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Ohio

Context Data | Outcomes Data | State Comment | Federal Comment

Ohio [ Context Data ]

A. Context Statistics

General Child Population (Census Bureau) 2000 2001 2002 2003
Total children under 18 years 2,882,823 2,848,585 2,833,426 2,815,289
Race/Ethnicity (%)1
Alaska Native/American Indian 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2
Asian 1.1 1.2 1.2 1.2
Black (non-Hispanic) 14.2 14.5 14.0 14.0
Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander 0.0 <.1 <.1 <.1
Hispanic (of any race) 2.8 2.8 2.7 2.7
White (non-Hispanic) 79.2 79.1 79.8 79.6
Two or more races 2.3 2.2 2.1 2.2
% Child population in poverty 15.3 16.2 11.8 16.5
Child Welfare Summary 2000 2001 2002 2003
Child maltreatment victims2 54,084 51,031 50,141 47,444
Children in foster care on 9/30 20,365 21,584 21,038 19,323
Children adopted 2,044 2,230 2,396 2,420

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 120,712 41.9 per 1,000 113,720 39.9 per 1,000 110,495 39.0 per 1,000 108,816 38.7 per 1,000
Total child maltreatment victims3 54,084 18.8 per 1,000 51,031 17.9 per 1,000 50,141 17.7 per 1,000 47,444 16.9 per 1,000
Child fatalities 58 2.0 per 100,000 80 2.8 per 100,000 72 2.5 per 100,000 68 2.4 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 7.9 7.7 8.2
1-5 years 30.2 30.2 30.9 31.2
6-10 years 29.6 28.9 28.2 27.3
11-15 years 23.7 24.7 24.7 25.2
16+ years 6.3 6.5 6.4 6.4
Unknown 1.9 1.8 2.0 1.6
Number 54,084 51,031 50,141 47,444
Race/Ethnicity of Child Victims (%)4 2000 2001 2002 2003
Alaska Native/American Indian 0.4 0.2 0.2 0.2
Asian 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.1
Black (non-Hispanic) 31.2 30.0 29.4 28.3
Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander N/A N/A N/A 0.0
Hispanic (of any race) 1.1 1.0 1.2 1.5
White (non-Hispanic) 63.5 60.7 62.1 62.7
Two or more races 0.0 1.1 1.0 1.2
Unknown 4.3 6.9 5.8 6.0
Number 54,084 51,031 50,141 47,444
Maltreatment Types of Child Victims (%)5 2000 2001 2002 2003
Emotional abuse 5.5 11.2 13.4 13.9
Medical neglect 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Neglect 52.7 53.1 54.3 53.6
Physical abuse 27.7 25.6 23.2 22.9
Sexual abuse 14.0 15.4 15.5 15.5
Unknown/missing data 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0
Other 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Number 54,084 51,031 50,141 47,444

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 19,099 19,562 20,476 19,761 15,396 16,157 14,982 13,997 14,131 14,136 14,421 14,437 20,365 21,584 21,038 19,323
Median length of stay (months) 14.0 14.7 13.8 14.4 N/A N/A N/A N/A 7.4 7.6 9.8 9.7 14.4 13.4 14.1 14.6
  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 5.4 5.3 5.7 5.6 12.9 13.8 14.0 14.4 5.4 5.7 5.3 5.8 5.4 5.7 5.6 5.6
1 year 5.7 5.8 6.1 6.1 5.9 5.8 6.4 6.5 6.2 6.0 7.3 6.8 5.9 6.1 6.1 6.3
2 years 5.5 5.6 5.1 5.4 5.5 5.1 5.7 5.7 6.1 6.3 6.6 6.3 5.6 5.2 5.5 5.4
3 years 4.5 4.7 4.7 4.6 4.7 4.7 5.1 5.0 5.3 5.5 5.4 5.5 4.7 4.7 4.7 5.1
4 years 4.7 4.3 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.5 4.4 4.4 4.7 5.0 5.1 4.8 4.3 4.4 4.4 4.3
5 years 4.5 4.4 4.0 4.0 4.1 3.9 4.5 4.0 4.9 4.4 4.4 4.4 4.4 3.9 4.1 4.1
6 years 4.8 4.2 4.1 3.7 4.2 4.0 3.7 3.8 4.3 4.1 4.2 4.2 4.1 4.1 3.7 3.8
7 years 4.9 4.9 4.2 3.9 4.4 4.2 3.8 3.9 4.5 4.3 4.2 3.9 4.9 4.2 3.9 3.8
8 years 4.8 4.6 4.6 4.1 4.4 4.0 4.2 3.4 4.7 4.4 4.2 3.8 4.6 4.6 4.1 3.6
9 years 4.9 4.7 4.4 4.4 4.1 4.0 4.2 3.6 4.1 3.9 4.3 3.9 4.6 4.4 4.4 3.8
10 years 4.4 4.8 4.8 4.6 3.8 4.2 4.3 3.8 3.9 4.1 4.0 4.0 4.8 4.7 4.5 4.2
11 years 4.7 4.6 4.8 4.9 3.9 4.1 4.2 4.1 3.6 3.8 4.4 4.2 4.6 4.8 4.7 4.4
12 years 5.2 5.0 4.9 4.9 4.4 4.7 4.4 4.6 3.8 4.2 4.0 3.8 5.0 4.8 4.8 5.1
13 years 5.6 5.7 5.7 5.6 5.7 5.7 5.7 5.9 4.4 4.9 4.3 4.6 5.7 5.6 5.5 5.7
14 years 6.1 6.4 6.3 6.5 6.7 6.7 6.5 7.0 5.4 5.3 5.2 5.5 6.4 6.3 6.5 6.5
15 years 6.9 7.0 7.4 7.4 7.8 7.9 7.3 7.7 6.8 6.6 5.9 6.7 7.2 7.4 7.4 7.7
16 years 7.1 7.4 7.9 8.2 7.4 7.5 6.8 7.1 7.2 6.9 6.2 6.5 7.4 7.7 8.1 8.3
17 years 6.9 7.1 7.2 8.0 5.1 5.1 4.6 4.9 6.8 6.3 6.7 7.5 7.0 7.2 7.7 8.1
18 years 2.1 2.2 2.6 2.6 <.1 <.1 <.1 <.1 6.4 6.9 6.6 6.2 2.2 2.6 2.6 3.0
19 years 0.6 0.6 0.7 0.6 <.1 <.1 <.1 0.0 0.9 0.8 1.2 1.3 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.8
20 years 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.1 <.1 0.0 <.1 <.1 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.3 0.3
Missing data 0.6 0.5 0.3 0.3 0.2 <.1 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.6 0.4 0.4 0.3
  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 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 <.1 <.1 0.2
Asian 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.1 0.1 <.1 0.1
Black (non-Hispanic) 46.9 47.1 47.7 46.3 41.0 42.3 38.8 38.7 40.3 41.1 41.8 41.5 47.0 47.4 45.3 44.3
Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 <.1 <.1 <.1 <.1
Hispanic (of any race) 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.6 2.8 2.7 2.7 3.3 2.9 2.6 3.1 3.1 2.5 2.7 2.5 2.7
White (non-Hispanic) 44.2 44.0 43.9 46.3 50.5 49.6 53.0 53.5 50.7 50.2 49.3 50.6 44.4 44.1 46.6 48.3
Two or more races 5.1 5.1 4.3 3.7 4.2 3.4 3.1 2.9 4.3 4.4 4.0 3.4 4.9 4.3 3.7 3.4
Unknown 0.9 0.9 1.2 0.9 1.3 1.7 2.1 1.2 1.2 1.3 1.5 1.1 1.0 1.2 1.6 1.0
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 4,438 5,914 5,731 5,201
Numbers of waiting children whose parents' rights have been terminated 3,033 4,892 4,325 4,038
Age (%) 2000 2001 2002 2003
<1 year 2.9 2.7 4.2 3.8
1 year 5.1 6.1 6.0 6.4
2 years 5.6 5.8 6.1 6.3
3 years 5.5 5.5 5.2 5.7
4 years 5.0 4.8 5.3 4.9
5 years 5.4 4.7 4.2 5.0
6 years 4.7 4.9 4.6 4.2
7 years 5.7 4.9 4.7 4.7
8 years 5.9 6.2 5.3 4.7
9 years 6.6 5.8 6.3 5.3
10 years 6.5 6.2 6.1 5.9
11 years 6.2 6.7 6.4 6.5
12 years 6.5 6.2 6.5 6.4
13 years 6.4 6.4 6.4 6.7
14 years 6.1 5.8 6.6 6.5
15 years 6.1 6.4 6.1 6.6
16 years 5.0 4.6 4.8 4.9
17 years 3.2 4.0 3.3 3.8
18 years 1.3 1.6 1.3 1.6
19 years 0.3 0.5 0.4 0.3
20+ years <.1 0.2 0.2 <.1
Missing data
Race/Ethnicity (%) 2000 2001 2002 2003
Alaska Native/American Indian <.1 0.1 <.1 0.2
Asian 0.0 0.1 <.1 <.1
Black (non-Hispanic) 48.0 53.9 53.4 51.0
Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander 0.0 0.0 0.0 <.1
Hispanic (of any race) 2.0 2.6 2.8 2.9
White (non-Hispanic) 44.2 37.9 38.5 40.8
Two or more races 5.4 5.0 4.3 4.3
Unknown 0.4 0.4 0.8 0.6
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 2,044 2,230 2,396 2,420
Age (%) 2000 2001 2002 2003
<1 year 6.3 4.9 3.6 4.5
1 year 10.3 9.1 10.2 11.2
2 years 11.7 11.8 10.8 11.4
3 years 10.3 10.0 8.6 8.3
4 years 8.1 9.1 8.7 6.7
5 years 8.0 7.0 5.7 6.7
6 years 6.9 6.4 6.3 5.3
7 years 5.6 6.1 6.1 4.9
8 years 6.8 6.5 5.6 5.0
9 years 5.1 6.0 6.0 5.6
10 years 4.5 5.0 4.9 6.0
11 years 3.6 4.5 6.2 5.3
12 years 4.1 4.2 4.7 4.6
13 years 2.2 2.9 3.5 3.7
14 years 2.1 2.2 3.4 3.1
15 years 1.7 1.5 2.5 3.1
16 years 1.4 1.4 1.4 2.7
17 years 0.8 1.1 1.3 1.5
18 years 0.3 0.1 0.5 0.3
19 years 0.1 <.1 <.1 0.0
20+ years 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Missing data
Race/Ethnicity (%) 2000 2001 2002 2003
Alaska Native/American Indian 0.2 <.1 <.1 <.1
Asian 0.3 <.1 <.1 0.0
Black (non-Hispanic) 42.5 44.8 45.5 45.0
Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander 0.0 0.0 0.0 <.1
Hispanic (of any race) 3.6 2.7 2.7 2.9
White (non-Hispanic) 45.6 45.1 44.3 45.5
Two or more races 6.8 6.8 6.8 5.6
Unknown 0.9 0.5 0.6 0.8
Missing data 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

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Ohio [ 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 91.8 91.6
Children with one or more recurrences 8.2 8.2 8.4
Number 19,452 24,703 21,770

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 0.13 0.15 0.30
Children not maltreated while in foster care 99.87 99.85 99.70
Number 32,418 31,956 30,325

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 12.0 13.9 14.9 15.3
Guardianship 3.9 3.9 4.6 3.9
Reunification 64.2 62.5 64.8 63.9
Other 8.4 8.0 9.1 9.4
Missing data 11.4 11.7 6.6 7.5
Number 14,131 14,136 14,421 14,437
3.2 Exits of Children with a Diagnosed Disability (%) 2000 2001 2002 2003
Adoption 15.6 18.0 18.5 20.0
Guardianship 3.5 3.3 3.1 2.5
Reunification 59.5 57.0 56.4 53.9
Other 13.7 14.7 16.0 16.8
Missing data 7.7 7.0 6.0 6.8
Number 4,930 4,344 4,186 3,936
3.3 Exits of Children Older than Age 12 at Entry into Foster Care (%) 2000 2001 2002 2003
Adoption 0.4 0.6 1.1 1.0
Guardianship 3.0 3.5 3.8 3.5
Reunification 52.8 50.3 60.6 57.2
Other 20.1 19.1 22.5 23.4
Missing data 23.6 26.4 12.0 14.9
Number 4,601 4,603 4,298 4,524
3.4 Exits to Emancipation (%) 2000 2001 2002 2003
Children age 12 or younger at entry 22.5 22.2 26.4 21.5
Children older than 12 at entry 77.3 77.8 73.4 78.4
Missing data 0.2 0.0 0.2 <.1
Number 1,028 1,013 1,161 1,211
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 9.7 8.3 5.3 7.1 10.3 5.7 3.0 0.0 12.0 14.7 16.0 16.4
Guardianship 6.5 0.0 15.8 0.0 2.6 0.0 0.0 0.0 4.3 4.3 4.9 4.7
Reunification 64.5 66.7 68.4 78.6 76.9 68.6 66.7 72.7 62.9 59.7 62.1 59.8
Other 6.5 16.7 5.3 14.3 0.0 11.4 3.0 18.2 8.8 7.8 9.3 9.4
Missing data 12.9 8.3 5.3 0.0 10.3 14.3 27.3 9.1 12.0 13.6 7.7 9.7
Number 31 12 19 14 39 35 33 22 5,701 5,806 6,034 5,996
 
 
  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 15.3 15.7 13.9 14.9 11.5 13.0 13.5 14.1
Guardianship 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 5.8 4.9 6.8 6.8 3.5 3.5 4.2 3.2
Reunification 0.0 100.0 50.0 100.0 62.0 62.4 66.8 66.1 65.3 64.7 67.3 67.2
Other 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 8.0 9.7 8.4 9.0 8.3 8.2 9.2 9.4
Missing data 100.0 0.0 50.0 0.0 8.8 7.3 4.1 3.2 11.4 10.6 5.8 6.1
Number 1 3 2 6 411 370 440 443 7,167 7,102 7,112 7,307
 
 
  Unable to Determine Two or more Races Missing Data
  2000 2001 2002 2003 2000 2001 2002 2003 2000 2001 2002 2003
Adoption 6.3 4.4 5.2 11.3 18.0 19.8 25.1 23.9 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Guardianship 3.4 2.2 2.4 3.8 5.1 4.5 4.9 1.6 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Reunification 66.3 57.5 72.5 68.6 63.2 63.5 57.9 58.8 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Other 5.7 5.5 6.2 10.7 7.8 8.0 7.4 10.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Missing data 18.3 30.4 13.7 5.7 5.9 4.3 4.7 5.7 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Number 175 181 211 159 606 627 570 490 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. 73.9 74.2 73.0 72.1
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos. 18.9 18.6 20.6 21.1
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos. 3.6 3.6 3.5 4.1
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos. 1.1 1.1 1.0 1.1
48 or more mos. 1.1 1.0 1.0 1.0
Missing data 1.3 1.4 0.9 0.7
Number 9,074 8,828 9,345 9,220
4.2 Children Re-entering Foster Care (%) 2000 2001 2002 2003
Children entering care for the first time 72.0 72.0 72.4 71.0
Children re-entering care within 12 mos. of a prior episode 13.7 12.4 13.1 13.9
Children re-entering care more than 12 mos. after a prior episode 12.4 13.2 13.5 14.0
Missing data 1.9 2.4 1.0 1.1
Number 15,396 16,157 14,982 13,997

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. 5.4 4.6 4.7 4.8
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos. 23.8 21.1 23.5 23.7
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos. 28.2 32.7 28.5 26.4
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos. 20.2 20.1 20.0 19.3
48 or more mos. 22.3 21.5 23.3 25.9
Missing data <.1 0.0 0.0 <.1
Number 1,694 1,967 2,143 2,215

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 85.8 86.0 84.5 85.9 62.1 62.2 61.1 62.0 33.4 33.0 31.0 31.7 68.7 55.8 76.9 82.0
Children with 3 or more placements 12.0 12.4 13.5 12.5 37.5 37.4 38.6 37.8 66.1 66.6 68.7 68.0 0.0 1.4 0.6 0.7
Number 17,945 18,718 17,791 16,706 6,921 6,911 7,542 7,200 9,448 9,944 9,970 9,704 182 147 156 150

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 1.1 1.2 0.9 1.0
Institutions 2.8 2.8 2.4 2.4
Other settings 96.1 95.9 96.6 96.4
Missing data 0.0 <.1 0.1 0.1
Number 10,102 10,629 10,103 9,239

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Ohio [ State Comment ]

Rick Smith, Deputy Director
Office for Children and Families
Ohio Job and Family Services

The following are Ohio's comments on the State's data presented in Child Welfare Outcomes 2003: Report to Congress.

Ohio's child protection system is state supervised and county administered with the State setting program parameters, allocating funds, and supervising county performance.

Outcome Measure 1.1 (Recurrence of Maltreatment): State data reflect a slight increase in the recurrence measure. To address this, state policy is being revised to provide consistency in how agencies are screening reports and documenting duplicate report information.

Section C (Children in Foster Care): Ohio acknowledges that there is an inconsistency between the number of children reported to be in foster care on September 30, 2002 and then on October 1, 2002. The inconsistency is two-fold. The FFY 2002 end of year count contains cases that would not have been counted had the discharge dates been entered into Ohio's information system at the time the file was created. This is a data entry delay issue. The second inconsistency represents an incomplete beginning year count of children in care. A review of the State's Data Profile showed that the Children's Bureau selects only the most recent record to avoid counting the children as both "in care on the first day" and "entries". That means the children get counted as "entries," and not "in care on the first day" to avoid counting them twice.

Section E (Children Adopted): The reason for the discrepancy in the number of adoptions reported to HHS and the number that HHS counts as finalized adoptions by the state is that the public agencies enter AFCARS data on all children who are finalized by private agencies and are approved for a Title IV-E Adoption Assistance subsidy through the public agency. The focus has been on assuring that all state adoptions are counted accurately during the beginning years of the Adoption 2002 initiative. The state has not found any other data entry or mapping discrepancies that would result in public agency adoptions being excluded from the AFCARS state adoption grouping.

Outcome Measure 4.2 (Re-entry into Foster Care): The state is working with agencies to identify case demographics for children re-entering foster care within 12 months of a prior episode. The agencies are exploring the relationship between family dynamics such as unruly/delinquent youth and substance abuse issues, and how it affects re-entry rates. Service planning processes at the time of reunification, and data entry practices and procedures impacting re-entry data are also being explored. Ohio continues to monitor agencies compliance through the states' quality assurance process to achieve a lower re-entry rate.

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Ohio [ Federal Comment ]

PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT

The following is a discussion of Ohio'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 Ohio 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 exceeds the national median of 7.1 percent. There was no change in performance on this measure from 2001 to 2003 (data on the measure are not available for 2000).

The relatively high percentage of children experiencing maltreatment recurrence in 2003 corresponds to a relatively high child maltreatment victim rate. In 2003, the child maltreatment victim rate in Ohio was 16.9 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. However, the 2003 rate represents a decrease from the rate in 2000 of 18.8 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, 0.30 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 percentage is less than the national median of 0.39 percent, it represents a decline in performance from 2001 to 2003 (+130.8 percent change). Data for this measure are not available for 2000.

Outcome 3. Increase permanency for children in foster care

In 2003, 83.1 percent of all children exiting foster care in Ohio (measure 3.1) were discharged to a permanent home, which is less than the national median of 86.3 percent. Also, 76.4 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, 61.7 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, in 2003, 21.5 percent of the children reported as emancipated from foster care entered foster care when they were age 12 or younger (measure 3.4), which is less than the national median of 29.6 percent. There was no change in performance on this measure from 2000 to 2003.

There were no differences in 2003 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 about as likely to be discharged to a permanent home (84.5 percent) as were Black (non-Hispanic) children exiting foster care (80.9 percent). However, the percent of Black (non-Hispanic) children in the foster care population in 2003 (44.3 percent) was more than three times the percent of those children in the State's child population (14.0 percent).

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

In 2003, 72.1 percent of reunifications in Ohio occurred within 12 months of a child's entry into foster care (measure 4.1), which is about equal to the national median of 72.0 percent. Performance with regard to this measure did not change from 2000 to 2003. However, only 2.1 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, 13.9 percent of children entering foster care were re-entering within 12 months of a prior episode (measure 4.2), which exceeds the national median of 9.5 percent. Performance on this measure did not change from 2000 to 2003. In addition, 14.0 percent of the children entering foster care in 2003 were re-entering more than 12 months after a prior foster care episode. Consequently, 27.9 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, 28.5 percent of finalized adoptions in Ohio occurred within 24 months of a child's entry into foster care (measure 5.1). This percent exceeds the national median of 23.9 percent. There was no change in performance on the measure from 2000 to 2003.

Outcome 6. Increase placement stability

In 2003, 85.9 percent of the children in foster care in Ohio for less than 12 months experienced no more than two placement settings (measure 6.1), which is slightly higher than the national median of 84.2 percent. There was no change in performance on this measure from 2000 to 2003. Also in 2003, 62.0 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 exceeds the national median of 59.1 percent.

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

In 2003, only 3.4 percent of the children entering foster care 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 from 2000 (-12.8 percent change).

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