Indiana

Context Data | Outcomes Data | Federal Comment

Indiana [ Context Data ]

A. Context Statistics

General Child Population (Census Bureau)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Total children under 18 years	1,576,395	1,590,648	1,598,134	1,603,901
Race/Ethnicity (%)1
Alaska Native/American Indian	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2
Asian	0.9	1.0	0.9	1.0
Black (non-Hispanic)	10.3	10.5	10.1	10.1
Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander	0.0	<.1	<.1	<.1
Hispanic (of any race)	4.8	5.0	4.9	5.1
White (non-Hispanic)	81.6	81.4	82.0	81.7
Two or more races	1.9	1.9	1.8	1.9
% Child population in poverty	10.5	11.3	10.5	13.7

Child Welfare Summary	2000	2001	2002	2003
Child maltreatment victims2	21,890	21,128	20,416	21,205
Children in foster care on 9/30	7,482	8,383	8,640	8,899
Children adopted	1,160	901	923	761

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	23,369	14.8 per 1,000	53,503	33.6 per 1,000	50,163	31.4 per 1,000	52,195	32.5 per 1,000
Total child maltreatment victims3	21,890	13.9 per 1,000	21,128	13.3 per 1,000	20,416	12.8 per 1,000	21,205	13.2 per 1,000
Child fatalities	44	2.8 per 100,000	46	2.9 per 100,000	58	3.6 per 100,000	49	3.1 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	8.1	9.0	9.4	8.7
1-5 years	27.3	29.1	30.4	30.4
6-10 years	29.0	28.6	28.0	28.1
11-15 years	27.2	28.0	26.9	27.5
16+ years	4.6	5.1	5.2	5.2
Unknown	3.8	0.1	0.1	0.2
Number	21,890	21,128	20,416	21,205

Race/Ethnicity of Child Victims (%)4	2000	2001	2002	2003
Alaska Native/American Indian	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.1
Asian	0.3	0.4	0.3	0.2
Black (non-Hispanic)	17.9	16.4	17.6	16.0
Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander	N/A	N/A	N/A	0.1
Hispanic (of any race)	4.2	4.5	4.3	4.8
White (non-Hispanic)	74.6	75.5	73.9	75.1
Two or more races	1.6	2.1	3.0	3.0
Unknown	1.3	0.8	0.7	0.7
Number	21,890	21,128	20,416	21,205

Maltreatment Types of Child Victims (%)5	2000	2001	2002	2003
Emotional abuse	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Medical neglect	3.6	3.2	2.8	2.9
Neglect	66.2	64.9	66.6	66.9
Physical abuse	18.1	18.2	17.8	17.6
Sexual abuse	19.2	20.5	20.6	20.3
Unknown/missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Other	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	21,890	21,128	20,416	21,205

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	7,084	7,723	7,385	7,622	5,576	5,399	5,844	6,179	5,197	4,750	4,590	4,902	7,482	8,383	8,640	8,899
Median length of stay (months)	17.9	16.6	15.1	13.0	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	10.2	11.2	10.9	9.7	12.7	13.9	12.1	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	4.3	4.2	5.6	5.8	13.3	14.8	15.2	15.1	5.2	4.7	4.8	4.6	5.0	5.5	6.1	6.5
1 year	5.5	5.7	6.2	7.5	6.3	6.8	7.1	6.8	5.2	5.6	6.7	6.8	5.8	6.0	7.4	7.1
2 years	5.2	5.8	6.0	6.0	5.8	6.2	6.7	6.8	6.7	6.9	7.4	7.2	5.7	6.0	6.0	6.8
3 years	4.6	5.3	4.7	5.9	5.3	5.2	5.7	5.8	5.5	7.1	5.5	6.8	5.0	4.8	5.8	6.1
4 years	5.3	4.5	4.8	4.5	4.2	5.3	5.2	5.2	5.4	5.4	5.7	5.7	4.2	4.8	4.6	5.2
5 years	4.9	4.8	4.2	4.5	4.7	4.4	5.0	5.1	4.7	5.3	5.3	4.9	4.7	4.2	4.7	4.7
6 years	4.8	4.8	4.1	4.5	4.9	4.2	4.7	5.3	5.4	4.9	5.0	5.1	4.7	4.2	4.3	4.8
7 years	4.9	4.6	4.5	4.1	4.6	4.1	4.1	4.2	5.3	5.2	4.2	4.6	4.5	4.4	4.0	4.4
8 years	5.3	5.1	4.5	4.4	5.0	4.1	4.8	4.5	4.6	4.0	4.9	4.2	5.0	4.4	4.3	4.3
9 years	5.0	5.0	4.8	4.7	5.1	4.2	4.1	4.1	5.4	4.5	4.3	4.9	4.9	4.6	4.5	4.0
10 years	5.0	5.0	5.1	4.6	5.0	4.6	4.4	4.3	4.9	4.7	4.7	4.1	4.9	4.8	4.5	4.5
11 years	4.7	5.3	5.0	4.9	4.4	3.8	3.9	4.0	4.2	4.4	4.1	4.5	5.1	5.0	4.8	4.3
12 years	5.2	5.6	5.5	5.3	5.4	5.1	4.9	4.5	4.1	4.5	4.9	4.6	5.3	5.2	5.1	4.8
13 years	5.9	5.8	5.6	5.4	5.8	5.7	5.3	5.2	5.2	4.9	4.8	4.4	5.8	5.7	5.5	5.1
14 years	6.7	6.5	6.8	6.0	6.6	6.0	5.3	5.7	5.5	5.3	5.0	5.3	6.7	6.5	5.9	6.0
15 years	6.8	7.2	6.9	6.5	6.3	6.8	5.7	5.4	6.0	6.1	5.3	5.0	7.2	7.0	6.6	6.1
16 years	6.8	6.4	7.0	7.0	4.6	5.4	5.2	4.8	5.5	4.5	5.3	5.1	6.5	7.2	7.1	6.4
17 years	6.1	5.4	6.1	6.0	2.5	2.9	2.7	2.9	5.1	5.1	5.5	5.9	5.7	6.2	5.9	5.9
18 years	2.3	2.1	2.0	2.1	<.1	0.1	0.0	<.1	4.8	5.0	5.3	5.0	2.5	2.3	2.4	2.3
19 years	0.5	0.6	0.5	0.4	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.2	1.3	1.1	1.1	0.6	0.7	0.5	0.5
20 years	<.1	0.1	0.1	<.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.2	0.4	0.3	0.3	0.1	0.2	0.1	0.1
Missing data	<.1	<.1	<.1	<.1	<.1	0.2	<.1	<.1	<.1	<.1	<.1	<.1	<.1	0.1	<.1	<.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	0.3	0.3	0.4	0.3	0.2	0.3	0.1	<.1	0.2	0.3	0.2	0.1	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.2
Asian	<.1	<.1	0.2	0.1	0.1	0.3	0.1	0.2	0.1	0.1	0.2	0.3	<.1	0.2	0.1	<.1
Black (non-Hispanic)	42.9	41.1	38.1	35.9	31.3	30.5	30.1	27.9	33.4	34.5	32.3	28.8	40.7	38.0	35.8	34.3
Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander	<.1	<.1	<.1	0.0	<.1	<.1	<.1	0.1	<.1	0.0	<.1	<.1	<.1	<.1	<.1	<.1
Hispanic (of any race)	3.8	4.1	4.7	5.2	4.5	5.7	5.2	6.4	4.2	4.8	4.8	6.2	4.0	4.8	5.0	5.5
White (non-Hispanic)	51.6	52.8	53.9	54.6	61.2	59.3	59.9	61.1	60.1	58.4	59.5	61.0	53.0	53.7	55.0	55.6
Two or more races	1.1	1.4	2.5	3.7	2.2	3.4	4.3	3.8	1.7	1.7	2.8	3.3	1.5	2.6	3.6	4.0
Unknown	0.3	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.4	0.4	0.3	0.5	0.1	0.2	0.2	0.3	0.4	0.3	0.2	0.3
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	1,959	2,392	2,364	2,417
Numbers of waiting children whose parents' rights have been terminated	966	1,126	1,060	1,089

Age (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
<1 year	1.9	1.6	1.2	2.0
1 year	5.6	5.5	8.2	7.2
2 years	7.2	6.6	7.1	9.0
3 years	6.2	6.1	6.9	7.5
4 years	5.1	5.8	5.5	7.0
5 years	6.0	5.5	5.2	5.8
6 years	6.6	5.7	5.4	6.1
7 years	6.1	6.4	5.3	5.5
8 years	6.3	6.2	5.6	5.2
9 years	7.0	6.9	6.0	5.0
10 years	5.7	6.7	6.2	6.3
11 years	7.2	6.1	6.6	5.4
12 years	6.5	7.1	6.2	6.3
13 years	7.2	6.0	6.2	6.0
14 years	5.6	7.0	6.1	5.4
15 years	5.0	5.5	6.7	4.8
16 years	3.1	3.3	3.0	3.3
17 years	1.2	1.5	1.9	1.7
18 years	0.4	0.3	0.8	0.5
19 years	0.2	0.1	0.0	0.2
20+ years	0.0	<.1	<.1	0.0
Missing data	—	—	—	—

Race/Ethnicity (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Alaska Native/American Indian	0.3	0.1	0.3	0.5
Asian	0.0	<.1	<.1	0.0
Black (non-Hispanic)	47.7	45.7	41.3	40.0
Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Hispanic (of any race)	3.1	2.8	4.2	5.0
White (non-Hispanic)	47.3	48.7	50.4	49.4
Two or more races	1.4	2.3	3.4	4.9
Unknown	0.3	0.2	0.3	0.2
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	1,160	901	923	761

Age (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
<1 year	0.6	1.1	0.5	0.8
1 year	4.0	5.7	4.9	5.4
2 years	8.6	9.4	10.5	12.0
3 years	8.6	9.9	8.5	9.7
4 years	8.6	7.9	8.5	7.2
5 years	8.7	7.9	7.8	5.4
6 years	8.4	8.4	7.3	7.0
7 years	8.1	8.2	7.4	5.8
8 years	7.8	7.0	6.1	5.4
9 years	6.8	6.0	5.9	5.9
10 years	6.9	5.9	6.7	6.3
11 years	5.2	4.4	5.2	6.6
12 years	4.5	5.3	5.4	6.0
13 years	3.6	5.2	4.3	4.9
14 years	3.4	2.8	3.7	4.3
15 years	2.4	1.7	2.9	2.9
16 years	2.0	2.0	2.9	2.5
17 years	1.4	1.1	1.5	1.6
18 years	0.4	0.1	0.1	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	0.0	0.3	0.0	0.0
Asian	0.2	0.0	0.1	0.0
Black (non-Hispanic)	43.1	49.8	43.3	43.5
Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Hispanic (of any race)	2.4	3.8	1.6	4.7
White (non-Hispanic)	52.7	44.6	52.7	49.4
Two or more races	1.3	1.3	2.3	2.0
Unknown	0.3	0.1	0.0	0.4
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0

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Indiana [ 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	91.8	92.9	93.1	93.0
Children with one or more recurrences	8.2	7.1	6.9	7.0
Number	10,096	10,056	10,123	9,485

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	0.44	0.56	0.73	0.41
Children not maltreated while in foster care	99.56	99.44	99.27	99.59
Number	11,468	12,029	12,076	12,784

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	20.8	23.5	24.6	18.1
Guardianship	6.1	5.9	7.1	8.2
Reunification	62.0	59.6	57.8	62.1
Other	7.6	7.2	7.3	6.6
Missing data	3.5	3.8	3.2	4.9
Number	5,197	4,750	4,590	4,902

3.2 Exits of Children with a Diagnosed Disability (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Adoption	33.9	39.9	37.5	25.3
Guardianship	4.7	1.8	4.0	5.8
Reunification	45.0	40.5	42.7	48.8
Other	13.7	14.7	12.4	14.3
Missing data	2.6	3.0	3.4	5.8
Number	380	333	323	447

3.3 Exits of Children Older than Age 12 at Entry into Foster Care (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Adoption	2.0	1.9	3.2	2.1
Guardianship	3.6	4.7	5.0	7.4
Reunification	70.3	70.3	65.0	62.3
Other	19.6	18.5	20.3	18.3
Missing data	4.4	4.6	6.4	10.0
Number	1,243	1,133	1,055	1,194

3.4 Exits to Emancipation (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Children age 12 or younger at entry	37.4	39.2	31.5	30.7
Children older than 12 at entry	61.9	60.8	67.7	68.5
Missing data	0.7	0.0	0.8	0.8
Number	294	260	257	254

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	27.3	8.3	0.0	20.0	28.6	0.0	0.0	5.9	27.4	34.0	35.2	27.3
Guardianship	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	14.3	0.0	0.0	5.9	7.0	5.6	7.5	7.2
Reunification	72.7	83.3	71.4	60.0	57.1	100.0	81.8	82.4	55.1	51.3	45.9	55.2
Other	0.0	0.0	28.6	0.0	0.0	0.0	9.1	0.0	7.3	6.1	8.2	7.1
Missing data	0.0	8.3	0.0	20.0	0.0	0.0	9.1	5.9	3.3	3.1	3.1	3.2
Number	11	12	7	5	7	6	11	17	1,736	1,637	1,481	1,412
	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	12.3	20.1	10.8	14.2	17.8	17.8	20.2	14.5
Guardianship	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	4.1	6.6	10.8	4.3	5.8	6.1	6.8	9.1
Reunification	50.0	0.0	0.0	100.0	77.2	64.6	67.1	69.6	64.4	63.6	62.8	64.0
Other	50.0	0.0	100.0	0.0	4.6	4.8	8.6	5.6	8.2	8.2	6.9	6.8
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.8	3.9	2.7	6.3	3.8	4.3	3.3	5.6
Number	4	0	1	2	219	229	222	303	3,123	2,776	2,731	2,988
	Unable to Determine				Two or more Races				Missing Data
	2000	2001	2002	2003	2000	2001	2002	2003	2000	2001	2002	2003
Adoption	0.0	12.5	0.0	14.3	20.0	19.5	22.7	14.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Guardianship	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	3.3	4.9	4.7	9.9	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Reunification	100.0	87.5	88.9	71.4	73.3	70.7	68.0	68.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Other	0.0	0.0	11.1	0.0	1.1	4.9	1.6	2.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	14.3	2.2	0.0	3.1	5.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	7	8	9	14	90	82	128	161	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.	76.9	75.7	77.8	76.4
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos.	15.0	15.1	15.1	17.0
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos.	3.3	4.9	4.2	4.1
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos.	1.8	2.1	1.2	1.2
48 or more mos.	2.4	1.9	1.7	1.3
Missing data	0.6	0.4	<.1	0.0
Number	3,224	2,833	2,653	3,043

4.2 Children Re-entering Foster Care (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Children entering care for the first time	80.0	79.0	79.6	80.6
Children re-entering care within 12 mos. of a prior episode	12.4	12.4	11.6	9.1
Children re-entering care more than 12 mos. after a prior episode	6.7	8.0	8.1	9.1
Missing data	0.9	0.6	0.8	1.2
Number	5,576	5,399	5,844	6,179

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.	3.3	4.6	4.6	2.2
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos.	20.2	20.7	22.8	23.3
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos.	25.2	32.1	33.2	33.6
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos.	15.6	15.9	14.3	18.9
48 or more mos.	35.7	26.7	25.2	21.9
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	1,080	1,115	1,128	889

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	86.3	85.9	86.2	86.9	62.6	64.8	60.9	63.1	41.9	41.1	38.8	35.9	90.0	100.0	100.0	100.0
Children with 3 or more placements	13.5	14.0	13.6	13.0	37.4	35.2	39.1	36.9	58.1	58.9	61.2	64.1	10.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	6,438	6,245	6,696	7,202	2,174	2,606	2,661	2,968	4,038	4,263	3,844	3,607	10	8	28	24

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	3.4	1.4	1.1	1.2
Institutions	4.9	5.7	5.9	6.7
Other settings	91.5	92.6	92.9	92.1
Missing data	0.1	0.3	0.1	0.0
Number	3,804	3,875	4,358	4,625

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Indiana [ Federal Comment ]

PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT

The following is a discussion of Indiana'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, 7.0 percent of the children in Indiana 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 is about equal to the national median of 7.1 percent and represents a performance improvement from 2000 to 2003 (-14.6 percent change).

In 2003, the rate of child maltreatment victims was 13.2 child victims per 1,000 children in the State population, which is higher than the national median of 10.6 child victims per 1,000 children in the population. This rate did not change substantially from 2000 to 2003.

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

In 2003, 0.41 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 from 2000 to 2003 (-6.8 percent change).

Outcome 3. Increase permanency for children in foster care

In 2003, 88.4 percent of children exiting foster care in Indiana (measure 3.1) were discharged to a permanent home, which is slightly higher than the national median of 86.3 percent. Also, 79.9 percent of 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. Furthermore, 71.8 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.

In 2003, 30.7 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 exceeds the national median of 29.6 percent, it represents improved performance on this measure from 2000 to 2003 (-17.9 percent change). Also in 2003, there were 314 children in Indiana who were 18 years of age or older when they exited foster care, but only 254 children were reported as emancipated from foster care.

There were no substantive differences with regard to exits to permanency as a function of children's race (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 (87.6 percent) as were Black (non-Hispanic) children exiting foster care (89.7 percent). However, the percentage of Black (non-Hispanic) children in foster care in 2003 (34.3 percent) was more than three times the percentage of these children in the State's child population (10.1 percent).

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

In 2003, 76.4 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, 2.5 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.

Also in 2003, 9.1 percent of the children entering foster care were re-entering within 12 months of a prior episode (measure 4.2). Although this is about equal to the national median of 9.5 percent, it represents an improvement in performance from 2000 to 2003 (-26.6 percent change). In comparison, 9.1 percent of the children entering foster care in 2003 were entering more than 12 months after a prior foster care episode, which represents a decline in performance from 2000 to 2003 (+35.8 percent change). Overall, 18.2 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

Indiana's performance on measure 5.1 is difficult to interpret because in 2003, 889 children were reported to the Federal Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) foster care database as having achieved a finalized adoption, while only 761 children were reported to the AFCARS adoption database as having achieved a finalized adoption. Therefore the actual number of children with a finalized adoption is not clear. The reasons for this discrepancy are not known.

Outcome 6. Increase placement stability

In 2003, 86.9 percent of the children in foster care in Indiana for less than 12 months experienced no more than two placement settings, which is slightly higher than the national median of 84.2 percent (measure 6.1). Also in 2003, 63.1 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 higher than the national median of 59.1 percent.

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

In 2003, 7.9 percent of the children entering foster care when they were age 12 or younger were placed in a group home or institution (measure 7.1), which is less than the national median of 8.3 percent. There was no substantive change in performance on this measure from 2000 to 2003.

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