Hawaii

Context Data | Outcomes Data | Federal Comment

Hawaii [ Context Data ]

A. Context Statistics

General Child Population (Census Bureau)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Total children under 18 years	295,515	293,610	294,956	297,142
Race/Ethnicity (%)1
Alaska Native/American Indian	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2
Asian	40.9	33.3	32.2	32.5
Black (non-Hispanic)	1.8	2.1	2.1	2.3
Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander	0.0	9.5	11.1	10.8
Hispanic (of any race)	11.9	12.3	11.5	11.7
White (non-Hispanic)	15.0	17.6	15.9	16.0
Two or more races	29.9	25.0	27.0	26.5
% Child population in poverty	13.9	15.9	14.4	12.0

Child Welfare Summary	2000	2001	2002	2003
Child maltreatment victims2	3,533	3,982	3,744	4,046
Children in foster care on 9/30	2,401	2,584	2,762	2,967
Children adopted	280	260	366	318

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	6,184	20.9 per 1,000	7,334	25.0 per 1,000	7,318	24.8 per 1,000	8,230	27.7 per 1,000
Total child maltreatment victims3	3,533	12.0 per 1,000	3,982	13.6 per 1,000	3,744	12.7 per 1,000	4,046	13.6 per 1,000
Child fatalities	3	1.0 per 100,000	3	1.0 per 100,000	7	2.4 per 100,000	6	2.0 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	13.6	14.4	14.6	13.6
1-5 years	28.8	30.7	28.4	28.2
6-10 years	28.6	27.0	26.8	27.1
11-15 years	22.7	21.6	23.5	24.1
16+ years	5.9	6.0	6.3	6.5
Unknown	0.4	0.2	0.3	0.5
Number	3,533	3,982	3,744	4,046

Race/Ethnicity of Child Victims (%)4	2000	2001	2002	2003
Alaska Native/American Indian	0.2	0.2	0.1	0.1
Asian	46.5	41.9	35.3	11.5
Black (non-Hispanic)	1.7	1.5	1.3	1.7
Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander	N/A	N/A	N/A	19.8
Hispanic (of any race)	2.0	1.9	1.6	1.5
White (non-Hispanic)	10.8	9.0	10.9	9.5
Two or more races	22.1	30.9	34.1	26.2
Unknown	16.7	14.6	16.7	23.4
Number	3,533	3,982	3,744	4,046

Maltreatment Types of Child Victims (%)5	2000	2001	2002	2003
Emotional abuse	3.2	4.2	3.3	2.5
Medical neglect	1.6	1.8	2.2	1.6
Neglect	14.6	16.2	18.5	16.9
Physical abuse	13.7	13.6	12.7	11.9
Sexual abuse	7.0	7.0	6.6	5.7
Unknown/missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Other	84.3	86.5	87.1	88.2
Number	3,533	3,982	3,744	4,046

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	2,154	2,311	2,509	2,666	1,929	2,193	2,350	2,409	1,682	1,920	2,097	2,108	2,401	2,584	2,762	2,967
Median length of stay (months)	13.4	12.3	11.7	11.7	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	8.5	7.7	7.0	7.1	12.2	11.4	11.4	12.2

	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	5.6	8.0	7.9	8.5	15.9	16.7	17.2	15.9	6.1	7.8	6.3	7.7	8.0	8.0	8.6	7.4
1 year	7.0	6.2	7.7	8.2	6.8	6.6	6.0	6.0	6.9	6.7	7.9	7.2	6.3	7.7	8.3	7.5
2 years	6.0	6.4	6.5	5.9	5.5	6.2	5.4	5.0	6.4	6.2	6.8	6.9	6.3	6.5	5.9	7.0
3 years	5.7	4.9	6.0	5.4	4.9	5.0	4.9	5.6	5.9	5.2	4.7	5.6	5.0	5.9	5.4	4.9
4 years	6.0	5.4	4.9	5.9	5.5	4.4	5.6	6.0	5.5	4.9	6.0	5.8	5.2	4.8	5.9	5.7
5 years	6.0	5.8	5.0	5.1	5.4	5.3	6.3	4.2	5.6	6.3	6.8	5.2	6.1	5.0	5.1	5.3
6 years	6.1	5.3	5.4	4.8	4.9	4.8	4.7	4.6	5.8	4.8	4.8	5.1	5.3	5.2	4.7	4.7
7 years	5.7	5.6	5.6	4.5	5.2	6.1	4.6	4.5	5.8	5.6	5.4	4.2	5.5	5.6	4.5	4.8
8 years	4.7	5.4	5.8	5.5	4.9	4.5	4.8	5.3	5.3	5.3	5.1	4.4	5.2	5.6	5.5	5.1
9 years	5.9	4.9	4.8	5.1	5.8	4.5	4.6	5.1	5.2	4.8	5.1	5.2	5.2	4.8	5.1	5.9
10 years	5.2	5.5	4.8	4.6	5.1	5.5	4.3	4.9	5.9	5.0	5.0	4.0	5.7	4.9	4.6	4.6
11 years	3.9	4.8	5.6	5.0	4.4	4.5	5.0	4.3	4.3	4.8	4.1	4.2	4.7	5.6	5.0	5.3
12 years	4.2	4.1	4.6	5.8	4.7	4.2	4.6	5.6	4.3	4.7	4.8	6.0	4.4	4.6	5.8	5.1
13 years	4.2	4.4	4.1	5.1	4.4	5.0	5.3	5.4	3.6	3.8	4.0	5.0	4.4	4.3	5.1	5.7
14 years	5.2	4.9	5.1	4.5	4.9	4.6	4.6	4.9	3.7	4.1	4.1	4.3	5.0	4.8	4.6	5.1
15 years	5.8	5.4	5.6	5.8	4.3	4.9	4.7	4.9	5.0	4.4	4.8	5.0	5.2	6.0	5.6	5.0
16 years	6.5	5.9	5.1	5.0	4.5	4.1	3.9	5.0	3.6	4.4	4.4	4.6	5.7	5.3	4.9	5.9
17 years	6.3	6.5	5.2	4.9	2.8	2.9	3.4	2.7	6.2	3.5	6.3	8.7	6.2	5.0	4.9	4.8
18 years	0.1	0.4	0.4	0.3	0.0	<.1	<.1	<.1	4.7	7.7	3.3	0.9	0.4	0.4	0.3	0.3
19 years	0.0	0.0	0.0	<.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	<.1	0.1	<.1	0.0	0.0	<.1	<.1
20 years	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	<.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Missing data	<.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	<.1	<.1	<.1	0.0	0.1	0.1	<.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	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	1.4	1.0	0.7	0.6	0.6	0.4	<.1	0.2	1.0	0.7	<.1	0.4	1.1	0.7	0.6	0.4
Asian	21.1	21.7	19.8	16.3	23.1	17.8	13.8	13.2	23.1	20.5	17.8	15.5	21.3	19.3	16.2	14.3
Black (non-Hispanic)	2.3	2.4	1.9	1.5	2.4	1.9	1.7	1.4	2.3	2.6	2.1	2.0	2.4	1.9	1.6	1.1
Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander	50.3	41.5	34.8	31.2	32.6	27.6	25.9	26.0	41.4	34.1	29.0	28.1	42.3	35.2	31.6	29.2
Hispanic (of any race)	2.7	2.3	2.0	2.0	1.9	2.4	1.9	1.8	2.5	2.8	2.2	2.1	2.2	2.1	1.8	1.7
White (non-Hispanic)	12.7	11.2	10.7	9.6	11.2	12.5	11.7	10.3	13.4	13.3	13.2	11.2	11.1	10.7	9.7	9.0
Two or more races	7.3	16.4	26.8	34.7	21.5	32.6	35.7	34.6	10.8	20.8	27.9	32.4	16.2	26.9	33.5	36.3
Unknown	1.9	3.0	2.6	2.6	5.3	2.6	4.4	4.2	4.3	3.0	4.1	3.3	2.9	2.7	3.0	3.4
Missing data	0.2	0.5	0.7	1.6	1.3	2.1	4.9	8.3	1.2	2.2	3.6	5.1	0.5	0.6	2.0	4.5

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

Waiting for Adoption	2000	2001	2002	2003
Total waiting children	693	731	709	772
Numbers of waiting children whose parents' rights have been terminated	633	680	661	703

Age (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
<1 year	3.0	2.6	2.7	2.1
1 year	5.2	7.4	6.6	6.9
2 years	6.6	6.2	6.6	6.3
3 years	4.6	5.3	6.1	4.8
4 years	5.9	5.1	4.8	5.3
5 years	5.9	5.5	4.1	4.9
6 years	5.9	5.3	3.7	5.7
7 years	5.9	5.9	5.4	3.9
8 years	6.3	6.4	5.6	5.7
9 years	4.9	6.4	7.5	6.1
10 years	6.1	4.5	4.8	5.8
11 years	6.1	6.7	5.8	4.7
12 years	4.2	5.6	6.3	5.4
13 years	5.5	3.8	5.9	6.7
14 years	6.9	4.9	5.5	6.5
15 years	5.3	7.5	6.2	4.7
16 years	5.3	5.5	7.1	7.8
17 years	5.9	4.5	5.2	6.6
18 years	0.3	0.8	0.1	0.1
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	0.8	1.3	1.3
Asian	18.9	19.0	20.5	15.5
Black (non-Hispanic)	3.2	3.4	2.1	1.9
Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander	51.5	43.6	37.2	34.8
Hispanic (of any race)	3.6	3.0	1.7	1.7
White (non-Hispanic)	9.5	9.2	9.0	7.4
Two or more races	9.4	18.6	26.1	35.4
Unknown	2.0	2.3	2.0	1.4
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.1	0.5

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	280	260	366	318

Age (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
<1 year	3.6	5.4	4.6	5.7
1 year	15.7	16.2	18.6	14.5
2 years	12.9	11.2	14.2	14.8
3 years	10.0	11.2	6.6	11.3
4 years	7.1	7.7	9.0	9.1
5 years	7.1	8.1	9.0	6.6
6 years	10.0	7.3	5.2	4.4
7 years	9.6	6.5	6.0	4.4
8 years	5.7	4.6	5.2	4.7
9 years	5.7	5.0	5.2	6.0
10 years	5.4	3.5	4.6	5.3
11 years	3.6	5.0	4.1	4.4
12 years	2.1	2.3	3.3	2.5
13 years	0.7	2.3	1.9	2.5
14 years	0.4	2.7	1.1	1.3
15 years	0.0	0.0	0.5	1.6
16 years	0.4	0.4	0.8	0.3
17 years	0.0	0.8	0.0	0.6
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	1.1	3.1	0.3	0.0
Asian	18.2	21.2	21.3	23.9
Black (non-Hispanic)	2.1	1.9	2.2	1.6
Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander	59.6	45.0	30.1	27.7
Hispanic (of any race)	1.4	3.1	2.2	0.6
White (non-Hispanic)	13.2	9.2	6.8	4.7
Two or more races	3.9	15.8	33.1	39.6
Unknown	0.4	0.8	3.8	0.9
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.3	0.9

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Hawaii [ 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	93.6	92.8	95.2	94.0
Children with one or more recurrences	6.4	7.2	4.8	6.0
Number	1,734	1,669	1,780	1,988

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	1.54	0.96	1.03	1.29
Children not maltreated while in foster care	98.46	99.04	98.97	98.71
Number	3,701	4,050	4,386	4,590

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	17.9	14.6	18.5	16.7
Guardianship	8.6	11.0	10.7	10.8
Reunification	60.6	64.4	61.0	62.5
Other	11.8	9.7	8.9	8.3
Missing data	1.1	0.3	0.9	1.8
Number	1,682	1,920	2,097	2,108

3.2 Exits of Children with a Diagnosed Disability (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Adoption	31.8	38.8	54.9	45.9
Guardianship	9.2	9.7	11.3	11.3
Reunification	37.5	36.1	20.7	27.8
Other	20.7	15.4	11.7	10.8
Missing data	0.8	0.0	1.5	4.1
Number	261	227	266	194

3.3 Exits of Children Older than Age 12 at Entry into Foster Care (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Adoption	0.5	0.2	0.6	1.4
Guardianship	8.1	8.1	7.1	7.0
Reunification	56.0	60.4	62.5	63.7
Other	33.0	30.8	27.8	24.0
Missing data	2.4	0.5	1.9	3.9
Number	382	442	464	487

3.4 Exits to Emancipation (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Children age 12 or younger at entry	15.7	15.1	19.6	21.0
Children older than 12 at entry	84.3	84.9	80.4	79.0
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	121	139	138	119

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	31.3	57.1	50.0	0.0	14.4	14.5	20.9	24.8	15.4	12.2	26.7	11.9
Guardianship	0.0	7.1	50.0	12.5	7.2	12.2	9.4	10.1	0.0	4.1	6.7	0.0
Reunification	50.0	28.6	0.0	62.5	62.7	63.7	56.1	54.3	71.8	69.4	51.1	78.6
Other	18.8	7.1	0.0	25.0	14.1	9.4	13.4	10.1	10.3	14.3	13.3	7.1
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.5	0.3	0.3	0.6	2.6	0.0	2.2	2.4
Number	16	14	2	8	389	394	374	326	39	49	45	42
	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	22.1	18.3	18.6	15.7	9.5	17.0	23.9	4.4	18.7	11.7	10.1	10.6
Guardianship	11.0	14.7	15.1	14.4	4.8	24.5	8.7	11.1	6.7	8.2	8.7	11.0
Reunification	53.9	55.3	52.6	56.6	71.4	49.1	56.5	71.1	59.1	65.6	70.3	63.6
Other	12.3	11.5	12.0	11.3	14.3	9.4	8.7	11.1	13.8	13.7	10.1	8.9
Missing data	0.6	0.3	1.6	2.0	0.0	0.0	2.2	2.2	1.8	0.8	0.7	5.9
Number	697	655	608	592	42	53	46	45	225	256	276	236
	Unable to Determine				Two or more Races				Missing Data
	2000	2001	2002	2003	2000	2001	2002	2003	2000	2001	2002	2003
Adoption	2.7	5.3	17.4	7.2	17.1	11.8	21.9	20.2	5.0	0.0	1.3	1.9
Guardianship	9.6	8.8	4.7	14.5	7.7	5.5	10.4	8.9	5.0	9.5	1.3	5.6
Reunification	80.8	70.2	72.1	66.7	69.6	78.5	63.6	65.2	75.0	88.1	97.3	87.0
Other	4.1	15.8	3.5	10.1	5.0	4.0	3.8	4.7	10.0	2.4	0.0	4.6
Missing data	2.7	0.0	2.3	1.4	0.6	0.3	0.3	0.9	5.0	0.0	0.0	0.9
Number	73	57	86	69	181	400	585	682	20	42	75	108

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.	82.1	80.3	83.8	81.4
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos.	13.5	16.1	13.4	15.0
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos.	3.9	3.2	1.7	3.0
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos.	0.2	0.2	0.7	0.3
48 or more mos.	0.2	0.2	0.4	0.2
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	1,019	1,236	1,280	1,317

4.2 Children Re-entering Foster Care (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Children entering care for the first time	79.8	79.2	79.4	76.5
Children re-entering care within 12 mos. of a prior episode	10.2	10.0	9.1	10.6
Children re-entering care more than 12 mos. after a prior episode	9.4	10.1	10.3	11.8
Missing data	0.6	0.7	1.2	1.0
Number	1,929	2,193	2,350	2,409

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.	6.3	13.6	8.3	9.4
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos.	36.9	38.2	39.3	39.9
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos.	35.9	27.9	34.4	36.8
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos.	10.3	12.9	11.9	10.0
48 or more mos.	10.6	7.5	6.2	4.0
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	301	280	387	351

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	85.0	83.8	84.3	84.4	60.2	66.5	66.9	66.2	39.6	34.7	38.7	38.1	100.0	100.0	85.7	100.0
Children with 3 or more placements	12.9	14.9	13.3	12.7	39.5	33.0	32.8	33.0	60.2	65.2	61.0	61.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	2,144	2,477	2,652	2,699	896	1,028	1,152	1,259	1,042	998	1,048	1,104	1	1	7	13

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	0.4	0.4	0.6	0.3
Institutions	1.5	0.8	1.8	1.0
Other settings	96.5	97.9	95.4	95.9
Missing data	1.6	0.9	2.2	2.7
Number	1,507	1,687	1,796	1,828

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Hawaii [ Federal Comment ]

PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT

The following is a discussion of Hawaii'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, 6.0 percent of the children in Hawaii 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 is less than the national median of 7.1 percent but represents an improvement in performance from 2000 to 2003 (-6.3 percent change).

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

In 2003, 1.29 percent of the children in foster care were found to be maltreated by a foster parent or facility staff member (measure 2.1). Although this percent exceeds the national median of 0.39 percent, it represents an improvement in performance on the measure from 2000 (-16.2 percent change).

Outcome 3. Increase permanency for children in foster care

In 2003, 90.0 percent of children exiting foster care (measure 3.1) were discharged to a permanent home, which exceeds the national median of 86.3 percent. Also, 85.0 percent of children exiting care who had a diagnosed disability were discharged to a permanent home (measure 3.2), which exceeds the national median of 79.5 percent. In comparison, 72.1 percent of the children exiting foster care who were older than age 12 when they entered foster care (measure 3.3) were discharged to a permanent home, which is about equal to 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, 21.0 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 less than the national median of 29.6 percent, it represents a decline in performance on the measure from 2000 to 2003 (+33.8 percent).

Many of the children who are reported as exits to emancipation also appear to be discharged from foster care prior to their 18th birthday. In 2003, for example, 21 of the children exiting foster care were age 18 or older at the time of exit. However, 119 children were reported as exiting to emancipation.

There was one substantive difference 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.) Children of Two or More Races exiting foster care were far more likely to be discharged to a permanent home (94.3 percent) than were Asian children (89.2 percent), Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander children (86.7 percent), or White (non-Hispanic) children (85.2 percent). An additional finding is that the percent of Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander children in the foster care population in 2003 (29.2 percent) was more than twice the percent of Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander children in the State's child population (10.8 percent).

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

In 2003, 81.4 percent of all reunifications in Hawaii occurred within 12 months of a child's entry into foster care (measure 4.1), which exceeds the national median of 72.0 percent. Performance with regard to this measure did not change from 2000 to 2003. In addition, 0.5 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 in 2003 Hawaii had a relatively high percentage of reunifications occurring within 12 months of entry into foster care, it also had a relatively high percentage of children entering foster care who were re-entering within 12 months of a prior episode. In 2003, 10.6 percent of the children entering foster care in Hawaii were re-entering within 12 months of a prior episode (measure 4.2), which exceeds the national median of 9.5 percent. In addition, 11.8 percent of the children entering foster care in 2003 were re-entering care more than 12 months after a prior foster care episode. Consequently, 22.4 percent of all 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, 49.3 percent of all finalized adoptions in Hawaii 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 from 2000 to 2003 (+14.1 percent change).

Outcome 6. Increase placement stability

In 2003, 84.4 percent of the children in foster care in Hawaii 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, in 2003, 66.2 percent of the children in foster care for at least 12 months, but less than 24 months, experienced no more than two placement settings. This percent not only exceeds the national median of 59.1 percent for this measure, but also represents an improvement in performance from 2000 to 2003 (+10.0 percent change).

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

In 2003, 1.3 percent of the children entering foster care in Hawaii who were age 12 or younger were placed in a group home or institution (measure 7.1). This percent is not only far less than the national median of 8.3 percent, but also represents improved performance from 2000 to 2003 (+31.6 percent change).

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