New Jersey

Context Data | Outcomes Data | Federal Comment

New Jersey [ Context Data ]

A. Context Statistics

General Child Population (Census Bureau)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Total children under 18 years	2,090,874	2,107,840	2,118,151	2,131,617
Race/Ethnicity (%)1
Alaska Native/American Indian	0.1	0.2	0.1	0.1
Asian	5.9	6.1	6.1	6.3
Black (non-Hispanic)	15.6	15.9	15.3	15.3
Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander	0.0	<.1	<.1	<.1
Hispanic (of any race)	16.2	16.8	16.3	16.8
White (non-Hispanic)	59.4	59.3	60.5	59.8
Two or more races	2.3	1.8	1.6	1.7
% Child population in poverty	11.1	9.6	9.3	11.2

Child Welfare Summary	2000	2001	2002	2003
Child maltreatment victims2	8,826	8,536	8,103	8,123
Children in foster care on 9/30	9,794	10,666	11,442	12,801
Children adopted	832	1,030	1,385	935

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	69,120	33.1 per 1,000	70,599	33.5 per 1,000	70,786	33.4 per 1,000	77,915	36.5 per 1,000
Total child maltreatment victims3	8,826	4.2 per 1,000	8,536	4.1 per 1,000	8,103	3.8 per 1,000	8,123	3.8 per 1,000
Child fatalities	38	1.8 per 100,000	35	1.7 per 100,000	22	1.0 per 100,000	34	1.6 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	15.8	15.2	14.6	13.9
1-5 years	26.7	26.3	26.6	27.8
6-10 years	29.7	29.7	28.3	27.3
11-15 years	22.4	23.3	24.0	24.6
16+ years	5.5	5.4	6.4	6.4
Unknown	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	8,826	8,536	8,103	8,123

Race/Ethnicity of Child Victims (%)4	2000	2001	2002	2003
Alaska Native/American Indian	0.3	0.1	0.3	0.2
Asian	0.8	1.0	1.0	0.8
Black (non-Hispanic)	44.1	45.5	44.7	41.6
Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander	N/A	N/A	N/A	0.0
Hispanic (of any race)	6.1	5.9	4.7	4.6
White (non-Hispanic)	36.0	33.0	35.1	36.6
Two or more races	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Unknown	12.8	14.5	14.2	16.3
Number	8,826	8,536	8,103	8,123

Maltreatment Types of Child Victims (%)5	2000	2001	2002	2003
Emotional abuse	3.2	2.7	3.7	4.2
Medical neglect	14.4	14.1	13.1	12.5
Neglect	52.8	52.4	53.5	51.9
Physical abuse	24.7	25.3	24.1	25.6
Sexual abuse	8.9	8.9	9.2	9.3
Unknown/missing data	0.1	0.2	0.2	0.2
Other	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	8,826	8,536	8,103	8,123

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	9,241	9,835	10,772	11,204	4,654	5,433	6,052	6,971	4,109	4,607	5,404	5,437	9,794	10,666	11,442	12,801
Median length of stay (months)	20.5	20.5	19.0	18.1	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	12.6	13.1	13.5	11.9	20.8	19.2	18.0	17.4

	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	6.7	6.4	7.4	7.5	20.9	21.8	20.9	20.1	6.0	6.3	5.6	5.7	6.3	7.4	7.4	7.4
1 year	7.9	7.4	7.2	7.8	5.4	5.7	6.0	6.0	5.8	6.1	6.3	6.4	7.4	7.1	7.8	8.2
2 years	7.0	7.3	6.8	6.7	4.3	4.3	4.8	5.3	5.6	6.0	7.1	6.6	7.3	6.8	6.6	7.1
3 years	5.7	6.6	6.0	5.7	4.0	3.8	4.5	4.7	4.8	6.2	6.2	6.3	6.6	6.0	5.7	5.7
4 years	5.3	5.2	5.5	4.9	3.9	3.4	3.6	4.1	5.1	5.1	5.7	5.3	5.2	5.6	5.0	4.9
5 years	5.2	4.7	4.5	4.6	3.4	3.7	3.8	4.2	4.6	3.9	4.6	4.2	4.7	4.5	4.6	4.8
6 years	5.2	5.2	4.6	4.4	3.7	3.9	3.4	3.6	3.5	4.0	3.7	4.0	5.0	4.6	4.3	4.5
7 years	5.0	4.8	5.0	4.2	3.5	3.4	3.8	3.6	4.0	3.9	4.0	3.8	4.8	4.9	4.3	4.1
8 years	4.8	5.1	4.8	4.8	3.5	3.9	3.4	3.5	3.7	4.3	4.1	4.1	4.9	4.6	4.7	3.9
9 years	4.8	4.8	5.1	4.5	3.6	4.3	3.6	3.6	3.7	3.8	4.4	3.5	4.7	5.1	4.4	4.4
10 years	4.7	4.7	4.8	5.1	3.2	3.6	4.1	3.8	3.2	4.4	3.7	3.7	4.6	4.7	5.1	4.6
11 years	4.3	4.8	4.8	4.8	3.5	4.0	3.9	4.1	2.8	3.5	3.8	3.7	4.8	4.7	4.7	4.9
12 years	4.5	4.6	4.7	4.9	4.2	3.9	4.3	4.4	3.6	3.5	3.8	3.5	4.5	4.7	4.9	5.0
13 years	4.7	4.9	5.0	5.1	5.4	5.2	5.1	5.1	3.8	4.1	3.8	4.3	4.9	5.1	5.1	5.2
14 years	5.2	5.4	5.2	5.6	6.8	5.6	6.7	6.3	5.4	4.7	5.3	5.4	5.5	5.2	5.6	5.5
15 years	5.3	5.4	6.1	5.9	7.7	7.8	6.8	6.4	7.1	6.1	6.1	6.2	5.6	6.0	6.0	5.9
16 years	6.2	5.2	5.8	5.9	7.1	6.3	6.3	6.4	8.0	7.1	6.7	6.9	5.4	6.0	6.0	6.0
17 years	4.9	5.3	4.5	5.4	5.1	4.5	4.4	4.1	8.2	6.7	6.4	6.8	5.6	4.7	5.5	5.4
18 years	1.8	1.6	1.7	1.5	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.4	8.0	8.1	6.7	7.7	1.6	1.8	1.7	1.7
19 years	0.5	0.4	0.5	0.5	0.1	0.1	0.1	0.1	2.1	1.5	1.5	1.4	0.4	0.4	0.5	0.5
20 years	0.2	0.1	0.1	0.1	0.0	<.1	<.1	0.0	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.3	0.1	0.1	0.2	0.2
Missing data	<.1	<.1	0.0	<.1	0.0	<.1	<.1	0.0	0.3	0.3	0.1	0.2	<.1	<.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	0.4	0.4	0.2	0.2	0.5	0.1	0.2	<.1	0.5	0.3	0.2	0.2	0.4	0.3	0.2	0.1
Asian	0.2	0.1	0.3	0.3	0.2	0.4	0.6	0.3	0.4	0.2	0.5	0.5	0.1	0.3	0.3	0.3
Black (non-Hispanic)	63.2	63.1	62.4	62.1	53.3	54.4	53.0	50.3	53.2	55.0	53.8	50.7	62.7	62.2	61.5	60.5
Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander	0.0	<.1	<.1	<.1	0.0	<.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	<.1	0.0	0.0	<.1	<.1	<.1
Hispanic (of any race)	8.3	7.6	7.2	6.7	7.6	6.2	6.2	6.4	9.0	7.7	7.8	7.0	7.6	6.8	6.3	6.4
White (non-Hispanic)	22.4	22.2	22.5	22.7	28.0	28.1	27.7	30.2	28.5	27.2	27.1	29.9	22.5	23.1	23.1	23.7
Two or more races	1.3	1.5	1.7	1.8	1.3	1.1	1.8	1.6	1.5	1.4	1.6	1.8	1.2	1.4	1.8	1.7
Unknown	4.3	5.0	5.7	6.2	9.1	9.6	10.5	11.0	7.0	8.2	8.9	10.0	5.4	6.0	6.7	7.2
Missing data	0.0	0.0	<.1	0.0	0.0	<.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	<.1	0.0	0.0	<.1	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	4,852	5,174	5,073	5,236
Numbers of waiting children whose parents' rights have been terminated	3,916	3,654	2,840	2,892

Age (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
<1 year	3.9	5.9	8.2	8.2
1 year	8.3	8.7	11.0	11.5
2 years	10.2	9.5	9.7	10.3
3 years	9.1	8.7	8.6	8.3
4 years	6.8	7.9	7.1	7.3
5 years	6.6	6.4	6.3	5.9
6 years	6.7	6.2	5.7	6.1
7 years	6.4	6.1	5.5	5.3
8 years	6.3	6.0	5.8	4.7
9 years	5.5	6.3	5.2	5.3
10 years	5.4	5.1	5.7	5.1
11 years	5.3	4.9	4.6	4.9
12 years	4.4	4.6	3.9	4.3
13 years	3.6	3.7	3.8	3.3
14 years	3.3	2.7	3.1	3.3
15 years	2.7	2.8	2.3	2.6
16 years	2.3	2.4	1.7	1.6
17 years	2.1	1.5	1.4	1.4
18 years	0.8	0.5	0.4	0.4
19 years	0.2	0.2	0.1	0.2
20+ years	<.1	<.1	<.1	<.1
Missing data	—	—	—	—

Race/Ethnicity (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Alaska Native/American Indian	0.5	0.3	0.2	<.1
Asian	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2
Black (non-Hispanic)	69.2	68.7	66.3	65.6
Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander	0.0	<.1	0.0	<.1
Hispanic (of any race)	7.2	6.6	6.5	6.5
White (non-Hispanic)	17.6	17.7	18.6	18.9
Two or more races	1.6	2.0	2.6	2.6
Unknown	3.7	4.4	5.7	6.1
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	832	1,030	1,385	935

Age (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
<1 year	0.7	1.0	1.1	0.9
1 year	7.6	8.7	7.5	8.3
2 years	13.7	12.9	13.4	14.0
3 years	12.9	15.0	13.3	16.4
4 years	12.9	12.5	12.6	10.6
5 years	10.6	7.4	10.0	8.1
6 years	8.1	7.9	5.9	7.9
7 years	6.7	6.9	7.3	7.1
8 years	5.0	6.1	5.1	6.6
9 years	4.8	4.9	5.6	4.1
10 years	5.3	4.4	5.1	5.6
11 years	3.8	4.2	4.0	2.9
12 years	2.6	3.1	3.7	2.4
13 years	1.7	2.0	2.3	1.2
14 years	1.1	1.3	1.5	1.8
15 years	0.8	1.0	0.7	1.4
16 years	0.8	0.6	0.3	0.3
17 years	0.5	0.0	0.6	0.4
18 years	0.4	<.1	0.0	0.0
19 years	0.0	0.2	0.0	0.1
20+ years	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Missing data	—	—	—	—

Race/Ethnicity (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Alaska Native/American Indian	0.5	0.5	0.1	0.1
Asian	0.0	0.3	<.1	0.1
Black (non-Hispanic)	65.5	66.1	64.3	59.6
Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander	0.0	0.0	<.1	0.0
Hispanic (of any race)	6.7	6.6	7.0	7.0
White (non-Hispanic)	22.2	21.0	20.7	22.2
Two or more races	3.0	2.0	3.2	3.0
Unknown	2.0	3.5	4.4	8.0
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0

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New Jersey [ 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	94.2	93.7	93.1	94.4
Children with one or more recurrences	5.8	6.3	6.9	5.6
Number	4,346	4,344	4,081	3,815

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	1.30	0.59	0.69	0.69
Children not maltreated while in foster care	98.70	99.41	99.31	99.31
Number	12,997	14,294	15,705	17,051

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	16.3	19.6	25.1	16.7
Guardianship	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Reunification	71.3	69.8	64.8	68.5
Other	12.4	10.4	9.3	10.2
Missing data	<.1	0.2	0.8	4.6
Number	4,109	4,607	5,404	5,437

3.2 Exits of Children with a Diagnosed Disability (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Adoption	30.9	39.1	43.3	35.5
Guardianship	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Reunification	52.4	50.3	46.5	51.6
Other	16.8	10.5	10.0	11.3
Missing data	0.0	0.1	0.3	1.6
Number	758	867	1,033	941

3.3 Exits of Children Older than Age 12 at Entry into Foster Care (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Adoption	0.4	0.2	0.4	0.3
Guardianship	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Reunification	73.1	74.2	75.9	72.8
Other	26.6	25.3	23.2	24.8
Missing data	0.0	0.3	0.5	2.1
Number	1,408	1,394	1,606	1,675

3.4 Exits to Emancipation (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Children age 12 or younger at entry	30.0	28.0	26.9	25.9
Children older than 12 at entry	70.0	71.6	73.1	72.6
Missing data	0.0	0.3	0.0	1.5
Number	307	289	290	328

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	33.3	20.0	8.3	0.0	14.3	7.7	3.8	19.2	22.3	29.8	19.7
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	84.2	66.7	70.0	75.0	93.3	71.4	65.4	76.9	68.3	67.0	59.8	65.2
Other	5.3	0.0	10.0	16.7	6.7	14.3	26.9	15.4	12.5	10.5	9.4	10.3
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	3.8	<.1	0.3	1.0	4.8
Number	19	15	10	12	15	7	26	26	2,186	2,533	2,909	2,754
	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	100.0	0.0	11.4	16.0	23.3	16.2	14.8	16.8	19.2	12.5
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	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	74.3	73.3	65.1	65.4	72.2	71.1	71.2	72.8
Other	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	14.3	10.7	10.9	14.9	13.0	11.9	9.4	10.0
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.7	3.4	0.0	0.2	0.3	4.7
Number	0	0	1	0	370	356	421	382	1,170	1,251	1,465	1,624
	Unable to Determine				Two or more Races				Missing Data
	2000	2001	2002	2003	2000	2001	2002	2003	2000	2001	2002	2003
Adoption	4.5	10.5	12.7	12.8	32.3	36.9	49.4	27.6	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	87.1	82.1	78.6	75.2	59.7	61.5	49.4	64.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Other	8.4	7.1	7.5	7.6	8.1	1.5	1.1	3.1	0.0	0.0	100.0	0.0
Missing data	0.0	0.3	1.2	4.4	0.0	0.0	0.0	5.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	287	380	482	541	62	65	89	98	0	0	1	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.	60.3	59.5	63.5	62.5
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos.	18.9	17.6	20.1	19.5
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos.	7.4	8.3	6.5	6.2
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos.	3.6	4.0	2.6	3.5
48 or more mos.	7.7	7.6	4.9	4.8
Missing data	2.1	3.0	2.4	3.5
Number	2,929	3,215	3,504	3,727

4.2 Children Re-entering Foster Care (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Children entering care for the first time	77.1	81.6	81.0	83.4
Children re-entering care within 12 mos. of a prior episode	11.3	7.9	8.2	7.8
Children re-entering care more than 12 mos. after a prior episode	9.9	8.4	9.0	7.4
Missing data	1.7	2.1	1.9	1.4
Number	4,654	5,433	6,052	6,971

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	3.7	3.8	3.8
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos.	11.0	12.7	13.1	17.9
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos.	19.0	20.8	22.5	22.6
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos.	22.1	20.3	21.2	21.4
48 or more mos.	43.0	41.6	38.4	33.4
Missing data	1.6	1.0	0.9	0.9
Number	670	901	1,356	906

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	85.6	86.2	85.1	83.1	67.3	68.6	69.0	60.4	49.1	48.9	47.8	44.6	97.1	96.4	89.0	99.1
Children with 3 or more placements	12.5	12.1	13.6	15.9	29.6	29.0	29.0	38.4	48.2	48.2	49.4	52.9	0.0	0.9	0.9	0.9
Number	5,286	5,995	6,762	7,732	2,739	2,975	3,474	3,755	5,800	6,186	6,479	6,575	70	112	109	114

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	4.1	4.5	3.5	3.1
Institutions	7.2	5.5	5.1	4.1
Other settings	88.3	89.2	91.2	92.6
Missing data	0.5	0.7	0.3	0.1
Number	3,018	3,694	4,111	4,855

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New Jersey [ Federal Comment ]

PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT

The following is a discussion of New Jersey'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, 5.6 percent of the children in New Jersey 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 less than the national median of 7.1 percent. There was no change in performance on this measure from 2000 to 2003.

New Jersey's relatively low percentage of children who were victims of maltreatment recurrence in 2003 corresponds to a relatively low child victim rate in 2003. In 2003, the rate of child maltreatment victims was 3.8 child victims per 1,000 children in the State population, which is less than the national median of 10.6 child victims per 1,000 children in the population.

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

In 2003, 0.69 percent of the children in foster care in New Jersey 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 to 2003 (-46.9 percent change).

Outcome 3. Increase permanency for children in foster care

In 2003, 85.2 percent of children exiting foster care (measure 3.1) were discharged to a permanent home, which is close to the national median of 86.3 percent. In addition, 73.1 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. However, 85.2 percent of children exiting foster care in 2003 who had a diagnosed disability (measure 3.2) were discharged to a permanent home, which exceeds the national median of 79.5 percent.

In 2003, 25.9 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, it represents an improvement in performance from 2000 to 2003 (-13.7 percent change).

An additional finding is that many children who exit foster care at age 18 or older have a discharge reason other than emancipation. In 2003, for example, 511 of the children exiting foster care were age 18 or older at the time of exit. However, only 328 children exiting foster care had a discharge reason of emancipation.

There were no real 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 (85.3 percent) as were Black (non-Hispanic) children exiting foster care (84.9 percent). However, for almost 10 percent of the children exiting foster care in 2003, the race was reported as "Unable to Determine." Also, the percent of Black (non-Hispanic) children in the foster care population (60.5) was almost four times the percent of Black (non-Hispanic) children in the State's child population (15.3 percent).

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

In 2003, 62.5 percent of reunifications in New Jersey 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. Performance with regard to this measure did not change from 2000 to 2003. In addition, 8.3 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 New Jersey 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, 7.8 percent of the children entering foster care were re-entering within 12 months of a prior episode (measure 4.2). This percent not only is less than the national median of 9.5 percent, but also represents an improvement in performance from 2000 to 2003 (-31.0 percent change). In addition, only 7.4 percent of the children entering foster care were entering more than 12 months after a prior foster care episode. Consequently, 15.2 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, 21.7 percent of finalized adoptions in New Jersey occurred within 24 months of a child's entry into foster care (measure 5.1). Although this percent is less than the national median of 23.9 percent, it represents a substantial improvement in performance from 2000 to 2003 (+51.7 percent change).

Outcome 6. Increase placement stability

In 2003, 83.1 percent of the children in foster care in New Jersey who were in care for less than 12 months experienced no more than two placement settings (measure 6.1), which is slightly less than the national median of 84.2 percent. Also in 2003, 60.4 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 about equal to the national median of 59.1 percent.

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

In 2003, 7.2 percent of the children entering foster care in New Jersey 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 represents an improvement in performance on this measure from 2000 to 2003 (-36.3 percent change).

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