North Dakota

Context Data | Outcomes Data | Federal Comment

North Dakota [ Context Data ]

A. Context Statistics

General Child Population (Census Bureau)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Total children under 18 years	159,061	151,194	149,288	146,827
Race/Ethnicity (%)1
Alaska Native/American Indian	7.8	8.0	7.3	7.5
Asian	0.6	0.7	0.6	0.6
Black (non-Hispanic)	0.8	1.0	0.9	0.9
Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander	0.0	<.1	<.1	<.1
Hispanic (of any race)	2.0	2.0	1.8	1.8
White (non-Hispanic)	86.6	86.4	87.5	87.2
Two or more races	2.1	1.8	1.8	1.9
% Child population in poverty	14.1	19.5	16.5	12.7

Child Welfare Summary	2000	2001	2002	2003
Child maltreatment victims2	1,383	1,359	1,493	1,494
Children in foster care on 9/30	1,129	1,167	1,197	1,238
Children adopted	108	145	137	120

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	6,985	43.9 per 1,000	6,963	46.0 per 1,000	7,089	47.5 per 1,000	5,900	40.2 per 1,000
Total child maltreatment victims3	1,383	8.7 per 1,000	1,359	9.0 per 1,000	1,493	10.0 per 1,000	1,494	10.2 per 1,000
Child fatalities	0	0.0 per 100,000	1	0.7 per 100,000	2	1.3 per 100,000	0	0.0 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	6.6	6.0	6.0	6.9
1-5 years	26.8	28.8	31.4	30.9
6-10 years	32.8	30.8	27.2	29.9
11-15 years	26.5	26.7	28.3	26.6
16+ years	7.3	7.7	7.2	5.5
Unknown	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	1,383	1,359	1,493	1,494

Race/Ethnicity of Child Victims (%)4	2000	2001	2002	2003
Alaska Native/American Indian	21.3	21.2	19.3	22.2
Asian	0.1	0.3	0.7	1.0
Black (non-Hispanic)	3.1	3.8	3.8	4.4
Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander	N/A	N/A	N/A	1.0
Hispanic (of any race)	2.0	1.8	3.8	4.1
White (non-Hispanic)	73.8	72.0	73.2	70.6
Two or more races	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Unknown	0.0	1.0	0.0	0.0
Number	1,383	1,359	1,493	1,494

Maltreatment Types of Child Victims (%)5	2000	2001	2002	2003
Emotional abuse	53.1	52.5	52.3	53.0
Medical neglect	2.6	1.7	3.6	0.0
Neglect	61.0	58.3	64.6	88.2
Physical abuse	18.9	18.4	22.6	22.1
Sexual abuse	6.5	8.2	9.2	11.8
Unknown/missing data	1.4	3.2	0.0	0.0
Other	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	1,383	1,359	1,493	1,494

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	974	981	1,017	1,066	1,006	1,013	1,044	1,050	851	828	864	878	1,129	1,167	1,197	1,238
Median length of stay (months)	10.9	11.0	10.5	11.3	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	6.4	7.1	6.6	8.0	10.8	10.2	10.5	10.5

	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	5.4	4.2	3.5	3.9	12.0	8.8	10.1	9.0	4.7	3.0	2.7	3.2	6.8	5.4	6.0	4.5
1 year	3.4	3.8	3.9	3.2	3.2	3.3	3.7	3.9	3.5	2.1	3.4	3.6	5.3	4.3	4.6	4.3
2 years	2.7	3.5	2.9	4.5	3.3	3.8	3.5	5.4	3.5	5.4	2.9	4.8	3.2	3.1	4.0	4.7
3 years	2.7	2.3	3.9	3.6	2.6	3.2	4.0	3.7	3.3	2.2	4.3	4.0	1.9	4.0	3.4	3.9
4 years	3.2	3.2	2.9	3.6	2.7	3.5	3.4	3.3	1.5	3.1	3.0	2.6	2.9	3.1	3.4	4.0
5 years	2.5	3.0	2.6	3.6	2.3	2.7	3.5	4.0	3.1	4.0	3.4	4.2	2.9	2.4	3.5	3.4
6 years	3.3	2.2	2.8	2.3	2.1	2.9	2.1	3.4	2.4	2.3	2.2	3.6	2.4	2.7	2.3	3.4
7 years	3.2	2.7	3.2	2.6	3.1	3.8	2.2	3.9	2.6	2.1	2.7	3.2	3.0	3.3	2.5	2.9
8 years	4.8	3.4	4.3	3.6	3.5	3.1	2.7	2.3	4.5	3.0	1.7	3.8	3.1	3.9	3.4	2.5
9 years	4.1	4.9	2.6	4.0	3.9	2.9	3.1	3.5	2.9	2.9	3.6	4.0	5.0	2.8	3.9	3.1
10 years	4.5	4.7	5.3	3.6	3.1	3.2	3.1	3.8	2.8	2.8	2.2	2.7	4.0	5.0	3.3	3.6
11 years	4.0	5.2	4.2	4.8	3.5	4.7	3.1	3.7	3.1	3.4	3.4	4.7	5.0	4.2	4.8	4.0
12 years	4.3	4.6	6.3	5.5	4.3	3.6	5.4	5.1	3.8	3.0	3.5	3.9	4.3	6.0	5.2	4.6
13 years	6.8	5.5	6.6	7.7	6.4	7.0	7.5	6.3	4.7	3.4	5.8	4.3	5.6	6.4	7.5	6.7
14 years	8.8	9.1	7.4	7.3	9.4	8.9	7.3	8.6	6.7	6.8	5.9	6.3	8.8	7.5	7.8	9.4
15 years	10.8	11.6	10.7	9.8	13.1	12.2	12.5	9.7	10.9	10.3	10.2	7.6	11.3	10.9	9.4	9.5
16 years	12.6	12.7	11.7	13.2	12.4	12.0	12.8	10.5	11.5	13.8	12.8	10.8	12.3	10.9	12.9	9.8
17 years	10.7	10.8	12.6	10.6	9.2	10.6	10.1	9.7	17.2	16.9	16.1	15.5	9.8	11.6	9.8	13.0
18 years	1.5	1.7	2.2	2.2	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	6.7	8.7	9.4	6.2	1.5	2.1	1.8	2.3
19 years	0.6	0.6	0.2	0.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.6	0.6	0.8	1.0	0.5	0.2	0.4	0.3
20 years	0.1	0.3	0.2	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.1	0.2	0.2	0.0	0.3	0.3	0.0	0.2
Missing data	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	<.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.0	<.1	<.1	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	33.1	32.8	31.1	31.1	28.2	27.1	26.1	22.9	29.7	27.7	27.1	25.4	31.3	31.5	29.7	28.1
Asian	0.8	0.4	0.7	0.9	0.5	0.7	0.5	0.9	0.2	0.0	0.0	0.2	1.0	0.9	1.0	1.4
Black (non-Hispanic)	2.4	1.6	3.2	2.5	1.8	3.5	2.4	3.6	2.2	2.2	2.9	3.9	1.9	2.8	2.8	2.5
Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander	0.0	0.0	<.1	0.0	0.0	0.2	<.1	0.3	0.0	0.1	0.2	0.0	0.0	<.1	0.0	0.2
Hispanic (of any race)	2.5	3.1	3.0	3.9	4.2	2.7	5.4	5.6	3.9	3.0	4.1	5.9	2.9	2.7	4.3	4.0
White (non-Hispanic)	60.3	60.2	58.3	57.5	62.1	63.0	61.7	63.0	61.8	64.7	63.0	59.8	60.8	59.4	57.9	60.6
Two or more races	0.9	1.8	3.5	4.0	3.2	2.9	3.8	3.7	2.1	2.3	2.8	4.8	2.0	2.4	4.3	3.2
Unknown	0.1	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	<.1	<.1	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

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

Waiting for Adoption	2000	2001	2002	2003
Total waiting children	322	322	321	319
Numbers of waiting children whose parents' rights have been terminated	220	188	192	188

Age (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
<1 year	14.9	13.7	15.6	11.3
1 year	13.0	8.1	7.8	10.3
2 years	4.7	6.2	5.3	7.2
3 years	3.7	6.2	4.7	6.0
4 years	4.3	3.7	5.9	5.3
5 years	5.3	4.0	3.7	7.2
6 years	3.4	2.5	3.4	4.1
7 years	4.7	5.0	2.5	3.1
8 years	3.7	5.6	5.6	3.8
9 years	7.1	3.7	6.9	4.4
10 years	4.7	7.8	4.0	6.3
11 years	7.1	6.8	8.7	5.3
12 years	4.7	8.1	5.6	5.6
13 years	4.7	4.7	6.9	5.3
14 years	4.3	3.1	5.0	7.2
15 years	5.0	4.3	2.8	2.5
16 years	3.7	2.8	3.1	1.9
17 years	0.6	3.1	2.2	2.2
18 years	0.0	0.3	0.3	0.9
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	26.4	31.4	29.0	27.6
Asian	2.8	1.6	1.6	3.1
Black (non-Hispanic)	3.1	3.1	4.0	2.8
Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Hispanic (of any race)	3.4	2.5	3.4	4.7
White (non-Hispanic)	62.1	59.3	54.8	56.7
Two or more races	2.2	2.2	7.2	5.0
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	108	145	137	120

Age (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
<1 year	42.6	27.6	37.2	27.5
1 year	16.7	4.8	10.9	5.0
2 years	3.7	11.0	6.6	6.7
3 years	4.6	2.1	4.4	7.5
4 years	2.8	6.9	8.0	2.5
5 years	5.6	7.6	5.8	2.5
6 years	3.7	4.8	2.9	4.2
7 years	5.6	4.8	3.6	3.3
8 years	6.5	2.8	2.9	2.5
9 years	1.9	5.5	4.4	7.5
10 years	0.9	3.4	0.7	5.0
11 years	0.0	3.4	2.9	10.0
12 years	2.8	3.4	2.9	5.0
13 years	0.9	2.1	2.9	4.2
14 years	0.9	0.7	1.5	1.7
15 years	0.0	3.4	0.7	3.3
16 years	0.9	2.1	0.7	0.8
17 years	0.0	3.4	0.0	0.0
18 years	0.0	0.0	0.7	0.8
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	10.2	23.4	9.5	10.8
Asian	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Black (non-Hispanic)	3.7	4.8	5.8	0.8
Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Hispanic (of any race)	4.6	4.1	7.3	2.5
White (non-Hispanic)	78.7	66.2	65.7	71.7
Two or more races	2.8	1.4	11.7	14.2
Unknown	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0

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North Dakota [ 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	—	—	—	—
Children with one or more recurrences	—	—	—	—
Number	—	—	—	—

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	—	—	—	—
Children not maltreated while in foster care	—	—	—	—
Number	—	—	—	—

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	5.2	10.6	7.8	8.9
Guardianship	0.5	0.2	0.6	0.3
Reunification	70.9	60.5	66.7	66.2
Other	18.4	24.5	23.4	23.3
Missing data	5.1	4.1	1.6	1.3
Number	851	828	864	878

3.2 Exits of Children with a Diagnosed Disability (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Adoption	85.4	72.8	7.2	11.0
Guardianship	0.0	0.0	0.5	0.2
Reunification	9.8	16.5	62.5	59.2
Other	0.0	9.7	28.7	28.4
Missing data	4.9	1.0	1.2	1.2
Number	41	103	432	419

3.3 Exits of Children Older than Age 12 at Entry into Foster Care (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Adoption	0.0	0.9	0.4	0.2
Guardianship	0.9	0.4	0.8	0.2
Reunification	67.0	60.3	65.3	64.3
Other	25.1	35.8	32.1	33.7
Missing data	7.1	2.6	1.3	1.5
Number	463	464	476	401

3.4 Exits to Emancipation (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Children age 12 or younger at entry	0.0	10.9	17.2	11.7
Children older than 12 at entry	100.0	89.1	82.8	88.3
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	43	46	58	60

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	4.0	9.2	4.7	5.4	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	16.7	4.0	2.9
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	63.2	52.4	62.4	66.8	100.0	0.0	0.0	100.0	63.2	72.2	64.0	70.6
Other	22.9	32.8	31.2	26.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	31.6	11.1	32.0	26.5
Missing data	9.9	5.7	1.7	1.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	5.3	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	253	229	234	223	2	0	0	2	19	18	25	34
	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	0.0	16.0	5.7	1.9	6.1	11.2	8.6	10.3
Guardianship	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.8	0.4	0.9	0.6
Reunification	0.0	100.0	100.0	0.0	81.8	60.0	60.0	71.2	73.4	63.4	68.8	64.8
Other	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	9.1	16.0	34.3	25.0	17.1	22.2	19.9	23.2
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	9.1	8.0	0.0	1.9	2.7	2.8	1.8	1.1
Number	0	1	2	0	33	25	35	52	526	536	544	525
	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	11.1	0.0	25.0	23.8	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	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	88.9	63.2	70.8	69.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Other	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	15.8	4.2	4.8	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	21.1	0.0	2.4	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	0	0	0	0	18	19	24	42	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.	81.4	80.8	80.9	80.2
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos.	13.9	15.4	13.0	13.3
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos.	2.7	3.0	3.8	4.1
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos.	1.3	0.2	1.0	0.7
48 or more mos.	0.7	0.4	0.7	1.2
Missing data	0.0	0.2	0.5	0.5
Number	603	501	576	581

4.2 Children Re-entering Foster Care (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Children entering care for the first time	71.3	66.2	67.5	72.2
Children re-entering care within 12 mos. of a prior episode	19.4	19.0	19.5	15.7
Children re-entering care more than 12 mos. after a prior episode	7.0	10.2	9.7	9.9
Missing data	2.4	4.6	3.3	2.2
Number	1,006	1,013	1,044	1,050

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.	11.4	11.4	9.0	5.1
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos.	15.9	25.0	28.4	17.9
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos.	36.4	20.5	28.4	42.3
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos.	15.9	22.7	19.4	17.9
48 or more mos.	20.5	20.5	14.9	16.7
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	44	88	67	78

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	87.1	81.2	84.5	84.0	63.5	59.7	62.6	58.9	57.2	50.2	43.6	45.1	50.0	0.0	100.0	100.0
Children with 3 or more placements	12.6	14.4	15.2	16.0	36.2	40.3	37.4	41.1	42.3	49.3	56.4	54.9	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	1,210	1,220	1,236	1,262	359	352	398	375	407	420	420	474	4	3	7	5

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	1.0	1.7	3.3	1.2
Institutions	8.8	5.7	9.0	7.8
Other settings	90.2	92.4	87.5	91.0
Missing data	0.0	0.2	0.2	0.0
Number	489	459	513	566

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North Dakota [ Federal Comment ]

PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT

The following is a discussion of North Dakota'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

North Dakota's performance with regard to achieving outcome 1 cannot be assessed because the State does not provide data to the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) for calculating the measure for this outcome (measure 1.1). To ensure consistency across States, the Report to Congress presents only data submitted through NCANDS.

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

North Dakota's performance with regard to achieving outcome 2 cannot be assessed because the State does not provide data to NCANDS for calculating the measure for this outcome (measure 2.1). To ensure consistency across States, the Report to Congress presents only data submitted through NCANDS.

Outcome 3. Increase permanency for children in foster care

In 2003, 75.4 percent of all children exiting foster care in North Dakota (measure 3.1) were discharged to a permanent home, which is less than the national median of 86.3 percent. Also, 70.4 percent of children exiting foster care who had a diagnosed disability (measure 3.2) were discharged to a permanent home, which is less than the national median of 79.5 percent. Furthermore, 64.7 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 less than the national median of 72.2 percent.

With regard to ensuring that children emancipated from foster care (either through legal action or because they reach the age of majority) do not spend most of their formative years in foster care (measure 3.4), in 2003, only 11.7 percent of the children reported as emancipated from foster care entered foster care when they were age 12 or younger (measure 3.4). Change in performance on this measure is difficult to interpret because of the large variability in percentages from 2000 to 2003.

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 (75.7 percent) as were Alaska Native/American Indian children exiting foster care (72.2 percent). However, the percent of Alaska Native/American Indian children in the foster care population (28.1 percent) was more than three times the percent of those children in the State's child population (7.5 percent).

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

In 2003, 80.2 percent of reunifications in North Dakota 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, 1.9 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.

North Dakota's relatively high percentage of reunifications in 2003 within 12 months of a child's entry into foster care corresponds to a relatively high percentage of re-entries into foster care within 12 months of a prior episode. In 2003, 15.7 percent of the children entering foster care were re-entering within 12 months of a prior episode (measure 4.2). Although this exceeds the national median of 9.5 percent, it represents an improvement in performance from 2000 (-19.1 percent change). Also in 2003, 9.9 percent of the children entering foster care were re-entering more than 12 months after a prior foster care episode. Consequently, 25.6 percent of all children entering foster care in 2003 had been in foster care at a prior time.

One explanation for this rate of foster care re-entry may be that 20.2 percent of the children entering foster care in 2003 were age 16 and older at the time of entry. The cross-State analyses found a substantial positive relationship between State re-entry percentages and the percent of children entering foster care who were age 16 and older.

Outcome 5. Reduce time in foster care to adoption

In 2003, 23.0 percent of finalized adoptions in North Dakota occurred within 24 months of a child's entry into foster care (measure 5.1). Although this percent is about equal to the national median of 23.9 percent, it represents a decline in performance from 2000 (-14.5 percent change).

Outcome 6. Increase placement stability

In 2003, 84.0 percent of the children in foster care in North Dakota who were in care for less than 12 months experienced no more than two placement settings, which is about equal to the national median of 84.2 percent (measure 6.1). Also in 2003, 58.9 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. There was a decrease in placement stability of 25.1 percentage points for children in foster care for 12 to 24 months 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, 9.0 percent of the children entering foster care who were age 12 or younger were placed in a group home or institution (measure 7.1). Although this percent exceeds the national median of 8.3 percent, it represents an improvement in performance from 2000 to 2003 (-8.2 percent change).

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