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

Kentucky

Context Data | Outcomes Data | State Comment | Federal Comment

Kentucky [ Context Data ]

A. Key Context Statistics

General Population (Census Bureau) 1999 2000 2001 2002 Total children under 18 years 965,528 956,590 956,596 931,588 Race/ethnicity (%)1, 2         Alaska Native/American Indian 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.2 Asian N/A 0.7 0.8 0.8 Asian/Pacific Islander 0.8 N/A N/A N/A Black 8.7 8.9 9.2 9.2 Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander N/A N/A 0 0 Hispanic 1.2 1.9 2 2.1 White 89.2 86.3 86.2 85.9 Two or more races N/A 1.7 1.7 1.7 Other N/A 0.3 0 0 % Child population in poverty 17 15.3 17.2 22 Child Welfare Summary 1999 2000 2002 2002 Child maltreatment victims3 18,650 18,600 16,544 16,945 Children in foster care on 9/30 5,942 6,017 6,165 6,814 Children adopted 360 396 548 559

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 63,384 63,967 56,478 62,738 65.6 per 1,000 66.9 per 1,000 59.0 per 1,000 67.3 per 1,000 Child maltreatment victims 18,650 18,600 16,544 16,945 19.3 per 1,000 19.4 per 1,000 17.3 per 1,000 18.2 per 1,000 Child fatalities 5 21 31 23 0.5 per 100,000 2.2 per 100,000 3.2 per 100,000 2.5 per 100,000

Age of Child Victims (%) 1999 2000 2001 2002 Under 1 Year 7.3 7.9 8.2 9.2 1-5 years 32 32.3 32.4 34.5 6-10 years 32 30.7 30.3 28.3 11-15 years 23.1 23.9 23.8 22.6 16+ years 5.6 5.3 5.3 5.4 Unknown / Missing data 0 -- -- -- Total % 100 100 100 100 Number 18,650 18,600 16,544 16,945 Race/Ethnicity of Child Victims (%) 1999 2000 2001 2002 Alaska Native/American Indian 0.1 0 0 0.1 Asian/Pacific Islander 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.1 Black 13.9 13 13.1 11.9 Hispanic 0.1 0.3 0.2 0.2 White 78.3 76.6 75.2 74.7 Two or more races 0 1.5 1.8 1.7 Total %4 100 100 100 100 Number 18,650 18,600 16,544 16,945 Maltreatment Type of Child Victims (%) 1999 2000 2001 2002 Emotional Abuse 4.1 2.5 2.1 1.5 Medical Neglect 0 -- -- -- Neglect 63.7 67.5 71.4 75.9 Physical Abuse 27.6 27.2 23.9 19.6 Sexual Abuse 7.7 7.8 7 6.6 Unknown / Missing data 0 -- -- -- Other 0 -- -- -- Total %5 103.2 105 104.4 103.6 Number 18,650 18,600 16,544 16,945

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) 5,122 4,170 3,350 5,942 9,292 FY2000 (10/1/99 - 9/30/00) 5,253 4,128 3,364 6,017 9,381 FY2001 (10/1/00 - 9/30/01) 5,804 4,590 4,230 6,165 10,394 FY2002 (10/1/01 - 9/30/02) 5,970 5,250 4,406 6,814 11,220 Median Length of Stay (Months)   FY1999 (10/1/98 - 9/30/99) 13.4 N/A 5.1 15.5 N/A FY2000 (10/1/99 - 9/30/00) 16.9 N/A 5.4 16.6 N/A FY2001 (10/1/00 - 9/30/01) 18.3 N/A 5.3 16.5 N/A FY2002 (10/1/01 - 9/30/02) 16.9 N/A 6.3 13.7 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 3.9 3.5 4 11.8 10.7 11.6 10.9 6 5.3 5.5 5.2 4.2 3.6 4.1 3.9 1-5 years 23.6 22.2 21.5 21.6 24.7 24.8 24.8 26.4 26.5 25.9 26 26.9 22.5 22.2 21.3 22.8 6-10 years 24.2 23.9 22.3 20.8 22.5 21 21 18.7 21.6 22.1 21.8 20.2 24.2 22.6 20.6 18.9 11-15 years 29.9 31 31 31 29.5 31.4 29.3 29.9 22.1 23.9 23.4 24.1 31 31.4 31 30.6 16-18 years 16.9 17.6 19.9 20.2 11.4 12.1 13.3 14 21.7 21.1 21.7 21.1 16.8 18.6 20.5 21.1 19+ years 1.3 1.4 1.7 2.5 0.1 0.1 0 0.1 1.8 1.1 1.3 2.3 1.3 1.6 2.4 2.5 Unknown / Missing data 0 0.1 0 0 0.1 -- 0 0 0.2 0.5 0.3 0.1 0.1 -- 0 0 Total % 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 Number 5,122 5,253 5,804 5,970 4,170 4,128 4,590 5,250 3,350 3,364 4,230 4,406 5,942 6,017 6,165 6,814 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 0.2 0 0.1 0.1 0 0.3 0 0 0.2 0.3 0 -- 0 0 0.1 0.2 Asian N/A 0.1 0 0 N/A 0.2 0 0.1 N/A 0.2 0 0 N/A 0 0 0 Asian/Pacific Islander 0 N/A N/A N/A 0.3 N/A N/A N/A 0.3 N/A N/A N/A 0.1 N/A N/A N/A Black 24.4 23.9 21.5 19.7 17.6 14.7 15.4 14.3 17.2 18.2 17.3 15.5 23.6 20.8 19.8 18.2 Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander N/A -- 0 0 N/A 0 -- 0 N/A 0 -- -- N/A 0 0 0 Hispanic 0.4 0.7 0.8 0.9 0.7 0.7 0.5 0.6 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.8 0.6 0.8 0.8 0.7 White 69 69 71.5 73 74.2 76.4 76.8 74 74.9 72.8 75.2 74.8 69.3 72 72.9 72.6 Two or more races N/A 2.8 3.9 3.6 N/A 2.7 2.6 2.1 N/A 1.5 3 2.4 N/A 3.5 3.5 3.2 Unknown / Missing data 3.9 3.4 2.1 2.7 5.3 5 4.6 8.7 6.8 6.6 3.9 6.4 3.3 2.7 2.8 4.9 Total % 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 Number 5,122 5,253 5,804 5,970 4,170 4,128 4,590 5,250 3,350 3,364 4,230 4,406 5,942 6,017 6,165 6,814

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 1,789 2,018 1,932 1,932 Children whose parents' rights have been terminated (TPR) 196 121 76 34 Age of Waiting Children (%) 1999 2000 2001 2002 Under 1 Year 2.3 1.7 1.8 1.7 1-5 years 31.7 27.8 25.5 24.8 6-10 years 36.1 34.6 31.3 28.9 11-15 years 26.5 31.3 35.7 37.8 16+ years 3.1 4.3 5.6 6.5 Unknown / Missing data 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.3 Total % 100 100 100 100 Number 1,789 2,018 1,932 1,932 Race/Ethnicity of Waiting Children (%) 1999 2000 2001 2002 Alaska Native/American Indian 0.1 0 0.1 0.2 Asian N/A -- -- 0 Asian/Pacific Islander -- N/A N/A N/A Black 28.5 24.4 21.9 18.8 Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander N/A -- -- -- Hispanic 0.2 0.9 1.1 0.8 White 64.6 68.2 71 73.3 Two or more races N/A 4.1 4 4.5 Unknown / Missing data 6.6 2.4 1.9 2.4 Total % 100 100 100 100 Number 1,789 2,018 1,932 1,932

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 1.7 1.5 0.7 0.9 1-5 years 41.4 45.5 39.2 36.9 6-10 years 36.7 32.6 36.5 34.9 11-15 years 18.1 16.9 20.1 24.3 16+ years 2.2 3.5 3.5 3 Total % 100 100 100 100 Number 360 396 548 559 Race/Ethnicity of Adopted Children (%) 1999 2000 2001 2002 Alaska Native/American Indian -- 0.3 -- -- Asian N/A 0.5 -- -- Asian/Pacific Islander -- N/A N/A N/A Black 28.1 36.6 35.2 29.5 Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander N/A -- -- -- Hispanic -- 1.8 3.3 3.2 White 59.4 57.8 60.8 65.3 Two or more races N/A -- -- -- Unknown / Missing data 12.5 3 0.7 2 Total % 100 100 100 100 Number 360 396 548 559

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Kentucky [ 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 91.7 91.4 91.4 91.7 Children with one or more recurrences 8.3 8.6 8.6 8.3 Total % 100 100 100 100 Number 7,245 7,994 8,345 6,628

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 0.3 0.5 0.6 0.4 Children not maltreated while in foster care 99.7 99.5 99.4 99.6 Total % 100 100 100 100 Number 8,516 8,575 9,444 10,254

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 10.1 12.3 12.4 12.6 Guardianship 0.7 0.5 0.6 0.5 Reunification 77.9 74 71.4 69.3 Other 8.9 8.5 8.7 9.2 Missing data 2.4 4.6 6.9 8.4 Total % 100 100 100 100 Number 3,350 3,364 4,230 4,406 Percent Exits from Foster Care 1999 2000 2001 2002   3.2 Exits of Disabled Children (%) 1999 2000 2001 2002 Adoption 24.4 25.6 23.8 13.1 Guardianship 2.4 -- 3.8 6 Reunification 51.2 43.6 47.5 59.5 Other 19.5 28.2 17.5 14.3 Missing data 2.4 2.6 7.5 7.1 Total % 100 100 100 100 Number 41 39 80 84 3.3 Exits of Children Over Age 12 at Entry (%) 1999 2000 2001 2002 Adoption 0.8 1 0.6 0.5 Guardianship 0.7 0.9 0.7 0.8 Reunification 72.1 72 69.6 69.4 Other 21.5 20.2 21.9 22.4 Missing data 4.9 5.8 7.2 7 Total % 100 100 100 100 Number 1,179 1,168 1,413 1,454 3.4 Exits to Emancipation (%) 1999 2000 2001 2002 Children age 12 or younger at entry 11.7 13.8 12.2 18.7 Children older than 12 at entry 88.3 86.2 87.1 81.3 Missing data -- -- 0.7 -- Total % 100 100 100 100 Number 222 232 303 353

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 12.5 10 33.3 -- N/A -- -- -- 10 N/A N/A N/A 15 22.3 19.5 19.9 N/A -- -- -- Guardianship -- -- -- -- N/A -- -- -- -- N/A N/A N/A 1.4 0.2 0.5 1 N/A -- -- -- Reunification 62.5 90 66.7 -- N/A 87.5 75 100 40 N/A N/A N/A 8.7 8 9.9 12.6 N/A -- -- -- Other -- -- -- -- N/A 12.5 25 -- -- N/A N/A N/A 1.6 6.7 10 9.1 N/A -- -- -- Missing data 25 -- -- -- N/A -- -- -- N/A 100 -- -- Total % 100 100 100 -- N/A 100 100 100 100 N/A N/A N/A 100 100 100 100 N/A 100 -- -- Number 8 10 3 -- N/A 8 4 2 10 N/A N/A N/A 575 611 730 684 N/A 1 -- --     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 -- 16.7 10 37.1 8.8 9.8 10.7 11.1 12.3 8.1 7.9 4.6 9.1 33.3 19.5 28 -- -- -- -- Guardianship -- -- 5 -- 0.6 0.7 0.6 0.4 0.4 -- 1.8 0.7 N/A -- 0.8 -- -- -- -- -- Reunification 80 83.3 75 60 79 76.6 73.3 71 78.4 79.4 83.5 82.7 81.8 58.8 70.3 60.7 -- -- -- -- Other 20 -- 10 2.9 8.9 8.7 9 9 7.5 9.4 4.9 3.9 N/A 3.9 0.8 7.5 -- -- -- -- Missing data -- -- -- -- 2.6 4.2 6.4 8.5 1.3 3.1 1.8 8.1 9.1 3.9 8.6 3.7 -- -- -- -- Total % 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 -- -- -- -- Number 10 12 20 35 2,509 2,448 3,181 3,294 227 223 164 284 11 51 128 107 -- -- -- --

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. 81.1 79.3 80.6 79.9 At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos. 11.7 13.3 12.2 13.2 At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos. 4.7 3.9 4.3 3.4 At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos. 1.3 1.6 1.5 1.9 48 or more mos. 0.9 1.1 1.3 1.1 Missing data 0.4 0.8 0.3 0.5 Total % 100 100 100 100 Number 2,610 2,491 3,019 3,054 4.2 Children Who Entered Foster Care (%) 1999 2000 2001 2002 Children entering care for the first time 87.6 87.5 80.8 80.8 Children re-entering care within 12 mos. of a prior episode 10.2 8.9 11.9 10.9 Children re-entering care more than 12 mos. after a prior episode 2 3.6 6.9 7.8 Missing data 0.2 0 0.4 0.5 Total % 100 100 100 100 Number 4,170 4,128 4,590 5,250

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. 9.7 5.6 1.9 3.9 At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos. 24.8 18.1 14.3 11 At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos. 26.5 27.5 26.3 23.3 At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos. 21.5 22.5 23.5 26.8 48 or more mos. 17.4 26.3 34 35 Missing data -- -- -- -- Total % 100 100 100 100 Number 339 414 524 557

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 73.5 26.5 -- 100 4,799 2000 75.5 24.5 -- 100 4,667 2001 76.7 23.3 -- 100 5,265 2002 79 21 -- 100 5,924 At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos. 1999 50.2 49.8 -- 100 1,888 2000 49.7 50.3 -- 100 1,681 2001 45.2 54.8 -- 100 1,742 2002 53.8 46.2 -- 100 1,917 At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos. 1999 47.6 52.4 -- 100 1,287 2000 39 61 -- 100 1,209 2001 38.3 61.7 -- 100 1,142 2002 36.6 63.4 -- 100 1,074 At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos. 1999 52.7 47.3 -- 100 601 2000 38.8 61.2 -- 100 886 2001 27.9 72.1 -- 100 877 2002 33.3 66.7 -- 100 744 48 or more mos. 1999 61.6 38.4 -- 100 690 2000 54.3 45.7 -- 100 915 2001 39.2 60.8 -- 100 1,353 2002 30.7 69.3 -- 100 1,524 Missing data 1999 81.5 18.5 -- 100 27 2000 91.3 8.7 -- 100 23 2001 100 -- -- 100 15 2002 89.2 10.8 -- 100 37

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 -- -- 0 0 Institutions 17.3 15.3 10.7 10.6 Other settings 82.7 84.7 89.2 89.3 Missing data -- -- -- -- Total % 100 100 100 100 Number 2,782 2,681 2,989 3,308

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Kentucky [ State Comment ]

Mike Robinson, Commissioner
Kentucky Department for Community Based Services
Cabinet for Health and Family Services
502-564-3703

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

• The Children’s Bureau noted as a data issue for review that as of 9/30/02 data, parental rights had been terminated for only 2% of the 1,932 children waiting to be adopted in Kentucky (Section D). Due to data entry and functionality limitations in Kentucky’s child welfare data system, The Worker Information SysTem (TWIST), the data captured in Section D of the report are not an accurate account of the State’s efforts toward permanency for children. Recognizing these issues, this State agency added a new functionality to the data system in June 2003. However, the new functionality was not consistently applied until November 2003. Thus, DCBS hypothesizes that child welfare outcome data for Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2003 will also show a low percentage of children available for adoption whose parental rights have been terminated. We anticipate that the implementation of the new functionality and Kentucky’s Program Improvement Plan should result in an increase in that percentage for FFY 2004.
  


• In Section C of the report, the number of children in foster care, particularly on 9/30, reflects any child who is in the custody of the State agency and receiving services. Thus, the figures include children who may be in their home for State supportive services, such as mental health treatment and/or reunification services.
  

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Kentucky [ Federal Comment ]

The following discussion focuses on Kentucky’s performance with regard to each of the outcomes assessed in the Child Welfare Outcomes Annual Reports to Congress. The Kentucky 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 the Child Welfare Monitoring Documents Library. A discussion of the implications of CFSR findings for Kentucky’s performance on the Report to Congress Outcomes is provided in Child Welfare Outcomes 2001.

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, Kentucky’s rate of maltreatment recurrence within 6 months was 8.3 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 exhibited no change from 1999 to 2002.

Outcome 2. Reduce the incidence of child abuse and/or neglect in foster care
In CY 2002, Kentucky’s incidence of maltreatment in foster care was 0.37 percent, which is less than the national standard (0.57 percent or less) and the national median (0.39 percent). However, performance on this measure declined from 1999 to 2002 (+37.0 percent change).

Outcome 3. Increase permanency for children in foster care
In FY 2002, 82.4 percent of children exiting foster care in Kentucky were discharged to a permanent home (which is less than the national median of 86.1 percent); 78.6 percent of children with a diagnosed disability who exited foster care were discharged to a permanent home (which is less than the national median of 79.8 percent); and 70.6 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 less than the national median of 72.0 percent). These findings suggest that the State experiences challenges in achieving permanency for children exiting foster care. However, 18.7 percent of the children emancipated from foster care were age 12 or younger at the time of entry into foster care, which is less the national median of 26.9 percent.

Kentucky’s performance declined from FY 1999 to FY 2002 with respect to: (1) the percentage of children exiting foster care who were discharged to permanent homes (-7.1 percent change), and (2) the percentage of children emancipated from foster care who were age 12 and younger when they entered foster care (+59.6 percent change). Performance on the other measures for outcome 3 did not 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 Kentucky occurring within 12 months of a child’s entry into foster care was 79.9, which is more 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 exhibited no change from FY 1999 to FY 2002.

Because the cross-State analysis 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, Kentucky’s performance with regard to reunifications within 12 months in FY 2002 must be considered in the context of its re-entry rate. For Kentucky, 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 10.9, which is more than both the national standard (8.6 percent or less) and the national median (9.9 percent). Thus, although Kentucky had a relatively high percentage of reunifications in FY 2002 occurring within 12 months of entry into foster care, the State also had a relatively high percentage of children entering foster care who were re-entering within 12 months of a prior episode. Kentucky’s performance with regard to the measure of re-entry into foster care declined from FY 1999 to FY 2002 (+7.3 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 14.9, 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. Kentucky’s performance on this measure declined from FY 2000 to FY 2002 (-37.0 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 79.0, which is less than both the national standard (86.7 percent or more) and the national median (84.1 percent). However, performance on this measure improved from FY 1999 to FY 2002 (+7.5 percent change).

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 10.7, which is more than the national median of 8.6 percent. Performance on this measure improved from FY 1999 to FY 2002 (-38.3 percent change).

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