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Home > Statistics & Research > Child Welfare Outcomes 2002 > Chapter Six > Alaska

Alaska

Context Data | Outcomes Data | State Comment | Federal Comment

Alaska [ Context Data ]

A. Key Context Statistics

General Population (Census Bureau) 1999 2000 2001 2002 Total children under 18 years 196,825 189,946 190,020 192,428 Race/ethnicity (%)1, 2         Alaska Native/American Indian 23.2 19.4 19.7 19.8 Asian N/A 4.1 3.9 3.8 Asian/Pacific Islander 4.6 N/A N/A N/A Black 3.7 3.6 4 4 Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander N/A N/A 0.6 0.6 Hispanic 4.7 5.4 5.5 5.7 White 63.8 58.8 59.5 59.3 Two or more races N/A 8.4 6.8 6.7 Other N/A 0.3 0 0 % Child population in poverty 8 10.6 12.5 11.4 Child Welfare Summary 1999 2000 2002 2002 Child maltreatment victims3 5,976 6,957 15,947 7,950 Children in foster care on 9/30 2,248 2,193 1,993 2,072 Children adopted 137 202 278 224

1The convention for the data tables is the following: N/A in the data table means that the category was not applicable for the specific year. A dash (-) means that there is "no value" or the category is a true zero (that is, no children were reported as being in that category). A zero (0) means that there is a value for the category, but the value is less than 0.1 percent.Back

2The multiple and overlapping race categories in this and subsequent race tables are due to changes in the Census Bureau categories beginning in 2000. Because the reporting of these categories is a relatively new process for States, changes in percentages over time may be due to data quality issues.Back

3A child victim is a child who is the subject of a substantiated or indicated maltreatment report. Children with more than one report of substantiated or indicated maltreatment may be counted more than once.Back

B. Child Maltreatment Data (NCANDS)

Number Rate Maltreatment Information Overview 1999 2000 2001 2002 1999 2000 2001 2002 Children subject of an investigated report alleging child maltreatment 6,884 8,431 18,422 10,002 35.0 per 1,000 44.4 per 1,000 96.9 per 1,000 52.0 per 1,000 Child maltreatment victims 5,976 6,957 15,947 7,950 30.4 per 1,000 36.6 per 1,000 83.9 per 1,000 41.3 per 1,000 Child fatalities 6 8 4 1 3.0 per 100,000 4.2 per 100,000 2.1 per 100,000 0.5 per 100,000

Age of Child Victims (%) 1999 2000 2001 2002 Under 1 Year 7.4 7.8 7.3 8 1-5 years 29.6 30.9 31.9 31.7 6-10 years 32.5 32.1 32.3 30.1 11-15 years 25.1 24.4 24.4 25.6 16+ years 5.4 4.8 4.1 4.6 Unknown / Missing data 0 -- -- -- Total % 100 100 100 100 Number 5,976 6,957 15,947 7,950 Race/Ethnicity of Child Victims (%) 1999 2000 2001 2002 Alaska Native/American Indian 44.2 45.2 46.7 48 Asian/Pacific Islander 1.8 3.2 3.3 2.4 Black 5.7 6.4 7.5 5.9 Hispanic 2.2 2.4 2.9 2 White 38.1 36.9 34.9 38 Two or more races 0.5 -- -- -- Total %4 102.2 100 100 100 Number 5,976 6,957 15,947 7,950 Maltreatment Type of Child Victims (%) 1999 2000 2001 2002 Emotional Abuse 6.5 13.5 9.9 8.7 Medical Neglect 0 -- -- -- Neglect 60.5 60.5 58.5 62.3 Physical Abuse 29.6 26.6 22.1 21.1 Sexual Abuse 15.2 12.1 9.4 7.9 Unknown / Missing data 0 -- -- -- Other 0.2 0.1 0.1 -- Total %5 111.9 112.8 100 100 Number 5,976 6,957 15,947 7,950

4Percentages may total more than 100 percent because Hispanics may be counted both by Hispanic ethnicity and by race.Back

5Percentages 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 FY1999 (10/1/98 - 9/30/99) 1,800 1,180 732 2,248 2,980 FY2000 (10/1/99 - 9/30/00) 2,010 1,096 913 2,193 3,106 FY2001 (10/1/00 - 9/30/01) 1,990 999 996 1,993 2,989 FY2002 (10/1/01 - 9/30/02) 1,848 1,068 844 2,072 2,916 Median Length of Stay (Months)   FY1999 (10/1/98 - 9/30/99) 13.9 N/A 12.2 15.2 N/A FY2000 (10/1/99 - 9/30/00) 15 N/A 14.3 16.7 N/A FY2001 (10/1/00 - 9/30/01) 17.4 N/A 16.9 17.8 N/A FY2002 (10/1/01 - 9/30/02) 17.7 N/A 19.1 16.5 N/A Age of Children in Foster Care (%) In Care On: 10/1/98 In Care On: 10/1/99 In Care On: 10/1/00 In Care On: 10/1/01 Entered Care During FY: 1999 Entered Care During FY: 2000 Entered Care During FY: 2001 Entered Care During FY: 2002 Exited Care During FY: 1999 Exited Care During FY: 2000 Exited Care During FY:2001 Exited Care During FY: 2002 In Care On: 9/30/99 In Care On: 9/30/00 In Care On: 9/30/01 In Care On: 9/30/02 Under 1 Year 4.8 4.9 4 3.7 15.9 14.7 14.1 15.3 5.7 3 3.9 3.2 4.7 4 3.5 4.7 1-5 years 31.7 29.8 31 31.4 30 32.2 35.1 30.6 34.7 29.9 35.4 36.1 30.1 31.5 31.4 28.9 6-10 years 29.9 30.7 30.9 28.4 29.7 29.7 29.7 26.1 27.9 31.1 31.6 25.8 30.7 30.8 28.7 27.6 11-15 years 24.4 25.3 25.5 27.4 20.2 20.5 18.1 24.2 19.7 23.3 18.7 23.8 24.7 24.8 26.8 28.7 16-18 years 8.8 9.2 8.3 8.7 4.1 2.8 2.8 3.8 11.1 12.5 9.7 10.3 9.1 8.2 8.9 9.4 19+ years 0.3 0.1 0.4 0.3 0.1 -- 0.1 -- 1 0.2 0.6 0.7 0.6 0.6 0.7 0.6 Unknown / Missing data 0.1 0 0.1 0.1 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 0 0.1 0.1 0 Total % 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 Number 1,800 2,010 1,990 1,848 1,180 1,096 999 1,068 732 913 996 844 2,248 2,193 1,993 2,072 Race/Ethnicity of Children in Foster Care (%) In Care On: 10/1/98 In Care On: 10/1/99 In Care On: 10/1/00 In Care On: 10/1/01 Entered Care During FY: 1999 Entered Care During FY: 2000 Entered Care During FY: 2001 Entered Care During FY: 2002 Exited Care During FY: 1999 Exited Care During FY: 2000 Exited Care During FY:2001 Exited Care During FY: 2002 In Care On: 9/30/99 In Care On: 9/30/00 In Care On: 9/30/01 In Care On: 9/30/02 Alaska Native/American Indian 55.7 55 59.8 61.4 53.2 57.4 59.6 55 51.5 51.4 58.9 56.2 55.7 57.7 60.2 60.2 Asian N/A 0.9 1 0.8 N/A 0.5 1.1 0.6 N/A 0.4 1.5 0.5 N/A 0.9 0.8 0.8 Asian/Pacific Islander 0.7 N/A N/A N/A 1.2 N/A N/A N/A 1.1 N/A N/A N/A 0.8 N/A N/A N/A Black 9.9 9.9 10 9.1 9.2 8.4 9.4 10.6 9.8 8.1 11.1 10.1 9.6 9.8 9.1 9.5 Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander N/A -- -- -- N/A -- -- -- N/A -- -- -- N/A -- -- -- Hispanic 2 2.2 1.6 1.2 1.8 1.5 0.9 2.5 1.1 2.4 1.6 1.7 2.2 1.7 1.3 1.7 White 29.7 29.5 26.3 26.5 31.6 28.4 27.2 29.4 34.2 33.8 24.5 29.9 29.3 27.1 27.6 26.6 Two or more races N/A -- -- -- N/A -- -- -- N/A -- -- -- N/A -- -- -- Unknown / Missing data 2 2.5 1.3 1.1 3 3.9 1.8 2 2.3 3.8 2.3 1.8 2.4 2.7 1.1 1.3 Total % 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 Number 1,800 2,010 1,990 1,848 1,180 1,096 999 1,068 732 913 996 844 2,248 2,193 1,993 2,072

D. Children Waiting to be Adopted (AFCARS Annual Foster Care Database:  Fiscal Year Data)6

Overview 9/30/99 9/30/00 9/30/01 9/30/02 Children waiting to be adopted 830 780 772 667 Children whose parents' rights have been terminated (TPR) 689 582 553 482 Age of Waiting Children (%) 1999 2000 2001 2002 Under 1 Year 6.5 4.2 3.9 2.7 1-5 years 38.8 39.7 38.6 32.4 6-10 years 34.5 33.8 32.5 36.3 11-15 years 17.1 18.8 22.4 24.6 16+ years 2.5 2.4 2.1 3.4 Unknown / Missing data 0.6 0.9 0.5 0.6 Total % 100 100 100 100 Number 830 780 772 667 Race/Ethnicity of Waiting Children (%) 1999 2000 2001 2002 Alaska Native/American Indian 57.6 59.9 62.3 63.9 Asian N/A 1.2 0.4 0.9 Asian/Pacific Islander 1.1 N/A N/A N/A Black 9 9.4 8.8 8.5 Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander N/A -- -- -- Hispanic 2.3 2.1 0.9 0.3 White 27.7 25.3 26.8 25.8 Two or more races N/A -- -- -- Unknown / Missing data 2.3 2.3 0.8 0.6 Total % 100 100 100 100 Number 830 780 772 667

6Waiting children are children who have a goal of adoption and/or whose parents' rights have been terminated (TPR). 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 Adoption Database)

Age of Adopted Children (%) 1999 2000 2001 2002 Under 1 Year 3.6 3 0.4 0.4 1-5 years 53.3 37.6 51.1 53.1 6-10 years 34.3 44.6 34.2 28.1 11-15 years 6.6 14.4 12.6 17.4 16+ years 2.2 0.5 1.8 0.9 Total % 100 100 100 100 Number 137 202 278 224 Race/Ethnicity of Adopted Children (%) 1999 2000 2001 2002 Alaska Native/American Indian 47.4 36.6 35.6 48.7 Asian N/A 0.5 -- 1.3 Asian/Pacific Islander 0.7 N/A N/A N/A Black 13.9 3.5 5 7.1 Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander N/A -- -- -- Hispanic 9.5 8.9 7.6 4 White 27.7 30.2 25.5 33.9 Two or more races N/A 19.8 26.3 4.9 Unknown / Missing data -- 0.5 -- -- Total % 100 100 100 100 Number 137 202 278 224

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Alaska [ Outcomes Data ]

1. Reduce Recurrence of Child Abuse and/or Neglect (NCANDS)

1.1 Recurrence of Maltreatment Within 6 Months (%) 1999 2000 2001 2002 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 (%) 1999 2000 2001 2002 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:  Fiscal Year Data)

3.1 Exits from Foster Care (%) 1999 2000 2001 2002 Adoption 13.9 18.1 25.5 25.7 Guardianship 5.5 8.7 6 5.6 Reunification 75.5 67.8 64.6 62.9 Other 4.2 5.4 3.8 3.2 Missing data 0.8 0.1 0.1 2.6 Total % 100 100 100 100 Number 732 913 996 844 Percent Exits from Foster Care 1999 2000 2001 2002   3.2 Exits of Disabled Children (%) 1999 2000 2001 2002 Adoption -- -- -- -- Guardianship -- -- -- -- Reunification -- -- -- -- Other -- -- -- -- Missing data -- -- -- -- Total % -- -- -- -- Number         3.3 Exits of Children Over Age 12 at Entry (%) 1999 2000 2001 2002 Adoption -- 0.6 1.7 2.3 Guardianship 4.7 11 9.3 10.2 Reunification 73.6 62.6 67.8 75 Other 19.4 25.8 21.2 10.9 Missing data 2.3 -- -- 1.6 Total % 100 100 100 100 Number 129 155 118 128 3.4 Exits to Emancipation (%) 1999 2000 2001 2002 Children age 12 or younger at entry 19.4 18.8 27.3 50 Children older than 12 at entry 80.6 81.2 72.7 50 Missing data -- -- -- -- Total % 100 100 100 100 Number 31 48 33 26

3.5 Exits by Race/Ethnicity (%) Alaska Native/A.I. Asian Asian/Pacific Islander Black Native Hawaiian/ Other P.I.   1999 2000 2001 2002 1999 2000 2001 2002 1999 2000 2001 2002 1999 2000 2001 2002 1999 2000 2001 2002 Adoption 16.2 17.9 26.7 24.7 N/A -- 40 25 -- N/A N/A N/A 22.2 13.5 18.9 24.7 N/A -- -- -- Guardianship 5.6 7 5.5 6.1 N/A 25 -- -- -- N/A N/A N/A 2.8 5.4 10.8 8.2 N/A -- -- -- Reunification 74 69.9 64.9 61.2 N/A 75 60 75 12.5 N/A N/A N/A 4.2 8.1 1.8 3.5 N/A -- -- -- Other 3.7 4.9 2.9 3.6 N/A -- -- -- -- N/A N/A N/A -- -- -- -- N/A -- -- -- Missing data 0.5 0.2 -- 4.4 N/A -- -- -- N/A -- -- -- Total % 100 100 100 100 N/A 100 100 100 100 N/A N/A N/A 100 100 100 100 N/A -- -- -- Number 377 469 587 474 N/A 4 15 4 8 N/A N/A N/A 72 74 111 85 N/A -- -- --     Hispanic White Unable to Determine Two or More Races Missing Data   1999 2000 2001 2002 1999 2000 2001 2002 1999 2000 2001 2002 1999 2000 2001 2002 1999 2000 2001 2002 Adoption 12.5 18.2 50 35.7 8.8 19.1 24.2 28.2 11.8 22.9 13 13.3 N/A -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Guardianship -- -- -- -- 6.4 13.3 6.6 4 5.9 -- -- 6.7 N/A -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Reunification 87.5 81.8 50 64.3 78.4 61.5 62.3 65.1 76.5 74.3 73.9 73.3 N/A -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Other -- -- -- -- 4.8 6.1 6.6 2.4 5.9 2.9 13 6.7 N/A -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Missing data -- -- -- -- 1.6 -- 0.4 0.4 -- -- -- -- N/A -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Total % 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 N/A -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Number 8 22 16 14 250 309 244 252 17 35 23 15 N/A -- -- -- -- -- -- --

4. Reduce Time to Reunification Without Increasing Re-entry (AFCARS Annual Foster Care Database:  Fiscal Year Data)

4.1 Time to Reunification (%) 1999 2000 2001 2002 Less than 12 mos. 60.9 58 62.4 53.3 At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos. 23.9 26 20.8 27.1 At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos. 7.8 10.2 7.8 12.2 At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos. 2.2 1.8 5.8 4.1 48 or more mos. 4 3.2 2.8 2.6 Missing data 1.3 0.8 0.5 0.6 Total % 100 100 100 100 Number 553 619 643 531 4.2 Children Who Entered Foster Care (%) 1999 2000 2001 2002 Children entering care for the first time 81.3 81.9 81.7 80.9 Children re-entering care within 12 mos. of a prior episode 4.4 4.7 5.3 3.6 Children re-entering care more than 12 mos. after a prior episode 7.6 7.9 7.8 10.7 Missing data 6.7 5.4 5.2 4.9 Total % 100 100 100 100 Number 1,180 1,096 999 1,068

5. Reduce Time in Foster Care to Adoption (AFCARS Annual Foster Care Database:  Fiscal Year Data)

5.1 Time to Adoption (%) 1999 2000 2001 2002 Less than 12 mos. 7.8 6.1 2 1.4 At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos. 15.7 15.8 18.9 16.6 At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos. 27.5 25.5 26.8 30.4 At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos. 19.6 20.6 32.7 26.7 48 or more mos. 27.5 32.1 17.7 21.7 Missing data 2 -- 2 3.2 Total % 100 100 100 100 Number 102 165 254 217

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 2 or Fewer Placements Missing Data Total % Number Less than 12 mos. 1999 71.9 28.1 -- 100 1,335 2000 71.1 28.9 -- 100 1,251 2001 75.8 24.2 -- 100 1,160 2002 73.6 26.4 -- 100 1,165 At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos. 1999 40.3 59.7 -- 100 697 2000 45 55 -- 100 797 2001 39.1 60.9 -- 100 717 2002 42.2 57.8 -- 100 675 At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos. 1999 31.2 68.8 -- 100 378 2000 30.3 69.7 -- 100 465 2001 32.8 67.2 -- 100 469 2002 31.5 68.5 -- 100 454 At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos. 1999 21.7 78.3 -- 100 189 2000 21.6 78.4 -- 100 231 2001 23 77 -- 100 300 2002 22.6 77.4 -- 100 265 48 or more mos. 1999 21.3 78.7 -- 100 367 2000 20.9 79.1 -- 100 354 2001 16.2 83.8 -- 100 334 2002 19.2 80.8 -- 100 339 Missing data 1999 100 -- -- 100 14 2000 100 -- -- 100 8 2001 100 -- -- 100 9 2002 100 -- -- 100 18

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 (%) 1999 2000 2001 2002 Group homes 4.2 3.3 3.5 3.6 Institutions 0.5 1.4 0.5 0.9 Other settings 95.3 95.3 96.1 95.5 Missing data -- -- -- -- Total % 100 100 100 100 Number 979 860 864 862

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Alaska [ State Comment ]

Marcia Kennai
Deputy Commissioner
Office of Children’s Services
Alaska Department of Health and Social Services
907-465-3170

The following are Alaska’s comments on the State data presented in Child Welfare Outcomes 2002: Report to Congress:

• The large increase in child victims in 2001 is due in part to a change in Alaska’s methodology for counting child maltreatment victims. Based on instructions from NCANDS, from 2001, children were counted once for each report disposed. In prior years, children were counted only once regardless of the number of reports disposed.
  
  Also, data entry for completed investigations often lags behind actual disposition. During 2001, a clean-up effort to officially close and enter data for old investigations increased the numbers reported for that year. Twenty-three percent of the investigations reported in 2001 were for reports received prior to July 2000. As a result, data based on the number of investigations disposed during the year, including the number of victims, are significantly overstated in 2001 and understated in previous years.



• Ninety percent fewer old investigations were included in 2002 compared to 2001, influencing both the decline in reports and victims between those years. In addition, this decline reflects a decrease in both the number of reports received and the number of investigations assigned during the year that were completed in that year and entered into our MIS by the time the NCANDS report was generated. The decline in the number of reports received reflects changes in practice to improve consistency in the definition and entry of reports as well as any actual decline in calls.



• Alaska does not provide data for outcome measures 1.1. and 2.1 because Alaska’s current MIS cannot produce the NCANDS Child File. For 2002, alternative data sources developed for the CFSR show a rate of 20.6 percent for measure 1.1 and 2.09 percent for measure 2.1.



• Data for outcome measure 3.2 are not available from our current MIS.

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Alaska [ Federal Comment ]

The following discussion focuses on Alaska’s performance with regard to each of the outcomes assessed in the Child Welfare Outcomes Annual Reports to Congress. The Alaska 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 the Child Welfare Monitoring Documents Library. A discussion of the implications of CFSR findings for Alaska’s performance on the Report to Congress Outcomes is provided in Child Welfare Outcomes 2000.

The Federal Comment includes an examination of State performance in 2002 and the percent change in performance from 1999 to 2002. A difference in percent change from 1999 to 2002 that was less than 5.0 in either direction was considered to represent “no change in performance.” With the exception of outcome measure 2.1, the data presented in the Report to Congress are rounded to one decimal. However, the percent change in performance was calculated using data rounded to two decimals. Measure 2.1 is rounded to two decimals because the national standard is less than one percent. Key findings of the analyses of national data pertaining to State variation in performance on the outcome measures are incorporated into a State’s Federal Comment when relevant.

Outcome 1. Reduce recurrence of child abuse and/or neglect
Alaska’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 year 2000 data for this outcome for its CFSR using an alternative source. For that year, the State reported that 23.6 percent of the children who were the subject of a substantiated or indicated maltreatment report during the first 6 months of the calendar year were the subject of another substantiated or indicated report within 6 months of the first report. The national standard is 6.1 percent or fewer.

Outcome 2. Reduce the incidence of child abuse and/or neglect in foster care
Alaska’s performance on 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 year 2000 data for this outcome for its CFSR using an alternative source. For that year, the State reported that 1.91 percent of the children in foster care during the first 9 months of the calendar year were maltreated by foster parents or facility staff members. The national standard is 0.57 percent or fewer.

Outcome 3. Increase permanency for children in foster care
In FY 2002, 94.2 percent of children exiting foster care in Alaska were discharged to a permanent home (which is more than the national median of 86.1 percent), and 87.5 percent of children exiting foster care who were older than age 12 at entry into foster care were discharged to a permanent home (which is more than the national median of 72.0 percent). (Performance pertaining to the percentage of children exiting foster care who had a diagnosed disability cannot be assessed because Alaska did not provide data relevant to this measure in FY 2002.) In contrast to these findings, 50.0 percent of the children exiting foster care through emancipation were age 12 or younger at the time of entry into foster care, which is more than the national median of 26.9 percent. In addition, performance on this measure declined considerably from FY 1999 to FY 2002 (+158.3 percent change). However, Alaska’s performance improved from FY 1999 to FY 2002 with regard to permanency for children exiting foster care who were older than age 12 when they entered foster care (+11.8 percent change). Performance on the measure concerning the percent of children leaving foster care to permanent homes exhibited no change from FY 1999 to FY 2002.

Outcome 4. Reduce time to reunification without increasing re-entry
In FY 2002, the percentage of all reunifications in Alaska occurring within 12 months of a child’s entry into foster care was 53.3, which is less than both the national standard (76.2 percent or more) and the national median (68.0 percent). Performance with regard to reunifications within 12 months declined from FY 1999 to FY 2002 (-12.5 percent change).

Because the cross-State analyses of performance on this measure found a substantial positive relationship between the percentage of reunifications within 12 months in a State and the percentage of children entering foster care who were re-entering within 12 months of a prior episode, Alaska’s performance with regard to reunifications within 12 months must be considered in the context of its re-entry rate. For Alaska, the percentage of children entering foster care in FY 2002 who were re-entering within 12 months of a discharge from a prior foster care episode was 3.6, which is considerably less than both the national standard (8.6 percent or less) and the national median (9.9 percent). Thus, although Alaska had a relatively low percentage of reunifications in FY 2002 occurring within 12 months of entry into foster care, it also has a relatively low percentage of children re-entering foster care within 12 months of a prior episode. Performance on the measure of foster care re-entry improved from FY 1999 to FY 2002 (-19.3 percent change).

Outcome 5. Reduce time in foster care to adoption
In FY 2002, the percentage of all finalized adoptions occurring within 24 months of a child’s entry into foster care was 18.0, which is less than both the national standard (32.0 percent or more) and the national median (23.0 percent). Change in performance on this measure is assessed from FY 2000 to FY 2002 due to data quality issues for many States for this measure in FY 1999. Alaska’s performance on this measure declined from FY 2000 to FY 2002 (-17.6 percent change).

Outcome 6. Increase placement stability
In FY 2002, the percentage of children who experienced no more than 2 placement settings during their first 12 months in foster care was 73.6, which is less than both the national standard (86.7 percent or more) and the national median (84.1 percent). Alaska exhibited no change in performance on this measure from FY 1999 to FY 2002.

Outcome 7. Reduce placements of young children in group homes and institutions
In FY 2002, the percentage of children age 12 or younger placed in a group home or institution was 4.5, which is less than the national median of 8.6 percent. Performance on this measure did not change from FY 1999 to FY 2002.

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