General Population	1998	1999
Total children under 18 years	1,472,490	1,486,340
Race/ethnicity (%)
Alaska Native/American Indian	2.0	2.0
Asian/Pacific Islander	6.5	6.8
Black	3.8	3.9
Hispanic	9.7	10.0
White	77.9	77.2
% Child population in poverty	15.0	10.7
% Child population living in metropolitan areas	76.5	77.0

 

Child Welfare	1998	1999
Child maltreatment victims	12,926	8,039
Children in foster care on 9/30	8,872	8,688
Children adopted	878	1,047

 

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	47,281	53,060	32.1 per 1,000	35.7 per 1,000
Child maltreatment victims1	12,926	8,039	8.8 per 1,000	5.4 per 1,000
Child fatalities	8	6	0.5 per 100,000	0.4 per 100,000

Age of Child Victims (%)	1998	1999
Under 1 year	12.7	12.0
1-5 years	31.2	32.4
6-10 years	32.0	30.5
11-15 years	20.5	20.6
16+ years	3.7	4.1
Unknown	0.0	0.4
Total %	100.0	100.0
Number	12,926	8,039

 

Race/Ethnicity of Child Victims (%)	1998	1999
Alaska Native/American Indian	7.0	9.1
Asian/Pacific Islander	2.4	2.6
Black	9.5	10.5
Hispanic	8.3	12.8
White	71.3	75.0
Other	0.6	2.6
Unknown	1.0	5.9
Total %2	100.0	118.4
Number	12,926	8,039

 

Maltreatment Type of Child Victims (%)	1998	1999
Emotional abuse	9.8	10.9
Medical neglect	4.9	6.6
Neglect	65.4	70.8
Physical abuse	29.9	27.1
Sexual abuse	11.2	9.0
Other	1.3	2.3
Unknown	-	-
Total %3	122.4	126.8
Number	12,926	8,039

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)	8,454	7,541	7,123	8,872	15,995
FY1999 (10/1/98-9/30/99)	8,695	7,369	7,376	8,688	16,064
Median Length of Stay (Months)	<	<	<	<	<
FY1998 (10/1/97-9/30/98)	18.9	N/A	2.9	16.8	N/A
FY1999 (10/1/98-9/30/99)	17.0	N/A	5.1	16.5	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	5.4	5.5	12.5	14.3	5.0	5.3	5.6	6.3
1-5 years	32.7	32.1	24.1	24.8	24.8	26.7	32.2	31.8
6-10 years	26.0	26.8	20.7	20.3	21.4	21.4	26.6	26.5
11-15 years	23.2	23.9	32.1	30.1	30.7	28.9	24.1	24.7
16-18 years	11.6	11.1	10.5	10.4	16.8	16.8	11.0	10.4
19+ years	0.7	0.4	0.1	0.0	1.1	0.6	0.4	0.2
Missing	0.2	0.2	0.1	0.1	0.2	0.2	0.2	0.2
Total %	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	8,454	8,695	7,541	7,369	7,123	7,376	8,872	8,688

 

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	8.7	8.8	9.6	8.7	8.9	8.6	9.3	8.9
Asian/Pacific Islander	1.5	1.3	1.7	1.5	1.9	1.8	1.4	1.1
Black	16.6	14.8	11.7	9.4	12.6	10.5	15.7	13.9
Hispanic	9.7	10.3	11.5	12.8	10.3	11.0	10.8	11.8
White	62.8	58.7	64.4	60.8	65.1	62.2	62.3	57.6
Unknown	0.7	0.5	1.1	1.3	1.3	1.2	0.5	0.6
Not applicable	-	5.5	-	5.5	-	4.8	-	6.1
Total %	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	7,979	8,695	7,125	7,369	6,731	7,376	8,373	8,688

 

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Overview	9/30/98	9/30/99
Children waiting to be adopted	4,131	3,720
Children whose parents' rights have been terminated (TPR)	3,911	3,368

 

Age of Waiting Children (%)	1998	1999
Under 1 year	8.3	7.3
1-5 years	45.6	44.6
6-10 years	31.4	31.1
11-15 years	12.1	14.4
16+ years	2.3	2.4
Unknown	0.2	0.2
Total %	100.0	100.0
Number	4,131	3,720

 

Race/Ethnicity of Waiting Children (%)	1998	1999
Alaska Native/American Indian	5.1	4.9
Asian/Pacific Islander	0.8	0.9
Black	16.6	16.9
Hispanic	11.1	11.6
White	59.5	58.8
Unknown	0.6	0.6
Not applicable	6.2	6.3
Total %	100.0	100.0
Number	4,131	3,720

 

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

 

Age of Adopted Children (%)	1998	1999
Under 1 year	1.3	1.6
1-5 years	56.2	57.6
6-10 years	33.8	31.6
11-15 years	8.1	8.2
16+ years	0.7	1.0
Unknown	-	-
Total %	100.0	100.0
Number	878	1,047

 

Race/Ethnicity of Adopted Children (%)	1998	1999
Alaska Native/American Indian	2.3	2.1
Asian/Pacific Islander	0.6	0.3
Black	8.2	5.4
Hispanic	9.0	10.8
White	32.9	36.5
Unknown	44.0	41.7
Not applicable	3.1	3.2
Total %	100.0	100.0
Number	878	1,047

 

 

Washington [ 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	-	89.6
Children with one or more recurrences	-	10.4
Total %	-	100.0
Number	-	3,378

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	-	0.3
Children not maltreated while in Foster Care	-	99.7
Total %	-	100.0
Number	-	15,499

 

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	12.1	13.7
Guardianship	7.9	7.6
Reunification	69.8	65.4
Other	10.2	13.0
Missing	0.0	0.2
Total %	100.0	100.0
Number	7,123	7,376

 

3.2 Exits of Disabled Children (%)	1998	1999
Adoption	-	-
Guardianship	-	-
Reunification	-	-
Other	-	-
Missing	-	-
Total %	-	-
Number	-	-

 

3.3 Exits of Children Over Age 12 at Entry (%)	1998	1999
Adoption	0.1	0.1
Guardianship	2.2	3.3
Reunification	82.9	76.4
Other	14.9	19.9
Missing	-	0.2
Total %	100.0	100.0
Number	2,475	2,372

 

3.4 Exits to Emancipation (%)	1998	1999
Children age 12 or younger at entry	31.6	29.4
Children older than 12 at entry	68.4	70.4
Missing	-	0.2
Total %	100.0	100.0
Number	405	405

 

3.5 Exits by Race/Ethnicity (%)	Alaska Native/A.I.		Asian/P.I.		Black		Hispanic
	1998	1999	1998	1999	1998	1999	1998	1999
Adoption	4.9	7.1	8.0	3.0	14.2	14.5	11.7	13.5
Guardianship	9.7	9.0	8.0	10.5	14.6	16.6	7.8	6.6
Reunification	62.9	51.3	76.0	69.9	62.7	56.7	73.6	69.0
Other	22.5	32.5	8.0	16.5	8.5	12.0	6.9	10.8
Missing	-	-	-	-	-	0.1	-	0.1
Total %	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	596	633	125	133	847	772	692	815
	White		Unable to Determine		Not Applicable		Missing
	1998	1999	1998	1999	1998	1999	1998	1999
Adoption	13.0	14.9	6.8	8.2	N/A	13.9	12.5	-
Guardianship	6.4	6.3	8.0	2.4	N/A	5.7	7.4	-
Reunification	71.0	67.5	78.4	77.6	N/A	69.9	71.4	-
Other	9.7	11.1	6.8	11.8	N/A	10.2	8.7	-
Missing	0.0	0.2	-	-	N/A	0.3	-	-
Total %	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	N/A	100.0	100.0	-
Number	4,383	4,586	88	85	N/A	352	392	-

 

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.	80.6	79.8
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos.	7.2	9.6
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos.	3.5	3.3
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos.	1.4	1.5
48 or more mos.	2.0	1.8
Missing	5.3	4.0
Total (%)	100.0	100.0
Number	4,969	4,826

 

4.2 Children Who Entered Foster Care (%)	1998	1999
Children entering care for the first time	68.3	67.9
Children re-entering care within 12 mos. of a prior episode	17.3	15.6
Children re-entering care more than 12 mos. after a prior episode	10.4	9.6
Missing	3.9	7.0
Total (%)	100.0	100.0
Number	7,541	7,369

 

 

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.	1.6	2.2
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos.	17.3	22.0
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos.	23.9	28.4
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos.	25.2	24.6
48 or more mos.	31.9	22.8
Missing	-	-
Total (%)	100.0	100.0
Number	865	1,012

 

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	79.6 79.5	19.7 20.1	0.7 0.4	100.0 100.0	7,691 7,736
At least 12 mos., but <24 mos.	1998 1999	53.6 54.8	46.2 45.0	0.2 0.2	100.0 100.0	2,840 3,044
At least 24 mos., but <36 mos.	1998 1999	45.4 44.9	54.6 55.1	0.1 -	100.0 100.0	1,791 1,877
At least 36 mos., but <48 mos.	1998 1999	34.1 35.3	65.8 64.7	0.1 -	100.0 100.0	1,249 1,108
48 or more mos.	1998 1999	31.7 27.9	68.0 71.7	0.3 0.4	100.0 100.0	2,038 1,931
Missing	1998 1999	91.2 92.1	7.8 6.5	1.0 1.4	100.0 100.0	386 368

 

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	1.3	1.3
Institutions	1.7	1.3
Other settings	96.8	97.0
Missing	0.3	0.4
Total (%)	100.0	100.0
Number	3,795	3,890

 

Washington [ State Comments]

 

Rosalyn Oreskovich, Assistant Secretary
Children’s Administration
Department of Social and Health Services
360-902-7820

 

Washington State continues to focus efforts on achieving permanency for children in out-of-home care. We placed more children into permanent homes this year than last year and finalized more adoptions for children than ever before. We also focused on achieving permanency for children in the shortest time possible, evidenced by a 21 percent decline in the median length of stay since 1997, and a 16 percent decline in children placed for more than two years.

This federal effort will help us to evaluate our performance in comparison to other states, but some unique characteristics of Washington’s child welfare system make this comparison difficult. Because the scope of this report does not permit clarification of laws and policies that may influence the data, some of the results presented may be misleading. Washington reports placements of all children entering out-of-home care, including children placed by police for less than 72 hours, placements with unpaid relatives, and voluntary placements. For this reason, approximately 30 percent of the children who are placed return home within 30 days. Washington’s inclusion of these short-term placements impacts our placement and re-entry rates. The documentation of multiple victims and multiple findings on each referral may produce an inflated recurrence rate when compared to systems that do not record information this way.

The Governor and legislature of Washington State are committed to managing by outcomes, and we have been tracking performance on select outcomes for several years. State indicators of performance show that the percent of families with multiple referrals to Child Protective Services is declining as well as the child and family recurrence rate. We look forward to the evolving use of outcomes to manage the child welfare system and using them to improve the lives of the children and families we serve.

 

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