West Virginia

Context Data | Outcomes Data | State Comment | Federal Comment

West Virginia [ Context Data ]

A. Context Statistics

General Child Population (Census Bureau)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Total children under 18 years	400,764	395,442	393,549	390,901
Race/Ethnicity (%)1
Alaska Native/American Indian	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.1
Asian	0.5	0.6	0.5	0.5
Black (non-Hispanic)	3.6	4.0	3.7	3.7
Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander	0.0	<.1	<.1	<.1
Hispanic (of any race)	1.0	0.9	0.9	0.8
White (non-Hispanic)	93.0	92.9	93.2	93.2
Two or more races	1.5	1.4	1.5	1.5
% Child population in poverty	18.3	22.2	25.1	26.7

Child Welfare Summary	2000	2001	2002	2003
Child maltreatment victims2	8,244	7,907	6,635	8,875
Children in foster care on 9/30	3,388	3,298	3,220	4,069
Children adopted	352	362	361	322

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	27,145	67.7 per 1,000	26,812	67.8 per 1,000	24,089	61.2 per 1,000	43,523	111.3 per 1,000
Total child maltreatment victims3	8,244	20.6 per 1,000	7,907	20.0 per 1,000	6,635	16.9 per 1,000	8,875	22.7 per 1,000
Child fatalities	4	1.0 per 100,000	16	4.1 per 100,000	13	3.3 per 100,000	30	7.7 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	6.2	6.8	6.9	7.4
1-5 years	27.9	29.1	29.8	29.6
6-10 years	26.6	27.4	27.1	26.8
11-15 years	23.8	23.0	24.3	25.6
16+ years	5.5	5.6	5.7	5.4
Unknown	9.9	8.1	6.4	5.2
Number	8,244	7,907	6,635	8,875

Race/Ethnicity of Child Victims (%)4	2000	2001	2002	2003
Alaska Native/American Indian	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Asian	0.3	0.3	0.2	0.0
Black (non-Hispanic)	4.2	3.3	3.4	3.5
Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander	N/A	N/A	N/A	0.1
Hispanic (of any race)	0.6	0.4	0.8	0.8
White (non-Hispanic)	83.8	84.2	83.5	82.9
Two or more races	2.7	2.4	3.6	3.7
Unknown	8.4	9.3	8.6	8.9
Number	8,244	7,907	6,635	8,875

Maltreatment Types of Child Victims (%)5	2000	2001	2002	2003
Emotional abuse	10.4	11.6	19.2	21.0
Medical neglect	1.2	0.9	1.3	1.1
Neglect	47.5	47.1	54.9	53.7
Physical abuse	29.1	28.6	30.7	32.0
Sexual abuse	7.7	7.0	7.7	6.6
Unknown/missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Other	18.7	23.5	6.4	5.3
Number	8,244	7,907	6,635	8,875

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	3,251	3,403	3,364	2,990	2,392	2,234	2,358	2,347	2,256	2,340	2,502	1,268	3,388	3,298	3,220	4,069
Median length of stay (months)	17.8	15.7	16.6	18.2	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	8.7	10.5	10.2	13.5	15.1	16.2	15.1	12.8

	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	2.3	2.8	2.5	2.9	8.4	8.7	8.2	9.0	2.8	3.0	2.7	2.3	3.3	3.2	3.2	3.5
1 year	3.0	2.9	3.2	3.8	4.4	3.6	4.3	4.1	3.2	3.7	3.6	4.2	3.4	3.3	3.7	3.9
2 years	3.2	3.4	3.3	3.8	3.6	3.5	3.8	3.5	2.8	3.3	3.2	4.3	3.7	3.0	3.5	3.3
3 years	3.1	3.4	3.2	3.2	2.9	3.4	3.6	3.2	3.1	3.1	3.7	2.9	3.5	3.4	3.3	3.5
4 years	3.0	3.1	3.0	3.0	3.8	3.3	3.5	2.9	2.8	3.1	3.6	3.3	3.3	3.4	3.1	3.4
5 years	3.4	3.4	3.2	3.2	3.1	3.4	2.8	3.3	2.5	3.5	2.8	3.7	3.4	3.3	3.1	3.0
6 years	3.8	3.1	3.1	3.4	3.0	3.4	3.7	2.4	3.1	3.5	3.3	2.8	3.3	3.2	3.3	3.0
7 years	4.0	3.7	2.8	3.1	3.3	2.6	2.5	2.0	3.7	2.8	2.9	3.5	3.7	2.9	3.2	2.7
8 years	4.0	3.7	3.3	3.3	3.2	2.7	3.1	2.4	3.0	2.8	2.6	2.1	3.8	3.5	3.1	2.8
9 years	4.0	3.9	3.4	3.3	3.1	2.4	2.7	2.6	3.1	3.2	2.7	3.2	4.0	3.8	3.5	3.0
10 years	4.0	4.0	3.7	3.2	2.8	2.9	2.7	3.1	2.7	2.6	2.8	1.7	4.2	3.7	3.0	3.2
11 years	4.6	4.3	3.9	4.1	3.8	2.7	3.4	3.7	3.2	2.6	3.4	2.0	4.3	3.9	3.9	3.6
12 years	5.8	5.1	5.2	4.6	4.2	4.7	4.4	4.7	2.9	2.9	2.7	3.4	5.2	5.1	4.5	4.7
13 years	6.7	6.4	6.7	6.5	7.1	7.3	7.3	8.0	4.6	4.7	4.4	4.3	6.7	6.5	6.6	5.7
14 years	7.2	8.9	9.5	9.1	9.8	10.6	10.5	10.6	6.5	6.2	6.9	8.0	8.5	9.2	9.3	8.4
15 years	9.9	10.0	12.2	11.6	12.5	13.2	13.7	12.4	10.2	9.1	11.1	9.5	9.4	11.3	11.6	10.5
16 years	12.1	11.6	11.5	12.6	11.6	11.6	11.6	12.2	12.3	12.9	12.4	9.0	11.0	11.1	12.8	12.9
17 years	10.2	10.6	10.6	9.3	9.0	8.8	7.0	8.9	15.7	14.5	13.6	15.5	9.9	10.4	9.9	13.2
18 years	3.7	3.7	3.3	3.9	0.5	0.9	1.0	0.8	8.7	9.8	8.2	9.5	3.6	3.3	3.7	3.9
19 years	1.4	1.3	1.7	1.0	0.0	0.3	0.4	<.1	1.8	1.3	2.1	2.6	1.2	1.7	1.1	1.4
20 years	0.5	0.6	0.6	0.9	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.8	1.0	1.2	2.0	0.7	0.7	0.7	0.4
Missing data	<.1	0.0	<.1	0.0	<.1	<.1	<.1	0.2	0.4	0.3	0.2	0.2	0.0	<.1	0.0	<.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	0.1	0.0	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
Asian	0.0	0.1	0.1	0.1	0.1	0.2	<.1	0.0	<.1	0.2	0.1	0.1	<.1	<.1	<.1	<.1
Black (non-Hispanic)	9.1	8.2	7.9	6.9	6.8	7.1	6.2	6.9	8.2	7.6	7.3	7.9	8.1	7.9	7.1	6.6
Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.2	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.1	0.2	<.1	<.1	<.1	<.1
Hispanic (of any race)	1.1	1.3	1.2	1.1	1.3	1.0	1.5	1.0	1.2	1.3	1.6	0.7	1.2	1.1	1.1	1.2
White (non-Hispanic)	84.2	84.5	83.9	81.2	81.9	83.2	82.4	77.8	83.2	84.4	82.7	80.6	83.3	83.7	83.8	79.4
Two or more races	3.9	4.1	4.3	8.1	3.0	2.6	4.0	6.9	3.0	3.0	4.0	6.5	3.8	3.9	4.4	7.9
Unknown	1.7	1.8	2.6	0.7	6.8	5.9	5.4	1.4	4.3	3.4	4.2	0.6	3.5	3.4	3.4	1.2
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.8	0.0	0.0	0.2	6.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	3.5	0.0	0.0	0.1	3.7

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

Waiting for Adoption	2000	2001	2002	2003
Total waiting children	762	729	1,000	1,036
Numbers of waiting children whose parents' rights have been terminated	19	84	770	747

Age (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
<1 year	3.9	4.1	3.7	4.6
1 year	4.6	4.8	5.5	5.8
2 years	5.8	4.7	5.1	5.2
3 years	5.6	6.3	4.8	5.5
4 years	6.3	6.9	4.8	4.7
5 years	6.6	5.9	3.8	4.8
6 years	7.2	6.3	5.6	5.8
7 years	7.7	5.1	4.7	5.0
8 years	7.7	7.0	4.5	5.4
9 years	7.7	7.3	4.5	5.3
10 years	8.5	6.4	5.5	4.5
11 years	6.3	7.3	6.0	6.3
12 years	6.2	7.4	5.4	7.1
13 years	6.4	5.6	6.9	5.7
14 years	2.9	5.2	7.6	6.9
15 years	2.8	3.7	7.0	7.2
16 years	2.6	2.2	6.5	4.0
17 years	0.9	2.7	4.1	3.8
18 years	0.1	0.4	2.9	1.4
19 years	0.0	0.3	0.7	0.9
20+ years	0.0	0.3	0.4	0.0
Missing data	—	—	—	—

Race/Ethnicity (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Alaska Native/American Indian	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.0
Asian	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.0
Black (non-Hispanic)	10.2	7.8	7.5	6.7
Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Hispanic (of any race)	1.3	1.2	1.3	2.2
White (non-Hispanic)	81.2	82.7	84.1	79.2
Two or more races	5.9	6.6	5.8	9.7
Unknown	1.2	1.5	1.3	1.3
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.9

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	352	362	361	322

Age (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
<1 year	0.6	0.8	0.6	0.3
1 year	5.4	6.9	6.6	10.9
2 years	7.4	8.6	7.2	11.5
3 years	7.4	7.5	10.8	6.5
4 years	7.4	9.4	10.5	9.0
5 years	5.1	7.7	7.5	7.8
6 years	10.8	7.2	6.9	8.1
7 years	9.7	7.2	7.5	8.4
8 years	9.9	7.7	4.7	4.0
9 years	9.4	8.8	7.5	4.7
10 years	5.1	6.4	7.5	3.1
11 years	7.7	4.1	6.4	4.0
12 years	5.7	4.4	4.7	4.7
13 years	4.0	4.1	2.8	4.7
14 years	1.4	1.7	3.9	5.6
15 years	1.4	3.6	2.5	3.4
16 years	1.4	2.5	0.6	2.2
17 years	0.3	1.4	1.9	1.2
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	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Asian	0.0	0.3	0.0	0.0
Black (non-Hispanic)	15.1	7.2	6.1	9.3
Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Hispanic (of any race)	2.8	0.6	0.6	1.2
White (non-Hispanic)	76.4	84.3	84.8	81.4
Two or more races	5.4	7.7	8.3	7.5
Unknown	0.3	0.0	0.3	0.6
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0

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West Virginia [ 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	93.3	94.3	92.1	89.9
Children with one or more recurrences	6.7	5.7	7.9	10.1
Number	4,343	4,020	3,294	4,031

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	<.1	<.1	0.63	0.57
Children not maltreated while in foster care	99.98	99.98	99.37	99.43
Number	5,208	5,182	5,203	5,058

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	12.3	14.4	10.4	22.5
Guardianship	<.1	0.6	0.6	2.1
Reunification	39.9	37.9	20.7	53.5
Other	9.7	8.8	8.1	12.1
Missing data	38.0	38.2	60.2	9.7
Number	2,256	2,340	2,502	1,268

3.2 Exits of Children with a Diagnosed Disability (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Adoption	—	—	—	37.4
Guardianship	—	—	—	1.9
Reunification	—	—	—	36.8
Other	—	—	—	13.6
Missing data	—	—	—	10.2
Number	—	—	—	361

3.3 Exits of Children Older than Age 12 at Entry into Foster Care (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Adoption	<.1	0.5	0.8	1.6
Guardianship	<.1	0.4	0.4	1.6
Reunification	39.4	38.4	20.8	66.3
Other	14.7	13.7	12.6	17.3
Missing data	45.7	47.0	65.4	13.1
Number	1,180	1,185	1,295	624

3.4 Exits to Emancipation (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Children age 12 or younger at entry	34.5	29.6	19.2	30.7
Children older than 12 at entry	65.5	70.4	80.8	69.3
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	87	81	99	137

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	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	25.0	0.0	0.0	26.5	14.5	6.6	25.0
Guardianship	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.5	1.7	0.5	1.0
Reunification	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	100.0	50.0	33.3	0.0	30.8	43.6	20.8	52.0
Other	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	25.0	0.0	100.0	8.1	7.3	9.3	13.0
Missing data	0.0	0.0	100.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	66.7	0.0	34.1	33.0	62.8	9.0
Number	0	0	1	0	1	4	3	1	185	179	183	100
	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	11.1	20.0	5.0	22.2	11.1	14.2	10.8	23.1
Guardianship	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	3.3	0.0	0.0	<.1	0.5	0.7	2.5
Reunification	0.0	0.0	33.3	50.0	48.1	53.3	22.5	44.4	40.3	37.1	20.5	52.6
Other	0.0	0.0	0.0	50.0	0.0	6.7	7.5	11.1	10.2	9.0	8.3	12.2
Missing data	0.0	100.0	66.7	0.0	40.7	16.7	65.0	22.2	38.4	39.3	59.7	9.5
Number	0	1	3	2	27	30	40	9	1,877	1,975	2,068	1,022
	Unable to Determine				Two or more Races				Missing Data
	2000	2001	2002	2003	2000	2001	2002	2003	2000	2001	2002	2003
Adoption	1.0	0.0	1.0	25.0	22.1	33.8	21.2	24.4	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Guardianship	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	2.8	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Reunification	46.9	51.3	25.7	50.0	41.2	26.8	18.2	54.9	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Other	6.1	8.8	6.7	12.5	8.8	5.6	4.0	11.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Missing data	45.9	40.0	66.7	12.5	27.9	31.0	56.6	9.8	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	98	80	105	8	68	71	99	82	0	0	0	44

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.	79.5	72.2	74.3	72.9
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos.	14.7	20.8	16.2	16.6
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos.	3.9	4.1	5.8	7.2
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos.	0.9	1.4	2.9	1.8
48 or more mos.	1.1	1.6	0.8	1.5
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	901	888	518	679

4.2 Children Re-entering Foster Care (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Children entering care for the first time	99.9	87.9	86.6	84.2
Children re-entering care within 12 mos. of a prior episode	<.1	9.1	8.4	7.2
Children re-entering care more than 12 mos. after a prior episode	0.0	2.5	3.5	3.3
Missing data	<.1	0.5	1.4	5.3
Number	2,392	2,234	2,358	2,347

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.	1.4	1.5	2.3	2.5
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos.	15.9	24.9	26.5	26.3
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos.	29.6	27.6	35.4	36.5
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos.	19.1	19.0	20.0	16.8
48 or more mos.	33.9	27.0	15.8	17.9
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	277	337	260	285

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	99.9	83.6	82.3	84.0	99.6	51.5	53.0	57.2	99.4	41.3	38.3	33.8	100.0	0.0	100.0	100.0
Children with 3 or more placements	0.1	16.4	17.7	15.9	0.4	48.5	47.0	42.8	0.6	58.7	61.7	66.2	0.0	100.0	0.0	0.0
Number	2,827	2,683	2,795	2,536	999	1,135	1,102	1,041	1,816	1,819	1,815	1,751	2	1	10	9

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	9.6	9.5	8.8	7.8
Institutions	1.1	0.9	1.3	1.0
Other settings	89.3	89.7	89.9	87.9
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	3.3
Number	1,072	939	1,072	1,019

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West Virginia [ State Comment ]

Margaret Waybright, Commissioner
Bureau for Children and Families
Department of Health and Human Resources

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

Section B (Child Maltreatment Overview): The number of children subject of an investigated report alleging maltreatment increased from 24,089 in 2002, to 43,523 in 2003. In the 2002 NCANDS data, West Virginia reported children with a substantiated report of maltreatment. In the 2003 NCANDS data, West Virginia reported all children with an allegation of maltreatment regardless of a substantiation of the allegation.

Section E (Children Adopted): The number of children in the AFCARS Adoption file is greater than the number in the AFCARS Foster Care file who exited placement with the exit reason of Adoption. Subsequent AFCARS reporting of this data improved due to the efforts of the Adoption Program and Adoption Field Staff coordinating data consistency.

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West Virginia [ Federal Comment ]

PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT

The following is a discussion of West Virginia'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, 10.1 percent of the children in West Virginia 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 on this measure from 2000 to 2003 (+50.7 percent change).

The relatively high percentage of children in West Virginia who experienced maltreatment recurrence in 2003 corresponds to a very high child maltreatment victim rate in the State. In 2003, the child maltreatment victim rate in West Virginia was 22.7 child victims per 1,000 children in the State population. This rate far exceeds the national median of 10.6 child victims per 1,000 children in the population. However, the change in rate over the 4-year period from 2000 to 2004 suggests that there may be data quality concerns.

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

In 2003, 0.57 percent of the children in foster care in the State were found to be maltreated by foster parents or facility staff members. This percent exceeds the national median of 0.39 percent. Change in performance on this measure is difficult to assess because of variable data across the years suggesting data quality concerns.

Outcome 3. Increase permanency for children in foster care

Performance with regard to achieving permanency for children exiting foster care is difficult to assess because about 10.0 percent of the children exiting foster care did not have reason for discharge information.

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

Performance on this measure is difficult to assess because 10.0 percent of the children exiting foster care did not have reason for discharge information.

With regard to re-entries into foster care, in 2003, 7.2 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 on the measure from 2001 to 2003 (-20.9 percent change). (Data for 2000 appear to be unreliable for this measure.) Also in 2003, 3.3 percent of the children entering foster care were entering more than 12 months after a prior foster care episode. Consequently, 10.5 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

Performance on this measure is difficult to assess because in 2003, 10.0 percent of the children exiting foster care did not have reason for discharge information.

Outcome 6. Increase placement stability

In 2003, 84.0 percent of the children in foster care for less than 12 months experienced no more than two placement settings (measure 6.1), which is about equal to the national median of 84.2 percent. Also in 2003, 57.2 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, 8.8 percent of the children entering foster care in West Virginia who were age 12 or younger were placed in a group home or institution (measure 7.1). This percent is close to the national median of 8.3 percent and represents an improvement in performance on the measure from 2000 to 2003 (-17.8 percent change).

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