Nebraska

Context Data | Outcomes Data | State Comment | Federal Comment

Nebraska [Context Data]

A. Context Statistics1

General Child Population (Census Bureau)
	2002	2003	2004	2005
Total children under 18 years	439,393	440,840	434,566	431,629
Race/ethnicity (%)2
Alaska Native/American Indian	1.2	1.2	1.2	1.2
Asian	1.4	1.4	1.5	1.5
Black (non-Hispanic)	5.4	5.5	5.5	5.4
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander	<.1	<.1	<.1	<.1
Hispanic (of any race)	9.5	10.1	10.6	10.9
White (non-Hispanic)	80.5	79.7	79.1	78.6
Two or More Races	2.0	2.1	2.2	2.2
Child population in poverty (%)	13.0	11.0	10.2	11.3

Child Welfare Summary
	2002	2003	2004	2005
Child maltreatment victims3	3,909	3,875	4,785	6,630
Children in foster care on 9/30	5,724	5,148	6,292	6,231
Children adopted	356	281	367	356

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	12,262	27.9 per 1,000	14,767	33.5 per 1,000	24,235	55.8 per 1,000	35,621	82.5 per 1,000
Total child maltreatment victims5	3,909	8.9 per 1,000	3,875	8.8 per 1,000	4,785	11.0 per 1,000	6,630	15.4 per 1,000
Child fatalities	13	3.0 per 100,000	16	3.6 per 100,000	11	2.5 per 100,000	6	1.4 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	10.3	11.4	10.0	11.0
1-5 years	35.7	34.1	36.2	35.4
6-10 years	27.6	27.0	26.3	26.9
11-15 years	21.1	22.0	21.6	21.0
16+ years	4.5	4.4	4.8	4.9
Unknown	0.9	1.1	1.1	0.8
Number	3,909	3,875	4,785	6,630

Race/Ethnicity of Child Victims (%)
	2002	2003	2004	2005
Alaska Native/American Indian	6.0	6.9	5.8	5.7
Asian	0.6	0.7	0.5	0.5
Black (non-Hispanic)	10.6	9.7	11.3	12.9
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander	N/A	--	0.0	0.0
Hispanic (of any race)	8.0	8.4	10.2	9.0
White (non-Hispanic)	67.1	66.7	64.0	62.2
Two or More Races	0.5	0.7	0.2	0.8
Unknown	7.3	6.9	7.9	8.8
Number	3,909	3,875	4,785	6,630

Maltreatment Types of Child Victims (%)6
	2002	2003	2004	2005
Emotional abuse	6.9	8.0	5.7	5.5
Medical neglect	0.1	0.1	0.1	0.0
Neglect	71.7	72.7	79.2	83.1
Physical abuse	22.1	21.2	18.2	14.0
Sexual abuse	9.6	10.0	8.0	8.9
Unknown	--	--	--	--
Other	--	--	--	--
Number	3,909	3,875	4,785	6,630

Time to Investigation (in hours)
	2002	2003	2004	2005
Mean	653.4	328.0	239.2	207.4
Median	>120, but <144	>48, but <72	>48, but <72	>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	5,568	5,388	5,255	5,716	3,351	2,907	4,155	3,939	3,195	3,147	3,118	3,424	5,724	5,148	6,292	6,231
Median length of stay (months)	13.9	14.7	14.7	12.2	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	13.1	14.6	14.2	12.7	14.2	15.0	11.1	12.5

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	2.6	2.8	2.9	3.6	8.5	8.8	9.0	10.4	2.0	2.1	2.1	3.0	2.8	3.0	3.5	4.0
1 year	3.9	4.3	4.2	5.2	5.0	4.7	4.9	5.3	3.3	3.9	3.3	4.6	4.2	4.2	4.9	5.0
2 years	4.0	4.4	4.6	4.6	3.8	4.4	4.3	5.1	4.0	3.8	4.6	4.7	4.4	4.6	4.5	5.3
3 years	4.2	4.0	4.3	4.9	4.1	3.9	4.1	4.7	4.4	3.9	4.5	4.3	4.0	4.4	4.7	4.6
4 years	4.0	4.0	4.2	4.1	4.1	3.5	4.3	4.4	4.0	3.5	4.2	4.8	4.0	4.1	3.9	4.7
5 years	3.2	3.9	4.1	4.1	4.0	3.9	3.7	3.7	3.3	3.6	4.3	4.3	3.8	4.0	4.0	4.2
6 years	3.0	3.6	3.8	3.9	3.9	3.9	3.2	3.7	3.3	4.0	3.8	4.1	3.7	3.9	3.7	3.6
7 years	3.8	3.3	3.4	3.6	2.9	2.8	3.2	3.4	3.1	3.2	4.1	3.7	3.3	3.4	3.3	3.8
8 years	3.5	3.4	3.5	3.2	2.9	2.8	2.9	3.3	3.8	2.5	3.4	3.5	3.4	3.5	3.1	3.3
9 years	4.1	3.6	3.2	3.3	3.6	2.6	3.3	3.1	3.2	3.1	2.9	3.3	3.6	3.2	3.3	3.2
10 years	3.8	4.0	3.4	3.4	3.1	3.6	2.8	3.2	3.5	3.7	3.3	3.1	3.9	3.5	3.2	3.2
11 years	3.7	3.5	3.9	3.7	3.7	3.5	3.7	3.4	3.5	3.3	2.9	3.1	3.6	3.9	3.7	3.3
12 years	4.3	4.3	3.8	4.2	4.6	4.5	4.4	3.8	3.4	3.4	3.3	3.5	4.3	3.9	4.1	4.2
13 years	5.2	4.9	5.8	4.7	6.7	6.4	5.4	6.1	4.0	3.7	4.1	3.7	5.2	5.6	4.7	4.9
14 years	7.0	6.5	6.6	7.0	8.3	8.6	8.5	8.1	4.5	4.9	4.6	4.3	6.8	6.5	7.2	6.5
15 years	10.3	9.2	9.6	9.2	10.3	11.1	11.2	9.1	6.4	6.1	6.3	5.8	9.5	9.5	9.4	9.4
16 years	11.6	12.1	11.0	11.3	11.2	10.8	11.2	10.5	10.0	9.0	8.7	8.6	12.1	11.1	12.1	10.7
17 years	11.9	11.4	11.6	10.4	7.9	9.0	8.6	7.5	12.0	13.5	11.4	11.3	10.9	11.8	11.0	10.7
18 years	5.9	6.9	5.9	5.5	1.5	1.1	1.3	1.1	12.6	16.4	14.4	10.8	6.5	6.1	5.6	5.4
19 years	0.0	0.0	0.0	<.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	5.7	2.4	4.1	5.6	<.1	<.1	<.1	<.1
20+ years	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
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	<.1	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	7.0	7.3	8.2	7.7	8.4	8.6	8.4	9.9	7.7	7.2	9.3	7.8	7.4	8.1	7.8	9.0
Asian	0.4	0.2	0.3	0.3	0.7	0.4	0.3	0.5	1.0	0.3	0.3	0.6	0.2	0.3	0.3	0.3
Black (non-Hispanic)	18.0	17.1	15.6	15.2	12.7	11.6	13.1	12.7	14.3	14.6	12.9	12.3	17.0	15.6	15.3	15.2
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander	<.1	<.1	<.1	<.1	<.1	<.1	<.1	<.1	<.1	<.1	<.1	<.1	<.1	<.1	<.1	<.1
Hispanic (of any race)	8.2	8.0	8.2	10.0	8.7	10.0	11.6	10.9	9.2	9.5	8.7	11.4	7.9	8.3	10.2	9.8
White (non-Hispanic)	64.0	65.1	65.3	63.7	67.4	66.9	63.0	61.7	65.4	66.1	66.6	63.9	65.1	65.5	63.2	62.3
Two or More Races	0.8	0.7	0.8	0.6	0.6	0.4	0.5	0.9	0.5	0.4	0.5	0.6	0.8	0.7	0.7	0.8
Unknown	1.7	1.6	1.6	2.5	1.6	2.0	3.0	3.4	1.8	1.9	1.6	3.3	1.5	1.6	2.5	2.6
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"7 (AFCARS Foster Care File)

Children Waiting for Adoption
	2002	2003	2004	2005
Total waiting children	616	787	902	913
Number of waiting children whose parents' rights have been terminated	549	622	554	488

Age of Children Waiting for Adoption (%)
	2002	2003	2004	2005
Under 1 year	1.3	0.8	1.3	1.8
1 year	3.1	4.3	6.8	4.7
2 years	6.7	6.9	6.8	7.3
3 years	6.0	8.0	7.8	7.9
4 years	7.3	7.6	6.4	7.0
5 years	7.5	7.4	7.0	6.8
6 years	6.3	7.5	6.5	6.6
7 years	6.0	6.1	8.2	5.3
8 years	6.2	5.7	5.2	6.6
9 years	7.5	5.8	5.4	5.9
10 years	7.8	6.4	6.4	5.4
11 years	6.0	7.0	5.9	6.8
12 years	5.2	5.6	6.8	6.1
13 years	6.0	4.7	5.2	6.6
14 years	4.5	5.7	4.2	5.5
15 years	6.2	4.3	4.9	3.9
16 years	4.5	4.3	3.3	3.7
17 years	1.9	1.9	1.9	2.2
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	6.3	6.9	8.9	8.7
Asian	0.5	0.1	0.4	0.9
Black (non-Hispanic)	27.4	23.1	20.3	19.6
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Hispanic (of any race)	6.7	6.4	9.5	11.7
White (non-Hispanic)	54.7	59.6	57.2	56.0
Two or More Races	0.5	1.3	1.3	1.2
Unknown	3.9	2.7	2.3	2.0
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	356	281	367	356

Age of Children Adopted (%)
	2002	2003	2004	2005
Under 1 year	0.8	1.1	0.0	0.8
1 year	4.8	7.5	3.3	8.1
2 years	10.7	10.7	10.1	11.8
3 years	11.5	10.7	12.5	9.0
4 years	10.7	9.3	9.0	11.0
5 years	9.3	8.2	10.9	7.3
6 years	7.9	8.9	7.9	7.9
7 years	6.7	8.2	6.3	9.6
8 years	7.9	6.0	8.2	6.5
9 years	6.5	8.2	4.1	6.5
10 years	6.5	5.3	4.9	5.1
11 years	5.6	5.0	6.0	4.8
12 years	3.4	3.9	4.6	3.7
13 years	2.0	2.8	3.8	2.5
14 years	2.8	1.8	3.0	1.1
15 years	1.4	1.1	2.2	1.7
16 years	1.1	0.4	0.5	2.0
17 years	0.6	0.7	0.8	0.8
18 years	0.0	0.4	1.1	0.0
19 years	0.0	0.0	0.5	0.0
20+ years	0.0	0.0	0.3	0.0

Race/Ethnicity of Children Adopted (%)
	2002	2003	2004	2005
Alaska Native/American Indian	6.2	6.4	5.4	5.1
Asian	0.0	0.7	0.0	0.3
Black (non-Hispanic)	15.4	18.1	18.3	17.7
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Hispanic (of any race)	10.4	13.9	6.8	7.0
White (non-Hispanic)	66.0	57.7	67.6	66.3
Two or More Races	1.1	0.4	1.1	0.3
Unknown	0.8	2.8	0.8	3.4
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0

Nebraska [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	95.3	92.9	91.2	90.1
Children with one or more recurrences	4.7	7.1	8.8	9.9
Number	1,557	1,566	1,883	2,509

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	0.13	0.17	0.42
Children not maltreated while in foster care	N/A	99.87	99.83	99.58
Number	N/A	8,295	9,410	9,655

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	9.0	8.9	11.5	10.0
Guardianship	6.8	8.3	9.3	7.8
Reunification	73.7	74.1	69.4	73.2
Other	4.8	5.1	5.5	6.9
Missing data	5.7	3.7	4.2	2.2
Number	3,195	3,147	3,118	3,424

3.2 Exits of Children With a Diagnosed Disability (%)
	2002	2003	2004	2005
Adoption	35.5	28.1	27.8	16.1
Guardianship	6.1	7.8	7.2	7.8
Reunification	51.2	54.8	56.5	64.6
Other	2.8	6.4	5.7	10.8
Missing data	4.3	2.9	2.8	0.7
Number	391	409	460	870

3.3 Exits of Children Older Than Age 12 at Entry Into Foster Care (%)
	2002	2003	2004	2005
Adoption	0.1	0.2	0.4	0.2
Guardianship	3.6	5.0	7.2	5.9
Reunification	80.1	81.4	78.1	78.9
Other	7.9	8.2	9.1	12.5
Missing data	8.2	5.2	5.2	2.5
Number	1,602	1,546	1,410	1,465

3.4 Exits to Emancipation (%)
	2002	2003	2004	2005
Children age 12 or younger at entry	2.4	2.3	5.9	15.2
Children older than 12 at entry	97.6	97.7	94.1	84.8
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	83	86	101	158

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	6.1	8.8	6.2	7.5	0.0	22.2	0.0	4.8	9.6	11.5	15.6	13.6
Guardianship	7.3	14.6	11.4	7.5	12.5	0.0	12.5	0.0	12.3	8.0	9.7	9.3
Reunification	75.9	67.7	74.4	77.2	81.3	66.7	87.5	90.5	63.7	70.9	67.2	65.2
Other	3.7	3.5	3.1	7.1	0.0	11.1	0.0	4.8	4.8	3.7	2.2	9.0
Missing data	6.9	5.3	4.8	0.7	6.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	9.6	5.9	5.2	2.9
Number	245	226	289	267	32	9	8	21	457	460	403	420

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	9.2	12.7	7.7	6.2	9.4	7.7	12.0	10.4
Guardianship	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	7.5	6.0	8.9	9.0	5.4	8.3	9.2	7.4
Reunification	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	72.5	74.2	73.1	77.2	75.8	75.4	68.4	73.3
Other	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	3.7	4.0	5.5	4.1	5.1	5.7	6.4	6.9
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	7.1	3.0	4.8	3.6	4.3	2.9	4.0	2.0
Number	1	1	2	2	295	299	271	390	2,091	2,079	2,078	2,189

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	5.2	9.8	6.0	9.6	18.8	8.3	23.5	4.8	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Guardianship	5.2	1.6	2.0	4.4	6.3	0.0	11.8	19.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Reunification	74.1	75.4	78.0	76.3	62.5	83.3	64.7	66.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Other	6.9	4.9	12.0	8.8	0.0	0.0	0.0	4.8	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Missing data	8.6	8.2	2.0	0.9	12.5	8.3	0.0	4.8	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	58	61	50	114	16	12	17	21	0	0	0	0

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.	54.5	52.4	54.2	58.2
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos.	25.7	23.6	24.4	26.6
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos.	11.1	12.0	10.7	8.6
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos.	4.9	5.6	4.5	3.4
48 or more mos.	3.8	6.3	6.1	3.3
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	2,356	2,331	2,165	2,507

4.2 Children Reentering Foster Care (%)
	2002	2003	2004	2005
Children entering care for the first time	80.6	81.7	80.1	81.0
Children reentering care within 12 mos. of a prior episode	11.7	9.8	9.9	9.2
Children reentering care more than 12 mos. after a prior episode	7.7	8.6	9.8	9.8
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.1	0.0
Number	3,351	2,907	4,155	3,939

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.	3.1	3.2	2.5	4.7
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos.	15.2	20.6	12.8	17.3
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos.	33.9	24.6	31.8	27.6
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos.	30.8	25.3	25.4	22.3
48 or more mos.	17.0	26.3	27.4	28.2
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	289	281	358	341

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	81.6	82.9	81.6	82.3	48.9	50.1	50.6	47.9	30.3	28.5	28.1	28.4	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0
Children with 3 or more placements	18.4	17.1	18.4	17.7	51.1	49.9	49.4	52.1	69.7	71.5	71.9	71.6	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	3,997	3,591	4,683	4,698	2,221	2,002	2,083	2,420	2,691	2,698	2,620	2,529	10	4	24	8

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	4.2	5.2	4.2	5.4
Institutions	2.4	1.4	0.9	0.9
Other settings	93.4	93.4	94.9	93.7
Missing data	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Number	1,815	1,557	2,216	2,238

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

Composite One: Timeliness and Permanency of Reunification
	2004	2005
Composite Score	--	111.0
C1.1: Percent of reunifications that occur in less than 12 months (with adjustments)	64.2	68.5
C1.2: Median length of stay in months of children exiting to reunification (with adjustments)	7.4	6.9
C1.3: Percent of children in entry cohort who are reunified in less than 12 months (with adjustments)	33.2	39.2
C1.4: Percent of children reentering foster care in less than 12 months	11.0	16.7

Composite Two: Timeliness of Adoptions
	2004	2005
Composite Score	--	81.1
C2.1: Percent of adoptions occurring in less than 24 months	15.4	22.1
C2.2: Median length of stay in months of children who are adopted	37.0	36.4
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	18.5	17.3
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	8.8	6.0
C2.5: Percent of children legally free for adoption who are adopted in less than 12 months of becoming legally free	38.1	42.2

Composite Three: Achieving Permanency for Children in Foster Care for Long Periods of Time
	2004	2005
Composite Score	--	142.6
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	33.5	30.6
C3.2: Percent of children who are legally free for adoption who exit to a permanent home	98.6	97.8
C3.3: Percent of children emancipated or reaching age 18 who were in foster care for at least 3 years	22.4	25.1

Composite Four: Placement Stability While in Foster Care
	2004	2005
Composite Score	--	85.8
C4.1: Percent of children in care for less than 12 months with 2 or fewer placement settings	80.6	81.6
C4.2: Percent of children in care for 12 to 24 months with 2 or fewer placement settings	51.0	48.4
C4.3: Percent of children in care for at least 24 months with 2 or fewer placement settings	29.4	29.5

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

Nebraska [State Comment]

Todd Reckling, Administrator
Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services

The following are Nebraska's comments on the State's data presented in Child Welfare Outcomes 2002-2005: Report to Congress

In July 2005, Nebraska changed their data system to more accurately reflect reasons for discharge and discharge transaction dates. Because these changes were not in effect between October 1, 2004 and June 20, 2005, there may be inconsistencies in the measurement of the State's FY 2004 – FY 2005 outcomes. The data will be more accurate in the FY 2005 – FY 2006 report.

Section B (Maltreatment Information Overview): Nebraska experienced an increase in the number/rate of child maltreatment victims from 2002 to 2005. A recent focus on the safety and welfare of children has led to the creation of new staff positions, the implementation of a new screening tool, and the launching of public awareness campaigns. These changes may have increased the number/rate of reports received and substantiated.

Section C (Children in Foster Care): The discrepancy between the number of children in care at the close of 2004 and the beginning of 2005 is due to the changes in how Nebraska measures reasons for and dates of discharge mentioned above. This discrepancy will not exist in future reports.

Section D (Children Waiting for Adoption): Nebraska's percent of cases with children awaiting adoption and in which parental rights have been terminated is lower than the national average. In Nebraska, however, it is possible to set a goal of adoption without terminating parental rights. Also, staff has not accurately documented termination of parental rights in the past, which is now being corrected.

Outcome Measure 3.4 (Exits to Emancipation): In 2005, the number of youth in foster care who are 18 or older at the time of exit was larger than the number of youth emancipated. The aforementioned changes in how we measure reasons for discharge will likely remedy that discrepancy and increase the number of emancipated youth. (Note: In Nebraska, however, many youth who are age 18 or older and who return to a previous home are reported as being discharged to reunification rather than emancipation.)

Outcome Measure 4.1 (Time to Reunification): Despite an increase in the past year, Nebraska falls below the national median for the percent of reunifications occurring in less than 12 months of a child's entry into care. This is impacted by the way in which reunification was measured. The new Federal measure contains an adjustment for children returned home for a trial period (an option Nebraska frequently utilizes) and will potentially increase the number of reunifications in less than 12 months.

Outcome Measure 1.1 (Recurrence of Maltreatment): There was an increase in the percent of children that experienced a recurrence of maltreatment during a 6-month period. This may be due to the focus on child safety mentioned above and the additional direction given to staff on how and when to document subsequent abuse/neglect reports.

Outcome Measure 2.1 (Maltreatment in Foster Care): There has been a policy change in Nebraska requiring caseworkers to submit new reports of maltreatment by foster parents or facility staff and new instances of abuse. This increased the number of children in this category.

Outcome Measure 3.2, 3.3, and 3.4 (Exits to Permanency): From 2002 to 2005 there was an increase in the percent of children who exited care but did not enter into a permanent home and an increase in the percent of children who entered care at the age of 12 or younger and who exited to emancipation. Both are a reflection of the changes in how we have measured the reasons for discharge.

Nebraska [Federal Comment]

PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT

Nebraska'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, 9.9 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 not only exceeds the national median of 6.6 percent, but also represents a decline in performance on this measure from 2002 (110.6 percent change).
In 2005, 0.42 percent of children in foster care in Nebraska were found to be victims of maltreatment by foster parents or facility staff members (measure 2.1). This percentage is equal to the national median and represents a decline in performance from 2003 (223.1 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, 91.0 percent of all children exiting foster care (measure 3.1), 88.5 percent of children exiting foster care who had a diagnosed disability (measure 3.2), and 85.0 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. All three percentages exceed the national medians for these measures (national medians for measures 3.1, 3.2 and 3.3 are 87.8 percent, 79 percent, and 73.1 percent, respectively).
In 2005, 30.6 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, but represents a decline in performance from 2004 (8.7 percent change).
In 2005, 97.8 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 exceeds the national median of 95.7 percent.

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

In 2005, 4.6 percent of the children exiting foster care had a discharge reason of "emancipation" and 15.2 percent of these children were age 12 or younger when they entered foster care (measure 3.4). This percentage exceeds the national median of 27.6 percent. However, in Nebraska, the age of majority is 19; 16.4 percent of the children discharged from foster care were age 18 or older at the time of discharge, and many of these children are reported as discharges to reunification.
In 2005, 25.1 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 (12.1 percent change).

Performance with regard to the timeliness and permanency of reunifications.

In 2005, 68.5 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 is less than the national median of 70.4 percent, but represents an improvement in performance from 2004 (6.7 percent change).
Measure C1.3 indicates that 39.2 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 exceeds the national median of 38.7 percent and represents an improvement in performance from 2004 (18.1 percent change).
Measure C1.4 indicates that 16.7 percent of children exiting foster care to reunification in 2005 reentered foster care in less than 12 months. This percentage exceeds the national median of 14.8 percent and represents a decline in performance from 2004 (51.8 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, 22.0 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, but represents an improvement in performance from 2002 (20.2 percent change).
In 2005, 17.3 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 less than the national median of 20.9 percent and represents a decline in performance from 2004 (6.5 percent change).
Measure C2.5 indicates that 42.2 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 less than the national median of 45.1 percent, but represents an improvement in performance from 2004 (10.8 percent change).

Outcomes Pertaining to the Stability and Appropriateness of Placements

In 2005, 81.6 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 is less than the national median of 82.4 percent.
In 2005, 28.4 percent of children in foster care for 24 months or longer experienced two or fewer placement settings (measure 6.1). This percentage is less than the national median of 32.3 percent and represents a decline in performance from 2002 (6.3 percent change).
In 2005, 6.3 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.