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Mississippi
Context Data | Outcomes Data | State Comment | Federal Comment
Mississippi [ 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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Mississippi [ Outcomes Data ]
Mississippi [ State Comment ]
Division of Family and Children’s Services
Mississippi Department of Human Services
601-359-4500
- With regard to Section B, 2002 was the first year that data were obtained from the Mississippi Statewide Automated Child
Welfare Information System (SACWIS). Previous year’s data regarding the number of children who were subject of an
investigated report were estimates based on information from our legacy system. Our SACWIS system captures every intake
(report) and has the capability to count actual alleged victims. This explains the decline from 1999 to 2002 in the number of
children who were the subject of an investigated report.
- With regard to Section C, October 1, 2001 was the date that our SACWIS system captured AFCARS data. Many
inconsistencies were found in Mississippi’s legacy system during conversion which led to several data clean up projects. This
explains data discrepancies on in this section. Subsequent AFCARS submissions were made indicating the corrected data for
2002.
- The missing data for Outcome Measures 3.1 and 3.3 is the result of a lack of edit checks in place during the initial
implementation of the SACWIS system. This situation has now been corrected with many edit checks in place and many
more in the planning stages. Future AFCARS files will continue to show a decline in missing data.
Mississippi [ Federal Comment ]
The following discussion focuses on Mississippi’s performance with regard to each of the outcomes assessed in the Child Welfare Outcomes Annual Reports to Congress. The Mississippi Child and Family Services Review (CFSR) was completed in fiscal year (FY) 2004, and compliance with the national standards was based on data from 2002. The final report for that review is available from the Child Welfare Monitoring Documents Library. A discussion of the implications of CFSR findings for Mississippi’s performance on the Report to Congress Outcomes is provided below.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, Mississippi’s rate of maltreatment recurrence within 6 months was 4.6 percent, which is less than both the national standard (6.1 percent or less) and the national median (7.5 percent). Performance on this measure over time cannot be assessed because 2002 was the first year the State provided the necessary data to the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS). Information from the Mississippi CFSR Final Report indicates that some stakeholders in the State believe that the low rate of maltreatment recurrence may be attributed to a practice in the State of not substantiating child maltreatment reports even when there is evidence to warrant substantiation.
The cross-State analyses found a substantial positive relationship between performance on this outcome measure and the State rate of child victims (i.e., the number of child victims per 1,000 children in the population). States with a relatively low rate of child victims tended to have a relatively low rate of maltreatment recurrence. For Mississippi, both the incidence of maltreatment recurrence (4.6 percent) and the rate of child victims (5.3 per 1,000 children in the population) were in the bottom quartile of the State rankings. This suggests that the State’s definitions and laws pertaining to what constitutes maltreatment and what is necessary for substantiation may be related to its performance on the measure of maltreatment
recurrence.
Outcome 2. Reduce the incidence of child abuse and/or neglect in foster care
In CY 2002, Mississippi’s incidence of maltreatment in foster care was 0.59 percent, which is more than both the national standard (0.57 percent or less) and the national median (0.39 percent). Performance on this measure over time cannot be assessed because 2002 was the first year the State provided the necessary data to NCANDS. Information from the CFSR Final Report notes that some stakeholders in the State expressed the opinion that maltreatment in foster care may be the result of too many children being placed in a single foster home.
Outcome 3. Increase permanency for children in foster care
In FY 2002, 80.5 percent of children exiting foster care in Mississippi were discharged to a permanent home (which is less than the national median of 86.1 percent), and 66.9 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). In addition, 31.5 percent of the children emancipated from foster care were age 12 or younger at the time of entry into foster care, which is more than the national median of 26.9 percent. These findings suggest that Mississippi experiences challenges in achieving permanency for children exiting foster care. However, 83.6 percent of children with a diagnosed disability who exited foster care were discharged to a permanent home, which is more than the national median of 79.8 percent.
Performance improved from FY 1999 to FY 2002 with regard to the percentage of children emancipated from foster care who were age 12 or younger when they entered foster care (-14.6 percent change). However, performance declined with regard to: (1) the percentage of all children exiting foster care who were discharged to a permanent home (-12.1 percent change), and (2) the percentage of children exiting foster care to a permanent home who were older than age 12 when they entered foster care (-18.2 percent change). There was no change with regard to permanency for children with a diagnosed disability.
Outcome 4. Reduce time to reunification without increasing re-entry
In FY 2002, the percentage of all reunifications in Mississippi occurring within 12 months of a child’s entry into foster care was 56.8, 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 (-8.2 percent change). Information from the CFSR Final Report identifies the following as barriers to timely reunification: (1) lack of consistent effort on the part of the child welfare agency to achieve reunification in a timely manner, and (2) frequent situations in which the court does not approve the agency’s request for reunification.
Because the cross-State analysis found a substantial positive relationship between the percentage of reunifications within 12 months in the State and the percentage of children entering foster care who were re-entering within 12 months of a prior episode, Mississippi’s performance in FY 2002 with regard to reunifications within 12 months must be considered in the context of its reentry rate. For Mississippi, 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 4.6, which is less than both the national standard (8.6 or less) and the national median (9.9 percent). Thus, although Mississippi had a low percentage of reunifications in FY 2002 occurring within 12 months of entry into foster care, the State also had a low percentage of children entering foster care in FY 2002 who were re-entering within 12 months of a prior episode. Change in performance on the measure of foster care re-entry from FY 1999 to FY 2002 cannot be assessed because of possible data quality issues in prior years.
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 18.8, 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. Mississippi’s performance on this measure improved slightly from FY 2000 to FY 2002 (+6.1 percent change). Information in the CFSR Final Report identified the following as potential barriers to timely adoptions: (1) delays in attaining termination of parental rights (TPR); (2) delays in finalizing adoptions after TPR; and (3) a practice in some cases of maintaining the goal of reunification for long periods of time, even when the prognosis for reunification is low.
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 55.3, which is the lowest percentage in the Nation. Mississippi’s performance on this measure declined from FY 1999 to FY 2002 (-39.7 percent change). Information from the CFSR Final Report identifies the following as barriers to achieving placement stability: (1) the frequent use of shelter placements for children; (2) multiple placement disruptions due to the child’s behavior and lack of support for foster parents in dealing with behavioral issues; and (3) the lack of therapeutic foster care homes for children who need that level of care.
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 25.5, which is almost three times the national median of 8.6 percent. Mississippi’s performance on this measure declined from FY 1999 to FY 2002 (+10.0 percent change). Information from the CFSR Final Report suggests that performance on this measure may be attributed to the frequent use of shelter placements, both at entry into foster care and when placements disrupt.
