State Data Pages: Illinois

State Data Pages

Illinois Context Data

A. Key Context Statistics

GENERAL POPULATION IN 1997
Total children under 18 yrs	3,174,223
• Alaska Native/American Indian	0%
• Asian/Pacific Islander	3%
• Black	19%
• Hispanic	14%
• White	64%
Child population in poverty	16%
Child population living in metropolitan areas	83%
CHILD WELFARE
Child maltreatment victims during 1997	38,936
Children in foster care on 9/30/98	48,737
Children adopted during FY 1998	4,656

B. Child Maltreatment Data
(NCANDS SDC, 1997)

OVERVIEW	Count	Rate
Children subject of an investigated report alleging child maltreatment	115,344	36 per 1,000
Child maltreatment victims (1)	38,936	12 per 1,000
Child fatalities	79	2.5 per 100,000

AGE	Under	1-5 Yrs	6-10 Yrs	11-15 Yrs	16+ Yrs	Unknown	Total	Number
Child victims	14%	34%	29%	20%	4%	0%	101%	38,936

RACE/ETHNICITY	Alaska Native/A.I.	Asian/Pacific Islander	Black	Hispanic	White	Other	Unable to Determine/Missing	Total (2)	Number
Child victims	0%	0%	40%	9%	47%	2%	9%	107%	38,936

MALTREATMENT TYPE

Emotional

Medical Neglect

Neglect

Physical Abuse

Sexual Abuse

Other

Unknown

Total (3)

Number

Child victims

44%

11%

10%

46%

115%

38,936

(1) Children with more than one report of substantiated or indicated maltreatment may be counted more than once.
(2) Percentages may total more than 100 percent because Hispanics may be counted both by Hispanic ethnicity and by race.
(3) Percentages may total more than 100 percent because children could have been victims of more than one type of maltreatment.

C. Children in Foster Care
(AFCARS Annual Foster Care Database, FY 1998)

OVERVIEW	In Care on 10/1/97	Entered Care (FY 1998)	Exited Care (FY 1998)	In Care on 9/30/98	Total Served
Children	52,134	9,229	12,627	48,737	61,363
Median length of stay (months)	35.6	N/A	42.4	40.0	N/A

AGE	Under 1 Yr	1-5 Yrs	6-10 Yrs	11-15 Yrs	16-18 Yrs	19 + Yrs	Missing	Total	Number
In care on 10/1/97	3%	30%	30%	23%	11%	3%	0%	100%	52,134
Entered care (FY 1998)	25%	28%	21%	19%	7%	1%	0%	101%	9,229
Exited care (FY 1998)	2%	28%	29%	19%	13%	8%	2%	101%	12,627
In care on 9/30/98	3%	28%	30%	24%	12%	3%	0%	100%	48,737

RACE/ETHNICITY	Alaska Native/A.I.	Asian/Pacific Islander	Black	Hispanic	White	Unable to Determine /Missing	Total	Number
In care on 10/1 /97	0%	0%	78%	5%	16%	1%	100%	52,134
Entered care (FY 1998)	0%	0%	64%	7%	26%	2%	99%	9,229
Exited care (FY 1998)	0%	0%	69%	6%	23%	2%	100%	12,627
In care on 9/30/98	0%	0%	77%	5%	17%	1%	100%	48,737

D. Children Waiting to be Adopted on 9/30/1998 (4)
(AFCARS Annual Foster Care Database, FY 1998)

OVERVIEW
Children waiting to be adopted	23,023
• Children whose parents' rights have been terminated (TPR)	6,066

AGE	Under 1 Yr	1-5 Yrs	6-10 Yrs	11-15 Yrs	16-17 Yrs	Missing	Total	Number
Waiting children	2%	36%	39%	21%	2%	0%	100%	23,023

RACE/ETHNICITY	Alaska Native/A.I.	Asian/Pacific Islander	Black	Hispanic	White	Unable to Determine /Missing	Total	Number
Waiting children	0%	0%	83%	4%	12%	1%	100%	23,023

(4) Waiting children are children who have a goal of adoption and/or whose parental rights have been terminated. Children 16 years and older with TPR, but with a goal of emancipation have been excluded from the waiting children and TPR populations.

E. Children Adopted
(AFCARS Annual Adoption Database, FY 1998)

AGE	Under 1 Yr	1-5 Yrs	6-10 Yrs	11-15 Yrs	16+ Yrs	Missing	Total	Number
Children	1%	39%	41%	17%	2%	0%	100%	4,656

RACE/ETHNICITY	Alaska Native/A.I.	Asian/Pacific Islander	Black	Hispanic	White	Unable to Determine /Unknown	Total	Number
Children	0%	0%	75%	5%	19%	1%	100%	4,656

Illinois Outcomes Data

1. Reduce Recurrence of Child Abuse and/or Neglect
(NCANDS, DCDC 1997)

1.1 Recurrence of Maltreatment
Children without a recurrence within 12 months	88%
Children with one or more recurrences within 12 months	12%
Total	100%
Number	31,852

2. Reduce the Incidence of Child Abuse and/or Neglect in Foster Care

2.1 Maltreatment in Foster Care
Children maltreated while in foster care	To be reported in 2001
Children not maltreated while in foster care	To be reported in 2001
Total	To be reported in 2001
Number	To be reported in 2001

3. Increase Permanency for Children in Foster Care
(AFCARS Annual Foster Care Database, FY 1998)

3.1 Exits from Foster Care
Adoption	27%
Guardianship	0%
Reunification	45%
Other	5%
Missing	22%
Total	99%
Number	12,627

Pie Chart

3.2 Exits of Disabled Children
Adoption	32%
Guardianship	0%
Reunification	29%
Other	8%
Missing	30%
Total	99%
Number	1,687

3.3 Exits of Children Age 12 or Older at Entry
Adoption	1%
Guardianship	0%
Reunification	33%
Other	17%
Missing	48%
Total	99%
Number	2,711

3.4 Exits by Race/Ethnicity	Alaska Native/ A.I.	Asian/Pacific Islander	Black	Hispanic	White	Unable to Determine	Missing
Adoption	13%	11%	29%	23%	23%	26%	0%
Guardianship	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%
Reunification	53%	54%	42%	56%	51%	59%	0%
Other	20%	25%	5%	5%	5%	3%	0%
Missing	13%	11%	24%	16%	20%	13%	0%
Total	99%	101%	100%	100%	99%	101%	0%
Number	15	28	8,747	765	2,872	200	0

3.5 Exits to Emancipation
Children age 12 or younger at entry	28%
Children older than 12 at entry	72%
Missing	0%
Total	100%
Number	516

4. Reduce Time to Reunification Without Increasing Re-entry
(AFCARS Annual Foster Care Database, FY 1998)

4.1 Time to Reunification
Less than 12 months	29%
At least 12 months, but less than 24 months	16%
At least 24 months, but less than 36 months	15%
At least 36 months, but less than 48 months	15%
48 or more months	24%
Missing	1%
Total	100%
Number	5,696

Chart

4.2 Children Who Entered Foster Care in FY 1998
Children entering care for the first time	78%
Children re-entering care within 12 months of a prior episode	14%
Children re-entering care more than 12 months after a prior episode	7%
Missing	2%
Total	101%
Number	9,229

5. Reduce Time in Foster Care to Adoption
(AFCARS Annual Foster Care Database, FY 1998)

5.1 Time to Adoption
Less than 12 months	1%
At least 12 months, but less than 24 months	6%
At least 24 months, but less than 36 months	13%
At least 36 months, but less than 48 months	22%
48 or more months	58%
Missing	0%
Total	100%
Number	3,466

5.2 Time to Adoption for Children Age 3 or Older at Entry
Less than 12 months	0%
At least 12 months, but less than 24 months	3%
At least 24 months, but less than 36 months	12%
At least 36 months, but less than 48 months	22%
48 or more months	62%
Missing	0%
Total	99%
Number	1,206

6. Increase Placement Stability
(AFCARS Annual Foster Care Database, FY 1998)

6.1 Number of Placements by Time in Care	Less than 12 mos.	At least 12 mos., but < 24	At least 24 mos., but < 36	At least 36 mos., but < 48	48 or more mos.	Missing
Children with 2 or fewer placements	79%	62%	55%	49%	38%	57%
Children with 3 or more placements	21%	38%	45%	51%	62%	3%
Missing	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%	41%
Total	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	101%
Number	9,787	8,434	8,964	9,213	24,849	116

7. Reduce Placements of Young Children in Group Homes or Institutions
(AFCARS Annual Foster Care Database, FY 1998)

7.1 Most Recent Placement Settings of Children Who Entered Care During FY 1998 and Were Age 12 or Younger at the Time of This Placement
Group homes	0%
Institutions	3%
Other settings	94%
Missing	2%
Total	99%
Number	7,376

Illinois State Comments

Jess McDonald, Director
Illinois Department of Children and Family Services
(312) 814-4650

Illinois' dramatic improvements in reducing length of stay are missed because of AFCARS' inability to track children prospectively. In a rapidly changing child welfare system, it is precarious to gauge performance based on point-in-time statistics or exit cohorts (e.g., time in care at reunification).

Using Illinois' definition of substitute care, caseload peaked at 51,841 children in March 1997, ending nearly two decades of uninterrupted growth. It has continued to decline to 36,610 children as of September 1999. This dramatic reduction can be traced to State reforms that have decreased intake and increased permanencies.

Intake Declines: Intake dropped from 16,071 placements in FY 1995 to 8,086 placements in FY 1999 due to improved safety assessments and redesigned family services that keep children safely with their parents.

Permanency Increases: Adoption and guardianship nearly quadrupled from 2,414 (2,229 adoptions and 185 guardianships) in FY 1997 to 9,514 (7,315 adoptions and 2,199 guardianships) in FY 1999. Improvements result from performance contracting that creates incentives for surpassing permanency benchmarks, statutory and court reforms, and the availability of subsidized guardianship.

Length of Stay Shortens: More timely permanencies have reduced the median time it takes children to exit the system from 55 months to under 40 months as of September 1999. HHS' measure misses this improvement because it focuses on exits or children remaining in care.

Safety Improves: Reduced length of stay has been accompanied by improvements in the safety of foster care. The percentage of foster children with a substantiated report dropped from 3.5 percent in 1995 to 2.0 percent in 1998. Rates of recurrence among all children also fell from 18 percent to 12 percent at 1-year follow-up.

Reunification Targeted: Reunification counts are inflated by including children in protective custody lasting less than 48 hours. Excluding these cases, reunification gains have lagged behind adoption and guardianship. Illinois' second waiver targets families for enhanced substance treatment support services to increase future prospects of returning children home.

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