General Population	1998	1999
Total children under 18 years	1,457,703	1,468,554
Race/ethnicity (%)
Alaska Native/American Indian	0.2	0.2
Asian/Pacific Islander	4.9	5.2
Black	7.8	8.1
Hispanic	10.0	10.4
White	77.1	76.2
% Child population in poverty	21.1	19.5
% Child population living in metropolitan areas	97.1	96.9

 

Child Welfare	1998	1999
Child maltreatment victims	27,559	-
Children in foster care on 9/30	-	11,169
Children adopted	1,100	922

 

B. Child Maltreatment Data (NCANDS SDC, 1998 & 1999)

	Number		Rate
Maltreatment Information Overview	1998	1999	1998	1999
Children subject of an investigated report alleging child maltreatment	52,899	-	36.3 per 1,000	- per 1,000
Child maltreatment victims1	27,559	-	18.9 per 1,000	- per 1,000
Child fatalities	13	-	0.9 per 100,000	- per 100,000

Age of Child Victims (%)	1998	1999
Under 1 year	-	-
1-5 years	-	-
6-10 years	-	-
11-15 years	-	-
16+ years	-	-
Unknown	-	-
Total %	-	-
Number	-	-

 

Race/Ethnicity of Child Victims (%)	1998	1999
Alaska Native/American Indian	-	-
Asian/Pacific Islander	-	-
Black	-	-
Hispanic	-	-
White	-	-
Other	-	-
Unknown	-	-
Total %2	-	-
Number	-	-

 

Maltreatment Type of Child Victims (%)	1998	1999
Emotional abuse	-	-
Medical neglect	-	-
Neglect	-	-
Physical abuse	-	-
Sexual abuse	-	-
Other	-	-
Unknown	-	-
Total %3	-	-
Number	-	-

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

C. Children in Foster Care
(AFCARS Annual Foster Care Database, FY 1998 & FY 1999)

Number of Children	In Care on 10/1	Entered Care	Exited Care	In Care on 9/30	Total Served
FY1998 (10/1/97-9/30/98)	-	-	-	-	-
FY1999 (10/1/98-9/30/99)	11,550	7,368	7,749	11,169	18,918
Median Length of Stay (Months)	<	<	<	<	<
FY1998 (10/1/97-9/30/98)	-	N/A	-	-	N/A
FY1999 (10/1/98-9/30/99)	22.1	N/A	10.7	18.5	N/A

 

Age of Children in Foster Care (%)	In Care on 10/1/97	In Care on 10/1/98	Entered Care During FY 1998	Entered Care During FY 1999	Exited Care During FY 1998	Exited Care During FY 1999	In Care on 9/30/98	In Care on 9/30/99
Under 1 year	-	2.4	-	8.5	-	3.0	-	2.6
1-5 years	-	22.4	-	19.5	-	21.4	-	20.0
6-10 years	-	24.4	-	19.1	-	21.3	-	22.9
11-15 years	-	30.2	-	39.1	-	28.4	-	32.6
16-18 years	-	18.0	-	13.3	-	23.1	-	19.2
19+ years	-	1.9	-	0.2	-	1.6	-	2.2
Missing	-	0.6	-	0.3	-	1.2	-	0.6
Total %	-	100.0	-	100.0	-	100.0	-	100.0
Number	-	11,550	-	7,368	-	7,749	-	11,169

 

Race/Ethnicity of Children in Foster Care (%)	In Care on 10/1/97	In Care on 10/1/98	Entered Care During FY 1998	Entered Care During FY 1999	Exited Care During FY 1998	Exited Care During FY 1999	In Care on 9/30/98	In Care on 9/30/99
Alaska Native/American Indian	-	0.3	-	0.3	-	0.2	-	0.3
Asian/Pacific Islander	-	1.6	-	1.6	-	1.7	-	1.5
Black	-	20.1	-	15.4	-	18.4	-	18.2
Hispanic	-	21.0	-	16.7	-	18.2	-	20.0
White	-	48.7	-	47.1	-	47.9	-	48.3
Unknown	-	8.0	-	18.7	-	13.4	-	11.3
Not applicable	-	0.4	-	0.2	-	0.3	-	0.4
Total %	-	100.0	-	100.0	-	100.0	-	100.0
Number	-	11,550	-	7,368	-	7,749	-	11,169

 

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Overview	9/30/98	9/30/99
Children waiting to be adopted	-	3,278
Children whose parents' rights have been terminated (TPR)	-	927

 

Age of Waiting Children (%)	1998	1999
Under 1 year	-	2.5
1-5 years	-	39.5
6-10 years	-	41.2
11-15 years	-	16.1
16+ years	-	0.7
Unknown	-	0.1
Total %	-	100.0
Number	-	3,278

 

Race/Ethnicity of Waiting Children (%)	1998	1999
Alaska Native/American Indian	-	0.3
Asian/Pacific Islander	-	2.1
Black	-	19.5
Hispanic	-	24.9
White	-	44.2
Unknown	-	8.1
Not applicable	-	0.9
Total %	-	100.0
Number	-	3,278

 

E. Children Adopted
(AFCARS Annual Foster Care Database, FY 1998 & 1999)

 

Age of Adopted Children (%)	1998	1999
Under 1 year	0.5	0.3
1-5 years	46.9	44.7
6-10 years	39.2	41.8
11-15 years	12.7	12.7
16+ years	0.6	0.5
Unknown	-	-
Total %	100.0	100.0
Number	1,100	922

 

Race/Ethnicity of Adopted Children (%)	1998	1999
Alaska Native/American Indian	0.3	0.2
Asian/Pacific Islander	0.6	0.9
Black	22.8	23.8
Hispanic	23.1	20.9
White	46.2	51.6
Unknown	7.0	2.6
Not applicable	-	-
Total %	100.0	100.0
Number	1,100	922

 

 

Massachusetts [ Outcomes Data ]

 

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1. Reduce Recurrence of Child Abuse and/or Neglect
(NCANDS, DCDC 1998 & 1999)

1.1 Recurrence of Maltreatment Within 6 Months (%)	1998	1999
Children without a recurrence	-	92.6
Children with one or more recurrences	-	7.4
Total %	-	100.0
Number	-	14,167

2. Reduce the Incidence of Child Abuse and/or Neglect in Foster Care
(NCANDS, DCDC Jan —Sept, AFCARS Annual Foster Care Database Jan —Sept 1998 & 1999)

2.1 Maltreatment in Foster Care (%)	1998	1999
Children maltreated while in Foster Care	-	0.9
Children not maltreated while in Foster Care	-	99.1
Total %	-	100.0
Number	-	16,590

 

3. Increase Permanency for Children in Foster Care
(AFCARS Annual Foster Care Database FY 1998 & FY 1999)

3.1 Exits from Foster Care (%)	1998	1999
Adoption	-	16.4
Guardianship	-	8.9
Reunification	-	53.2
Other	-	8.2
Missing	-	13.4
Total %	-	100.0
Number	-	7,749

 

3.2 Exits of Disabled Children (%)	1998	1999
Adoption	-	29.4
Guardianship	-	5.9
Reunification	-	29.4
Other	-	17.6
Missing	-	17.6
Total %	-	100.0
Number	-	17

 

3.3 Exits of Children Over Age 12 at Entry (%)	1998	1999
Adoption	-	0.1
Guardianship	-	3.0
Reunification	-	64.2
Other	-	16.0
Missing	-	16.6
Total %	-	100.0
Number	-	2,957

 

3.4 Exits to Emancipation (%)	1998	1999
Children age 12 or younger at entry	-	25.0
Children older than 12 at entry	-	74.6
Missing	-	0.3
Total %	-	100.0
Number	-	635

 

3.5 Exits by Race/Ethnicity (%)	Alaska Native/A.I.		Asian/P.I.		Black		Hispanic
	1998	1999	1998	1999	1998	1999	1998	1999
Adoption	-	5.9	-	5.3	-	20.2	-	21.7
Guardianship	-	-	-	0.8	-	13.7	-	7.0
Reunification	-	88.2	-	71.2	-	43.0	-	49.0
Other	-	5.9	-	9.1	-	8.6	-	8.2
Missing	-	-	-	13.6	-	14.5	-	14.1
Total %	-	100.0	-	100.0	-	100.0	-	100.0
Number	-	17	-	132	-	1,422	-	1,414
	White		Unable to Determine		Not Applicable		Missing
	1998	1999	1998	1999	1998	1999	1998	1999
Adoption	-	16.1	-	18.0	N/A	57.1	-	0.1
Guardianship	-	8.9	-	9.3	N/A	-	-	4.1
Reunification	-	53.8	-	49.4	N/A	33.3	-	77.2
Other	-	9.1	-	8.7	N/A	-	-	2.3
Missing	-	12.1	-	14.7	N/A	9.5	-	16.3
Total %	-	100.0	-	100.0	N/A	100.0	-	100.0
Number	-	3,708	-	334	N/A	21	-	701

 

4. Reduce Time to Reunification Without Increasing Re-entry
(AFCARS Annual Foster Care Database FY 1998 & FY 1999)

4.1 Time to Reunification (%)	1998	1999
Less than 12 mos.	-	72.9
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos.	-	15.3
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos.	-	5.4
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos.	-	2.3
48 or more mos.	-	1.9
Missing	-	2.1
Total (%)	-	100.0
Number	-	4,121

 

4.2 Children Who Entered Foster Care (%)	1998	1999
Children entering care for the first time	-	66.0
Children re-entering care within 12 mos. of a prior episode	-	22.3
Children re-entering care more than 12 mos. after a prior episode	-	11.3
Missing	-	0.4
Total (%)	-	100.0
Number	-	7,368

 

 

5. Reduce Time in Foster Care to Adoption
(AFCARS Annual Foster Care Database FY 1998 & FY 1999)

5.1 Time to Adoption (%)	1998	1999
Less than 12 mos.	-	2.5
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos.	-	6.8
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos.	-	17.2
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos.	-	21.2
48 or more mos.	-	52.0
Missing	-	0.3
Total (%)	-	100.0
Number	-	1,271

 

6. Increase Placement Stability
(AFCARS Annual Foster Care Database FY 1998 & FY 1999)

6.1 Number of Placements by Time in Care (%)	Year	Children With 2 or Fewer Placements	Children With 3 or More Placements	Missing Placements	Total %	Number
Less than 12 mos.	1998 1999	- 77.0	- 18.4	- 4.7	- 100.0	- 8,170
At least 12 mos., but <24 mos.	1998 1999	- 58.7	- 40.1	- 1.2	- 100.0	- 3,252
At least 24 mos., but <36 mos.	1998 1999	- 49.4	- 50.5	- 0.1	- 100.0	- 2,187
At least 36 mos., but <48 mos.	1998 1999	- 39.9	- 60.1	- -	- 100.0	- 1,460
48 or more mos.	1998 1999	- 25.3	- 74.7	- 0.0	- 100.0	- 3,626
Missing	1998 1999	- 46.6	- 0.9	- 52.5	- 100.0	- 223

 

7. Reduce Placements of Young Children in Group Homes or Institutions
(AFCARS Annual Foster Care Database FY 1998 & FY 1999)

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 (%)	1998	1999
Group homes	-	3.8
Institutions	-	4.4
Other settings	-	91.5
Missing	-	0.3
Total (%)	-	100.0
Number	-	3,877

 

Massachusetts [ State Comments]

 

Jeffrey Locke, Commissioner
Department of Social Services
Executive Office of Health and Human Services
617-748-2000

 

[Massachusetts provided its own numbers for fatalities.] With regard to child maltreatment data for Massachusetts, there were 13 child fatalities in 1998 related to child abuse/neglect. The children who died were from families known to the Department. Consequently the count is an underestimate of child fatalities from abuse and neglect in Massachusetts. Starting in CY 2001, we will be counting all child abuse/neglect fatalities, whether they occur in families known or unknown to the Department.

[Massachusetts requested that the 1999 data provided by NCANDS for children subject of an investigative report and for numbers of child victims be removed from the data pages because they are estimates. The State supplied the following as correct numbers.] The actual numbers for 1999 are: 30,349 child maltreatment victims and 56,335 children subject of an investigated report alleging maltreatment.

In Section B, data were not available concerning the characteristics of child maltreatment victims. Also, no data were available to calculate outcome measures 1.1 and 2.1 in 1998. In 1998, the Department of Social Services was in the process of converting to a new management information system. Consequently, our Information Technology Division was unable to provide a data extract for 1998.

The data for the measures under Outcome 3 indicate that for FY 1999, reason for discharge information was missing for a number of children. The “missing data ” occurred because AFCARS does not have all the Home Removal End Reasons used in our database (FamilyNet). When our Home Removal End Reasons were mapped to the AFCARS discharge reason values, it resulted in a high number of missing values. This problem will be corrected in our next submission for 2000.

The data in Section E indicates that 922 children were adopted in FY99 (from the AFCARS Adoption Database). However, as shown in outcome measures 3.1 and 5.1, it was reported that 1,271 of the exits from foster care in FY99 (from the AFCARS Foster Care Database) were discharges to adoption. The AFCARS Adoption file, which is based on a "legal status end reason" of adoption, is more accurate in recording the adoptions that actually occurred than the AFCARS foster care file that captures the "placement end reason. ”

Our analysis of “time to adoption ” indicates that the 52% of adopted children having been in placement for 4 years or more is on the high side. Our analysis suggests that this percent was 36% (in care for more than 4 years) for children adopted in FY 1999. Since your value is based on the AFCARS foster care file with discharge reason of adoption, not the AFCARS adoption file, clearly, some of the 1,271 were not adopted, hence the subtotals (length of stay categories) must be somewhat suspect. Our IT staff will be looking into what we can do to make the adoption data in the AFCARS foster care file more accurate.

 

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