Arizona

Context Data | Outcomes Data | Federal Comment

Arizona [ Context Data ]

A. Context Statistics

General Child Population (Census Bureau)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Total children under 18 years	1,377,424	1,436,597	1,479,298	1,519,312
Race/Ethnicity (%)1
Alaska Native/American Indian	6.6	6.6	6.3	6.2
Asian	1.6	1.7	1.5	1.5
Black (non-Hispanic)	3.4	3.6	3.2	3.2
Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander	0.0	0.1	0.1	0.1
Hispanic (of any race)	36.1	36.7	36.3	37.1
White (non-Hispanic)	49.6	49.3	50.5	49.8
Two or more races	2.5	2.0	2.0	2.0
% Child population in poverty	19.6	22.3	19.3	19.1

Child Welfare Summary	2000	2001	2002	2003
Child maltreatment victims2	7,460	5,389	5,114	4,838
Children in foster care on 9/30	6,475	6,050	6,173	7,469
Children adopted	853	938	793	839

B. Child Maltreatment Data [National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS)]

	2000		2001		2002		2003
Overview Maltreatment Information	Number	Rate	Number	Rate	Number	Rate	Number	Rate
Children subject of an investigated report alleging child maltreatment	51,811	37.6 per 1,000	54,166	37.7 per 1,000	52,288	35.3 per 1,000	76,269	50.2 per 1,000
Total child maltreatment victims3	7,460	5.4 per 1,000	5,389	3.8 per 1,000	5,114	3.5 per 1,000	4,838	3.2 per 1,000
Child fatalities	7	0.5 per 100,000	13	0.9 per 100,000	21	1.4 per 100,000	14	0.9 per 100,000

1 Race/ethnicity data for 2001, 2002, and 2003 represent population estimates. Back
2 A child victim is defined as a child who is the subject of a substantiated or indicated maltreatment report. Back
3 Children with more than one report of substantiated or indicated maltreatment may be counted more than once. Back

Age of Child Victims (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
<1 year	17.6	18.8	12.0	15.5
1-5 years	27.7	28.4	31.7	32.2
6-10 years	26.1	26.1	26.8	24.7
11-15 years	23.0	22.1	24.0	22.5
16+ years	5.4	4.6	5.3	5.0
Unknown	0.2	0.0	0.1	0.0
Number	7,460	5,389	5,114	4,838

Race/Ethnicity of Child Victims (%)4	2000	2001	2002	2003
Alaska Native/American Indian	3.5	3.3	3.7	3.6
Asian	0.2	0.4	0.7	0.3
Black (non-Hispanic)	7.9	8.3	7.1	7.3
Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander	N/A	N/A	N/A	0.2
Hispanic (of any race)	33.9	33.4	36.0	34.9
White (non-Hispanic)	45.9	47.2	45.8	46.0
Two or more races	3.6	3.7	3.1	3.9
Unknown	5.0	3.7	3.6	3.7
Number	7,460	5,389	5,114	4,838

Maltreatment Types of Child Victims (%)5	2000	2001	2002	2003
Emotional abuse	1.5	0.7	0.9	0.9
Medical neglect	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Neglect	71.4	71.6	70.4	74.4
Physical abuse	24.5	25.3	24.9	22.2
Sexual abuse	7.5	6.1	7.7	6.0
Unknown/missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Other	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	7,460	5,389	5,114	4,838

4 Percentages may total more than 100 because Hispanics may be counted by Hispanic ethnicity and race. Back
5 Percentages may total more than 100 because children can be victims of more than one type of maltreatment. Back

C. Characteristics of Children in Foster Care [Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS): Foster Care File]

	In Foster Care on 10/1 FY				Entered Foster Care in FY				Exited Foster Care in FY				In Foster Care on 9/30 FY
	2000	2001	2002	2003	2000	2001	2002	2003	2000	2001	2002	2003	2000	2001	2002	2003
Total Number	6,887	6,264	5,902	6,057	4,644	4,515	5,049	6,208	5,056	4,729	4,778	4,796	6,475	6,050	6,173	7,469
Median length of stay (months)	19.1	18.3	16.1	13.8	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	9.4	9.6	7.7	7.1	18.0	15.8	13.7	11.0

	In Foster Care on 10/1 FY				Entered Foster Care in FY				Exited Foster Care in FY				In Foster Care on 9/30 FY
Age (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003	2000	2001	2002	2003	2000	2001	2002	2003	2000	2001	2002	2003
<1 year	4.2	4.6	5.1	5.7	14.1	13.0	13.3	16.9	5.2	4.3	4.8	6.7	4.8	5.2	5.8	7.5
1 year	5.6	6.1	6.3	7.0	6.9	6.5	6.9	6.5	5.8	6.3	6.8	6.5	6.1	6.3	7.0	7.9
2 years	5.7	5.2	5.7	5.9	5.2	6.6	6.6	7.5	6.7	6.6	6.8	8.0	5.2	5.7	5.9	6.5
3 years	5.5	4.9	5.2	5.5	5.4	4.9	5.8	6.2	6.0	5.7	6.2	6.5	4.9	5.2	5.5	5.8
4 years	4.8	5.1	4.2	4.9	4.9	5.1	4.9	5.5	5.3	5.7	5.0	5.9	5.0	4.2	4.9	5.4
5 years	5.4	4.8	4.5	3.7	4.3	4.5	4.4	4.9	5.2	5.3	4.8	5.2	4.7	4.5	3.7	4.4
6 years	5.3	4.4	4.4	4.6	4.7	4.9	5.0	4.5	5.4	5.0	5.1	4.4	4.4	4.4	4.5	4.1
7 years	4.7	4.7	4.2	4.1	4.7	4.1	4.3	4.9	5.9	4.5	4.6	4.9	4.7	4.1	4.1	4.5
8 years	5.0	4.3	4.4	3.9	4.2	4.1	3.7	3.9	4.5	4.8	4.6	4.0	4.3	4.4	4.0	4.3
9 years	5.0	4.8	4.3	3.9	4.4	3.8	3.6	3.5	4.5	4.1	3.8	3.8	4.7	4.2	3.9	3.6
10 years	5.2	4.9	4.5	3.7	4.0	4.2	4.0	3.4	4.0	4.1	4.5	3.4	4.8	4.5	3.8	3.8
11 years	5.3	5.3	4.5	4.3	4.3	3.7	3.9	4.1	4.6	4.6	4.1	3.7	5.3	4.5	4.3	3.7
12 years	5.3	5.2	5.4	4.3	4.4	4.8	4.0	3.7	4.0	4.6	4.1	3.9	5.3	5.4	4.3	4.3
13 years	6.0	6.2	5.6	5.3	5.3	5.2	5.1	4.3	4.3	4.3	4.5	4.0	6.2	5.7	5.4	4.4
14 years	6.0	7.0	7.0	6.3	6.6	6.8	6.2	5.1	5.1	5.8	5.4	4.6	7.1	7.0	6.4	5.4
15 years	6.2	6.9	7.7	7.5	6.4	7.4	7.1	5.3	5.2	6.1	6.0	4.9	7.0	7.9	7.5	6.3
16 years	6.9	6.7	7.4	8.6	6.0	6.1	6.7	5.5	5.3	5.9	5.9	5.5	6.7	7.3	8.7	7.4
17 years	6.2	7.0	6.9	7.4	4.1	4.3	4.4	4.2	6.2	5.2	7.4	9.8	7.0	6.8	7.4	7.5
18 years	1.2	1.3	2.2	1.9	<.1	0.1	<.1	<.1	5.8	6.5	4.5	2.9	1.4	2.1	1.9	1.7
19 years	0.4	0.2	0.6	1.0	0.0	0.0	<.1	0.0	0.7	0.4	0.6	0.5	0.3	0.6	1.0	0.8
20 years	0.1	<.1	0.1	0.3	0.0	0.0	<.1	0.0	0.3	<.1	0.3	0.5	<.1	<.1	0.3	0.6
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	<.1	<.1	0.0	<.1	<.1	<.1	<.1	<.1	<.1	0.0	0.0	<.1	0.0

	In Foster Care on 10/1 FY				Entered Foster Care in FY				Exited Foster Care in FY				In Foster Care on 9/30 FY
Race/Ethnicity (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003	2000	2001	2002	2003	2000	2001	2002	2003	2000	2001	2002	2003
Alaska Native/American Indian	2.8	2.4	2.3	2.1	3.4	4.1	3.8	3.3	3.8	4.1	4.0	3.0	2.5	2.3	2.1	2.5
Asian	<.1	<.1	<.1	<.1	<.1	0.2	0.2	0.3	0.1	<.1	0.3	<.1	<.1	<.1	<.1	0.2
Black (non-Hispanic)	12.5	12.5	10.8	9.7	9.1	7.5	7.6	7.7	9.5	9.9	8.9	8.7	12.4	10.8	9.7	8.7
Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander	0.0	0.0	0.0	<.1	0.0	0.1	<.1	0.2	0.0	0.1	<.1	<.1	0.0	0.0	<.1	0.1
Hispanic (of any race)	31.2	33.3	34.1	34.9	32.5	32.5	35.7	36.2	30.5	32.0	35.0	35.0	32.7	33.8	34.7	35.9
White (non-Hispanic)	48.5	46.1	46.6	47.4	48.4	48.4	45.9	44.6	50.5	47.2	44.9	46.0	46.9	46.9	47.4	46.0
Two or more races	4.7	5.1	5.0	4.5	4.0	4.3	3.6	4.8	4.2	4.8	4.0	4.7	4.7	4.8	4.6	4.6
Unknown	0.2	0.5	1.2	1.4	2.5	2.8	3.2	3.0	1.5	1.7	2.9	2.5	0.9	1.3	1.5	2.0
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0

D. Characteristics of Children "Waiting for Adoption"6 (AFCARS: Foster Care File)

Waiting for Adoption	2000	2001	2002	2003
Total waiting children	2,340	2,507	1,650	1,676
Numbers of waiting children whose parents' rights have been terminated	1,390	1,304	1,280	1,224

Age (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
<1 year	4.3	7.9	2.8	2.5
1 year	8.6	10.7	9.4	11.5
2 years	8.7	8.6	8.4	8.8
3 years	7.8	7.6	7.0	7.3
4 years	7.1	6.6	6.4	6.7
5 years	7.0	6.6	5.5	5.7
6 years	6.4	6.0	6.6	5.2
7 years	6.6	6.1	6.4	6.0
8 years	6.4	6.3	5.4	6.0
9 years	6.5	5.8	6.9	5.1
10 years	6.7	6.0	5.6	5.8
11 years	6.9	5.3	6.1	5.8
12 years	5.3	5.7	5.8	5.4
13 years	4.2	4.0	6.7	5.6
14 years	3.7	3.4	4.8	5.4
15 years	2.7	2.9	4.7	4.2
16 years	0.9	0.5	1.3	2.1
17 years	0.3	0.2	0.2	0.8
18 years	0.0	0.0	<.1	0.0
19 years	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
20+ years	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Missing data	—	—	—	—

Race/Ethnicity (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Alaska Native/American Indian	1.9	1.3	0.9	1.2
Asian	<.1	<.1	0.0	0.0
Black (non-Hispanic)	10.7	9.1	8.6	7.8
Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Hispanic (of any race)	36.9	36.3	35.4	35.4
White (non-Hispanic)	45.0	46.8	49.0	48.0
Two or more races	5.1	5.5	5.5	6.0
Unknown	0.4	1.0	0.7	1.6
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0

6 There is no Federal definition for a child waiting to be adopted. The definition used in the table above includes children who have a goal of adoption and/or whose parental rights have been terminated. It excludes children 16 years old and older whose parental rights have been terminated and who have a goal of emancipation. A State's own definition may differ from that used here. Furthermore, some numbers in this table may be lower than the numbers reported in the prior Child Welfare Outcomes reports. Only children with terminations prior to the end of the fiscal year of interest are included in the current table. Back

E. Characteristics of Children Adopted (AFCARS: Adoption File)

Adoptions	2000	2001	2002	2003
Total children adopted	853	938	793	839

Age (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
<1 year	0.7	0.9	2.1	2.1
1 year	6.0	5.9	10.3	11.6
2 years	11.8	13.4	12.5	14.5
3 years	9.8	11.3	10.0	10.8
4 years	8.4	10.0	7.8	7.4
5 years	8.4	8.5	8.1	7.7
6 years	8.4	7.2	6.8	7.7
7 years	8.6	7.0	6.6	6.6
8 years	7.5	5.9	6.9	5.4
9 years	6.4	5.8	5.8	5.5
10 years	6.0	4.4	5.5	3.7
11 years	5.5	6.2	5.4	3.9
12 years	4.0	4.9	3.9	4.2
13 years	4.0	2.6	3.8	2.9
14 years	2.3	2.2	1.8	2.7
15 years	0.8	1.6	1.1	1.8
16 years	0.9	1.6	0.6	1.0
17 years	0.2	0.6	0.9	0.5
18 years	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
19 years	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
20+ years	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Missing data	—	—	—	—

Race/Ethnicity (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Alaska Native/American Indian	2.5	1.5	1.4	0.7
Asian	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Black (non-Hispanic)	10.6	9.9	8.6	6.6
Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Hispanic (of any race)	25.8	38.3	40.6	38.9
White (non-Hispanic)	56.4	43.7	42.7	48.2
Two or more races	4.8	6.4	6.3	5.2
Unknown	0.0	0.2	0.4	0.5
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0

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Arizona [ Outcomes Data ]

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

1.1 Recurrence of Maltreatment Within 6 Months (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Children without a recurrence	93.9	96.0	96.5	96.6
Children with one or more recurrences	6.1	4.0	3.5	3.4
Number	3,558	2,461	2,353	2,237

2. Reduce the Incidence of Child Abuse and/or Neglect in Foster Care (NCANDS and AFCARS: Foster Care File, Jan.-Sept.)

2.1 Maltreatment in Foster Care (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Children maltreated while in foster care	0.34	0.17	0.25	<.1
Children not maltreated while in foster care	99.66	99.83	99.75	99.90
Number	10,450	9,647	9,760	11,296

3. Increase Permanency for Children in Foster Care (AFCARS: Foster Care File)

3.1 Exits of Children from Foster Care (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Adoption	18.4	18.7	17.0	17.6
Guardianship	0.5	5.7	12.9	12.4
Reunification	71.8	66.1	56.6	55.7
Other	9.3	9.5	13.6	14.2
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	5,056	4,729	4,778	4,796

3.2 Exits of Children with a Diagnosed Disability (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Adoption	19.5	24.0	25.1	28.7
Guardianship	0.0	7.0	13.3	11.6
Reunification	72.7	57.3	42.3	36.8
Other	7.8	11.8	19.3	22.8
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	128	805	1,353	1,555

3.3 Exits of Children Older than Age 12 at Entry into Foster Care (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Adoption	0.7	0.9	0.7	0.6
Guardianship	0.5	3.7	7.1	8.1
Reunification	71.3	70.9	63.9	58.2
Other	27.6	24.5	28.3	33.1
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	1,312	1,298	1,334	1,267

3.4 Exits to Emancipation (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Children age 12 or younger at entry	23.1	23.4	26.5	26.9
Children older than 12 at entry	76.9	76.6	73.5	73.1
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	450	363	400	412

3.5 Exits by Race/Ethnicity (%)	Alaska Native/Am. In.				Asian				Black (non-Hispanic)
	2000	2001	2002	2003	2000	2001	2002	2003	2000	2001	2002	2003
Adoption	13.6	5.1	4.7	4.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	20.9	17.1	16.2	14.4
Guardianship	0.0	4.1	14.5	11.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	25.0	0.2	7.1	13.4	13.6
Reunification	81.7	83.2	66.8	67.6	83.3	100.0	100.0	75.0	66.8	61.0	48.5	53.3
Other	4.7	7.7	14.0	17.2	16.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	12.1	14.8	21.9	18.7
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	191	196	193	145	6	3	12	4	479	467	425	418
	Native Hawaiian/Other Pac. Is.				Hispanic (of any race)				White (non-Hispanic)
	2000	2001	2002	2003	2000	2001	2002	2003	2000	2001	2002	2003
Adoption	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	16.2	22.7	19.6	19.3	20.0	17.3	16.4	18.4
Guardianship	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.6	4.8	13.2	14.7	0.4	6.1	12.0	10.8
Reunification	0.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	74.8	65.2	55.4	53.7	69.4	66.4	58.0	55.9
Other	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	8.4	7.3	11.8	12.3	10.2	10.2	13.5	14.9
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	0	6	1	3	1,543	1,514	1,671	1,677	2,553	2,234	2,143	2,204
	Unable to Determine				Two or more Races				Missing Data
	2000	2001	2002	2003	2000	2001	2002	2003	2000	2001	2002	2003
Adoption	2.7	2.4	2.9	4.1	19.5	26.9	25.4	19.6	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Guardianship	0.0	2.4	12.1	11.6	1.0	7.5	17.6	10.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Reunification	97.3	90.2	75.7	69.4	73.3	55.1	42.0	58.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Other	0.0	4.9	9.3	14.9	6.2	10.6	15.0	11.2	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	74	82	140	121	210	227	193	224	0	0	0	0

4. Reduce Time to Reunification Without Increasing Re-entry (AFCARS Foster Care File)

4.1 Time to Reunification (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Less than 12 mos.	71.5	73.7	83.8	85.0
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos.	15.0	15.0	11.6	11.1
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos.	8.0	5.2	2.7	2.1
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos.	2.8	2.8	0.8	0.7
48 or more mos.	2.7	3.1	1.1	1.1
Missing data	0.1	0.3	0.0	0.0
Number	3,632	3,127	2,704	2,673

4.2 Children Re-entering Foster Care (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Children entering care for the first time	84.7	80.5	79.7	82.8
Children re-entering care within 12 mos. of a prior episode	11.5	13.8	12.2	10.1
Children re-entering care more than 12 mos. after a prior episode	3.9	5.7	8.1	7.1
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	4,644	4,515	5,049	6,208

5. Reduce Time in Foster Care to Adoption (AFCARS Foster Care File)

5.1 Time to Adoption (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Less than 12 mos.	3.8	4.4	2.1	1.5
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos.	14.4	19.1	26.4	28.2
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos.	28.3	35.5	31.1	35.7
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos.	26.2	24.0	20.0	19.8
48 or more mos.	27.3	16.9	20.5	14.8
Missing data	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.0
Number	930	884	811	845

6. Increase Placement Stability (AFCARS Foster Care File)

6.1 Number of Placements by Time in Care (%)	In Care less than 12 Months				In Care at Least 12 Months but less than 24 Months				In Care for 24 Months or Longer				Missing Time in Care
	2000	2001	2002	2003	2000	2001	2002	2003	2000	2001	2002	2003	2000	2001	2002	2003
Children with 2 or fewer placements	82.4	82.4	83.5	83.0	51.5	49.8	51.0	50.5	29.6	25.8	21.3	20.4	66.7	15.4	94.7	100.0
Children with 3 or more placements	14.9	16.2	16.2	16.5	47.9	49.8	48.9	49.4	70.3	74.2	78.7	79.6	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	5,171	5,037	5,605	6,802	2,121	2,165	2,242	2,515	4,224	3,564	3,085	2,926	15	13	19	22

7. Reduce Placements of Young Children in Group Homes or Institutions (AFCARS Foster Care File)

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 (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Group homes	6.6	7.7	9.3	9.5
Institutions	20.6	23.1	25.0	19.3
Other settings	67.0	68.5	65.7	71.3
Missing data	5.7	0.7	0.0	0.0
Number	3,292	3,138	3,510	4,631

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Arizona [ Federal Comment ]

PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT

The following is a discussion of Arizona's performance on the national outcomes established for the Report to Congress. The discussion focuses on the State's performance in 2003 and on change in performance over time. Change over time was determined by calculating the percent change in performance from 2000 to 2003. A percent change that was less than 5.0 in either direction (i.e., positive or negative) was considered to represent "no change in performance."

Outcome 1. Reduce recurrence of child abuse and/or neglect

In 2003, only 3.4 percent of the children who were victims of maltreatment during the first 6 months of the year experienced another maltreatment incident within a 6-month period (measure 1.1). This percent not only is less than the national median of 7.1 percent, but also represents an improvement in performance on this measure from 2000 to 2003 (-44.3 percent change).

A corresponding change occurred with regard to the State's child victim rate. There was a decrease in the child victim rate from 5.4 per 1,000 children in the population in 2000 to 3.2 per 1,000 children in the population in 2003. Arizona's child victim rate for 2003 was the second lowest rate in the nation.

Outcome 2. Reduce the incidence of child abuse and/or neglect in foster care

In 2003, only 0.10 percent of children in foster care in Arizona were found to be victims of maltreatment by foster parents or facility staff members measure 2.1), which is less than the national median of 0.39 percent. In addition, this performance on this measure improved from 2000 to 2003 (-70.6 percent change).

Outcome 3. Increase permanency for children in foster care

In 2003, 85.7 percent of children exiting foster care in Arizona were discharged to a permanent home (measure 3.1), which is about equal to the national median of 86.3 percent. Also in 2003, 77.1 percent of the children exiting foster care who had a diagnosed disability were discharged to a permanent home (measure 3.2), which is slightly less than the national median of 79.5 percent. In contrast, only 66.9 percent of the children exiting foster care in 2003 who were older than age 12 when they entered foster care were discharged to a permanent home (measure 3.3). This percent not only is less than the national median of 72.2 percent, but also represents a decline in performance from 2000 to 2003 (-7.7 percent change).

With regard to ensuring that children who are emancipated from foster care (either through legal action or because they reach the age of majority) do not spend most of their formative years in foster care, 26.9 percent of the children reported as emancipated from foster care in 2003 entered foster care when they were age 12 or younger (measure 3.4). Although this percentage is slightly less than the national median of 29.6 percent, it represents a decline in performance from 2000 to 2003 (+16.5 percent change).

The data also indicate that many children emancipated from foster care in Arizona are younger than age 18 at the time of their emancipation. In 2003, 187 of the children exiting foster care were age 18 or older at the time of exit. However, 412 children exiting foster care in that year were reported to have a discharge reason of emancipation.

There were no substantive differences in 2003 with regard to exits to permanency as a function of children's race or ethnicity (measure 3.5). (This was assessed only when a particular race or ethnicity accounted for at least 10 percent of the exits from foster care.) Alaska Native/American Indian children exiting foster care were as likely to be discharged to a permanent home (82.7 percent) as were White (non-Hispanic) children (85.1 percent), Black (non-Hispanic) children (81.3 percent), and Hispanic children (87.7 percent). However, the percent of Black (non-Hispanic) children in the foster care population in 2003 (8.7 percent) was more than twice the percent of those children in the State's child population (3.2 percent).

Outcome 4. Reduce time in foster care to reunification without increasing re-entry

In 2003, 85 percent of all reunifications in the State occurred within 12 months of a child's entry into foster care (measure 4.1). This percent not only exceeds the national median of 72.0 percent, but also represents an improvement in performance on this measure from 2000 to 2003 (+18.9 percent change). In addition, only 1.8 percent of reunifications occurred after the child had been in foster care for at least 36 months, which is less than the national median of 3.5 percent.

Although Arizona had a relatively high percentage of reunifications in 2003 that occurred within 12 months of a child's entry into foster care, the State also had a relatively high percentage of children entering foster care in 2003 who were re-entering within 12 months of a prior episode. In 2003, 10.1 percent of children entering foster care in Arizona were re-entering within 12 months of a prior episode (measure 4.2), which is higher than the national median of 9.5 percent. However, performance on this measure exhibited improvement from 2000 to 2003 (-12.2 percent change). An additional finding for 2003 was that 7.1 percent of the children entering foster care were re-entering more than 12 months after a prior episode. This percentage represents a substantial increase from 2000 to 2003 (+82.1 percent change). Consequently, 17.2 percent of the children entering foster care in 2003 had been in foster care at a prior time.

Outcome 5. Reduce time in foster care to adoption

In 2003, 29.7 percent of all finalized adoptions in Arizona occurred within 24 months of a child's entry into foster care (measure 5.1). This percent not only exceeds the national median of 23.9 percent, but also represents an improvement in performance on the measure from 2000 to 2003 (+62.2 percent change).

Outcome 6. Increase placement stability

In 2003, 83.0 percent of the children in foster care for less than 12 months experienced no more than two placement settings (measure 6.1), which is about equal to the national median of 84.2 percent. However, only 50.5 percent of the children in foster care for at least 12 months, but less than 24 months, experienced no more than two placement settings, which is less than the national median of 59.1 percent.

Outcome 7. Reduce placements of young children in group homes and institutions

In 2003, 28.8 percent of the children entering foster care in Arizona who were age 12 or younger were placed in a group home or institution (measure 7.1). This percent not only far exceeds the national median of 8.3 percent, but also represents a decline in performance on this measure from 2000 to 2003 (+5.9 percent change).

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