Idaho

Context Data | Outcomes Data | Federal Comment

Idaho [ Context Data ]

A. Context Statistics

General Child Population (Census Bureau)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Total children under 18 years	369,361	371,105	372,193	372,027
Race/Ethnicity (%)1
Alaska Native/American Indian	1.4	1.4	1.4	1.4
Asian	0.8	0.9	0.8	0.8
Black (non-Hispanic)	0.4	0.6	0.5	0.5
Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander	0.0	0.1	<.1	<.1
Hispanic (of any race)	11.6	12.0	11.9	12.2
White (non-Hispanic)	83.4	83.0	83.6	83.2
Two or more races	2.2	2.0	1.9	1.9
% Child population in poverty	18.8	15.9	15.0	13.8

Child Welfare Summary	2000	2001	2002	2003
Child maltreatment victims2	3,171	3,557	1,947	1,527
Children in foster care on 9/30	1,015	1,114	1,246	1,401
Children adopted	140	132	118	138

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	14,158	38.3 per 1,000	9,959	26.8 per 1,000	9,412	25.3 per 1,000	9,458	25.4 per 1,000
Total child maltreatment victims3	3,171	8.6 per 1,000	3,557	9.6 per 1,000	1,947	5.2 per 1,000	1,527	4.1 per 1,000
Child fatalities	1	0.3 per 100,000	4	1.1 per 100,000	2	0.5 per 100,000	2	0.5 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	7.9	8.0	9.8	12.0
1-5 years	31.3	32.1	34.5	34.6
6-10 years	29.3	29.9	26.6	26.0
11-15 years	24.6	24.1	23.8	22.3
16+ years	5.7	5.9	5.3	5.1
Unknown	1.2	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	3,171	3,557	1,947	1,527

Race/Ethnicity of Child Victims (%)4	2000	2001	2002	2003
Alaska Native/American Indian	2.8	3.7	4.3	3.5
Asian	0.5	0.3	0.2	0.3
Black (non-Hispanic)	0.8	0.7	0.8	1.0
Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander	N/A	N/A	N/A	0.2
Hispanic (of any race)	9.0	10.4	14.7	13.0
White (non-Hispanic)	81.9	74.6	74.7	77.1
Two or more races	0.0	0.1	0.6	1.2
Unknown	5.0	10.1	4.7	3.7
Number	3,171	3,557	1,947	1,527

Maltreatment Types of Child Victims (%)5	2000	2001	2002	2003
Emotional abuse	1.4	3.3	0.8	0.5
Medical neglect	11.2	2.0	2.3	2.0
Neglect	46.4	61.9	67.4	70.1
Physical abuse	21.9	19.9	19.7	16.9
Sexual abuse	10.9	8.3	7.9	7.7
Unknown/missing data	7.6	0.0	0.0	0.0
Other	0.6	9.1	7.9	9.4
Number	3,171	3,557	1,947	1,527

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	899	989	1,080	1,210	1,127	1,209	1,213	1,292	1,011	1,084	1,047	1,101	1,015	1,114	1,246	1,401
Median length of stay (months)	13.4	11.4	11.2	12.4	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	3.3	3.3	2.9	3.2	11.0	11.1	12.3	12.9

	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	3.8	4.4	3.2	9.8	10.4	9.6	13.1	5.0	5.3	5.5	6.4	4.0	4.4	3.4	5.6
1 year	5.7	5.5	5.8	6.9	6.7	6.3	8.3	7.0	5.8	5.9	6.8	5.7	5.4	5.9	7.1	6.0
2 years	6.6	6.9	5.6	6.1	6.7	5.6	7.2	6.5	8.5	6.6	6.9	8.0	6.6	5.4	6.2	5.5
3 years	5.3	4.4	5.5	6.6	5.1	6.0	6.0	7.0	4.6	5.5	5.7	6.7	4.4	5.4	6.6	6.5
4 years	4.8	5.9	4.9	5.6	4.3	5.2	4.9	5.5	5.5	5.9	5.0	5.8	5.9	4.8	5.5	6.1
5 years	4.7	4.9	5.0	4.0	4.3	5.3	5.3	5.3	3.8	5.8	5.6	4.6	4.9	4.9	4.1	6.1
6 years	5.0	3.9	4.6	5.1	3.4	3.9	4.2	4.5	4.1	4.2	4.3	3.9	3.7	4.6	5.0	4.8
7 years	4.2	4.4	4.4	4.1	4.7	5.4	4.7	4.5	4.5	5.1	5.3	4.1	4.6	4.2	4.3	5.0
8 years	5.9	4.1	5.7	4.6	4.4	5.3	4.7	3.9	4.5	4.6	5.3	3.8	4.1	5.6	4.3	4.6
9 years	5.2	6.1	5.5	5.0	5.7	5.5	4.2	4.3	6.3	4.6	3.9	4.4	6.3	5.3	5.0	4.3
10 years	5.0	4.7	5.6	5.1	4.1	4.5	4.7	3.7	4.4	5.2	5.0	4.3	4.5	5.6	5.2	4.3
11 years	4.8	5.1	4.2	5.2	5.3	4.0	4.7	4.0	4.7	3.9	4.7	4.2	5.3	4.1	5.2	5.1
12 years	5.3	5.3	6.4	5.4	5.8	5.1	5.4	5.2	4.5	4.2	5.0	5.0	5.3	6.4	5.2	4.9
13 years	5.7	6.2	4.3	6.6	5.7	5.9	4.8	3.9	5.6	6.4	3.8	5.4	5.9	4.6	6.4	4.8
14 years	5.6	7.2	6.2	5.2	7.9	5.9	6.9	5.7	5.2	6.3	5.7	5.3	7.1	6.3	5.2	6.4
15 years	7.6	7.1	6.5	6.9	5.6	6.9	5.5	6.7	5.7	6.5	4.8	5.7	7.3	6.6	6.9	6.1
16 years	7.0	7.5	7.5	7.6	6.5	5.5	5.7	6.0	5.7	4.5	5.3	5.4	7.3	8.1	7.7	7.5
17 years	6.9	6.7	7.5	6.3	4.1	3.3	3.1	3.2	8.1	4.1	6.5	10.1	6.6	7.6	6.3	6.3
18 years	0.6	0.5	0.3	0.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	3.1	5.3	4.8	1.3	0.5	0.4	0.4	0.3
19 years	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	<.1	<.1	<.1	<.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
20 years	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
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

	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	9.7	9.4	9.2	10.0	5.7	5.2	4.8	4.4	5.6	6.3	5.2	4.4	9.3	7.9	8.3	9.3
Asian	0.2	0.2	0.0	<.1	0.2	0.5	<.1	0.2	0.4	0.4	0.0	0.4	0.0	0.4	<.1	0.0
Black (non-Hispanic)	2.2	2.6	2.0	1.3	2.2	1.2	0.8	1.5	1.6	1.8	1.5	1.0	2.9	2.0	1.3	1.7
Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander	0.1	0.0	0.4	0.2	<.1	<.1	<.1	<.1	0.0	0.0	0.2	<.1	0.2	<.1	0.2	0.2
Hispanic (of any race)	13.9	9.7	12.7	12.0	10.1	12.0	11.0	14.5	13.5	9.6	11.7	12.3	10.1	12.3	11.8	14.1
White (non-Hispanic)	72.6	78.1	75.4	74.8	76.7	80.6	81.2	77.0	72.3	81.6	80.5	80.3	77.4	77.4	76.7	72.5
Two or more races	0.2	0.0	0.4	1.4	0.0	0.0	0.9	1.1	<.1	0.0	0.0	0.6	<.1	0.0	1.2	1.7
Unknown	1.0	0.0	0.0	0.2	5.1	0.3	1.2	1.2	6.5	0.4	0.9	1.0	0.0	0.0	0.4	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	185	229	258	255
Numbers of waiting children whose parents' rights have been terminated	184	228	258	192

Age (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
<1 year	0.5	0.0	1.9	0.8
1 year	5.4	4.8	4.3	4.3
2 years	4.3	4.4	6.2	6.3
3 years	7.0	5.2	4.3	6.3
4 years	7.6	3.1	5.4	8.6
5 years	4.3	4.4	1.9	7.8
6 years	5.9	6.1	5.0	6.7
7 years	7.0	4.8	4.3	7.1
8 years	3.2	7.4	4.3	6.7
9 years	7.0	7.4	5.0	6.3
10 years	8.6	7.9	8.5	5.1
11 years	5.9	4.8	6.6	6.7
12 years	7.6	7.4	6.2	5.9
13 years	6.5	8.3	9.7	4.3
14 years	6.5	7.4	7.0	6.3
15 years	5.4	6.1	8.5	3.9
16 years	4.9	7.0	6.6	5.1
17 years	1.6	2.6	4.3	1.6
18 years	0.5	0.9	0.0	0.4
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	14.6	9.2	9.3	13.3
Asian	0.0	0.4	0.0	0.0
Black (non-Hispanic)	5.9	1.7	1.6	0.4
Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander	0.5	0.0	0.0	0.4
Hispanic (of any race)	8.1	10.0	9.7	17.6
White (non-Hispanic)	70.8	78.6	79.5	65.5
Two or more races	0.0	0.0	0.0	2.7
Unknown	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
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	140	132	118	138

Age (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
<1 year	7.9	2.3	2.5	3.6
1 year	14.3	12.1	11.0	8.7
2 years	17.1	15.9	11.0	12.3
3 years	5.0	5.3	10.2	12.3
4 years	8.6	12.1	9.3	8.7
5 years	2.9	9.8	6.8	5.8
6 years	5.0	8.3	5.1	5.1
7 years	7.1	3.8	7.6	6.5
8 years	7.9	3.8	7.6	5.1
9 years	6.4	1.5	5.9	1.4
10 years	4.3	6.8	5.1	6.5
11 years	2.9	5.3	4.2	5.8
12 years	5.0	1.5	3.4	3.6
13 years	2.1	4.5	4.2	5.1
14 years	0.0	3.8	1.7	4.3
15 years	2.1	1.5	0.8	1.4
16 years	0.7	1.5	3.4	0.7
17 years	0.7	0.0	0.0	2.9
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	4.3	13.6	2.5	8.0
Asian	1.4	0.8	1.7	2.2
Black (non-Hispanic)	2.9	8.3	14.4	2.2
Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander	3.6	3.0	0.8	0.0
Hispanic (of any race)	23.6	12.1	13.6	7.2
White (non-Hispanic)	60.7	62.1	66.9	80.4
Two or more races	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Unknown	3.6	0.0	0.0	0.0
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0

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Idaho [ 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	—	90.7	95.8	93.5
Children with one or more recurrences	—	9.3	4.2	6.5
Number	—	1,747	990	633

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	—	0.36	0.30	0.13
Children not maltreated while in foster care	—	99.64	99.70	99.87
Number	—	1,941	2,030	2,316

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	9.8	10.1	8.8	11.0
Guardianship	0.0	0.0	0.3	0.4
Reunification	81.7	81.5	81.8	80.5
Other	7.7	8.4	9.2	8.2
Missing data	0.8	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	1,011	1,084	1,047	1,101

3.2 Exits of Children with a Diagnosed Disability (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Adoption	39.4	55.2	41.9	58.1
Guardianship	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.8
Reunification	57.6	31.0	41.9	31.0
Other	3.0	13.8	16.3	10.1
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	66	58	86	129

3.3 Exits of Children Older than Age 12 at Entry into Foster Care (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Adoption	0.3	0.3	1.0	1.0
Guardianship	0.0	0.0	0.3	0.3
Reunification	78.9	77.9	73.3	77.0
Other	20.1	21.8	25.3	21.7
Missing data	0.7	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	298	317	288	304

3.4 Exits to Emancipation (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Children age 12 or younger at entry	20.5	10.3	15.5	19.7
Children older than 12 at entry	79.5	89.7	84.5	80.3
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	44	58	71	66

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	10.5	27.9	7.4	22.9	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	6.3	36.8	6.3	0.0
Guardianship	0.0	0.0	1.9	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Reunification	77.2	58.8	74.1	64.6	75.0	100.0	0.0	100.0	93.8	52.6	81.3	90.9
Other	12.3	13.2	16.7	12.5	25.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	10.5	12.5	9.1
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	57	68	54	48	4	4	0	4	16	19	16	11
	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	21.3	7.7	10.6	6.7	8.6	8.6	8.8	11.4
Guardianship	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.8	0.7	0.0	0.0	0.1	0.3
Reunification	0.0	0.0	100.0	0.0	75.0	81.7	81.3	85.2	82.1	83.6	82.2	80.2
Other	0.0	0.0	0.0	100.0	3.7	10.6	7.3	7.4	8.2	7.8	8.9	8.0
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.1	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	0	0	2	1	136	104	123	135	731	885	843	884
	Unable to Determine				Two or more Races				Missing Data
	2000	2001	2002	2003	2000	2001	2002	2003	2000	2001	2002	2003
Adoption	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Guardianship	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Reunification	92.4	100.0	88.9	90.9	100.0	0.0	0.0	100.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Other	7.6	0.0	11.1	9.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	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	66	4	9	11	1	0	0	7	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.	81.5	88.9	83.5	84.5
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos.	12.5	8.0	13.0	13.4
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos.	4.1	1.4	2.3	1.2
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos.	1.2	0.5	0.8	0.3
48 or more mos.	0.6	0.8	0.1	0.2
Missing data	0.1	0.5	0.2	0.2
Number	826	883	856	886

4.2 Children Re-entering Foster Care (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Children entering care for the first time	81.3	83.9	83.6	81.0
Children re-entering care within 12 mos. of a prior episode	10.3	11.9	11.5	11.9
Children re-entering care more than 12 mos. after a prior episode	6.7	3.1	4.9	7.0
Missing data	1.7	1.1	0.0	<.1
Number	1,127	1,209	1,213	1,292

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.	0.0	0.0	6.5	1.7
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos.	18.2	33.6	23.9	19.8
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos.	31.3	29.1	26.1	44.6
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos.	18.2	21.8	26.1	21.5
48 or more mos.	32.3	15.5	17.4	12.4
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	99	110	92	121

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	82.3	81.1	84.9	85.5	49.6	49.3	48.8	53.2	55.6	39.5	33.4	35.8	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0
Children with 3 or more placements	17.7	18.8	15.1	14.5	50.4	50.7	51.2	46.8	44.4	60.5	66.6	64.2	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	1,254	1,397	1,364	1,448	339	371	455	506	432	423	464	542	1	7	10	6

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	4.2	4.4	6.3	3.3
Institutions	2.0	2.0	3.0	2.4
Other settings	93.7	93.7	90.6	94.3
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	783	870	886	952

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Idaho [ Federal Comment ]

PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT

The following is a discussion of Idaho'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, 6.5 percent of the children in Idaho who were victims of maltreatment during the first 6 months of the year experienced another substantiated or indicated maltreatment incident within a 6-month period (measure 1.1). This is not only less than the national median of 7.1 percent, but also represents an improvement in performance from 2001 (no data are available for 2000) to 2003 (-30.1 percent change).

The reduction in the percentage of children experiencing maltreatment recurrence from 2000 to 2003 coincides with a reduction in the child maltreatment victim rate over that time period. The child victims rate declined from 8.6 children per 1,000 children in the population in 2000 to 4.1 children per 1,000 children in the population in 2003.

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

In 2003, 0.13 percent of the children in foster care in Idaho were found to be maltreated by a foster parent or facility staff member (measure 2.1). This percent is not only less than the national median of 0.39 percent, but also represents an improvement in performance from 2001 (data were not available for 2000) to 2003 (-63.9 percent change).

Outcome 3. Increase permanency for children in foster care

In 2003, 91.9 percent of children in Idaho exiting foster care (measure 3.1) were discharged to a permanent home, which exceeds the national median of 86.3 percent. Also, 89.9 percent of children exiting foster care who had a diagnosed disability were discharged to a permanent home (measure 3.2), which exceeds the national median of 79.5 percent. Furthermore, 78.3 percent of the children exiting foster care who were older than age 12 when they entered foster care were discharged to a permanent home (measure 3.3), which exceeds the national median of 72.2 percent.

In 2003, 19.7 percent of the children reported 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). Although this percent is less than the national median of 29.6 percent, performance on this measure declined from 2000 to 2003 (+33.8 percent).

Many of the children who are reported as exits to emancipation appear to be discharged from foster care prior to their 18th birthday. In 2003, for example, only 15 of the children exiting foster care were age 18 or older at the time of exit. However, 66 children were reported as exiting to emancipation.

There were no differences 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.) White (non-Hispanic) children exiting foster care were as likely to be discharged to a permanent home (91.9 percent) as were Hispanic children exiting foster care (92.6 percent).

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

In 2003, 84.5 percent of all reunifications 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, only 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.

In contrast, in 2003, 11.9 percent of the children entering foster care were re-entering within 12 months of a prior episode (measure 4.2). This percent not only exceeds the national median of 9.5 percent, but also represents a decline in performance from 2000 to 2003 (+15.5 percent change). In addition, 7.0 percent of the children entering foster care were entering more than 12 months after a prior foster care episode. Overall, 18.9 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, 21.5 percent of all finalized adoptions occurred within 24 months of a child's entry into foster care (measure 5.1). Although this is less than the national median of 23.9 percent, it represents an improvement in performance from 2000 to 2003 (+18.3 percent change).

Outcome 6. Increase placement stability

In 2003, 85.5 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, in 2003, 53.2 percent of the children in foster care for at least 12 months, but less than 24 months, experienced no more than two placement settings, 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, 5.7 percent of the children entering foster care in Idaho who were age 12 or younger were placed in a group home or institution (measure 7.1). This percent not only is less than the national median of 8.3 percent, but also represents a performance improvement from 2000 to 2003 (-8.1 percent).

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