Louisiana

Context Data | Outcomes Data | Federal Comment

Louisiana [ Context Data ]

A. Context Statistics

General Child Population (Census Bureau)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Total children under 18 years	1,215,916	1,197,818	1,187,185	1,177,555
Race/Ethnicity (%)1
Alaska Native/American Indian	0.6	0.6	0.6	0.6
Asian	1.2	1.2	1.2	1.3
Black (non-Hispanic)	39.7	39.7	39.3	39.4
Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander	0.0	<.1	<.1	<.1
Hispanic (of any race)	2.5	2.6	2.6	2.6
White (non-Hispanic)	54.6	54.6	55.2	55.0
Two or more races	1.2	1.3	1.1	1.1
% Child population in poverty	23.4	23.1	26.4	25.5

Child Welfare Summary	2000	2001	2002	2003
Child maltreatment victims2	10,618	11,158	10,971	11,432
Children in foster care on 9/30	5,406	5,024	4,829	4,541
Children adopted	476	470	487	497

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	36,355	29.9 per 1,000	38,085	31.8 per 1,000	37,825	31.9 per 1,000	41,726	35.4 per 1,000
Total child maltreatment victims3	10,618	8.7 per 1,000	11,158	9.3 per 1,000	10,971	9.2 per 1,000	11,432	9.7 per 1,000
Child fatalities	30	2.5 per 100,000	33	2.8 per 100,000	37	3.1 per 100,000	43	3.7 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	8.2	8.5	8.9	8.5
1-5 years	30.4	30.8	31.5	32.8
6-10 years	31.7	30.4	29.4	28.8
11-15 years	25.0	25.3	25.1	25.0
16+ years	4.7	4.9	5.1	5.0
Unknown	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	10,618	11,158	10,971	11,432

Race/Ethnicity of Child Victims (%)4	2000	2001	2002	2003
Alaska Native/American Indian	0.1	0.2	0.3	0.2
Asian	0.3	0.3	0.4	0.3
Black (non-Hispanic)	51.1	49.6	47.8	48.6
Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander	N/A	N/A	N/A	0.0
Hispanic (of any race)	1.0	0.8	0.9	1.0
White (non-Hispanic)	46.1	48.0	49.0	47.9
Two or more races	0.6	0.4	0.6	0.5
Unknown	0.8	0.7	1.0	1.4
Number	10,618	11,158	10,971	11,432

Maltreatment Types of Child Victims (%)5	2000	2001	2002	2003
Emotional abuse	4.3	4.2	3.7	3.9
Medical neglect	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Neglect	76.5	76.7	75.8	76.9
Physical abuse	23.0	22.4	22.1	22.0
Sexual abuse	6.7	7.8	7.5	7.4
Unknown/missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Other	0.3	0.0	0.0	0.4
Number	10,618	11,158	10,971	11,432

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	5,395	5,194	4,851	4,598	3,157	3,014	2,974	2,809	3,146	3,184	2,996	2,866	5,406	5,024	4,829	4,541
Median length of stay (months)	19.8	17.1	15.9	16.2	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	11.8	11.7	11.5	11.9	16.3	15.3	15.4	14.5

	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	2.4	2.7	2.8	3.9	9.8	10.0	11.3	12.2	2.8	2.9	3.2	3.1	2.7	2.7	3.8	4.4
1 year	4.2	4.5	5.0	4.7	5.4	5.9	6.1	7.1	4.2	4.2	4.3	5.3	4.5	5.0	4.6	5.6
2 years	4.0	4.1	4.9	5.3	5.4	5.4	5.0	6.1	5.0	4.8	5.7	6.0	4.1	4.9	5.2	5.4
3 years	3.9	4.2	4.3	5.0	4.0	4.3	4.7	6.0	4.8	4.8	4.5	5.7	4.2	4.2	5.0	5.5
4 years	4.7	3.7	4.1	4.1	4.1	3.9	4.2	4.9	4.1	4.3	4.2	5.0	3.6	4.0	4.0	4.6
5 years	4.3	4.3	3.2	4.3	3.6	3.7	4.1	4.6	4.4	4.1	3.5	5.0	4.3	3.2	4.3	4.3
6 years	4.7	4.4	4.3	3.4	4.4	4.0	3.8	4.6	3.9	4.1	3.6	4.0	4.3	4.3	3.5	4.3
7 years	4.7	4.6	4.2	4.2	3.7	3.6	3.0	4.2	4.6	3.9	3.8	3.8	4.5	4.3	4.2	3.7
8 years	4.7	4.9	4.7	4.0	4.4	3.7	3.7	3.4	3.8	4.3	4.0	4.0	4.9	4.6	3.9	4.1
9 years	5.2	5.0	4.5	4.7	4.0	4.2	3.5	3.5	4.0	3.9	3.9	3.8	5.0	4.4	4.6	3.6
10 years	5.2	5.3	5.3	4.3	4.1	3.6	3.6	3.8	3.5	4.3	3.4	3.5	5.2	5.2	4.5	4.9
11 years	5.2	5.3	5.2	5.9	4.1	4.2	4.3	4.1	3.9	4.1	3.3	3.9	5.2	5.1	5.7	4.7
12 years	5.8	5.7	5.8	5.6	5.2	5.1	4.5	4.6	3.5	3.1	4.0	3.9	5.8	5.9	5.6	6.4
13 years	7.3	7.0	7.2	6.4	7.0	8.0	7.0	6.8	4.7	5.5	5.3	4.7	7.1	7.3	6.5	6.1
14 years	8.1	8.5	8.3	8.3	10.8	10.5	9.6	7.2	7.3	7.1	7.4	5.9	8.8	8.5	8.4	7.8
15 years	9.7	9.2	9.8	9.4	11.0	10.8	11.2	8.3	9.1	9.5	10.1	8.6	9.4	10.0	9.8	8.6
16 years	9.3	9.3	9.2	8.9	7.0	7.5	8.5	6.7	10.5	9.0	10.0	8.4	9.3	9.6	9.1	9.0
17 years	6.6	7.1	7.1	7.5	1.8	1.5	2.1	2.0	10.6	6.5	12.0	15.5	7.1	6.9	7.4	7.1
18 years	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	5.1	9.4	3.8	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
19 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
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	0.4	0.3	0.3	0.4	0.1	0.2	0.3	0.1	0.3	0.3	0.2	0.1	0.3	0.2	0.4	0.4
Asian	0.3	0.3	0.4	0.5	0.2	0.4	0.5	0.5	0.3	0.3	0.5	0.7	0.2	0.3	0.4	0.3
Black (non-Hispanic)	62.9	61.7	60.4	57.4	57.2	58.1	54.4	55.6	58.9	59.9	58.9	56.8	61.9	60.7	57.6	56.7
Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	<.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	<.1	0.0	0.0
Hispanic (of any race)	0.8	0.9	0.8	0.9	1.6	1.0	1.3	0.8	1.3	1.2	1.3	0.8	0.9	0.7	0.8	0.9
White (non-Hispanic)	34.0	35.4	36.8	39.6	39.8	39.0	42.3	41.3	37.8	37.1	37.7	40.2	35.2	36.5	39.7	40.3
Two or more races	1.4	1.2	1.1	0.9	0.7	0.4	0.4	1.0	1.1	0.7	0.7	0.9	1.2	1.0	0.8	0.9
Unknown	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.4	0.8	0.7	0.8	0.3	0.4	0.6	0.5	0.3	0.5	0.4	0.6
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	1,541	1,439	1,471	1,315
Numbers of waiting children whose parents' rights have been terminated	513	546	935	830

Age (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
<1 year	1.0	1.4	1.4	1.1
1 year	3.5	4.8	4.0	5.6
2 years	5.5	5.0	5.9	5.4
3 years	5.3	6.0	6.3	6.8
4 years	5.4	4.6	5.1	5.5
5 years	7.1	5.0	5.4	5.4
6 years	6.4	6.5	4.2	5.2
7 years	7.1	6.1	6.5	4.0
8 years	8.1	7.5	5.8	5.9
9 years	7.3	7.1	6.6	4.5
10 years	7.1	7.2	7.1	7.1
11 years	7.3	6.5	8.0	6.6
12 years	6.9	7.1	6.6	8.1
13 years	7.1	7.2	7.1	5.9
14 years	6.1	6.9	6.7	7.7
15 years	4.9	5.5	6.5	6.5
16 years	2.8	3.6	3.7	5.8
17 years	1.2	2.0	3.1	3.0
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	0.4	0.1	0.1	0.5
Asian	0.0	0.3	0.5	0.6
Black (non-Hispanic)	60.4	58.9	59.7	59.6
Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Hispanic (of any race)	0.6	1.0	1.0	0.7
White (non-Hispanic)	36.6	37.6	36.8	37.5
Two or more races	1.7	2.0	1.5	0.8
Unknown	0.3	0.1	0.3	0.4
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	476	470	487	497

Age (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
<1 year	0.6	0.2	1.0	0.6
1 year	4.2	3.4	5.7	6.0
2 years	7.4	7.0	11.5	11.5
3 years	6.9	9.1	9.2	11.3
4 years	6.7	8.5	7.8	8.0
5 years	9.9	9.6	6.8	8.7
6 years	9.9	7.9	8.2	6.2
7 years	8.8	9.1	8.8	7.0
8 years	6.9	9.4	7.8	9.3
9 years	9.0	7.7	7.4	7.6
10 years	6.1	7.2	4.7	5.2
11 years	7.4	6.4	3.9	6.6
12 years	5.0	2.1	3.7	3.6
13 years	4.4	3.6	3.7	4.4
14 years	2.9	2.8	3.7	1.4
15 years	2.1	2.6	2.7	1.8
16 years	1.7	2.8	2.9	0.4
17 years	0.0	0.6	0.4	0.2
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	0.4	0.6	0.2	0.0
Asian	0.0	0.0	0.2	0.0
Black (non-Hispanic)	59.9	58.1	50.1	54.1
Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Hispanic (of any race)	1.3	0.4	1.2	1.6
White (non-Hispanic)	36.8	38.9	45.8	41.9
Two or more races	1.5	1.7	2.5	2.2
Unknown	0.2	0.2	0.0	0.2
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0

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Louisiana [ 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	92.0	93.2	92.5	91.3
Children with one or more recurrences	8.0	6.8	7.5	8.7
Number	5,021	4,670	4,938	4,908

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	0.73	0.58	0.74	—
Children not maltreated while in foster care	99.27	99.42	99.26	—
Number	7,847	7,351	7,055	—

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	15.0	14.9	16.2	17.2
Guardianship	1.8	1.4	2.1	1.8
Reunification	58.6	55.9	55.2	67.5
Other	24.6	27.8	26.5	13.6
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	3,146	3,184	2,996	2,866

3.2 Exits of Children with a Diagnosed Disability (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Adoption	12.6	13.2	19.9	17.7
Guardianship	0.9	0.0	1.4	1.3
Reunification	42.4	40.1	33.5	56.3
Other	44.1	46.7	45.3	24.7
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	762	713	654	531

3.3 Exits of Children Older than Age 12 at Entry into Foster Care (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Adoption	0.3	0.6	0.7	0.2
Guardianship	1.4	0.6	1.4	1.4
Reunification	46.6	41.0	44.4	74.1
Other	51.8	57.8	53.5	24.3
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	1,101	1,128	1,095	931

3.4 Exits to Emancipation (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Children age 12 or younger at entry	49.3	51.1	49.1	49.1
Children older than 12 at entry	50.7	48.9	50.9	50.9
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	298	311	291	279

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	25.0	30.0	16.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	6.7	0.0	15.1	14.4	13.7	16.4
Guardianship	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.4	1.2	1.8	1.5
Reunification	75.0	60.0	50.0	25.0	70.0	87.5	86.7	81.0	56.0	54.8	55.4	67.4
Other	0.0	10.0	33.3	75.0	30.0	12.5	6.7	19.0	27.5	29.6	29.0	14.6
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	8	10	6	4	10	8	15	21	1,853	1,908	1,766	1,627
	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	14.6	5.1	15.0	34.8	14.8	15.7	19.8	17.8
Guardianship	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	2.5	0.0	2.5	1.8	2.7	1.9
Reunification	0.0	100.0	0.0	0.0	65.9	71.8	65.0	60.9	61.9	56.8	53.8	68.1
Other	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	19.5	23.1	17.5	4.3	20.8	25.8	23.8	12.2
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	3	0	0	41	39	40	23	1,189	1,182	1,129	1,151
	Unable to Determine				Two or more Races				Missing Data
	2000	2001	2002	2003	2000	2001	2002	2003	2000	2001	2002	2003
Adoption	9.1	8.3	0.0	7.7	20.6	36.4	54.5	40.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Guardianship	0.0	16.7	0.0	30.8	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Reunification	72.7	50.0	94.4	46.2	64.7	63.6	36.4	55.6	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Other	18.2	25.0	5.6	15.4	14.7	0.0	9.1	3.7	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	11	12	18	13	34	22	22	27	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.	64.8	65.0	68.3	68.6
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos.	20.9	23.9	23.1	22.4
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos.	7.1	5.9	5.0	5.4
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos.	2.6	1.6	1.0	1.3
48 or more mos.	4.3	3.4	2.4	1.8
Missing data	0.3	0.2	0.2	0.6
Number	1,843	1,781	1,653	1,934

4.2 Children Re-entering Foster Care (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Children entering care for the first time	84.4	83.0	83.8	84.1
Children re-entering care within 12 mos. of a prior episode	7.1	7.8	6.8	7.1
Children re-entering care more than 12 mos. after a prior episode	8.5	9.2	9.4	8.8
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	3,157	3,014	2,974	2,809

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.	1.5	1.1	2.5	1.6
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos.	11.4	10.6	15.7	17.3
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos.	21.8	28.3	30.9	33.1
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos.	20.3	24.1	23.7	19.5
48 or more mos.	44.9	35.9	27.2	28.5
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	472	473	485	492

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	79.4	83.3	81.7	80.9	49.7	56.7	56.2	56.8	18.1	35.3	35.0	31.3	87.5	50.0	75.0	78.9
Children with 3 or more placements	19.3	15.3	16.2	18.0	49.8	42.6	43.4	43.2	81.8	64.6	65.0	68.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	3,849	3,784	3,682	3,443	1,510	1,588	1,549	1,516	3,185	2,832	2,586	2,429	8	4	8	19

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	2.1	1.5	2.2	1.0
Institutions	6.3	6.2	5.1	3.2
Other settings	91.7	92.3	92.7	95.8
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	1,901	1,801	1,759	1,894

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Louisiana [ Federal Comment ]

PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT

The following is a discussion of Louisiana'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, 8.7 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 percentage is higher than the national median of 7.1 percent. This represents a slight decline in performance from 2000 to 2003 (+8.8 percent change). At the same time, the rate of child victims increased from 2000 (8.7 child victims per 1,000 children in the population) to 2003 (9.7 child victims per 1,000 children in the population).

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

Data pertaining to child maltreatment in foster care in 2003 are not available for Louisiana.

Outcome 3. Increase permanency for children in foster care

In 2003, 86.5 percent of the children exiting foster care in Louisiana were discharged to a permanent home (measure 3.1), which is about equal to the national median of 86.3 percent. Also in 2003, 75.7 percent of the children exiting foster care who were older than age 12 when they entered foster care were discharged to a permanent home, which is slightly more than the national median of 72.2 percent (measure 3.3). However, 75.3 of the children exiting foster care in 2003 who had a diagnosed disability were discharged to a permanent home, which is less than the national median of 79.5 percent (measure 3.2).

In contrast to these measures, performance on outcome measure 3.4 was far below the median. In 2003, 49.1 percent of the children reported as emancipated from foster care entered foster care when they were age 12 or younger. The national median for this measure is 29.6 percent.

There were no substantive differences in exits to permanency as a function of children's race or ethnicity. (This was assessed only when a particular race or ethnicity accounted for at least 10 percent of the exits from foster care.) Black children exiting foster care were as likely to be discharged to a permanent home (85.3 percent) as were White children exiting foster care (87.8 percent). However, the percent of Black (non-Hispanic) children in the foster care population in 2003 (56.7 percent) exceeded the percent of those children in the State's child population in that year (39.4 percent).

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

Louisiana's performance with regard to achieving outcome 4 varied as a function of the measure being assessed. In 2003, 68.6 percent of all reunifications from foster care occurred within 12 months of a child's entry into foster care (measure 4.1), which is less than the national median of 72.0 percent. However, performance on this measure exhibited a slight improvement from 2000 to 2003 (+5.9 percent change).

In comparison, in 2003, 7.1 percent of children entering foster care were re-entering within 12 months of a prior episode (measure 4.2), which is less than the national median of 9.5 percent. Performance on this measure did not change from 2000 to 2003.

Outcome 5. Reduce time in foster care to adoption

In 2003, 18.9 percent of all finalized adoptions in Louisiana occurred within 24 months of a child's entry into foster care. Although this percent is less than the national median of 23.9 percent, it represents an improvement in performance from 2000 to 2003 (+46.5 percent change).

Outcome 6. Increase placement stability

Louisiana's performance with regard to achieving outcome 6 varied depending on children's length of stay in foster care. In 2003, 80.9 percent of the children in foster care for less than 12months experienced no more than two placement settings, which is less than the national median of 84.2 percent. In addition, 56.8 percent of the children in foster care for at least 12 months, but less than 24 months, experienced no more than two placements settings, which is less than the national median of 59.1 percent and represents a 24.1 percent decline in placement stability compared to children in foster care for less than 12 months.

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

In 2003, 4.2 percent of the children entering foster care in Louisiana who were age 12 or younger were placed in a group home or institution. This percent not only is less than the national median of 8.3 percent, but also represents an improvement in performance on this measure from 2000 to 2003 (-50.0 percent change).

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