Wyoming

Context Data | Outcomes Data | Federal Comment

Wyoming [ Context Data ]

A. Context Statistics

General Child Population (Census Bureau)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Total children under 18 years	127,828	124,234	123,167	121,073
Race/Ethnicity (%)1
Alaska Native/American Indian	2.9	2.9	2.9	3.0
Asian	0.5	0.6	0.5	0.5
Black (non-Hispanic)	0.8	0.9	0.8	0.9
Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander	0.0	<.1	<.1	<.1
Hispanic (of any race)	9.0	9.2	9.0	9.2
White (non-Hispanic)	84.7	84.5	85.0	84.7
Two or more races	2.0	1.8	1.8	1.8
% Child population in poverty	14.6	10.7	10.7	13.1

Child Welfare Summary	2000	2001	2002	2003
Child maltreatment victims2	1,332	990	692	786
Children in foster care on 9/30	815	965	929	1,055
Children adopted	61	46	52	56

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	3,864	30.2 per 1,000	4,184	33.7 per 1,000	4,355	35.4 per 1,000	4,529	37.4 per 1,000
Total child maltreatment victims3	1,332	10.4 per 1,000	990	8.0 per 1,000	692	5.6 per 1,000	786	6.5 per 1,000
Child fatalities	4	3.1 per 100,000	1	0.8 per 100,000	3	2.4 per 100,000	8	6.6 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	8.7	6.8	9.7	9.7
1-5 years	32.3	35.2	37.3	35.1
6-10 years	32.1	30.2	25.4	27.2
11-15 years	21.9	22.9	22.8	24.4
16+ years	5.0	4.7	4.8	3.6
Unknown	0.0	0.2	0.0	0.0
Number	1,332	990	692	786

Race/Ethnicity of Child Victims (%)4	2000	2001	2002	2003
Alaska Native/American Indian	5.8	1.9	3.0	1.9
Asian	0.6	1.1	0.3	0.3
Black (non-Hispanic)	1.7	1.6	2.5	2.8
Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander	N/A	N/A	N/A	0.0
Hispanic (of any race)	8.2	7.2	5.9	7.8
White (non-Hispanic)	76.8	80.8	81.8	78.1
Two or more races	0.0	0.3	0.1	1.0
Unknown	6.9	7.1	6.4	8.1
Number	1,332	990	692	786

Maltreatment Types of Child Victims (%)5	2000	2001	2002	2003
Emotional abuse	1.1	1.4	0.7	10.3
Medical neglect	1.2	1.8	2.9	1.1
Neglect	63.1	59.1	60.7	65.0
Physical abuse	27.3	28.9	30.8	14.8
Sexual abuse	10.3	10.7	12.3	11.3
Unknown/missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Other	0.7	0.4	0.0	5.6
Number	1,332	990	692	786

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	759	758	847	875	786	896	809	979	731	689	727	799	815	965	929	1,055
Median length of stay (months)	13.0	13.0	10.4	11.4	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	4.3	4.8	7.2	7.2	12.5	10.4	11.8	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	1.4	1.1	1.3	2.4	5.3	3.9	6.4	5.7	3.7	2.5	2.6	2.1	1.1	1.1	2.3	1.7
1 year	2.1	1.5	2.6	3.5	4.3	4.2	4.7	3.6	4.7	3.0	3.9	4.5	1.6	2.3	3.3	4.1
2 years	2.8	2.6	2.8	3.3	4.6	3.9	4.4	4.7	5.2	4.4	4.0	4.3	2.3	2.8	3.1	3.7
3 years	4.2	2.6	3.0	3.8	3.6	4.1	4.7	4.1	4.9	3.5	4.1	4.0	2.6	3.0	3.6	3.4
4 years	2.4	2.8	3.3	3.7	3.1	3.0	3.3	3.3	3.7	2.3	3.4	3.5	2.7	3.1	3.4	3.5
5 years	5.0	2.1	2.8	2.7	3.9	3.5	3.7	4.4	3.8	4.1	4.1	4.0	2.0	2.8	2.6	3.9
6 years	3.6	4.6	2.0	2.2	1.7	1.9	2.5	2.7	2.5	2.8	2.9	3.3	4.5	2.0	1.9	2.5
7 years	3.8	3.4	3.8	2.3	2.2	3.2	2.3	2.2	2.1	3.5	3.2	2.1	3.3	3.7	2.3	2.3
8 years	5.0	3.0	2.7	3.3	1.9	2.3	3.0	2.2	3.1	2.2	3.0	1.8	2.9	2.8	3.1	2.5
9 years	4.2	4.4	3.2	3.3	2.9	2.2	2.3	2.3	4.2	2.8	1.7	3.3	4.0	3.1	3.1	3.2
10 years	4.9	3.6	3.4	3.4	3.2	3.9	2.7	3.6	3.8	2.8	3.0	2.3	3.3	4.0	3.3	2.9
11 years	4.7	4.5	4.7	4.0	4.6	5.2	4.2	4.9	4.0	3.5	3.4	3.5	4.2	4.9	3.9	4.7
12 years	5.3	6.3	6.1	4.5	4.6	4.5	4.0	5.0	2.7	3.0	3.9	3.8	6.1	6.2	4.2	4.6
13 years	5.0	7.0	5.8	7.5	7.1	6.0	6.3	8.7	4.4	6.5	4.5	5.4	7.5	5.7	7.4	6.2
14 years	10.1	8.3	8.1	7.3	10.4	10.6	9.8	10.8	5.9	8.0	6.2	8.3	9.0	8.2	7.4	10.2
15 years	10.1	14.2	11.0	10.5	15.3	14.3	11.6	11.2	10.0	9.7	9.4	8.6	14.5	11.1	10.5	9.6
16 years	11.7	13.3	17.5	12.9	14.4	15.4	15.5	13.1	11.4	13.8	12.7	12.0	14.1	17.2	13.8	13.6
17 years	9.4	11.1	11.9	14.9	6.2	7.1	8.0	7.4	13.3	12.3	15.7	13.1	10.8	11.2	15.3	11.8
18 years	2.1	1.3	3.3	3.2	0.5	0.6	0.5	0.1	5.2	8.3	7.3	9.4	1.5	3.3	4.1	4.5
19 years	1.1	0.9	0.1	0.9	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.0	0.7	0.8	0.8	0.7	0.3	1.0	0.6
20 years	0.4	0.5	0.2	0.1	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.4	0.3	0.0	0.0	0.5	0.3	0.1	0.4
Missing data	0.7	0.8	0.2	0.2	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.1	0.1	0.3	0.1	0.7	0.8	0.2	0.2

	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	3.6	2.2	1.4	1.7	1.8	1.5	2.3	2.0	2.6	2.2	1.9	1.9	2.7	1.6	1.8	1.9
Asian	0.5	0.5	0.4	0.3	0.5	0.6	0.1	0.4	0.5	0.7	0.1	0.5	0.5	0.4	0.3	0.3
Black (non-Hispanic)	4.3	4.5	2.5	3.2	2.2	1.9	2.2	2.6	1.8	3.2	1.2	1.9	4.5	3.0	3.2	3.6
Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.3	0.0	0.0	0.1	0.4	0.0	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Hispanic (of any race)	9.5	7.9	7.6	7.4	11.2	8.5	8.0	8.3	12.7	9.4	8.1	8.3	8.2	7.4	7.5	7.6
White (non-Hispanic)	80.5	82.2	86.0	84.0	79.4	83.6	81.6	80.3	78.2	79.2	84.0	82.0	81.5	85.6	83.6	82.1
Two or more races	0.0	0.3	0.6	0.5	0.8	0.3	0.5	0.9	0.5	0.1	0.7	0.4	0.2	0.4	0.4	0.9
Unknown	1.4	2.4	1.7	2.9	3.9	3.7	5.2	5.4	3.1	5.1	3.9	5.0	2.3	1.7	3.0	3.6
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	92	104	102	91
Numbers of waiting children whose parents' rights have been terminated	39	54	53	60

Age (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
<1 year	0.0	0.0	3.9	1.1
1 year	0.0	3.8	2.0	3.3
2 years	1.1	1.0	2.9	0.0
3 years	4.3	2.9	4.9	5.5
4 years	7.6	3.8	7.8	6.6
5 years	1.1	7.7	6.9	6.6
6 years	8.7	0.0	5.9	3.3
7 years	8.7	6.7	2.9	3.3
8 years	5.4	8.7	5.9	4.4
9 years	18.5	7.7	4.9	7.7
10 years	8.7	13.5	6.9	6.6
11 years	5.4	8.7	10.8	8.8
12 years	6.5	7.7	6.9	11.0
13 years	7.6	6.7	6.9	6.6
14 years	4.3	7.7	7.8	8.8
15 years	5.4	3.8	6.9	4.4
16 years	4.3	4.8	1.0	9.9
17 years	2.2	3.8	3.9	1.1
18 years	0.0	1.0	1.0	1.1
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	2.2	1.9	0.0	0.0
Asian	0.0	0.0	1.0	0.0
Black (non-Hispanic)	8.7	6.7	2.9	3.3
Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Hispanic (of any race)	12.0	5.8	6.9	7.7
White (non-Hispanic)	77.2	85.6	89.2	86.8
Two or more races	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.1
Unknown	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.1
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	61	46	52	56

Age (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
<1 year	0.0	0.0	1.9	0.0
1 year	4.9	2.2	17.3	10.7
2 years	6.6	4.3	11.5	8.9
3 years	11.5	6.5	3.8	3.6
4 years	14.8	6.5	3.8	14.3
5 years	1.6	10.9	7.7	14.3
6 years	13.1	6.5	9.6	8.9
7 years	4.9	17.4	7.7	3.6
8 years	8.2	8.7	5.8	3.6
9 years	9.8	6.5	5.8	7.1
10 years	4.9	10.9	7.7	3.6
11 years	6.6	4.3	7.7	3.6
12 years	3.3	4.3	1.9	3.6
13 years	1.6	4.3	1.9	3.6
14 years	0.0	4.3	1.9	3.6
15 years	3.3	0.0	1.9	5.4
16 years	3.3	2.2	0.0	0.0
17 years	1.6	0.0	0.0	1.8
18 years	0.0	0.0	1.9	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	1.6	6.5	0.0	0.0
Asian	0.0	2.2	0.0	0.0
Black (non-Hispanic)	8.2	0.0	5.8	5.4
Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Hispanic (of any race)	11.5	19.6	11.5	1.8
White (non-Hispanic)	78.7	71.7	80.8	85.7
Two or more races	0.0	0.0	1.9	0.0
Unknown	0.0	0.0	0.0	7.1
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0

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Wyoming [ 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	93.2	94.1	91.9	94.4
Children with one or more recurrences	6.8	5.9	8.1	5.6
Number	633	560	332	355

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	0.43	0.74	0.33	<.1
Children not maltreated while in foster care	99.57	99.26	99.67	99.94
Number	1,406	1,486	1,506	1,662

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	4.4	5.2	6.7	7.1
Guardianship	6.6	5.2	4.0	3.8
Reunification	72.1	72.7	74.7	76.1
Other	15.7	13.9	10.9	9.1
Missing data	1.2	2.9	3.7	3.9
Number	731	689	727	799

3.2 Exits of Children with a Diagnosed Disability (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Adoption	7.2	9.3	11.1	22.1
Guardianship	9.2	7.0	5.9	4.1
Reunification	63.2	62.0	62.2	59.0
Other	17.8	18.6	17.8	9.8
Missing data	2.6	3.1	3.0	4.9
Number	152	129	135	122

3.3 Exits of Children Older than Age 12 at Entry into Foster Care (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Adoption	0.3	0.3	0.5	0.2
Guardianship	1.7	3.0	1.9	2.4
Reunification	69.0	70.3	73.4	76.9
Other	27.8	24.3	18.8	15.4
Missing data	1.2	2.2	5.4	5.1
Number	345	370	368	415

3.4 Exits to Emancipation (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Children age 12 or younger at entry	13.9	6.7	12.9	11.5
Children older than 12 at entry	86.1	93.3	87.1	88.5
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	36	45	62	61

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	20.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	20.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	22.2	20.0
Guardianship	5.3	6.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	25.0	30.8	9.1	0.0	0.0
Reunification	63.2	60.0	78.6	93.3	100.0	40.0	100.0	50.0	53.8	77.3	66.7	66.7
Other	31.6	13.3	7.1	6.7	0.0	40.0	0.0	0.0	15.4	9.1	11.1	6.7
Missing data	0.0	0.0	14.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	25.0	0.0	4.5	0.0	6.7
Number	19	15	14	15	4	5	1	4	13	22	9	15
	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	6.5	9.2	10.2	1.5	4.5	4.8	6.5	7.5
Guardianship	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	6.5	4.6	3.4	3.0	6.1	5.5	4.4	4.1
Reunification	66.7	0.0	0.0	100.0	75.3	67.7	78.0	89.4	72.0	73.8	74.0	74.4
Other	33.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	10.8	12.3	5.1	1.5	15.9	13.7	11.6	10.2
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.1	6.2	3.4	4.5	1.4	2.2	3.4	3.8
Number	3	0	0	1	93	65	59	66	572	546	611	655
	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	10.0	0.0	0.0	20.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Guardianship	8.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Reunification	69.6	71.4	82.1	82.5	100.0	100.0	80.0	66.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Other	21.7	20.0	10.7	5.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	33.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Missing data	0.0	8.6	7.1	2.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	23	35	28	40	4	1	5	3	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.	81.6	78.6	73.8	78.1
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos.	12.9	14.8	18.8	16.9
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos.	1.1	2.6	3.9	3.3
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos.	2.1	1.8	1.8	0.8
48 or more mos.	1.7	2.2	1.7	0.8
Missing data	0.6	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	527	501	543	608

4.2 Children Re-entering Foster Care (%)	2000	2001	2002	2003
Children entering care for the first time	85.0	90.3	91.5	93.4
Children re-entering care within 12 mos. of a prior episode	8.0	5.9	4.8	4.2
Children re-entering care more than 12 mos. after a prior episode	0.0	0.0	0.5	0.5
Missing data	7.0	3.8	3.2	1.9
Number	786	896	809	979

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.	21.9	11.1	10.2	10.5
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos.	18.8	16.7	32.7	28.1
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos.	21.9	25.0	14.3	26.3
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos.	21.9	5.6	8.2	19.3
48 or more mos.	15.6	41.7	34.7	15.8
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	32	36	49	57

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	87.4	82.4	85.0	88.9	60.5	63.1	62.4	68.9	53.1	43.9	38.2	32.9	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0
Children with 3 or more placements	11.7	16.6	14.3	9.4	38.8	36.5	36.6	30.6	46.9	55.8	61.2	66.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	907	1,017	938	1,122	276	282	383	360	360	353	327	365	2	2	8	7

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	6.4	5.9	5.3	6.2
Institutions	4.8	3.9	4.7	4.0
Other settings	88.8	90.2	90.0	89.8
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	312	307	301	401

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Wyoming [ Federal Comment ]

PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT

The following is a discussion of Wyoming'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 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 is less than the national median of 7.1 percent, but also represents an improvement in performance on this measure from 2000 to 2003 (-17.6 percent change).

Wyoming's relatively low percentage of children who experienced maltreatment recurrence in 2003 corresponds to a relatively low child maltreatment victim rate in the State. In 2003, the child maltreatment victim rate in Wyoming was 6.5 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. The 2003 rate represents a decline from the rate in 2000 of 10.4 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, 0.06 percent of the children in foster care in Wyoming were found to be maltreated by foster parents or facility staff members (measure 2.1). This percent not only is less than the national median of 0.39 percent, but also represents an improvement in performance on this measure from 2000 to 2003 (-86.0 percent change).

Outcome 3. Increase permanency for children in foster care

In 2003, 87.0 percent of all children exiting foster care in Wyoming (measure 3.1) were discharged to a permanent home, which exceeds the national median of 86.3 percent. Also in 2003, 85.2 percent of the children exiting foster care who had a diagnosed disability (measure 3.2) were discharged to a permanent home, which exceeds the national median of 79.5 percent. In addition, 79.5 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 exceeds 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, 11.5 percent of the children reported as emancipated from foster care entered foster care when they were age 12 or younger (measure 3.4). This percent not only is less than the national median of 29.6 percent, but also represents an improvement in performance on this measure from 2000 to 2003 (-17.3 percent change).

There were some differences with regard to exits to permanency in 2003 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.) Hispanic children exiting foster care were more likely to be discharged to a permanent home (93.9 percent) than were White (non-Hispanic) children exiting foster care (86.0 percent).

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

In 2003, 78.1 percent of reunifications in Wyoming occurred within 12 months of a child's entry into foster care (measure 4.1). This percent exceeds the national median of 72.0 percent. Performance on this measure did not change from 2000 to 2003. In addition, only 1.6 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.

With regard to re-entries into foster care, in 2003, 4.2 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 this measure from 2000 to 2003 (-47.5 percent change). In addition, 0.5 percent of children entering foster care were entering more than 12 months after a prior foster care episode. Consequently, only 4.7 percent of all children entering foster care in Wyoming in 2003 had been in foster care at a prior time.

Outcome 5. Reduce time in foster care to adoption

In 2003, 38.6 percent of finalized adoptions in Wyoming occurred within 24 months of a child's entry into foster care (measure 5.1). Although this percent exceeds the national median of 23.9 percent, it represents a slight decline in performance on this measure from 2000 to 2003 (-5.2 percent change).

Outcome 6. Increase placement stability

In 2003, 88.9 percent of the children in foster care for less than 12 months experienced no more than two placement settings (measure 6.1), which exceeds the national median of 84.2 percent. Also in 2003, 68.9 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 exceeds the national median of 59.1 percent.

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

In 2003, 10.2 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 on this measure from 2000 to 2003 (-8.9 percent change).

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