Maine

Context Data | Outcomes Data | Federal Comment

Maine [ Context Data ]

A. Context Statistics

General Child Population (Census Bureau)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Total children under 18 years	299,577	293,220	290,801	286,746
Race/Ethnicity (%)1
Alaska Native/American Indian	0.7	0.7	0.7	0.6
Asian	0.9	1.0	0.9	0.9
Black (non-Hispanic)	0.8	1.0	0.8	0.8
Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander	0.0	<.1	<.1	<.1
Hispanic (of any race)	1.2	1.2	1.1	1.1
White (non-Hispanic)	94.6	94.4	95.0	94.9
Two or more races	1.7	1.7	1.5	1.5
% Child population in poverty	8.9	12.4	19.1	15.6

Child Welfare Summary	2000	2001	2002	2003
Child maltreatment victims2	4,779	4,355	3,746	4,719
Children in foster care on 9/30	3,191	3,226	3,084	2,886
Children adopted	379	367	317	404

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	9,687	32.3 per 1,000	9,163	31.2 per 1,000	8,121	27.9 per 1,000	9,425	32.9 per 1,000
Total child maltreatment victims3	4,779	15.9 per 1,000	4,355	14.9 per 1,000	3,746	12.9 per 1,000	4,719	16.5 per 1,000
Child fatalities	3	1.0 per 100,000	2	0.7 per 100,000	2	0.7 per 100,000	3	1.0 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	9.3	10.4	11.6	11.8
1-5 years	30.6	31.8	34.4	33.5
6-10 years	31.0	30.7	29.2	29.5
11-15 years	23.1	24.1	21.5	21.8
16+ years	3.6	3.0	3.4	3.5
Unknown	2.4	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	4,779	4,355	3,746	4,719

Race/Ethnicity of Child Victims (%)4	2000	2001	2002	2003
Alaska Native/American Indian	0.5	0.8	0.9	0.9
Asian	0.5	0.2	0.3	0.2
Black (non-Hispanic)	0.9	0.7	1.3	1.1
Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander	N/A	N/A	N/A	0.1
Hispanic (of any race)	1.2	0.8	0.7	0.7
White (non-Hispanic)	44.0	43.4	47.9	57.4
Two or more races	0.6	0.8	0.8	0.9
Unknown	52.4	53.3	48.2	38.7
Number	4,779	4,355	3,746	4,719

Maltreatment Types of Child Victims (%)5	2000	2001	2002	2003
Emotional abuse	54.5	54.1	55.0	58.0
Medical neglect	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Neglect	62.0	62.3	66.1	71.9
Physical abuse	30.3	27.0	28.3	27.2
Sexual abuse	20.4	20.3	16.9	14.3
Unknown/missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Other	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	4,779	4,355	3,746	4,719

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	2,860	2,894	2,974	2,943	1,052	1,047	850	912	721	715	740	950	3,191	3,226	3,084	2,886
Median length of stay (months)	27.9	25.7	23.6	26.2	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	31.7	31.2	26.6	27.8	24.9	23.6	26.1	27.6

	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	3.4	3.7	3.9	3.7	19.6	18.9	19.5	16.7	4.0	4.9	3.1	2.4	4.2	4.1	3.9	3.7
1 year	4.8	4.7	4.7	4.9	6.5	6.4	6.2	7.1	6.5	7.1	5.7	5.1	4.9	4.7	4.7	5.3
2 years	4.6	4.4	4.2	4.9	6.1	5.8	4.9	6.5	6.4	8.0	7.7	7.9	4.7	4.4	4.7	4.8
3 years	3.7	4.2	4.3	3.5	3.8	5.2	4.1	6.4	7.4	6.3	5.1	4.6	4.4	4.3	3.4	4.9
4 years	4.0	3.2	3.8	4.2	5.2	5.5	4.4	5.9	4.4	6.2	4.5	6.5	3.3	4.0	4.4	4.0
5 years	3.7	3.8	3.1	3.5	4.0	4.4	4.4	3.9	5.8	5.6	4.1	3.7	3.9	3.2	3.6	4.0
6 years	4.9	4.0	3.7	3.6	5.3	3.8	5.6	3.6	4.7	3.6	4.5	5.2	3.9	3.7	3.6	3.5
7 years	5.1	4.5	3.5	3.8	4.8	4.2	5.1	6.5	5.7	5.0	3.6	3.8	4.8	3.7	3.8	3.4
8 years	5.7	5.0	4.4	4.0	3.9	3.9	5.1	3.7	5.4	5.2	4.1	5.3	4.8	4.3	3.9	4.0
9 years	5.2	5.4	4.8	4.3	4.8	4.1	3.8	4.4	4.9	4.8	5.5	3.8	5.4	4.7	4.4	4.0
10 years	5.7	5.2	5.3	4.7	4.5	4.3	3.6	3.6	3.9	3.5	3.4	3.5	5.1	5.2	4.5	4.2
11 years	5.6	6.1	5.3	5.5	4.7	3.7	4.7	4.5	4.9	4.2	3.9	4.3	5.6	5.2	5.4	4.8
12 years	5.5	5.9	6.1	5.5	4.3	4.7	4.7	5.8	4.0	1.8	3.9	3.3	5.7	5.9	5.5	5.8
13 years	5.8	5.8	6.9	6.7	5.4	5.4	6.6	4.4	2.8	2.7	3.0	2.6	5.5	6.6	6.7	6.4
14 years	6.5	7.0	6.8	7.3	6.6	6.8	5.5	4.9	2.5	2.7	2.7	3.5	6.6	6.6	7.3	7.1
15 years	7.0	7.6	8.1	7.6	5.7	6.1	5.9	6.1	3.9	2.7	2.8	3.8	7.3	7.8	7.6	8.3
16 years	7.2	7.0	8.2	8.2	3.2	4.8	4.1	3.3	3.2	3.5	5.0	4.0	6.9	8.0	8.3	7.9
17 years	6.5	6.2	6.4	7.4	1.5	1.6	1.1	2.0	5.4	3.4	8.8	10.4	6.3	6.6	7.5	7.4
18 years	2.9	3.8	3.3	3.3	0.0	<.1	0.6	0.4	7.9	10.9	10.3	7.5	4.0	3.5	3.3	4.1
19 years	1.4	1.8	2.3	1.7	<.1	0.2	0.1	0.2	2.5	4.1	5.1	3.5	1.8	2.4	1.7	1.6
20 years	0.8	0.8	0.7	1.5	<.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	2.6	2.5	3.2	4.0	0.9	1.0	1.5	0.8
Missing data	0.0	0.0	<.1	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.2	1.5	0.0	1.5	0.0	<.1	0.3	0.2

	In Foster Care on 10/1 FY				Entered Foster Care in FY				Exited Foster Care in FY				In Foster Care on 9/30 FY
Race/Ethnicity (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003	2000	2001	2002	2003	2000	2001	2002	2003	2000	2001	2002	2003
Alaska Native/American Indian	1.3	1.2	1.1	1.3	1.4	1.9	1.8	1.5	1.8	2.5	1.5	2.1	1.3	1.1	1.2	1.1
Asian	0.5	0.6	0.4	0.5	0.8	0.0	0.2	0.1	0.4	0.6	0.1	0.3	0.6	0.4	0.4	0.4
Black (non-Hispanic)	1.7	1.9	1.9	1.8	1.4	2.3	2.2	1.5	1.1	2.8	1.5	1.7	1.8	1.8	2.1	1.7
Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander	0.0	<.1	<.1	<.1	<.1	0.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.0	<.1	<.1	<.1	<.1
Hispanic (of any race)	2.3	2.1	2.8	2.5	2.1	2.4	1.2	3.1	1.5	2.0	2.2	2.4	2.4	2.2	2.5	2.7
White (non-Hispanic)	85.3	78.9	76.0	81.5	60.7	60.3	63.6	79.1	84.0	70.2	74.2	75.9	77.5	74.8	73.1	82.5
Two or more races	0.4	1.1	1.6	1.9	1.2	1.4	2.2	1.0	0.8	1.0	0.9	2.4	0.6	1.2	1.9	1.5
Unknown	8.3	14.0	16.1	10.1	32.1	31.2	28.6	12.3	10.1	20.8	19.6	13.1	15.8	18.1	18.7	9.8
Missing data	<.1	0.2	0.0	0.5	<.1	0.2	0.1	1.4	0.1	0.0	0.0	2.1	<.1	0.2	<.1	0.3

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

Waiting for Adoption	2000	2001	2002	2003
Total waiting children	1,096	1,003	979	795
Numbers of waiting children whose parents' rights have been terminated	692	684	690	641

Age (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
<1 year	4.0	2.7	3.2	1.1
1 year	6.6	6.9	6.0	4.8
2 years	6.8	6.8	7.0	7.3
3 years	6.6	6.0	5.3	7.2
4 years	5.8	6.2	6.6	5.4
5 years	6.7	4.2	6.7	6.5
6 years	6.4	6.7	5.3	5.0
7 years	8.4	5.0	5.8	5.2
8 years	7.8	7.4	5.5	4.9
9 years	8.8	8.9	6.4	6.0
10 years	7.1	8.3	7.6	6.5
11 years	7.8	7.5	8.7	8.6
12 years	6.1	8.0	6.6	8.2
13 years	4.3	5.1	6.9	7.9
14 years	3.3	4.0	4.5	7.0
15 years	1.9	3.6	4.1	3.9
16 years	0.7	1.3	2.0	2.3
17 years	1.0	0.7	0.7	1.3
18 years	<.1	0.9	0.4	0.6
19 years	0.0	<.1	0.2	0.3
20+ years	0.0	0.0	0.1	0.0
Missing data	—	—	—	—

Race/Ethnicity (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Alaska Native/American Indian	2.0	1.6	1.0	0.6
Asian	0.3	0.3	0.4	0.5
Black (non-Hispanic)	2.2	1.6	2.9	1.6
Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Hispanic (of any race)	2.5	2.5	3.3	2.9
White (non-Hispanic)	83.0	77.8	75.6	83.3
Two or more races	0.8	1.3	1.6	2.1
Unknown	9.1	14.4	15.1	8.9
Missing data	<.1	0.6	0.1	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	379	367	317	404

Age (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
<1 year	0.3	3.3	0.3	0.7
1 year	7.4	5.4	8.2	6.7
2 years	9.8	10.9	13.2	11.1
3 years	10.8	12.8	8.5	8.9
4 years	7.7	7.6	8.5	9.2
5 years	9.8	8.7	6.6	4.2
6 years	7.1	6.8	7.3	9.7
7 years	8.2	7.6	4.7	6.2
8 years	9.8	7.6	6.0	8.2
9 years	8.2	7.1	8.8	6.7
10 years	6.6	4.9	5.7	5.9
11 years	5.3	3.5	5.4	8.2
12 years	3.2	2.7	5.0	3.5
13 years	3.4	3.8	4.4	4.7
14 years	0.8	2.2	3.8	1.7
15 years	1.3	2.2	2.2	2.5
16 years	0.5	1.1	0.6	0.7
17 years	0.0	1.4	0.6	1.0
18 years	0.0	0.3	0.0	0.2
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	2.1	1.4	3.2	2.0
Asian	0.0	0.5	0.0	0.0
Black (non-Hispanic)	2.4	2.5	1.3	1.5
Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Hispanic (of any race)	0.8	0.5	1.9	2.0
White (non-Hispanic)	90.5	86.6	77.6	70.8
Two or more races	0.8	1.4	0.9	2.5
Unknown	3.4	7.1	15.1	20.3
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.0

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Maine [ 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	95.3	94.3	94.0	91.6
Children with one or more recurrences	4.7	5.7	6.0	8.4
Number	2,107	2,280	1,778	1,996

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	0.48	0.30	<.1
Children not maltreated while in foster care	99.92	99.52	99.70	99.92
Number	3,767	3,724	3,620	3,604

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	41.3	38.9	32.3	29.6
Guardianship	0.7	0.3	0.4	0.3
Reunification	39.5	40.3	43.0	43.2
Other	2.9	3.8	5.9	22.2
Missing data	15.5	16.8	18.4	4.7
Number	721	715	740	950

3.2 Exits of Children with a Diagnosed Disability (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Adoption	52.4	37.8	50.0	32.9
Guardianship	14.3	2.7	0.0	0.6
Reunification	14.3	16.2	20.0	25.7
Other	0.0	13.5	6.7	34.1
Missing data	19.0	29.7	23.3	6.6
Number	21	37	30	167

3.3 Exits of Children Older than Age 12 at Entry into Foster Care (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Adoption	0.0	0.8	1.2	1.6
Guardianship	0.0	0.8	0.6	0.4
Reunification	47.3	39.4	42.8	35.7
Other	8.2	12.1	13.3	55.8
Missing data	44.5	47.0	42.2	6.4
Number	146	132	173	249

3.4 Exits to Emancipation (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Children age 12 or younger at entry	26.7	33.3	39.4	30.8
Children older than 12 at entry	73.3	66.7	60.6	69.2
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	15	24	33	195

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	38.5	22.2	54.5	25.0	0.0	25.0	0.0	0.0	62.5	50.0	36.4	25.0
Guardianship	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	9.1	6.3
Reunification	30.8	66.7	27.3	20.0	66.7	25.0	0.0	66.7	25.0	45.0	36.4	43.8
Other	23.1	0.0	0.0	40.0	0.0	25.0	0.0	33.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	25.0
Missing data	7.7	11.1	18.2	15.0	33.3	25.0	100.0	0.0	12.5	5.0	18.2	0.0
Number	13	18	11	20	3	4	1	3	8	20	11	16
	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	27.3	21.4	31.3	30.4	45.2	46.4	32.8	28.4
Guardianship	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.8	0.4	0.2	0.3
Reunification	0.0	100.0	0.0	0.0	45.5	42.9	43.8	56.5	34.3	28.9	39.5	40.5
Other	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	12.5	8.7	2.6	4.8	6.9	25.1
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	27.3	35.7	12.5	4.3	17.0	19.5	20.6	5.7
Number	0	1	0	0	11	14	16	23	606	502	549	721
	Unable to Determine				Two or more Races				Missing Data
	2000	2001	2002	2003	2000	2001	2002	2003	2000	2001	2002	2003
Adoption	11.0	14.8	28.3	40.3	50.0	71.4	42.9	43.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Guardianship	0.0	0.0	0.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Reunification	82.2	75.8	57.2	52.4	50.0	14.3	57.1	43.5	100.0	0.0	0.0	85.0
Other	2.7	1.3	2.8	7.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	13.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Missing data	4.1	8.1	11.0	0.0	0.0	14.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	73	149	145	124	6	7	7	23	1	0	0	20

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.	50.5	54.2	39.0	46.3
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos.	21.1	26.4	37.7	26.6
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos.	14.7	10.4	11.3	13.7
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos.	6.0	3.5	6.0	4.9
48 or more mos.	7.4	4.9	6.0	4.4
Missing data	0.4	0.7	0.0	4.1
Number	285	288	318	410

4.2 Children Re-entering Foster Care (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Children entering care for the first time	93.1	89.3	88.5	89.7
Children re-entering care within 12 mos. of a prior episode	4.3	7.3	7.4	3.1
Children re-entering care more than 12 mos. after a prior episode	2.4	3.1	3.1	5.5
Missing data	0.3	0.4	1.1	1.8
Number	1,052	1,047	850	912

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.	1.0	3.2	1.3	2.8
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos.	15.8	8.6	20.5	15.3
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos.	19.8	24.1	31.8	22.4
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos.	16.1	26.3	16.3	24.2
48 or more mos.	47.3	37.8	29.7	34.9
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.4	0.4
Number	298	278	239	281

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	75.8	74.1	76.1	79.3	46.6	48.0	44.8	47.2	17.4	18.2	16.0	17.7	100.0	100.0	83.3	81.0
Children with 3 or more placements	23.5	25.1	22.3	19.0	53.1	51.5	55.0	52.6	82.4	81.7	83.9	82.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	19.0
Number	1,093	1,103	911	943	746	825	877	759	2,072	2,011	2,030	2,111	1	2	6	42

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	3.6	4.4	4.7	2.0
Institutions	2.2	1.6	1.9	2.0
Other settings	89.9	89.1	91.7	93.6
Missing data	4.3	4.8	1.6	2.4
Number	775	746	618	614

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Maine [ Federal Comment ]

PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT

The following is a discussion of Maine'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, 8.4 percent of the children in Maine 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 from 2000 to 2003 (+78.7 percent change).

In 2003, the rate of child maltreatment victims was 16.5 child victims per 1,000 children in the State population, which exceeds the national median of 10.6 child victims per 1,000 children in the population. The 2003 rate represents a substantial increase from the child victim rate in 2002 (12.9 child victims per 1,000 children in the State population).

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

In 2003, 0.08 percent of the children in foster care in Maine were found to be maltreated by a foster parent or facility staff member (measure 2.1). This percentage is less than the national median of 0.39 percent. There was no change in performance on this measure from 2000 to 2003.

Outcome 3. Increase permanency for children in foster care

In 2003, 73.1 percent of all children exiting foster care in Maine were discharged to a permanent home (measure 3.1), which is substantially less than the national median of 86.3 percent. Also, 59.2 percent of children exiting foster care who had a diagnosed disability were discharged to a permanent home (measure 3.2), which is less than the national median of 79.5 percent. Furthermore, 37.7 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 considerably less than the national median of 72.2 percent and the lowest percentage in the nation for this measure.

In 2003, 30.8 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). This percent not only exceeds the national median of 29.6 percent, but also represents a decline in performance on this measure from 2000 to 2003 (+15.4 percent change).

Some children who are reported as exits to emancipation appear to be discharged from foster care prior to their 18th birthday. In 2003, for example, 142 of the children exiting foster care were age 18 or older at the time of exit. However, 195 children were reported as exiting to emancipation.

Differences with regard to exits to permanency as a function of children's race or ethnicity (measure 3.5) could not be assessed because 76.0 percent of the children exiting foster care in Maine were White (non-Hispanic) and 13.0 percent of the children exiting foster care were reported as "Race Unable to Determine." However, the percent of Black (non-Hispanic) children in the foster care population, although quite small (1.7 percent), exceeded the percent of Black (non-Hispanic) children in the State's child population (0.8 percent).

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

In 2003, only 46.3 percent of all reunifications occurred within 12 months of a child's entry into foster care (measure 4.1). This percent not only is less than the national median of 72.0 percent, but also represents a decline in performance on this measure from 2000 to 2003 (-8.3 percent change). Furthermore, 9.3 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.

Although Maine had a relatively low percentage of reunifications occurring within 12 months of a child's entry into foster care, the State also had a relatively low percentage of re-entries into foster care within 12 months of a prior episode. In 2003, 3.1 percent of the children entering foster care were re-entering within 12 months of a prior episode (measure 4.2). This percentage not only is less than the national median of 9.5 percent, but also represents a performance improvement from 2000 to 2003 (-27.9 percent). In addition, only 5.5 percent of the children entering foster care were entering more than 12 months after a prior foster care episode. Consequently, only 8.6 percent of all children entering foster care in 2003 had been in foster care at a prior time, which is the lowest percentage in the nation.

Outcome 5. Reduce time in foster care to adoption

Maine's performance with regard to measure 5.1 cannot be assessed. In 2003, Maine reported 281 finalized adoptions to the Federal Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) foster care file. However, 404 adoptions were reported to the AFCARS adoption file. The timeliness of adoptions cannot be assessed without including all of the finalized adoptions that occurred in a given year.

Outcome 6. Increase placement stability

In 2003, 79.3 percent of the children in foster care in Maine for less than 12 months experienced no more than two placement settings, which is less than the national median of 84.2 percent (measure 6.1). Also in 2003, 47.2 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, 4.0 percent of the children entering foster care in Maine who were age 12 or younger were placed in a group home or institution (measure 7.1). This percentage not only is less than the national median of 8.3 percent, but also reflects a performance improvement from 2000 to 2003 (-31.0 percent change).

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