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Rhode Island
Context Data | Outcomes Data | State Comment | Federal Comment
Rhode Island [ 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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Rhode Island [ Outcomes Data ]
Rhode Island [ State Comment ]
Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth and Families
401-528-3548
- The data submitted to AFCARS for our children in foster care include not only traditional child welfare youth, but also juvenile
justice, children’s mental health, and developmentally disabled youth. We believe that this additional population impacts many
of the outcome measures including average length of stay (Measure 3), re-entry into foster care (Measure 4.2), as well as, the
number of youth in group care settings (Measure 7.1).
- AFCARS adoption data show 256 children adopted in FY2003 but AFCARS Foster Care data shows only 189 children
exiting to adoption. Programmed edits were changed in 2003 to improve the accuracy of data for children exiting foster care
to adoption. The correct number of children adopted is 256.
- Rhode Island data include indicated allegations of corporal punishment by foster parents which is prohibited by state law.
Institutional abuse includes the state’s juvenile correctional and detention facilities and private psychiatric hospitals. These
factors impact Outcome Measure 2.1.
Rhode Island strongly encourages the federal government to assist the states to use longitudinal analysis (e.g. follow entry cohorts), which more accurately describe our impact on the populations served.
Rhode Island [ Federal Comment ]
The following discussion focuses on Rhode Island’s performance with regard to each of the outcomes assessed in the Child Welfare Outcomes Annual Reports to Congress. The Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island’s performance on the Report to Congress Outcomes is provided in 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 plus or minus 5.0 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, Rhode Island’s rate of maltreatment recurrence within 6 months was 10.2 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 improved from 1999 to 2002 (-16 percent change). Findings reported in the CFSR Final Report suggest that maltreatment recurrence may be attributed to inconsistent practices with regard to (1) conducting adequate risk assessments; and (2) providing services to address risk issues, particularly parental substance abuse and mental illness, and domestic violence.
Outcome 2. Reduce the incidence of child abuse and/or neglect in foster care
In CY 2002, Rhode Island’s incidence of maltreatment in foster care was 1.10 percent, which is more than both the national standard (0.57 percent or less) and the national median (0.39 percent). Rhode Island’s performance on this measure improved from 1999 to 2002 (-52.4 percent change).
Outcome 3. Increase permanency for children in foster care
In FY 2002, 85.6 percent of children exiting foster care in Rhode Island were discharged to a permanent home (which is less than the national median of 86.1 percent), and 77.2 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). However, 74.5 percent of children exiting foster care who were older than age 12 at entry into foster care exited to a permanent home (which is more than the national median of 72.0 percent). Only 17.7 percent of the children emancipated from foster care were age 12 or younger at the time of entry into foster care, which is less than the national median of 26.9 percent. Rhode Island’s performance on most of the measures for outcome 3 either improved or showed no change. However, performance on the measure assessing the percentage of children emancipated from foster care who were age 12 or younger when they entered foster care declined from FY 1999 to FY 2002 (+52.6 percent).
These data suggest that Rhode Island is not consistently successful in ensuring that children exiting foster care are discharged to permanent homes. The CFSR Final Report identified the following as potential barriers to achieving permanency for children: (1) the goal of long-term foster care is sometimes established without a full exploration of alternative goals; (2) the courts and the agency tend to maintain the goal of reunification for too long a period of time even when the situation indicates that reunification is unlikely to be achieved; (3) children who enter foster care through the juvenile justice system are served by probation staff who often do not view their role as pursuing permanency; and (4) although there are provisions for subsidizing guardianship with relatives, the subsidy is less than the foster care payment rate.
Outcome 4. Reduce time to reunification without increasing re-entry
In FY 2002, the percentage of all reunifications in Rhode Island occurring within 12 months of a child’s entry into foster care was 66.1, 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 did not change from FY 1999 to FY 2002.
For Rhode Island, 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 19.2 percent, which is more than both the national standard (8.6 percent or less) and the national median (9.9 percent).
The cross-State analyses found a substantial positive relationship between performance on the measure of foster care re-entry and the percentage of children entering foster care in the State who were age 16 or older. States with a relatively high percentage of children age 16 and older entering foster care in FY 2002 tended to have a relatively high percentage of children entering foster care who were re-entering with 12 months of a prior episode. For Rhode Island, both the percentage of children entering foster care who were age 16 and older (19.4 percent) and the percentage of foster care re-entry (19.2 percent) were in the top quartile. One explanation for this is that children age 16 and older who enter foster care are often entering because of their own behaviors (or through the juvenile justice system) rather than as a result of maltreatment, and they may leave the foster care system before their behavior problems are fully resolved. This is particularly relevant to Rhode Island, because this State provides child welfare foster care services to children in the juvenile justice and mental health systems. Information from the CFSR Final Report indicates that stakeholders in the State believe that the State’s performance with regard to foster care re-entry may be attributed, in part, to the following: (1) a lack of sufficient post-reunification services to support the family, particularly when child behavior was the primary reason for entry into foster care, and (2) a tendency on the part of the agency and the courts to return children home “too soon.”
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 45.0, which is more than both the national standard of 32.0 percent or more and the national median of 23.0 percent. This percentage is difficult to interpret because there was a substantial discrepancy between the number of adoptions in FY 2002 reported in the State’s AFCARS Adoption data submission (256 adoptions) and the number of children exiting foster care to a finalized adoption reported in the State’s AFCARS Foster Care data submission (189 exits to a finalized adoption).
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 82.2, which is less than both the national standard (86.7 percent or more) and the national median (84.1 percent). Performance on this measure exhibited improvement from FY 1999 to FY 2002 (+7.2 percent change). CFSR findings identified the following as potential barriers to placement stability in the State: (1) a lack of sufficient placement resources to meet children’s needs; (2) an over-reliance on shelter care, even for young children; and (3) insufficient training and support in some instances for foster parents who are parenting children with behavioral problems.
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 19.7, which is more than the national median of 8.6 percent. Rhode Island’s performance on this measure declined from FY 1999 to FY 2002 (+9.9 percent change). Information in the CFSR final report suggests that performance on this measure may be attributed in part to the State’s reliance on shelter care, even for very young children.
