — — —
Asian/Pacific Islander — — — —
Black 1.9 2.0 1.6 1.7
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander — — — —
Hispanic 0.9 1.2 0.8 0.7
White 96.3 95.8 96.0 96.3
Two or more races — — — —
Unknown 0.9 0.7 1.2 1.0
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 215 403 252 298

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 1.7 0.7 1.6 2.6
1-5 years 49.2 43.2 48.4 40.5
6-10 years 38.1 38.8 31.1 33.6
11-15 years 10.2 15.8 18.0 21.6
16+ years 0.9 1.4 0.8 1.7
Unknown — — — —
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 118 139 122 116
Race/Ethnicity of Adopted Children (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Alaska Native/American Indian — — — —
Asian — — 1.6 —
Asian/Pacific Islander — — — —
Black 1.7 4.3 4.9 —
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander — — — —
Hispanic — — 2.5 —
White 98.3 95.7 90.2 94.8
Two or more races — — 0.8 3.4
Unknown — — — 1.7
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 118 139 122 116

Back to Top

Vermont [ 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 93.9 93.4 92.1 93.1
Children with one or more recurrences 6.1 6.6 7.9 6.9
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 495 547 658 563

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 — 0.15 0.59 0.34
Children not maltreated while in foster care 100.00 99.85 99.41 99.66
Total % 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00
Number 1,808 1,998 1,864 1,783

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 14.4 17.2 14.3 14.6
Guardianship 0.8 0.8 2.3 —
Reunification 57.3 60.4 62.7 71.4
Other 15.3 12.3 10.5 10.8
Missing data 12.4 9.3 10.1 3.1
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 655 722 684 581

Pie Charts describing data from Table 3.1 above.

3.2 Exits of Disabled Children (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Adoption 11.1 5.9 18.8 17.6
Guardianship — — 6.3 —
Reunification 16.7 35.3 43.8 52.9
Other 50.0 41.2 18.8 17.6
Missing data 22.2 17.6 12.5 11.8
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 18 17 16 17
3.3 Exits of Children Over Age 12 at Entry (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Adoption 0.3 — 0.3 —
Guardianship 0.3 0.5 2.9 —
Reunification 61.1 67.6 68.2 82.7
Other 22.4 17.9 15.5 12.7
Missing data 15.9 14.0 13.1 4.6
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 370 364 343 283
3.4 Exits to Emancipation (%) 1998 1999 2000 2001
Children age 12 or younger at entry 17.0 28.1 27.7 30.8
Children older than 12 at entry 83.0 71.9 72.3 61.5
Missing data — — — 7.7
Total % 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 53 57 65 52
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 — — — — — — — — 28.6 — — — 16.7 23.5 11.8 — — — — —
Guardianship — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 5.9 — — — — —
Reunification — — — — — — 83.3 100.0 71.4 100.0 — — 50.0 70.6 58.8 94.1 — — — —
Other — — — — — — 16.7 — — — — — 33.3 5.9 5.9 5.9 — — — —
Missing data 100.0 — 100.0 — — — — — — — — — — — 17.6 — — — — —
Total % 100.0 — 100.0 — — — 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 — — 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 — — — —
Number 1 — 1 — — — 6 4 7 3 — — 6 17 17 17 — — — —
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 — — 75.0 — 14.2 17.3 13.9 15.3 25.0 — 66.7 — — — — — — — — —
Guardianship — — — — 0.8 0.9 2.3 — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Reunification 100 66.7 — — 57.3 59.6 63.2 70.4 25.0 100.0 33.3 100.0 — — — — — — — 100.0
Other — 33.3 — — 15.1 12.6 10.7 11.1 50.0 — — — — — — — — — — —
Missing data — — 25.0 — 12.6 9.7 9.8 3.2 — — — — — — — — — — — —
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 3 3 4 — 634 693 653 557 4 6 3 2 — — — — — — — 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. 70.4 64.9 66.2 62.2
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos. 13.1 16.7 18.2 18.1
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos. 8.3 7.3 6.3 9.2
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos. 4.3 5.0 2.6 4.3
48 or more mos. 4.0 6.0 6.3 3.9
Missing data — — 0.5 2.4
Total (%) 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 375 436 429 415

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 77.1 82.9 73.7 78.0
Children re-entering care within 12 mos. of a prior episode 11.7 8.0 14.0 12.3
Children re-entering care more than 12 mos. after a prior episode 6.3 9.1 7.7 9.6
Missing data 4.9 — 4.6 —
Total (%) 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 783 750 788 697

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. — 4.8 2.0 —
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos. 13.8 17.7 16.3 16.5
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos. 24.5 30.6 32.7 35.3
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos. 31.9 16.1 27.6 22.4
48 or more mos. 29.8 30.6 21.4 22.4
Missing data — — — 3.5
Total (%) 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Number 94 124 98 85

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		 68.5
70.0
89.1
69.2		 31.5
30.0
10.9
30.7		 —
—
—
0.1		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 829
839
853
757
At least 12 mos., but <24 mos. 1998
1999
2000
2001		 31.8
35.8
80.6
36.4		 68.2
64.2
19.4
63.6		 —
—
—
—		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 371
433
402
404
At least 24 mos., but <36 mos. 1998
1999
2000
2001		 25.8
30.3
77.8
29.7		 74.2
69.7
22.2
70.3		 —
—
—
—		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 275
297
261
296
At least 36 mos., but <48 mos. 1998
1999
2000
2001		 20.7
27.5
78.3
14.6		 79.3
72.5
21.7
85.4		 —
—
—
—		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 184
211
161
158
48 or more mos. 1998
1999
2000
2001		 15.2
13.6
66.9
12.0		 84.8
86.4
33.1
87.7		 —
—
—
0.3		 100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0		 309
383
320
309
Missing data 1998
1999
2000
2001		 100.0
100.0
100.0
—		 —
—
—
—		 —
—
—