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Florida
Context Data | Outcomes Data | State Comment | Federal Comment
Florida [ Context Data ]
A. Key Context Statistics |
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| 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) |
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| 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) |
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D. Children Waiting to be Adopted (AFCARS Annual Foster Care Database: Fiscal Year Data)6 |
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| 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) |
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Florida [ Outcomes Data ]
Florida [ State Comment ]
Florida Department of Children and Families
850-922-2195
- With regard to Section B—Child Maltreatment Data—the number and rate of child victims increased in FFY 2000 and 2001 due to increased reporting and more timely closures. Also, our victim count is high in the “Other” category because Florida includes Threatened Harm in “Other” maltreatments. Almost a quarter of these are domestic violence.
- With regard to Section C—Children in Foster Care—based on the ACF method of creating the annual foster care file and historical limitations of the state’s legacy system data, the data in section C would indicate that Florida experienced a decrease of 3,974 victims from 09/30/01 to 10/01/01. Late entries were captured, but late discharges were not. Due to this, the federal data show higher entrants than discharges and a higher end count. Discharge data improved in FFY 2000 due to diligent state efforts.
- As of 03/01/04, 15,526 dependent-children are currently placed with relatives who are receiving TANF support for foster
care maintenance. Florida is currently approaching a change in this model to support family preservation through voluntary
placement of children with relatives when appropriate, without adjudication. The TANF funded relative caregiver program
has contributed to a higher number of children in relative care.
- With regard to Section D—Children Waiting to be Adopted—beginning FFY 2000, Florida began to capture guardianship,
Hispanic ethnicity, and placements; in FFY 2001, termination of parental rights and all short-term emergency placements
(prior exclusion of many short-term placements artificially increased length of stay). Data on termination of parental rights
may still be missing for children when TPR occurred prior to FFY 2001.
Florida [ Federal Comment ]
The following discussion focuses on Florida’s performance with regard to each of the outcomes assessed in the Child Welfare Outcomes Annual Reports to Congress. The Florida Child and Family Services Review (CFSR) was completed in fiscal year (FY) 2001, and compliance with the national standards was based on data from 1999. The final report for that review is available from the Child Welfare Monitoring Documents Library. A discussion of the implications of CFSR findings for Florida’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
In calendar year (CY) 2002, Florida’s rate of maltreatment recurrence within 6 months was 8.7 percent, which is more than both the national standard (6.1 percent or less) and the national median (7.5 percent). Performance on this measure declined from 1999 to 2002 (+40.3 percent change).
Outcome 2. Reduce the incidence of child abuse and/or neglect in foster care
In CY 2002, Florida’s incidence of maltreatment in foster care was 0.52 percent, which meets the national standard (0.57 percent or less), but is more than the national median (0.39 percent). Performance on this measure declined from 1999 to 2002 (-40.34 percent change).
Outcome 3. Increase permanency for children in foster care
In FY 2002, 92.6 percent of children exiting foster care in Florida were discharged to a permanent home (which is more than the national median of 86.1 percent); 85.4 percent of children with a diagnosed disability exiting foster care were discharged to a permanent home (which is more than the national median of 79.8 percent); and 72.2 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 about equal to the national median of 72.0 percent). In addition, 21.2 percent of the children emancipated from foster care were age 12 or younger at the time of entry into foster care, which is less than the national median of 26.9 percent. Performance on all measures for outcome 3 improved from FY 1999 to FY 2002. These data suggest that in FY 2002, Florida was generally successful in achieving permanency for children exiting foster care.
Outcome 4. Reduce time to reunification without increasing re-entry
In FY 2002, the percentage of all reunifications in Florida occurring within 12 months of a child’s entry into foster care was 57.7, which is less than both the national standard (76.2 percent or more) and the national median (68.0 percent). However, performance with regard to reunifications within 12 months improved from FY 1999 to FY 2002 (+29.9 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, Florida’s performance with regard to reunifications within 12 months must be considered in the context of its re-entry rate. For Florida, 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 6.9, which is less than both the national standard (8.6 percent or less) and the national median (9.9 percent). Thus, although Florida had a relatively low percentage of reunifications in FY 2002 occurring within 12 months of entry into foster care, the State also had a relatively low percentage of children entering foster care in FY 2002 who were re-entering within 12 months of a prior episode. Performance on the measure of foster care re-entry declined from FY 1999 to 2002 (+29.9 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 28.2, which does not meet the national standard (32.0 percent or more), but is more than 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. Florida’s performance on this measure improved from FY 2000 to FY 2002 (+29.9 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 84.4, which does not meet the national standard (86.7 percent or more), but is about equal to the national median (84.1 percent). Performance on this measure did not change from FY 2000 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 6.7, which is less than the national median of 8.6 percent. However, performance on this measure declined considerably from FY 2000 (1.2 percent) to FY 2002 (6.7 percent) (a +458.3 percent change). Performance in FY1999 is not considered because of poor data quality for this measure in that year.
