State Data Pages: Pennsylvania

State Data Pages

Pennsylvania Context Data

A. Key Context Statistics

GENERAL POPULATION IN 1997
Total children under 18 yrs	2,864,082
• Alaska Native/American Indian	0%
• Asian/Pacific Islander	2%
• Black	12%
• Hispanic	4%
• White	82%
Child population in poverty	17%
Child population living in metropolitan areas	88%
CHILD WELFARE
Child maltreatment victims during 1997	5,691
Children in foster care on 9/30/98	23,070
Children adopted during FY 1998	1,516

B. Child Maltreatment Data
(NCANDS SDC, 1997)

OVERVIEW	Count	Rate
Children subject of an investigated report alleging child maltreatment	23,188	8 per 1,000
Child maltreatment victims (1)	5,691	2 per 1,000
Child fatalities	49	1.7 per 100,000

AGE	Under	1-5 Yrs	6-10 Yrs	11-15 Yrs	16+ Yrs	Unknown	Total	Number
Child victims	3%	22%	31%	32%	12%	0%	100%	5,691

RACE/ETHNICITY	Alaska Native/A.I.	Asian/Pacific Islander	Black	Hispanic	White	Other	Unable to Determine/Missing	Total (2)	Number
Child victims	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	5,691

MALTREATMENT TYPE

Emotional

Medical Neglect

Neglect

Physical Abuse

Sexual Abuse

Other

Unknown

Total (3)

Number

Child victims

43%

46%

102%

5,691

(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	20,983	13,019	10,933	23,070	34,002
Median length of stay (months)	23.6	N/A	10.3	19.6	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%	23%	25%	30%	18%	1%	0%	100%	20,983
Entered care (FY 1998)	11%	19%	16%	34%	19%	0%	0%	99%	13,019
Exited care (FY 1998)	3%	20%	18%	27%	29%	2%	0%	99%	10,933
In care on 9/30/98	4%	21%	23%	30%	20%	1%	0%	99%	23,070

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%	55%	10%	35%	0%	100%	20,983
Entered care (FY 1998)	0%	1%	41%	11%	46%	0%	99%	13,019
Exited care (FY 1998)	0%	0%	44%	10%	45%	1%	100%	10,933
In care on 9/30/98	0%	1%	52%	11%	36%	0%	100%	23,070

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

OVERVIEW
Children waiting to be adopted	4,768
• Children whose parents' rights have been terminated (TPR)	739

AGE	Under 1 Yr	1-5 Yrs	6-10 Yrs	11-15 Yrs	16-17 Yrs	Missing	Total	Number
Waiting children	3%	36%	37%	21%	3%	0%	100%	4,768

RACE/ETHNICITY	Alaska Native/A.I.	Asian/Pacific Islander	Black	Hispanic	White	Unable to Determine /Missing	Total	Number
Waiting children	0%	0%	58%	11%	30%	0%	99%	4,768

(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%	44%	39%	14%	2%	0%	100%	1,516

RACE/ETHNICITY	Alaska Native/A.I.	Asian/Pacific Islander	Black	Hispanic	White	Unable to Determine /Unknown	Total	Number
Children	0%	0%	62%	5%	30%	3%	100%	1,516

Pennsylvania 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	98%
Children with one or more recurrences within 12 months	2%
Total	100%
Number	4,987

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	12%
Guardianship	1%
Reunification	71%
Other	15%
Missing	1%
Total	100%
Number	10,933

Pie Chart

3.2 Exits of Disabled Children
Adoption	15%
Guardianship	1%
Reunification	65%
Other	19%
Missing	0%
Total	100%
Number	2,035

3.3 Exits of Children Age 12 or Older at Entry
Adoption	0%
Guardianship	1%
Reunification	76%
Other	22%
Missing	1%
Total	100%
Number	5,166

3.4 Exits by Race/Ethnicity	Alaska Native/ A.I.	Asian/Pacific Islander	Black	Hispanic	White	Unable to Determine	Missing
Adoption	9%	8%	16%	12%	8%	5%	0%
Guardianship	0%	0%	1%	1%	1%	2%	0%
Reunification	82%	63%	64%	64%	79%	82%	0%
Other	9%	27%	18%	21%	11%	11%	0%
Missing	0%	2%	1%	1%	0%	0%	0%
Total	100%	100%	100%	99%	99%	100%	0%
Number	11	51	4,793	1,050	4,971	57	0

3.5 Exits to Emancipation
Children age 12 or younger at entry	34%
Children older than 12 at entry	66%
Missing	0%
Total	100%
Number	634

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	66%
At least 12 months, but less than 24 months	17%
At least 24 months, but less than 36 months	7%
At least 36 months, but less than 48 months	4%
48 or more months	6%
Missing	0%
Total	100%
Number	7,754

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	16%
Children re-entering care more than 12 months after a prior episode	5%
Missing	1%
Total	100%
Number	13,019

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

5.1 Time to Adoption
Less than 12 months	2%
At least 12 months, but less than 24 months	10%
At least 24 months, but less than 36 months	18%
At least 36 months, but less than 48 months	21%
48 or more months	48%
Missing	0%
Total	99%
Number	1,324

5.2 Time to Adoption for Children Age 3 or Older at Entry
Less than 12 months	3%
At least 12 months, but less than 24 months	8%
At least 24 months, but less than 36 months	18%
At least 36 months, but less than 48 months	24%
48 or more months	47%
Missing	0%
Total	100%
Number	405

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	86%	66%	55%	49%	38%	90%
Children with 3 or more placements	13%	34%	45%	51%	62%	5%
Missing	1%	0%	0%	0%	0%	5%
Total	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%
Number	14,556	5,725	3,646	2,655	7,342	78

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	4%
Institutions	10%
Other settings	86%
Missing	0%
Total	100%
Number	6,856

Pennsylvania State Comments

Jo Ann R. Lawer, Esq., Deputy Secretary
Children, Youth and Families, Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare
(717) 787-4756

It is difficult to compare the rate of child abuse in Pennsylvania with that of other States due to differences in the definition of child abuse. Pennsylvania's Child Protective Services Law (CPSL) defines child abuse as serious physical injury, sexual abuse or exploitation, serious mental injury, serious physical neglect, and imminent risk of serious physical injury or sexual abuse. With the exception of reports of sexual abuse or exploitation, the threshold for substantiation of a report rests upon substantial evidence that the injury was of a serious nature.

The data collected was based on this more-narrow definition, and as a result, Pennsylvania has a significantly lower number of both children who are the subject of a report alleging child maltreatment per 1,000 children and child victims per 1,000 children. However, Pennsylvania's definition does not preclude the provision of protective services to children who are determined to be at risk of abuse or neglect.

In regard to reports that do not rise to the level of seriousness of child abuse but identify the child as being at risk, Pennsylvania's CPSL requires that general protective services be provided to the family. General protective services are provided to children and families in an effort to prevent reported concerns from escalating to the level of child abuse as defined in Pennsylvania law.

A majority of the children who are receiving child welfare services in Pennsylvania are receiving general protective services and therefore are not included in either the number of children who are the subject of a report alleging child maltreatment per 1,000 children or the number of child victims per 1,000 children. Other States' definitions include non-serious neglect, resulting in populations significantly higher than Pennsylvania's. This accounts for discrepancies in comparative data; for example, the higher proportion of incidence of sexual abuse in Pennsylvania compared with the Nation as a whole.

Despite the data reported based on Pennsylvania's definition of child abuse, we are serving all children who have been determined to be in need of protective services. We recognize the need to collect data on general protective service cases as well, and are including that capability in the development of the Pennsylvania Child Welfare Information System (PACWIS). The data captured under PACWIS and obtained through working with other State programs will provide a clearer picture of the complete array of protective services provided to Pennsylvania's children who are at risk of abuse and neglect.

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