Montana

Context Data | Outcomes Data | State Comment | Federal Comment

Montana [Context Data]

A. Context Statistics1

General Child Population (Census Bureau)
	2002	2003	2004	2005
Total children under 18 years	216,320	215,774	208,093	204,994
Race/ethnicity (%)2
Alaska Native/American Indian	9.6	9.8	9.9	10.1
Asian	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.5
Black (non-Hispanic)	0.4	0.4	0.4	0.4
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander	<.1	<.1	<.1	<.1
Hispanic (of any race)	3.4	3.5	3.5	3.6
White (non-Hispanic)	83.7	83.4	83.2	83.0
Two or More Races	2.4	2.4	2.4	2.4
Child population in poverty (%)	18.5	20.2	16.5	19.8

Child Welfare Summary
	2002	2003	2004	2005
Child maltreatment victims3	1,995	1,951	1,753	2,095
Children in foster care on 9/30	1,912	1,866	2,030	2,222
Children adopted	247	224	192	244

B. Child Maltreatment Data [National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS)]

Overview Maltreatment Information4
	2002		2003		2004		2005
	Number	Rate	Number	Rate	Number	Rate	Number	Rate
Children subject of an investigated report alleging child maltreatment	17,078	79.0 per 1,000	14,966	69.4 per 1,000	12,406	59.6 per 1,000	13,793	67.3 per 1,000
Total child maltreatment victims5	1,995	9.2 per 1,000	1,951	9.0 per 1,000	1,753	8.4 per 1,000	2,095	10.2 per 1,000
Child fatalities	--	-- per 100,000	3	1.4 per 100,000	2	1.0 per 100,000	2	1.0 per 100,000

1 A calendar year is the basis for data from the Census Bureau (in Section A. Context Statistics) and the 2002 data only from NCANDS (in Section B. Child Maltreatment Data). All other data on this page are based on the Federal fiscal year, October 1 through September 30. Back
2 Race/ethnicity data represent population estimates from the Census Bureau. Child poverty data are from the Census Bureau's Current Population Survey (CPS). Back
3 A child victim is defined as a child who is the subject of a substantiated or indicated maltreatment report. Back
4 The rate for maltreatment investigations and victims is per 1,000 children under age 18; for fatalities, the rate is per 100,000 children under age 18. Back
5 Children with more than one report of substantiated or indicated maltreatment may be counted more than once. Back

B. Child Maltreatment Data (Continued)

Age of Child Victims (%)
	2002	2003	2004	2005
Under 1 year	9.0	9.7	10.0	13.9
1-5 years	33.0	35.0	36.6	35.7
6-10 years	24.9	24.1	26.1	24.0
11-15 years	24.0	22.1	19.3	19.9
16+ years	4.8	3.7	3.9	4.2
Unknown	4.3	5.4	4.0	2.4
Number	1,995	1,951	1,753	2,095

Race/Ethnicity of Child Victims (%)
	2002	2003	2004	2005
Alaska Native/American Indian	21.8	21.4	22.2	23.7
Asian	0.2	--	0.3	0.3
Black (non-Hispanic)	1.3	0.8	0.7	0.7
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander	N/A	0.1	0.2	0.3
Hispanic (of any race)	3.5	2.9	4.4	4.1
White (non-Hispanic)	52.6	52.5	52.0	48.0
Two or More Races	2.5	3.0	3.1	4.0
Unknown	18.1	19.3	17.1	18.9
Number	1,995	1,951	1,753	2,095

Maltreatment Types of Child Victims (%)6
	2002	2003	2004	2005
Emotional abuse	0.6	15.5	22.2	20.4
Medical neglect	1.7	1.6	1.6	2.4
Neglect	34.5	38.7	69.4	74.3
Physical abuse	67.6	59.1	12.6	10.7
Sexual abuse	10.3	8.7	8.7	6.9
Unknown	--	--	--	--
Other	11.2	0.3	0.2	0.4
Number	1,995	1,951	1,753	2,095

Time to Investigation (in hours)
	2002	2003	2004	2005
Mean	236.5	316.5	198.2	245.9
Median	>24, but <48	>24, but <48	>24, but <48	>24, but <48

6 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
	2002	2003	2004	2005	2002	2003	2004	2005	2002	2003	2004	2005	2002	2003	2004	2005
Total number	1,886	1,777	1,794	1,939	1,306	1,175	1,228	1,432	1,280	1,087	992	1,149	1,912	1,866	2,030	2,222
Median length of stay (months)	17.5	17.4	17.2	16.3	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	7.6	10.1	9.4	12.3	16.5	16.2	15.9	13.5

Age of Children in Foster Care (%)
	In Foster Care on 10/1 FY				Entered Foster Care in FY				Exited Foster Care in FY				In Foster Care on 9/30 FY
	2002	2003	2004	2005	2002	2003	2004	2005	2002	2003	2004	2005	2002	2003	2004	2005
Under 1 year	4.0	4.6	4.3	4.8	14.2	13.9	15.4	17.8	5.2	4.9	5.2	5.9	4.8	4.7	4.7	6.6
1 year	5.4	6.0	6.6	6.7	8.7	8.3	8.2	9.1	6.7	7.2	8.1	6.5	6.2	6.8	6.7	7.8
2 years	5.7	5.8	6.8	6.4	8.0	8.4	8.0	7.1	8.2	7.5	6.6	7.2	6.0	6.8	6.6	7.6
3 years	4.7	5.5	6.0	7.5	7.4	6.6	6.0	6.8	6.6	7.2	5.7	7.7	5.6	5.9	7.4	5.9
4 years	4.9	5.5	5.2	6.2	5.7	5.4	6.4	5.9	5.8	6.2	7.4	8.2	5.5	5.3	6.2	6.3
5 years	4.8	4.4	4.6	4.8	5.1	5.9	5.0	4.7	5.5	5.2	5.0	6.2	4.4	4.6	5.0	5.3
6 years	4.9	4.6	4.0	4.6	4.1	3.9	5.8	5.5	5.0	6.6	4.6	5.5	4.8	3.9	4.7	4.6
7 years	4.5	4.7	4.0	4.4	4.1	4.3	4.6	4.9	4.5	4.7	3.7	4.6	4.6	3.9	4.6	5.0
8 years	5.8	3.9	4.0	4.1	3.4	4.3	4.2	4.3	5.2	3.8	3.9	4.0	3.8	4.1	4.3	4.4
9 years	5.8	5.0	4.5	4.4	5.0	4.6	3.7	3.8	5.0	4.9	3.5	4.1	4.8	4.3	4.3	3.9
10 years	5.2	6.5	5.6	4.7	5.2	5.3	4.5	3.3	5.0	4.3	4.5	3.7	6.4	5.5	4.6	4.1
11 years	6.3	5.1	6.6	4.7	4.5	4.4	3.5	3.4	4.8	4.3	4.5	3.9	4.8	6.4	4.8	4.2
12 years	6.4	6.5	5.3	6.0	4.7	4.4	4.2	4.1	4.8	3.9	5.1	4.2	6.1	5.3	5.9	4.3
13 years	6.6	5.7	6.2	5.1	4.3	4.9	4.8	4.7	5.0	5.2	4.1	4.2	5.9	6.3	5.1	6.2
14 years	6.3	6.6	6.1	6.4	5.0	5.2	5.0	4.6	4.9	5.0	5.8	4.4	6.6	6.1	6.2	5.2
15 years	6.2	6.3	6.4	5.4	4.7	5.0	3.5	4.1	4.7	4.5	3.5	3.4	6.2	6.3	5.5	6.5
16 years	5.9	5.6	5.8	6.2	3.6	3.6	4.4	3.8	3.8	4.1	4.6	3.9	5.6	6.0	5.9	5.4
17 years	5.2	6.2	5.6	5.5	2.2	1.7	2.6	2.2	3.8	5.8	5.4	4.4	6.0	5.5	5.4	5.3
18 years	1.4	1.4	2.0	1.7	<.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	4.5	4.0	6.9	6.2	1.7	2.0	1.7	1.4
19 years	<.1	0.2	0.3	0.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.9	0.8	1.3	1.7	0.4	0.3	0.3	<.1
20+ years	<.1	0.0	<.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	<.1	0.0	0.2	<.1	0.0	<.1	0.0	<.1
Missing data	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	0.0	0.0	0.0

C. Characteristics of Children in Foster Care (Continued)

Race/Ethnicity of Children in Foster Care (%)
	In Foster Care on 10/1 FY				Entered Foster Care in FY				Exited Foster Care in FY				In Foster Care on 9/30 FY
	2002	2003	2004	2005	2002	2003	2004	2005	2002	2003	2004	2005	2002	2003	2004	2005
Alaska Native/American Indian	32.8	31.6	33.7	32.6	27.9	29.8	29.9	32.6	27.4	26.6	28.7	30.7	33.1	33.4	33.8	33.6
Asian	0.2	0.2	0.1	0.2	0.2	0.0	0.4	0.4	<.1	<.1	0.3	0.7	0.3	0.2	0.2	<.1
Black (non-Hispanic)	1.1	1.6	1.3	1.3	1.8	1.4	0.8	1.0	1.5	1.7	1.1	1.2	1.4	1.3	1.1	1.2
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander	0.0	0.0	<.1	0.0	0.0	<.1	0.2	0.3	0.0	<.1	0.2	<.1	0.0	0.0	<.1	0.1
Hispanic (of any race)	4.1	5.0	5.5	5.8	6.0	5.2	6.0	4.9	4.7	4.0	5.7	6.7	5.1	5.7	5.7	4.7
White (non-Hispanic)	58.6	57.4	54.6	53.8	52.1	52.4	53.6	51.0	57.9	60.5	57.8	53.4	54.7	52.4	52.4	52.2
Two or More Races	0.5	1.3	2.0	3.7	3.8	4.4	4.9	5.6	2.3	2.7	2.7	3.5	1.6	2.5	3.3	5.0
Unknown	2.6	2.9	2.8	2.6	8.0	6.6	4.2	4.1	6.2	4.3	3.4	3.7	3.9	4.4	3.3	3.1
Missing data	0.0	0.0	<.1	<.1	0.0	<.1	0.0	<.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	<.1	0.0	<.1	<.1	<.1

D. Characteristics of Children "Waiting for Adoption"7 (AFCARS Foster Care File)

Children Waiting for Adoption
	2002	2003	2004	2005
Total waiting children	669	639	713	646
Number of waiting children whose parents' rights have been terminated	561	545	596	550

Age of Children Waiting for Adoption (%)
	2002	2003	2004	2005
Under 1 year	2.2	1.3	0.4	1.7
1 year	4.3	4.5	4.3	4.6
2 years	6.0	6.6	5.9	5.9
3 years	4.3	6.3	7.2	6.3
4 years	5.2	5.0	6.2	6.5
5 years	4.2	4.9	6.2	5.4
6 years	4.9	4.2	6.2	3.1
7 years	5.1	3.3	3.5	4.8
8 years	4.6	4.7	3.4	3.9
9 years	5.2	3.8	4.1	4.2
10 years	8.2	5.5	4.3	3.9
11 years	6.4	8.5	5.6	4.6
12 years	7.2	6.9	8.0	6.0
13 years	6.6	8.5	6.6	8.5
14 years	6.6	6.6	8.6	6.5
15 years	6.4	7.7	6.5	9.8
16 years	6.4	6.6	7.6	7.1
17 years	6.0	5.5	5.6	7.1
18 years	--	--	--	--
19 years	--	--	--	--
20+ years	--	--	--	--

7 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 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

D. Characteristics of Children "Waiting for Adoption" (Continued)

Race/Ethnicity of Children Waiting for Adoption (%)
	2002	2003	2004	2005
Alaska Native/American Indian	26.0	26.9	29.9	24.5
Asian	0.1	0.3	0.3	0.2
Black (non-Hispanic)	2.1	1.6	1.5	2.0
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Hispanic (of any race)	4.6	6.3	4.9	5.3
White (non-Hispanic)	63.5	60.6	58.5	61.1
Two or More Races	1.2	1.1	2.1	4.0
Unknown	2.4	3.3	2.8	2.9
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0

E. Characteristics of Children Adopted (AFCARS Adoption File)

Children Adopted
	2002	2003	2004	2005
Total children adopted	247	224	192	244

Age of Children Adopted (%)
	2002	2003	2004	2005
Under 1 year	0.4	1.3	2.6	2.5
1 year	6.9	11.2	9.9	8.2
2 years	11.7	8.9	16.1	9.8
3 years	8.5	10.7	12.0	12.3
4 years	8.1	8.5	8.3	12.7
5 years	9.3	8.5	3.6	11.5
6 years	8.5	8.0	7.8	9.8
7 years	6.5	7.1	5.7	4.9
8 years	5.7	7.6	7.8	4.9
9 years	10.5	5.4	4.2	3.7
10 years	5.3	3.1	3.6	4.9
11 years	6.9	4.5	5.7	3.3
12 years	3.6	4.5	6.3	4.1
13 years	3.2	3.1	0.5	4.1
14 years	2.4	3.1	1.6	2.0
15 years	1.6	0.9	2.1	0.4
16 years	0.8	2.2	1.6	0.8
17 years	0.0	1.3	0.5	0.0
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

Race/Ethnicity of Children Adopted (%)
	2002	2003	2004	2005
Alaska Native/American Indian	18.2	17.0	17.2	24.6
Asian	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.4
Black (non-Hispanic)	2.0	1.8	0.0	1.2
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Hispanic (of any race)	8.1	4.0	13.5	9.8
White (non-Hispanic)	71.3	73.7	68.2	60.2
Two or More Races	0.4	3.6	1.0	3.3
Unknown	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.4
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0

Montana [Outcomes Data]

1. Reduce Recurrence of Child Abuse and/or Neglect (NCANDS)

1.1 Recurrence of Maltreatment Within 6 Months (%)
	2002	2003	2004	2005
Children without a recurrence	88.0	90.5	93.5	92.8
Children with one or more recurrences	12.0	9.5	6.5	7.2
Number	934	814	815	1,001

2. Reduce the Incidence of Child Abuse and/or Neglect in Foster Care (NCANDS and AFCARS Foster Care File8)

2.1 Maltreatment in Foster Care (%)
	2002	2003	2004	2005
Children maltreated while in foster care	N/A	0.24	0.23	0.36
Children not maltreated while in foster care	N/A	99.76	99.77	99.64
Number	N/A	2,952	3,022	3,371

8 For the years 2003, 2004, and 2005, the denominator for this measure includes all children served in foster care during the 12-month fiscal year. In 2002, only children served in the first 9 months of the calendar year were included in the denominator because of differences in the NCANDS and AFCARS reporting periods. Therefore, the data for 2002 are not provided for this measure. Back

3. Increase Permanency for Children in Foster Care (AFCARS Foster Care File)

3.1 Exits of Children From Foster Care (%)
	2002	2003	2004	2005
Adoption	18.8	20.8	17.9	20.8
Guardianship	6.5	5.1	4.4	8.0
Reunification	59.4	57.7	57.8	57.4
Other	8.0	9.5	13.2	9.9
Missing data	7.3	7.0	6.7	3.9
Number	1,280	1,087	992	1,149

3.2 Exits of Children With a Diagnosed Disability (%)
	2002	2003	2004	2005
Adoption	31.6	38.6	31.6	29.6
Guardianship	3.1	2.3	0.0	11.3
Reunification	36.7	25.0	31.6	27.8
Other	23.5	22.7	25.3	22.6
Missing data	5.1	11.4	11.4	8.7
Number	98	88	79	115

3.3 Exits of Children Older Than Age 12 at Entry Into Foster Care (%)
	2002	2003	2004	2005
Adoption	0.8	2.3	1.3	1.4
Guardianship	7.2	4.7	4.4	3.6
Reunification	46.6	48.1	47.3	55.4
Other	28.9	28.0	30.1	31.5
Missing data	16.5	16.8	16.8	8.1
Number	249	214	226	222

3.4 Exits to Emancipation (%)
	2002	2003	2004	2005
Children age 12 or younger at entry	32.9	38.2	34.8	34.4
Children older than 12 at entry	67.1	61.8	65.2	65.6
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	82	76	92	90

3. Increase Permanency for Children in Foster Care (Continued)

3.5 Exits by Race/ethnicity (%)
	Alaska Native/Am. In.				Asian				Black (non-Hispanic)
	2002	2003	2004	2005	2002	2003	2004	2005	2002	2003	2004	2005
Adoption	12.5	14.5	10.5	17.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	12.5	26.3	21.1	0.0	21.4
Guardianship	10.5	6.2	6.7	10.2	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	10.5	9.1	0.0
Reunification	63.0	59.9	57.2	57.8	0.0	0.0	66.7	87.5	63.2	57.9	90.9	64.3
Other	3.7	11.8	18.2	10.5	0.0	100.0	33.3	0.0	5.3	0.0	0.0	14.3
Missing data	10.3	7.6	7.4	4.2	100.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	5.3	10.5	0.0	0.0
Number	351	289	285	353	1	1	3	8	19	19	11	14

3.5 Exits by Race/ethnicity (%)
	Native Hawaiian/Other Pac. Is.				Hispanic (of any race)				White (non-Hispanic)
	2002	2003	2004	2005	2002	2003	2004	2005	2002	2003	2004	2005
Adoption	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	30.0	20.9	43.9	29.9	23.3	24.6	21.1	23.3
Guardianship	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.7	2.3	3.5	11.7	5.4	5.0	3.3	7.0
Reunification	0.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	55.0	69.8	38.6	46.8	53.6	53.6	57.1	56.0
Other	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	3.3	2.3	8.8	6.5	11.3	9.6	12.0	10.0
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	10.0	4.7	5.3	5.2	6.3	7.1	6.5	3.8
Number	0	1	2	1	60	43	57	77	741	658	573	613

3.5 Exits by Race/ethnicity (%)
	Unable to Determine				Two or More Races				Missing Data
	2002	2003	2004	2005	2002	2003	2004	2005	2002	2003	2004	2005
Adoption	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	3.4	31.0	7.4	20.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Guardianship	6.3	0.0	5.9	4.8	0.0	3.4	3.7	5.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Reunification	88.6	89.4	82.4	76.2	93.1	58.6	70.4	65.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	100.0
Other	2.5	4.3	5.9	11.9	0.0	6.9	7.4	10.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Missing data	2.5	6.4	5.9	7.1	3.4	0.0	11.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	79	47	34	42	29	29	27	40	0	0	0	1

4. Reduce Time to Reunification Without Increasing Reentry (AFCARS Foster Care File)

4.1 Time to Reunification (%)
	2002	2003	2004	2005
Less than 12 mos.	80.5	77.5	75.7	75.4
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos.	14.2	15.6	18.2	18.4
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos.	3.0	3.8	3.0	3.0
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos.	0.9	1.8	0.9	1.2
48 or more mos.	1.3	1.1	2.3	2.0
Missing data	0.0	0.2	0.0	0.0
Number	760	627	573	659

4.2 Children Reentering Foster Care (%)
	2002	2003	2004	2005
Children entering care for the first time	69.9	69.0	72.2	76.9
Children reentering care within 12 mos. of a prior episode	16.1	18.8	13.4	10.1
Children reentering care more than 12 mos. after a prior episode	12.9	11.4	12.4	11.5
Missing data	1.1	0.8	2.0	1.5
Number	1,306	1,175	1,228	1,432

5. Reduce Time in Foster Care to Adoption (AFCARS Foster Care File)

5.1 Time to Adoption (%)
	2002	2003	2004	2005
Less than 12 mos.	1.2	3.1	6.2	2.5
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos.	32.0	30.1	32.0	23.4
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos.	28.2	28.3	33.1	37.7
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos.	17.8	17.7	12.9	20.5
48 or more mos.	20.7	20.8	15.7	15.9
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	241	226	178	239

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
	2002	2003	2004	2005	2002	2003	2004	2005	2002	2003	2004	2005	2002	2003	2004	2005
Children with 2 or fewer placements	84.1	86.8	86.4	86.4	54.6	68.4	63.8	68.8	33.4	36.5	37.0	37.5	0.0	0.0	100.0	100.0
Children with 3 or more placements	15.9	13.2	13.6	13.6	45.4	31.6	36.2	31.2	66.6	63.5	63.0	62.5	100.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	1,489	1,365	1,371	1,581	663	561	647	731	1,039	1,026	998	1,050	1	0	6	9

7. Reduce Placement 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 (%)
	2002	2003	2004	2005
Group homes	9.4	7.8	5.2	5.2
Institutions	0.4	0.5	0.5	0.4
Other settings	90.3	91.7	94.3	94.3
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	1,036	928	961	1,132

Composite and Individual Measures Established for the Federal Child and Family Services Reviews9

Composite One: Timeliness and Permanency of Reunification
	2004	2005
Composite Score	--	102.8
C1.1: Percent of reunifications that occur in less than 12 months (with adjustments)	74.5	75.5
C1.2: Median length of stay in months of children exiting to reunification (with adjustments)	5.1	5.4
C1.3: Percent of children in entry cohort who are reunified in less than 12 months (with adjustments)	39.0	38.2
C1.4: Percent of children reentering foster care in less than 12 months	26.0	23.0

Composite Two: Timeliness of Adoptions
	2004	2005
Composite Score	--	98.3
C2.1: Percent of adoptions occurring in less than 24 months	38.2	25.9
C2.2: Median length of stay in months of children who are adopted	26.6	31.7
C2.3: Percent of children in foster care for 17+ months on first day of fiscal year who are adopted by the end of the year	14.3	21.0
C2.4: Percent of children in foster care for 17+ months on first day of fiscal year who are not legally free for adoption who become legally free within 6 months	13.3	16.9
C2.5: Percent of children legally free for adoption who are adopted in less than 12 months of becoming legally free	37.8	34.1

Composite Three: Achieving Permanency for Children in Foster Care for Long Periods of Time
	2004	2005
Composite Score	--	104.7
C3.1: Percent of children in foster care for 24+ months on the first day of fiscal year who exit to permanency by age 18 or by the end of the fiscal year	16.9	27.6
C3.2: Percent of children who are legally free for adoption who exit to a permanent home	86.8	88.3
C3.3: Percent of children emancipated or reaching age 18 who were in foster care for at least 3 years	48.9	61.5

Composite Four: Placement Stability While in Foster Care
	2004	2005
Composite Score	--	100.5
C4.1: Percent of children in care for less than 12 months with 2 or fewer placement settings	84.8	85.0
C4.2: Percent of children in care for 12 to 24 months with 2 or fewer placement settings	64.0	68.9
C4.3: Percent of children in care for at least 24 months with 2 or fewer placement settings	36.8	37.8

9 State composite scores for 2004 are not provided because that year's data served as the source data for the establishment of the national standards. Composite scores are not used for performance assessment purposes until 2005; therefore, only 2005 composite scores are provided. Individual measure performance is shown under each composite unless the State did not provide the data necessary to calculate those measures. Back

Montana [State Comment]

No comment submitted.

Montana [Federal Comment]

PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT

Montana's performance in achieving outcomes related to the safety and permanency of children served by the child welfare system is discussed below. The discussion focuses on performance in 2005 and change in performance over time, which is determined by calculating the percent change from a prior year to 2005. The prior year selected varies depending on the availability and reliability of data. A percent change that is less than 5.0 (either positive or negative) is considered to represent "no change."

The discussion incorporates information about performance on the seven outcomes that have been part of the Report to Congress since its inception. In general, data are provided for these outcomes from 2002 to 2005 and their measures are identified using the labels provided in the data pages (e.g., measure 1.1, 2.1, etc.). The discussion also incorporates information about performance on measures included in four composite data indicators recently developed for the Federal Child and Family Services Reviews. (See appendix B for a discussion of these measures.) The composites and measures are presented on the last page of the data pages and are identified below using the labels provided on the data page (e.g., measure C1.2, C1.3, etc.). Data are available for these outcome measures for 2004 and 2005 only.

Outcomes Pertaining to Safety

In 2005, 7.2 percent of the children who were victims of child maltreatment in the first 6 months of the fiscal year experienced another maltreatment incident within a 6-month period (measure 1.1). This percentage is greater than the national median of 6.6 percent. Although the percentage represents an improvement in performance from 2002 (40.0 percent change), it reflects a decline in performance from 2004 (10.8 percent change).
In 2005, 0.36 percent of children in foster care in Montana were found to be victims of maltreatment by foster parents or facility staff members (measure 2.1). Although this percentage is less than the national median of 0.42 percent, it represents a decline in performance from 2003 (50.0 percent change).

Outcomes Pertaining to Permanency

Performance with regard to exits from foster care to a permanent home (i.e., children discharged from foster care to adoption, guardianship, or reunification).

In 2005, 86.2 percent of all children exiting foster care (measure 3.1) were discharged to a permanent home, which is about equal to the national median of 87.8 percent. However, only 68.7 percent of children exiting foster care who had a diagnosed disability (measure 3.2) and 60.4 percent of children exiting foster care who were older than age 12 when they entered foster care (measure 3.3) were discharged to a permanent home. Both of these percentages are lower than the national medians for those measures (79.0 percent for measure 3.2 and 73.1 percent for measure 3.3).
In 2005, 27.6 percent of the children in foster care for 24 months or longer on the first day of the fiscal year were discharged from foster care to a permanent home by the last day of the fiscal year (measure C3.1). This percentage exceeds the national median of 26.4 percent and represents an improvement in performance from 2004 (63.6 percent change).
In 2005, 88.3 percent of the children exiting foster care who were legally free for adoption (i.e., a parental rights termination date was reported for both parents) were discharged to a permanent home (measure C3.2). This percentage is one of the lowest in the nation.

Performance with regard to children remaining in foster care until emancipated.

In 2005, 7.8 percent of the children exiting foster care had a discharge reason of "emancipation" and 34.4 percent of these children were age 12 or younger when they entered foster care (measure 3.4). This latter percentage exceeds the national median of 27.6 percent.
In 2005, 61.5 percent of the children exiting foster care with a discharge reason of emancipation had been in foster care for 3 years or longer (measure C3.3). This percentage exceeds the national median of 48.1 percent and represents a decline in performance on this measure from 2004 (25.8 percent change).

Performance with regard to the timeliness and permanency of reunifications.

In 2005, 75.5 percent of the reunifications of children who were in foster care for 8 days or longer occurred in less than 12 months from the time of the child's entry into foster care (measure C1.1). This percentage exceeds the national median of 70.4 percent for this measure.
Measure C1.3 indicates that 38.2 percent of the children entering foster care in the last 6 months of 2005 were reunified in less than 12 months from the time of entry into foster care. This percentage is about equal to the national median of 38.7 percent.
Measure C1.4 indicates that 23.0 percent of children exiting foster care to reunification in 2005 reentered foster care in less than 12 months. Although this percentage exceeds the national median of 14.8 percent, it represents an improvement in performance from 2004 (11.5 percent change). Because measure C1.4 is a longitudinal measure of foster care reentry, it is intended to replace measure 4.2 as the assessment of foster care reentry.

Performance with regard to the timeliness of adoptions.

In 2005, 25.9 percent of finalized adoptions occurred within 24 months of the child's entry into foster care (measures 5.1 and C2.1). This percentage is less than the national median of 29.1 percent and represents a decline in performance from 2002 (22.0 percent change).
In 2005, 21.0 percent of children in foster care for 17 months or longer at the start of the fiscal year who did not exit to reunification or guardianship were discharged from foster care to a finalized adoption by the end of the year (measure C2.3). This percentage is about equal to the national median of 20.9 percent and represents an improvement in performance from 2004 (46.9 percent change).
Measure C2.5 indicates that 34.1 percent of children who became legally free for adoption in 2005 (i.e., there was a termination of parental rights date reported for mother and father) were adopted in less than 12 months of becoming legally free. This percentage is not only less than the national median of 45.1 percent, but also represents a decline in performance from 2004 (9.9 percent change).

Outcomes Pertaining to the Stability and Appropriateness of Placements

In 2005, 85.0 percent of the children in foster care for at least 8 days but less than 12 months experienced two or fewer placement settings (measure C4.1). This percentage exceeds the national median of 82.4 percent.
In 2005, 37.5 percent of children in foster care for 24 months or longer experienced two or fewer placement settings (measure 6.1). This percentage exceeds the national median of 32.3 percent and represents an improvement in performance from 2002 (12.3 percent change).
In 2005, 5.6 percent of the children entering foster care at age 12 or younger were placed in a group home or institution (measure 7.1). This percentage is less than the national median of 7.2 percent and represents improvement in performance from 2002 (42.9 percent change).