Texas

Context Data | Outcomes Data | Federal Comment

Texas [ Context Data ]

A. Context Statistics

General Child Population (Census Bureau)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Total children under 18 years	5,908,143	6,037,615	6,147,775	6,240,162
Race/Ethnicity (%)1
Alaska Native/American Indian	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3
Asian	2.4	2.5	2.5	2.5
Black (non-Hispanic)	12.4	12.4	12.0	11.9
Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander	0.0	<.1	<.1	<.1
Hispanic (of any race)	40.5	41.3	41.1	41.8
White (non-Hispanic)	42.6	42.2	42.8	42.2
Two or more races	1.6	1.3	1.3	1.3
% Child population in poverty	20.9	21.1	22.0	24.0

Child Welfare Summary	2000	2001	2002	2003
Child maltreatment victims2	45,800	44,623	48,808	50,522
Children in foster care on 9/30	18,190	19,739	21,353	22,191
Children adopted	2,045	2,325	2,299	2,504

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	193,966	32.8 per 1,000	197,838	32.8 per 1,000	210,375	34.2 per 1,000	215,602	34.5 per 1,000
Total child maltreatment victims3	45,800	7.8 per 1,000	44,623	7.4 per 1,000	48,808	7.9 per 1,000	50,522	8.1 per 1,000
Child fatalities	177	3.0 per 100,000	206	3.4 per 100,000	206	3.3 per 100,000	203	3.3 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	11.3	12.5	12.0	13.2
1-5 years	30.3	34.6	35.1	36.3
6-10 years	26.2	28.9	28.1	26.8
11-15 years	18.5	20.4	20.6	20.2
16+ years	3.0	3.4	4.1	3.5
Unknown	10.8	0.1	0.1	0.0
Number	45,800	44,623	48,808	50,522

Race/Ethnicity of Child Victims (%)4	2000	2001	2002	2003
Alaska Native/American Indian	0.2	0.1	0.2	0.2
Asian	0.5	0.6	0.4	0.5
Black (non-Hispanic)	20.4	19.4	18.7	17.8
Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander	N/A	N/A	N/A	0.1
Hispanic (of any race)	36.6	38.7	39.3	40.4
White (non-Hispanic)	38.7	37.6	37.5	37.3
Two or more races	2.0	2.1	2.4	2.4
Unknown	1.7	1.5	1.5	1.4
Number	45,800	44,623	48,808	50,522

Maltreatment Types of Child Victims (%)5	2000	2001	2002	2003
Emotional abuse	3.4	3.0	2.5	2.1
Medical neglect	4.7	4.9	4.8	4.8
Neglect	59.3	60.6	61.7	63.8
Physical abuse	28.2	27.7	26.9	26.9
Sexual abuse	14.6	14.8	15.4	14.6
Unknown/missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Other	1.4	1.1	0.9	0.0
Number	45,800	44,623	48,808	50,522

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	16,303	17,914	18,695	20,609	9,869	10,680	11,766	11,824	7,989	8,858	9,108	10,242	18,190	19,739	21,353	22,191
Median length of stay (months)	15.8	14.4	13.6	13.6	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	13.6	14.0	13.7	14.4	13.6	13.5	13.2	13.8

	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	6.8	7.0	7.2	7.6	20.7	20.7	20.9	21.9	5.6	5.5	5.6	5.4	7.4	7.4	7.6	7.6
1 year	6.4	7.1	7.7	8.0	8.3	8.9	8.8	9.4	10.4	11.1	11.3	11.9	7.3	7.8	8.1	8.4
2 years	5.5	5.8	6.4	6.5	7.0	7.5	7.3	7.7	8.2	8.6	9.8	10.1	6.0	6.4	6.5	6.7
3 years	5.0	5.1	5.6	5.6	6.2	6.3	6.5	7.1	7.0	7.1	7.8	7.9	5.2	5.6	5.7	6.0
4 years	4.7	5.0	4.8	5.2	5.8	5.5	5.6	6.3	5.5	6.1	6.1	6.7	5.1	4.8	5.3	5.5
5 years	4.7	4.7	4.8	4.5	5.2	5.0	5.2	5.3	5.0	5.8	5.6	5.7	4.7	4.8	4.6	5.0
6 years	4.6	4.5	4.3	4.7	5.2	4.6	4.4	5.1	5.4	5.1	4.6	5.2	4.7	4.3	4.7	4.5
7 years	5.3	4.7	4.2	4.3	4.8	4.4	4.2	4.3	5.0	4.6	4.3	4.7	4.7	4.3	4.3	4.4
8 years	5.1	5.1	4.6	4.3	4.4	4.3	4.2	3.9	4.9	4.9	3.9	4.4	5.0	4.6	4.2	4.2
9 years	5.4	5.0	4.9	4.7	4.3	4.3	4.1	4.0	4.3	4.2	4.1	4.0	5.0	4.9	4.7	4.2
10 years	4.9	5.3	5.0	4.9	3.9	3.8	3.9	3.5	3.9	3.7	3.7	3.7	5.3	5.0	4.8	4.5
11 years	5.1	4.9	5.2	4.9	3.5	3.7	3.8	3.4	3.5	3.6	3.5	3.6	4.9	5.2	4.9	4.7
12 years	5.4	5.2	5.2	5.4	3.9	4.1	3.7	3.7	3.2	2.9	2.6	3.3	5.0	5.1	5.3	4.9
13 years	5.9	5.7	5.7	5.5	4.2	4.1	4.0	3.7	3.2	2.9	3.0	2.8	5.6	5.7	5.5	5.5
14 years	6.1	6.2	6.0	6.0	4.6	4.2	4.2	3.7	3.8	3.3	3.0	2.8	6.2	5.9	6.0	5.7
15 years	6.5	6.6	6.4	6.3	4.1	4.1	4.0	3.4	3.4	3.3	3.1	2.7	6.4	6.3	6.2	6.2
16 years	6.8	6.4	6.5	6.3	3.2	3.3	3.6	2.6	3.9	3.7	3.8	2.5	6.3	6.5	6.4	6.3
17 years	5.5	5.4	5.5	5.4	0.7	1.1	1.5	0.8	6.7	3.9	9.9	12.7	5.3	5.3	5.4	5.6
18 years	0.2	<.1	<.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	<.1	0.0	7.0	9.7	4.2	0.0	<.1	<.1	0.0	0.0
19 years	<.1	<.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.2	<.1	0.0	0.0	<.1	<.1	0.0	0.0
20 years	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	<.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	<.1	0.0	0.0
Missing data	0.0	<.1	0.0	<.1	<.1	<.1	<.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	<.1	0.0	<.1	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	0.4	0.3	0.2	0.4	0.1	0.1	0.3	0.4	0.3	0.1	0.3	0.4	0.3	0.2	0.2
Asian	0.2	0.2	0.3	0.3	0.4	0.5	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.4
Black (non-Hispanic)	30.2	29.1	27.8	27.7	25.4	24.6	25.5	22.1	27.6	27.0	25.8	25.8	28.7	27.6	27.4	25.6
Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander	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
Hispanic (of any race)	33.5	33.8	35.1	35.8	35.3	37.6	36.6	37.9	34.3	35.7	35.4	36.2	34.1	35.0	35.8	36.8
White (non-Hispanic)	32.7	33.0	33.1	32.2	34.4	33.3	33.0	34.9	33.7	32.7	34.4	33.3	33.1	33.3	32.5	33.2
Two or more races	2.4	2.8	2.8	3.0	3.3	3.0	3.4	3.4	2.6	3.0	3.1	3.2	2.7	2.8	3.0	3.2
Unknown	0.6	0.6	0.6	0.6	0.8	0.8	0.9	0.8	0.9	0.8	0.7	0.8	0.6	0.6	0.7	0.7
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.1	0.1	0.1	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.1	0.1	0.1	0.0

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

Waiting for Adoption	2000	2001	2002	2003
Total waiting children	7,190	7,887	8,441	8,685
Numbers of waiting children whose parents' rights have been terminated	5,446	5,927	6,270	6,405

Age (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
<1 year	4.6	5.0	5.2	4.8
1 year	7.6	8.2	8.6	9.2
2 years	6.1	6.6	6.7	7.2
3 years	5.5	5.9	5.8	6.1
4 years	5.6	5.1	5.5	6.0
5 years	5.6	5.4	5.2	5.7
6 years	5.4	5.3	5.3	4.8
7 years	5.8	5.2	5.0	5.2
8 years	6.4	5.6	5.2	5.2
9 years	6.6	6.6	5.6	5.1
10 years	7.1	6.5	6.5	5.5
11 years	6.1	6.9	6.3	6.3
12 years	6.3	6.1	6.8	6.1
13 years	5.9	6.1	6.1	6.3
14 years	5.9	5.7	5.9	6.1
15 years	5.2	5.4	5.6	5.8
16 years	2.7	2.9	3.1	3.3
17 years	1.4	1.4	1.6	1.5
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	0.2	0.3	0.3	0.2
Asian	0.2	0.2	0.3	0.3
Black (non-Hispanic)	31.0	31.0	30.0	28.6
Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Hispanic (of any race)	34.0	33.2	35.1	36.5
White (non-Hispanic)	30.8	31.3	30.5	30.0
Two or more races	2.9	3.2	3.3	3.6
Unknown	0.8	0.7	0.5	0.7
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	2,045	2,325	2,299	2,504

Age (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
<1 year	3.2	3.8	3.0	2.4
1 year	15.2	16.0	16.0	15.2
2 years	12.0	12.9	16.9	16.1
3 years	11.4	9.6	9.9	10.7
4 years	7.0	8.3	8.4	8.2
5 years	7.0	7.9	6.5	7.5
6 years	7.4	7.0	6.9	7.0
7 years	6.8	5.9	5.4	5.2
8 years	6.3	6.3	4.7	4.5
9 years	5.3	5.2	5.1	4.8
10 years	4.5	4.3	4.3	4.3
11 years	4.1	3.9	4.2	4.2
12 years	2.9	3.1	2.2	3.2
13 years	2.6	2.1	1.8	2.2
14 years	2.0	1.6	1.9	2.1
15 years	1.1	0.9	1.1	1.2
16 years	0.7	0.6	1.1	0.9
17 years	0.5	0.5	0.6	0.3
18 years	<.1	<.1	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	0.5	0.2	0.0	0.1
Asian	0.1	0.1	0.2	0.3
Black (non-Hispanic)	25.9	23.8	25.4	24.2
Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander	0.0	<.1	0.0	0.0
Hispanic (of any race)	37.0	38.5	36.6	39.1
White (non-Hispanic)	31.6	32.0	33.1	31.7
Two or more races	3.3	4.4	3.8	3.9
Unknown	1.5	0.9	0.9	0.6
Missing data	<.1	0.0	0.0	0.0

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Texas [ 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	95.8	95.8	95.9	95.5
Children with one or more recurrences	4.2	4.2	4.1	4.5
Number	22,290	22,414	24,467	24,031

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	0.30	0.30	0.19	0.25
Children not maltreated while in foster care	99.70	99.70	99.81	99.75
Number	24,147	26,378	28,098	29,996

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	25.5	25.8	24.7	24.0
Guardianship	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Reunification	51.5	51.1	57.2	62.3
Other	6.2	4.3	4.6	5.8
Missing data	16.8	18.8	13.5	7.8
Number	7,989	8,858	9,108	10,242

3.2 Exits of Children with a Diagnosed Disability (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Adoption	32.0	33.2	31.8	32.7
Guardianship	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Reunification	40.2	40.1	44.5	46.8
Other	9.7	7.0	7.7	8.3
Missing data	18.1	19.7	15.9	12.2
Number	2,107	2,326	2,484	2,663

3.3 Exits of Children Older than Age 12 at Entry into Foster Care (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Adoption	2.0	1.1	1.9	2.4
Guardianship	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Reunification	34.0	31.2	38.0	49.8
Other	17.6	12.9	14.0	25.0
Missing data	46.5	54.8	46.1	22.8
Number	1,427	1,507	1,656	1,525

3.4 Exits to Emancipation (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Children age 12 or younger at entry	52.9	50.2	46.9	33.1
Children older than 12 at entry	47.1	49.8	53.1	66.9
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	365	259	288	296

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	37.9	14.8	0.0	10.7	9.1	8.8	11.4	18.4	23.5	22.7	24.2	22.5
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	48.3	63.0	77.8	75.0	84.8	76.5	71.4	78.9	49.9	50.1	54.1	63.4
Other	3.4	7.4	0.0	10.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	2.6	6.4	5.2	5.0	5.4
Missing data	10.3	14.8	22.2	3.6	6.1	14.7	17.1	0.0	20.3	22.0	16.6	8.7
Number	29	27	9	28	33	34	35	38	2,202	2,395	2,349	2,643
	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	100.0	0.0	0.0	27.8	28.0	25.7	26.0	24.5	25.1	23.8	22.7
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	100.0	0.0	83.3	80.0	50.4	49.2	57.8	60.7	53.9	53.7	58.2	62.6
Other	0.0	0.0	16.7	20.0	5.5	3.9	3.9	6.3	7.1	4.3	5.3	6.0
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	16.3	18.9	12.7	7.0	14.5	16.9	12.7	8.7
Number	2	1	6	5	2,740	3,158	3,224	3,706	2,694	2,900	3,131	3,408
	Unable to Determine				Two or more Races				Missing Data
	2000	2001	2002	2003	2000	2001	2002	2003	2000	2001	2002	2003
Adoption	35.3	28.8	32.8	21.0	29.9	37.1	29.1	29.8	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	35.3	50.7	50.0	71.6	55.0	50.2	63.2	64.7	0.0	0.0	20.0	0.0
Other	2.9	1.4	4.7	2.5	2.4	2.6	1.4	1.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Missing data	26.5	19.2	12.5	4.9	12.8	10.1	6.3	4.0	100.0	100.0	80.0	50.0
Number	68	73	64	81	211	267	285	329	10	3	5	4

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.	64.4	60.7	62.9	59.5
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos.	26.7	31.3	32.3	33.6
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos.	3.4	3.2	2.2	3.3
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos.	1.1	1.1	0.9	1.7
48 or more mos.	4.3	3.4	1.6	1.9
Missing data	0.1	0.2	<.1	0.0
Number	4,115	4,524	5,206	6,385

4.2 Children Re-entering Foster Care (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Children entering care for the first time	95.9	92.1	90.9	91.5
Children re-entering care within 12 mos. of a prior episode	1.5	2.7	2.3	2.3
Children re-entering care more than 12 mos. after a prior episode	1.5	2.0	2.5	3.8
Missing data	1.0	3.2	4.2	2.5
Number	9,869	10,680	11,766	11,824

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.	7.9	9.1	7.0	5.6
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos.	36.0	42.2	43.1	40.6
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos.	23.3	23.2	30.3	31.6
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos.	13.2	10.1	9.1	12.0
48 or more mos.	19.7	15.3	10.5	10.2
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	2,038	2,285	2,252	2,459

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	71.2	70.9	70.3	70.1	44.5	42.3	42.1	37.3	14.9	14.5	15.0	15.0	62.2	37.1	62.0	93.2
Children with 3 or more placements	28.8	28.7	25.4	29.8	55.5	57.7	57.3	62.7	85.1	85.5	84.9	85.0	37.8	60.0	8.5	6.8
Number	11,845	12,887	14,088	14,330	5,805	6,759	7,359	8,277	8,485	8,913	8,943	9,782	37	35	71	44

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	3.5	3.5	5.4	4.8
Institutions	9.1	8.6	9.9	7.2
Other settings	84.0	85.2	83.6	86.5
Missing data	3.4	2.7	1.2	1.5
Number	8,008	8,521	9,483	9,903

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Texas [ Federal Comment ]

PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT

The following is a discussion of Texas 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, 4.5 percent of the children in Texas 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). Although this percent is less than the national median of 7.1 percent, it represents a slight decline in performance from 2000 to 2003 (+7.1 percent change).

The relatively low percent of children in Texas who experienced maltreatment recurrence in 2003 corresponds to a relatively low child maltreatment victim rate in the State. In 2003, the rate of child maltreatment victims in Texas was 8.1 child victims per 1,000 children in the population, which is less than the national median of 10.6 child victims per 1,000 children in the population. This rate did not change from 2000 to 2003.

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

In 2003, 0.25 percent of the children in foster care in Texas were found to be maltreated by foster parents or facility staff members. This percent not only is less than the national median of 0.39 percent, but also represents an improvement in performance from 2000 (-16.7 percent change).

Outcome 3. Increase permanency for children in foster care

In 2003, 86.3 percent of all children exiting foster care in Texas (measure 3.1) were discharged to a permanent home, which is equal to the national median of 86.3 percent. Also in 2003, 79.5 percent of the children exiting foster care who had a diagnosed disability (measure 3.2) were discharged to a permanent home, which is about equal to the national median of 79.5 percent. In contrast, only 52.2 percent of the children exiting foster care in 2003 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, 33.1 percent of the children reported as emancipated from foster care in Texas entered foster care when they were age 12 or younger (measure 3.4). Although this percent exceeds the national median of 29.6 percent, it represents an improvement in performance from 2000 to 2003 (-37.4 percent change).

In Texas, children who are reported as emancipated from foster care appear to be discharged from foster care prior to their 18th birthday. In 2003, for example, no children exiting foster care were age 18 or older at the time of exit. However, 296 children were reported as exiting to 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 (85.9 percent) and Hispanic children exiting foster care (86.7 percent). However, the percent of Black (non-Hispanic) children in the foster care population (25.6 percent) exceeded the percent of Black (non-Hispanic) children in the State's child population (11.9 percent). This differential did not exist for Hispanic children.

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

In 2003, 59.5 percent of reunifications in Texas 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 from 2000 to 2003 (-7.6 percent change). However, only 3.6 percent of reunifications occurred after the child had been in foster care for at least 36 months, which is about equal to the national median of 3.5 percent.

The relatively low percentage of reunifications in Texas that occurred within 12 months of a child's entry into foster care corresponds to a relatively low percentage of re-entries into foster care. In 2003, 2.3 percent of the children entering foster care were re-entering within 12 months of a prior episode. Although this percent is less than the national median of 9.5 percent, it represents a decline in performance on the measure from 2000 to 2003 (+53.3 percent change). However, only 3.8 percent of the children entering foster care were entering more than 12 months after a prior foster care episode. Consequently, only 6.1 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, 46.2 percent of finalized adoptions in Texas occurred within 24 months of a child's entry into foster care (measure 5.1). This percent not only exceeds the national median of 23.9 percent, but also represents an improvement in performance from 2000 to 2003 (+5.2 percent change).

Outcome 6. Increase placement stability

In 2003, only 70.1 percent of the children in foster care for less than 12 months experienced no more than two placement settings (measure 6.1), which is less than the national median of 84.2 percent. Also in 2003, only 37.3 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, 12.0 percent of the children entering foster care who were age 12 or younger were placed in a group home or institution (measure 7.1), which exceeds the national median of 8.3 percent. There was no change in performance on this measure from 2000 to 2003.

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