General Population	1998	1999
Total children under 18 years	404,254	403,481
Race/ethnicity (%)
Alaska Native/American Indian	0.1	0.1
Asian/Pacific Islander	0.6	0.5
Black	3.8	3.5
Hispanic	0.8	0.7
White	94.7	95.1
% Child population in poverty	23.7	22.6
% Child population living in metropolitan areas	48.5	51.1

 

Child Welfare	1998	1999
Child maltreatment victims	7,791	8,609
Children in foster care on 9/30	3,082	3,169
Children adopted	211	312

 

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	33,601	36,142	83.1 per 1,000	89.6 per 1,000
Child maltreatment victims1	7,791	8,609	19.3 per 1,000	21.3 per 1,000
Child fatalities	1	1	0.2 per 100,000	0.2 per 100,000

Age of Child Victims (%)	1998	1999
Under 1 year	3.6	3.2
1-5 years	27.4	25.2
6-10 years	27.7	28.2
11-15 years	22.3	23.2
16+ years	7.6	7.8
Unknown	11.3	12.3
Total %	100.0	100.0
Number	7,791	8,609

 

Race/Ethnicity of Child Victims (%)	1998	1999
Alaska Native/American Indian	0.2	0.1
Asian/Pacific Islander	0.2	0.1
Black	5.6	5.1
Hispanic	1.1	0.6
White	86.2	84.0
Other	-	-
Unknown	7.9	10.7
Total %2	101.1	100.6
Number	7,791	8,609

 

Maltreatment Type of Child Victims (%)	1998	1999
Emotional abuse	8.4	9.9
Medical neglect	1.4	1.4
Neglect	43.3	43.8
Physical abuse	27.1	25.1
Sexual abuse	10.2	8.6
Other	14.3	18.7
Unknown	-	-
Total %3	104.7	107.7
Number	7,791	8,609

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)	2,838	2,011	1,767	3,082	4,849
FY1999 (10/1/98-9/30/99)	2,989	2,151	1,973	3,169	5,140
Median Length of Stay (Months)	<	<	<	<	<
FY1998 (10/1/97-9/30/98)	17.3	N/A	8.7	16.8	N/A
FY1999 (10/1/98-9/30/99)	17.8	N/A	9.1	16.3	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	2.6	2.6	7.8	7.8	2.8	2.7	2.9	2.8
1-5 years	16.1	16.9	16.6	17.4	13.0	17.5	17.5	16.4
6-10 years	19.7	20.6	16.2	16.5	12.5	15.4	21.0	20.5
11-15 years	33.1	32.6	37.4	37.8	27.3	26.3	32.2	33.5
16-18 years	26.5	25.5	21.7	20.3	40.5	35.0	24.5	24.7
19+ years	2.0	1.8	0.1	0.1	3.7	2.9	1.8	2.0
Missing	-	0.1	0.2	0.0	0.2	0.2	0.1	0.1
Total %	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	2,838	2,989	2,011	2,151	1,767	1,973	3,082	3,169

 

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	-	-	0.0	-	0.1	-	-	-
Asian/Pacific Islander	0.2	0.1	-	0.1	0.1	0.2	0.1	0.1
Black	11.8	12.5	11.3	8.0	11.3	9.5	11.7	11.4
Hispanic	1.3	1.1	0.9	0.6	1.1	0.8	1.1	0.9
White	85.7	85.3	85.0	86.1	85.2	86.9	85.5	84.9
Unknown	1.0	0.9	2.8	5.0	2.2	2.7	1.5	2.5
Not applicable	-	-	-	0.2	-	-	-	0.2
Total %	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	2,838	2,989	2,011	2,151	1,767	1,973	3,082	3,169

 

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Overview	9/30/98	9/30/99
Children waiting to be adopted	843	779
Children whose parents' rights have been terminated (TPR)	13	12

 

Age of Waiting Children (%)	1998	1999
Under 1 year	3.7	3.6
1-5 years	33.5	30.8
6-10 years	39.7	40.9
11-15 years	20.8	22.5
16+ years	2.1	1.8
Unknown	0.2	0.4
Total %	100.0	100.0
Number	843	779

 

Race/Ethnicity of Waiting Children (%)	1998	1999
Alaska Native/American Indian	-	-
Asian/Pacific Islander	-	0.1
Black	14.6	15.7
Hispanic	1.4	1.3
White	83.4	81.9
Unknown	0.6	0.6
Not applicable	-	0.4
Total %	100.0	100.0
Number	843	779

 

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

 

Age of Adopted Children (%)	1998	1999
Under 1 year	0.9	1.0
1-5 years	45.0	42.9
6-10 years	37.9	39.7
11-15 years	13.3	14.4
16+ years	2.8	1.9
Unknown	-	-
Total %	100.0	100.0
Number	211	312

 

Race/Ethnicity of Adopted Children (%)	1998	1999
Alaska Native/American Indian	-	-
Asian/Pacific Islander	1.4	-
Black	10.0	9.3
Hispanic	1.4	0.6
White	83.4	86.9
Unknown	3.8	3.2
Not applicable	-	-
Total %	100.0	100.0
Number	211	312

 

 

West Virginia [ 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	95.4	94.4
Children with one or more recurrences	4.6	5.6
Total %	100.0	100.0
Number	2,325	2,500

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	-	-
Children not maltreated while in Foster Care	-	-
Total %	-	-
Number	-	-

 

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	6.6	12.6
Guardianship	0.8	0.1
Reunification	41.1	40.9
Other	12.8	9.9
Missing	38.7	36.6
Total %	100.0	100.0
Number	1,767	1,973

 

3.2 Exits of Disabled Children (%)	1998	1999
Adoption	2.8	9.7
Guardianship	-	-
Reunification	34.8	29.9
Other	16.9	16.9
Missing	45.5	43.5
Total %	100.0	100.0
Number	431	154

 

3.3 Exits of Children Over Age 12 at Entry (%)	1998	1999
Adoption	-	0.1
Guardianship	0.1	0.1
Reunification	39.2	38.4
Other	18.5	15.4
Missing	42.2	46.1
Total %	100.0	100.0
Number	1,041	983

 

3.4 Exits to Emancipation (%)	1998	1999
Children age 12 or younger at entry	8.2	29.1
Children older than 12 at entry	90.4	70.9
Missing	1.4	-
Total %	100.0	100.0
Number	73	79

 

3.5 Exits by Race/Ethnicity (%)	Alaska Native/A.I.		Asian/P.I.		Black		Hispanic
	1998	1999	1998	1999	1998	1999	1998	1999
Adoption	-	-	-	-	6.5	12.3	5.0	13.3
Guardianship	-	-	-	-	1.0	0.5	-	-
Reunification	100.0	-	-	-	36.0	40.1	35.0	53.3
Other	-	-	-	-	14.5	14.4	10.0	13.3
Missing	-	-	100.0	100.0	42.0	32.6	50.0	20.0
Total %	100.0	-	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0
Number	1	-	2	3	200	187	20	15
	White		Unable to Determine		Not Applicable		Missing
	1998	1999	1998	1999	1998	1999	1998	1999
Adoption	6.7	13.0	3.7	-	N/A	-	-	-
Guardianship	0.8	-	-	-	N/A	-	-	-
Reunification	41.5	40.3	63.0	64.7	N/A	-	45.5	62.2
Other	12.8	9.6	7.4	5.9	N/A	-	-	2.7
Missing	38.2	37.2	25.9	29.4	N/A	-	54.5	35.1
Total %	100.0	100.0	100.0	100.0	N/A	-	100.0	100.0
Number	1,506	1,714	27	17	N/A	-	11	37

 

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.	77.2	77.3
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos.	18.2	16.1
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos.	3.4	4.2
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos.	0.4	1.1
48 or more mos.	0.7	1.2
Missing	0.1	-
Total (%)	100.0	100.0
Number	727	807

 

4.2 Children Who Entered Foster Care (%)	1998	1999
Children entering care for the first time	97.4	99.9
Children re-entering care within 12 mos. of a prior episode	1.8	0.0
Children re-entering care more than 12 mos. after a prior episode	0.0	-
Missing	0.8	0.0
Total (%)	100.0	100.0
Number	2,011	2,151

 

 

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.	0.9	3.2
At least 12 mos., but less than 24 mos.	13.8	24.2
At least 24 mos., but less than 36 mos.	28.4	29.0
At least 36 mos., but less than 48 mos.	24.1	17.7
48 or more mos.	32.8	25.8
Missing	-	-
Total (%)	100.0	100.0
Number	116	248

 

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	89.4 99.8	10.6 0.2	- -	100.0 100.0	2,306 2,518
At least 12 mos., but <24 mos.	1998 1999	85.9 99.6	14.1 0.4	- -	100.0 100.0	944 902
At least 24 mos., but <36 mos.	1998 1999	83.0 99.6	17.0 0.4	- -	100.0 100.0	499 553
At least 36 mos., but <48 mos.	1998 1999	86.9 100.0	13.1 -	- -	100.0 100.0	312 366
48 or more mos.	1998 1999	81.6 99.9	18.4 0.1	- -	100.0 100.0	773 792
Missing	1998 1999	100.0 100.0	- -	- -	100.0 100.0	15 9

 

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	4.8	4.3
Institutions	1.5	3.1
Other settings	80.7	77.4
Missing	13.0	15.2
Total (%)	100.0	100.0
Number	870	967

 

West Virginia [ State Comments]

 

Ann M. Burds, Director
Office of Social Services
Department of Health and Human Resources
304-558-7980

 

Regarding West Virginia's data for calendar year 1999 obtained from the NCANDS submission, there appears to be one error in the data and another area that needs clarification. In Section B, Child Maltreatment Data, the data pages show that 36,142 were the subject of an investigated report alleging child maltreatment. The number that is shown on the NCANDS Summary Report for 1999 from West Virginia was 35,902. For outcome 2.1, there are no data for children maltreated while in foster care. However, the NCANDS Summary Report for 1998, Item 6-1, shows that 26 children were maltreated by foster parents in 1998 and that 36 children were maltreated by foster parents and 5 children maltreated by residential facility staff in 1999.

The data regarding Children Whose Parents' Rights Have Been Terminated (Section D) appear to be very low; however, the elements used to define this category are very limiting since they only include children with a termination of both parents' rights and a permanency plan of adoption.

The data in Section E indicate that 312 children were adopted in FY 1999. However, as shown in outcome measure 3.1 and 5.1, only 248 (12.6%) of the exits from foster care in FY1999 were reported as discharges to adoption. This discrepancy is due to the fact that West Virginia permits the selection and documentation of other exit reason values in addition to those contained in AFCARS. For example, a child may exit care for adoption by a relative and "Placed with Relatives" is selected rather than "Adoption." Therefore, the numbers reported in the AFCARS Foster Care Database will not be consistent with the AFCARS Adoption Database.

With respect to Outcome 3 - Increase Permanency for Children in Foster Care, the reasons for children exiting foster care are very restrictive. As a result, the measures have a very high level of "missing" data. In addition to adoption, guardianship, and reunification, West Virginia includes the following discharge reasons for an AFCARS submission: 1) Living with other relative(s); 2) Emancipation; 3) Transfer to another agency; 4) Runaway; and 5) Death of a Child. In addition to those listed above, West Virginia permits the documentation of additional exit values such as: Placement with Siblings, Youth Voluntarily Left Placement - Independence Not Achieved, or Transferred to Adult Status. If one of the additional values is selected, the AFCARS submission reports those as "Not Applicable". It appears that "Not Applicable" is considered as "Missing data" for Outcome Measures 3.1, 3.2, and 3.3.

 

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