Florida

Context Data | Outcomes Data | Federal Comment

Florida [ Context Data ]

A. Context Statistics

General Child Population (Census Bureau)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Total children under 18 years	3,665,040	3,787,039	3,856,739	3,924,123
Race/Ethnicity (%)1
Alaska Native/American Indian	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3
Asian	1.7	1.8	1.7	1.7
Black (non-Hispanic)	20.6	21.2	20.0	20.0
Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander	0.0	<.1	<.1	<.1
Hispanic (of any race)	19.3	19.9	19.5	20.1
White (non-Hispanic)	55.4	55.0	56.9	56.2
Two or more races	2.4	1.8	1.6	1.7
% Child population in poverty	16.1	18.8	16.5	19.2

Child Welfare Summary	2000	2001	2002	2003
Child maltreatment victims2	95,849	124,134	122,131	138,499
Children in foster care on 9/30	36,608	32,477	31,963	30,677
Children adopted	1,629	1,508	2,309	2,786

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	205,179	56.0 per 1,000	266,502	70.4 per 1,000	254,856	66.1 per 1,000	351,499	89.6 per 1,000
Total child maltreatment victims3	95,849	26.1 per 1,000	124,134	32.8 per 1,000	122,131	31.7 per 1,000	138,499	35.3 per 1,000
Child fatalities	65	1.8 per 100,000	91	2.4 per 100,000	97	2.5 per 100,000	101	2.6 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	9.3	8.8	9.3	9.3
1-5 years	30.4	31.0	31.8	32.3
6-10 years	30.1	29.5	28.1	27.7
11-15 years	24.1	24.6	24.6	24.6
16+ years	6.0	6.1	6.2	6.1
Unknown	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	95,849	124,134	122,131	138,499

Race/Ethnicity of Child Victims (%)4	2000	2001	2002	2003
Alaska Native/American Indian	0.1	0.1	0.1	0.2
Asian	0.4	0.3	0.3	0.3
Black (non-Hispanic)	29.9	30.1	30.4	31.2
Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander	N/A	N/A	N/A	0.0
Hispanic (of any race)	7.2	7.8	8.2	9.4
White (non-Hispanic)	61.4	60.7	60.1	57.8
Two or more races	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.1
Unknown	0.9	0.9	0.9	1.0
Number	95,849	124,134	122,131	138,499

Maltreatment Types of Child Victims (%)5	2000	2001	2002	2003
Emotional abuse	3.4	3.4	2.9	2.4
Medical neglect	2.2	2.0	1.9	1.9
Neglect	35.9	33.7	32.4	30.2
Physical abuse	16.0	15.8	14.5	13.9
Sexual abuse	5.7	5.2	4.9	4.5
Unknown/missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Other	61.6	63.3	66.0	67.3
Number	95,849	124,134	122,131	138,499

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	33,353	30,865	28,503	31,712	18,765	18,673	20,800	20,549	15,510	17,061	17,340	21,585	36,608	32,477	31,963	30,677
Median length of stay (months)	14.3	14.4	14.4	12.9	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	14.7	13.8	12.2	12.1	14.8	13.9	12.4	12.4

	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	5.9	5.8	5.8	6.2	17.8	16.0	16.1	16.6	3.8	3.9	3.9	4.3	5.8	5.8	6.4	6.8
1 year	7.3	7.6	7.5	7.6	7.7	7.7	7.4	7.5	7.4	7.3	7.0	7.2	7.5	7.6	7.8	8.0
2 years	6.8	7.0	7.5	7.4	6.7	7.1	7.1	7.1	7.3	7.2	7.6	7.5	7.0	7.5	7.4	7.6
3 years	6.0	6.7	6.7	6.8	5.8	6.0	6.1	6.5	6.7	7.0	7.2	7.2	6.6	6.8	6.8	7.0
4 years	5.9	5.7	5.8	6.2	5.5	5.6	5.9	6.1	6.1	6.6	6.3	6.7	5.7	6.0	6.3	6.2
5 years	6.1	5.6	5.3	5.7	5.7	5.7	5.6	5.5	6.2	6.0	5.9	6.1	5.6	5.3	5.7	5.6
6 years	5.9	5.9	4.9	5.0	5.6	5.3	4.9	5.0	6.3	6.2	5.2	5.7	5.8	5.2	5.0	5.2
7 years	6.1	5.6	5.4	4.9	5.5	5.1	5.0	4.7	6.1	5.7	5.1	4.9	5.6	5.4	4.8	4.8
8 years	6.1	5.9	5.4	5.1	5.2	5.5	4.8	4.5	6.1	6.1	5.7	5.2	5.8	5.5	5.1	4.6
9 years	5.6	5.8	5.5	5.0	5.2	5.0	4.6	4.5	5.8	5.7	5.2	4.8	5.6	5.5	5.0	4.7
10 years	5.2	5.4	5.4	5.1	4.9	4.9	4.6	4.4	5.3	5.1	5.2	4.9	5.3	5.5	5.0	4.7
11 years	4.9	5.0	5.1	5.1	4.3	4.6	4.4	4.3	4.7	5.1	4.9	4.6	5.0	5.1	5.0	4.9
12 years	4.7	4.9	4.8	5.0	4.3	4.6	4.6	4.4	4.6	4.7	4.6	4.6	4.8	4.8	5.0	4.9
13 years	4.6	4.5	5.1	4.9	4.1	4.3	4.8	4.7	3.8	4.1	4.6	4.3	4.7	4.9	4.9	5.0
14 years	4.4	4.6	4.8	5.0	3.6	4.0	4.7	4.6	3.8	3.9	4.6	4.5	4.5	4.4	4.9	5.0
15 years	4.6	4.5	4.9	4.8	3.7	3.7	3.9	4.3	3.6	3.8	4.5	3.9	4.4	4.6	4.7	5.3
16 years	4.4	4.6	4.6	4.6	2.7	3.1	3.4	3.5	3.3	3.5	3.8	3.4	4.5	4.3	4.5	5.0
17 years	3.7	3.6	3.9	4.1	1.5	1.5	1.8	1.8	3.7	3.1	4.9	6.1	3.7	3.9	3.9	4.4
18 years	1.0	0.9	0.9	0.9	0.1	<.1	<.1	<.1	4.6	4.1	2.9	2.7	1.3	1.1	1.0	<.1
19 years	0.4	0.3	0.4	0.3	<.1	<.1	<.1	<.1	0.5	0.4	0.5	0.7	0.4	0.4	0.4	<.1
20 years	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	<.1	<.1	0.0	0.0	0.3	0.2	0.1	0.4	0.2	0.2	0.2	<.1
Missing data	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	<.1	<.1	<.1	<.1	0.3	0.2	0.3	0.4	0.2	0.2	0.2	<.1

	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	0.1	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.1	0.1	0.2	0.3	0.1	0.2	0.1	0.3	0.1	0.1	0.2	0.2
Asian	0.1	0.1	0.1	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.3	0.3	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2	<.1	0.1	0.2	0.2
Black (non-Hispanic)	47.4	44.9	44.6	42.7	39.1	38.8	36.9	37.7	41.7	40.7	39.9	38.4	45.6	43.6	42.2	42.4
Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander	<.1	<.1	<.1	<.1	<.1	<.1	<.1	<.1	0.0	<.1	<.1	<.1	<.1	<.1	<.1	<.1
Hispanic (of any race)	9.0	8.9	8.4	8.7	8.8	7.9	8.6	8.7	7.6	8.8	8.4	8.2	9.4	8.3	8.5	9.0
White (non-Hispanic)	40.2	42.5	44.0	45.5	48.9	50.4	51.5	51.0	47.6	46.6	48.8	50.3	41.6	44.9	46.2	45.8
Two or more races	2.9	3.2	2.4	2.1	2.5	1.9	1.5	1.3	2.4	3.1	1.9	1.9	2.9	2.5	2.0	1.8
Unknown	0.2	0.3	0.4	0.5	0.4	0.7	1.0	0.6	0.3	0.4	0.6	0.6	0.3	0.4	0.7	0.5
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	5,395	7,696	8,115	8,174
Numbers of waiting children whose parents' rights have been terminated	0	3,130	3,558	4,351

Age (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
<1 year	2.9	3.8	2.9	3.1
1 year	6.6	7.7	5.7	5.7
2 years	7.3	8.1	7.5	7.2
3 years	7.0	7.7	6.8	7.1
4 years	6.3	6.3	6.7	6.3
5 years	5.7	5.4	6.2	5.8
6 years	6.3	5.3	5.2	5.0
7 years	6.5	5.6	5.0	5.0
8 years	7.4	6.0	5.7	4.9
9 years	7.3	6.3	5.7	5.9
10 years	7.0	6.7	6.1	5.6
11 years	6.3	6.4	6.6	6.3
12 years	6.1	5.6	6.3	6.7
13 years	6.0	5.7	5.6	6.4
14 years	4.7	4.8	6.0	5.8
15 years	2.7	3.9	5.1	5.9
16 years	2.2	2.5	3.7	4.5
17 years	1.2	1.8	2.3	2.9
18 years	0.4	0.3	0.6	<.1
19 years	<.1	0.1	0.1	<.1
20+ years	<.1	<.1	<.1	0.0
Missing data	—	—	—	—

Race/Ethnicity (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Alaska Native/American Indian	<.1	0.2	0.3	0.2
Asian	<.1	<.1	<.1	<.1
Black (non-Hispanic)	48.4	45.1	46.5	45.4
Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander	<.1	<.1	<.1	<.1
Hispanic (of any race)	10.9	9.4	9.8	9.6
White (non-Hispanic)	36.2	41.4	39.9	41.2
Two or more races	3.9	3.4	3.0	3.0
Unknown	0.4	0.4	0.5	0.6
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	1,629	1,508	2,309	2,786

Age (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
<1 year	1.5	1.8	1.8	1.3
1 year	9.6	9.6	10.1	7.7
2 years	12.9	12.0	13.0	11.8
3 years	10.1	12.6	12.5	12.4
4 years	7.6	9.3	8.5	11.0
5 years	8.8	7.8	7.5	8.3
6 years	7.3	7.9	6.1	7.4
7 years	7.0	6.7	6.0	5.5
8 years	7.4	6.4	5.1	5.6
9 years	5.6	5.7	6.6	5.1
10 years	6.4	4.8	4.8	4.7
11 years	4.7	4.3	4.3	5.0
12 years	3.3	2.5	4.4	4.2
13 years	3.1	2.9	3.0	3.2
14 years	1.7	2.0	2.3	2.0
15 years	1.2	1.4	1.9	2.0
16 years	0.9	1.0	1.2	1.7
17 years	0.6	1.2	0.7	0.8
18 years	0.2	<.1	0.2	0.2
19 years	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
20+ years	0.0	<.1	<.1	0.0
Missing data	—	—	—	—

Race/Ethnicity (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Alaska Native/American Indian	0.0	0.1	0.1	0.6
Asian	<.1	0.0	0.0	0.1
Black (non-Hispanic)	35.1	35.5	35.6	34.1
Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander	0.0	0.0	0.0	<.1
Hispanic (of any race)	15.2	13.5	9.3	8.8
White (non-Hispanic)	45.0	45.6	50.2	51.8
Two or more races	3.7	5.0	4.2	3.6
Unknown	0.9	0.4	0.5	0.8
Missing data	<.1	0.0	0.0	0.0

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Florida [ 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	93.3	91.6	91.3	90.8
Children with one or more recurrences	6.7	8.4	8.7	9.2
Number	42,749	51,084	56,714	57,625

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	0.14	0.32	0.52	0.40
Children not maltreated while in foster care	99.86	99.68	99.48	99.60
Number	49,176	43,917	45,534	46,909

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	10.3	8.8	11.1	12.9
Guardianship	1.7	2.3	3.8	3.8
Reunification	78.1	80.8	77.6	73.3
Other	9.9	8.0	7.3	8.7
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.2	1.3
Number	15,510	17,061	17,340	21,585

3.2 Exits of Children with a Diagnosed Disability (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Adoption	21.3	19.1	26.6	29.8
Guardianship	1.9	2.3	2.7	3.9
Reunification	61.4	63.0	56.2	46.0
Other	15.5	15.6	14.4	19.4
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.1	0.9
Number	1,782	1,823	2,092	2,574

3.3 Exits of Children Older than Age 12 at Entry into Foster Care (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Adoption	0.6	1.0	1.0	1.4
Guardianship	2.8	3.1	4.6	4.7
Reunification	63.0	68.8	66.5	60.2
Other	33.5	27.1	27.6	32.3
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.2	1.5
Number	2,386	2,742	3,347	4,092

3.4 Exits to Emancipation (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Children age 12 or younger at entry	32.6	28.5	21.2	26.9
Children older than 12 at entry	67.3	71.5	78.8	73.1
Missing data	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	900	828	939	1,594

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	11.8	7.7	11.5	28.1	5.7	0.0	0.0	6.7	8.4	7.3	10.1	11.4
Guardianship	0.0	0.0	11.5	1.6	0.0	0.0	6.7	4.4	1.6	1.9	3.8	4.1
Reunification	82.4	69.2	73.1	65.6	88.6	94.6	90.0	77.8	79.2	82.0	77.7	72.1
Other	5.9	23.1	3.8	1.6	5.7	5.4	3.3	11.1	10.8	8.7	8.2	10.7
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	3.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.2	1.7
Number	17	26	26	64	35	37	30	45	6,469	6,946	6,917	8,282
	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	7.7	17.4	12.2	11.7	13.8	10.0	9.0	11.5	13.2
Guardianship	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.9	3.9	3.3	3.3	1.8	2.5	3.8	3.9
Reunification	0.0	66.7	100.0	92.3	69.0	74.5	75.8	70.5	79.1	81.3	78.2	74.8
Other	0.0	33.3	0.0	0.0	12.6	9.4	9.1	11.2	9.0	7.2	6.3	7.0
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	<.1	1.2	0.0	0.0	0.2	1.1
Number	0	3	2	13	1,182	1,505	1,463	1,770	7,376	7,951	8,459	10,866
	Unable to Determine				Two or more Races				Missing Data
	2000	2001	2002	2003	2000	2001	2002	2003	2000	2001	2002	2003
Adoption	9.6	5.8	8.3	16.4	24.5	17.7	23.9	24.9	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Guardianship	1.9	1.4	5.6	2.1	1.6	1.3	2.1	1.2	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Reunification	75.0	81.2	79.6	77.1	69.7	75.2	69.0	67.4	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Other	13.5	11.6	6.5	2.9	4.2	5.7	5.1	5.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.4	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	52	69	108	140	379	524	335	405	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.	48.0	50.2	57.7	60.7
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos.	28.5	31.0	26.4	27.1
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos.	10.4	9.4	9.2	6.7
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos.	4.7	3.9	3.1	2.8
48 or more mos.	7.7	5.2	3.3	2.4
Missing data	0.8	0.4	0.3	0.1
Number	12,120	13,788	13,464	15,817

4.2 Children Re-entering Foster Care (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Children entering care for the first time	88.2	86.2	85.6	84.0
Children re-entering care within 12 mos. of a prior episode	7.6	5.3	6.9	8.2
Children re-entering care more than 12 mos. after a prior episode	4.2	2.2	2.3	5.1
Missing data	0.0	6.2	5.2	2.7
Number	18,765	18,673	20,800	20,549

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.	4.1	10.1	4.8	4.3
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos.	17.6	19.5	23.4	18.4
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos.	25.1	26.0	27.6	28.3
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos.	18.3	17.1	18.7	20.7
48 or more mos.	34.8	27.2	25.5	28.3
Missing data	<.1	<.1	0.0	0.0
Number	1,593	1,506	1,931	2,775

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	82.9	86.4	84.4	83.4	75.9	78.9	75.5	69.9	59.1	60.9	53.6	47.0	76.2	53.8	41.4	77.1
Children with 3 or more placements	7.9	8.1	11.6	13.9	18.6	18.0	24.2	29.9	36.8	37.4	46.2	52.9	2.4	1.3	0.9	0.7
Number	21,641	22,371	24,183	25,668	13,575	12,156	10,867	12,133	16,776	14,933	14,137	14,321	126	78	116	140

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	0.9	1.4	1.7	1.8
Institutions	0.3	4.2	5.0	5.0
Other settings	75.0	90.5	93.2	93.1
Missing data	23.7	3.9	<.1	0.1
Number	13,744	14,790	16,511	16,353

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Florida [ Federal Comment ]

PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT

The following is a discussion of Florida'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, 9.2 percent of the children in Florida 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 exceeds the national median of 7.1 percent, but also represents a decline in performance on this measure from 2000 to 2003 (+37.3 percent change).

The increase in the percent of victims experiencing a maltreatment recurrence within 6 months was matched by an increase in Florida's child victim rate from 2000 to 2003. The child victim rate in Florida increased from 26.1 child victims per 1,000 children in the State population in 2000 to 35.3 child victims per 1,000 children in the population in 2003. Both rates exceed the national median of 10.6 children per 1,000 children in the population.

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

In 2003, 0.40 percent of children in foster care in Florida were found to be victims of maltreatment by foster parents or facility staff members (measure 2.1). This percent not only exceeds the national median of 0.39 percent, but also represents a decline in performance on this measure from 2000 to 2003 (+185.7 percent change).

Outcome 3. Increase permanency for children in foster care

In 2003, 90.0 percent of children exiting foster care in Florida were discharged to a permanent home (measure 3.1), which exceeds the national median of 86.3 percent. Also, 79.7 percent of the children exiting foster care who had a diagnosed disability were discharged to a permanent home (measure 3.2), which is about equal to the national median of 79.5 percent. In contrast, only 66.3 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), which is less than the national median of 72.2 percent.

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 in 2003 as emancipated from foster care (either through legal action or because they reach the age of majority) entered foster care when they were age 12 or younger (measure 3.4). This percent is slightly less than the national median of 29.6 percent but represents an improvement in performance on the measure from 2000 to 2003 (-17.5 percent change).

The data regarding exits to emancipation suggest that a fairly large number of children are discharged from foster care to emancipation prior to their 18th birthday. In 2003, for example, 820 of the children exiting foster care were age 18 or older at the time of exit. However, 1,594 children were reported as exiting foster care to emancipation.

There were slight differences in exits to permanency in 2003 as a function of children's race or ethnicity (measure 3.5). Black (non-Hispanic) children exiting foster care (87.6 percent) and Hispanic children exiting foster care (87.6) were slightly less likely to be discharged to a permanent home than were White (non-Hispanic) children exiting foster care (91.9 percent). However, the percentage of Black (non-Hispanic) children in foster care in 2003 (42.4 percent) was more than twice the percentage of these children in the State's child population (20.0 percent).

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

In 2003, 60.7 percent of reunifications in Florida occurred within 12 months of a child's entry into foster care (measure 4.1). Although this is less than the national median of 72.0 percent, it represents improved performance from 2000 to 2003 (+26.5 percent change). Also in 2003, although 5.2 percent of reunifications occurred after the child had been in foster care for at least 36 months, which exceeds the national median of 3.5 percent, performance on this measure also improved from 2000 to 2003 (-58.1 percent change).

With regard to re-entry into foster care, in 2003, 8.2 percent of children entering foster care in Florida were re-entering within 12 months of a prior episode (measure 4.2). Although this percent is less than the national median of 9.5 percent, it represents a decline in performance on the measure from 2000 to 2003.

Outcome 5. Reduce time in foster care to adoption

In 2003, 22.7 percent of all finalized adoptions in Florida occurred within 24 months of a child's entry into foster care, which is less than the national median of 23.9 percent (measure 5.1). There was no change in performance on this measure from 2000 to 2003.

Outcome 6. Increase placement stability

In 2003, 83.4 percent of the children in foster care for less than 12 months experienced no more than two placement settings, which is slightly less than the national median of 84.2 percent (measure 6.1). However, 69.9 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 exceeds the national median for this measure of 59.1 percent.

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

In 2003, 6.8 percent of the children entering foster care in Florida who were age 12 or younger were placed in a group home or institution (measure 7.1). Although this percent is less than the national median of 8.3 percent, it represents a decline in performance on this measure from 2000 to 2003 (+21.4 percent change).

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