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Child Well-Being in the U.S. Percentage of U.S. children under age 18 by race and Hispanic origin, 1980-2000 and projected 2001-20. Family and Child Well-Being. Only one-half of first time marriages remain in tact for life More than one half of all women with children are in the labor force
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Percentage of U.S. children under age 18 by race and Hispanic origin, 1980-2000 and projected 2001-20
Family and Child Well-Being • Only one-half of first time marriages remain in tact for life • More than one half of all women with children are in the labor force • There are approximately 7.5 million single-parent, female-headed families, and 9 million children live in them
Percentage of children under age 18 living in various family arrangements, 1996
Percentage of children under age 18 by presence of parents in household, 1980-2000
Percentage of children under age 18 living with at least one parent employed full time all year by family structure, 1980-99
Family and Child Well-Being • There are approximately 0.5 million births to females 15-19 years, and 78% of these births are to unmarried mothers • 30-40% of these teenage mothers will give birth again within 2 years
Percentage of all births that are to unmarried women by age of mother, 1980 and 1999
Family and Child Well-Being • In 1996 14.5 million U.S. Kinds (one in 5) were poor • This is almost twice the adult poverty rate • The gap between the rich and poor widened during the 1990s
Percentage of related children under age 18 in poverty by family structure, 1980-99
Child Well-Being • In 1997 approximately 3 million children were reported as abused or neglected • That is an 18% increase since 1990 • In 1998 520,000 (half a million) children were living in foster care • In the same year approximately 710,000 children were served in the foster care system. • One in 25 kids born each year will enter foster care in that same year.
The Child Welfare System is…… • A system set up for the support of children who are unable to be cared for by their birth parents • Includes a whole system of support units delivering social welfare services • Provides maintenance services (subsidy, housing, clothing, health care).
The Child Welfare System reunification Birth Family Child Protective Services Foster Care Adoption Adoptive Family TPR time
What is the Goal of the Child Welfare System? “A permanent loving home for every child”
Philosophical Underpinnings of the Child Welfare System • Child safety and family support • Child and family well-being • Community supports for families • Family centered services • Cultural competence • System accountability and timeliness • Coordination of system’s resources
Key Goals of the Child Welfare System • Safety • Permanence • Child well-being • Family well-being In 1997 the U.S. spent $1 billion on public agency child welfare services, with most of this money being spent on out-of-home care
A “permanent loving home” is not the same for all children... • Foster care: “temporary respite for children until such a time as they can safely return home to their birth parents” • Termination of Parent Rights (TPR) • Adoption or Independent Living • Other permanent outcomes
Definition of Maltreatment Acts of omission or commission by a parent or guardian that are judged by a mixture of community values and professional expertise to be inappropriate and damaging
Mission of the CPS System The CPS program operates on the philosophical basis that all children have the right to live in a safe environment and receive protection from abuse and neglect
Child Abuse and Neglect System • The State Central Register (SCR) • Operated by the Office of Children and Family Services • Gatekeeper for initiating action when abuse or neglect is suspected • Hotline staffed 24 X 7 • Staff screen reports • In NYS 300,000 reports per year 130,000 registered per year
Child Abuse and Neglect System • CPS units in each county • Investigate reports, take children into care if necessary and plan/offer services as needed • Investigation starts within 24 hours • 7-day report • 60 day determination
Child Protective Services LEVEL1: Known to CPS LEVEL 2: Know to investigative agencies LEVEL 3: Known to professionals LEVEL 4: Know to other agencies and individuals LEVEL 5: Known to on one
Forms of Abuse and Neglect • Physical abuse • Sexual abuse • Physical neglect • Educational neglect • Psychological maltreatment
Incidence of Maltreatment • In1976 there were 669,000 child maltreatment reports in the U.S. • In 1997 there were 2,923,374 child maltreatment reports in the U.S. • This represents a 9% annual growth rate
Child Abuse and Neglect • In 1997 16% of child abuse reports resulted in home removal • In 1997 19.2% of child abuse reports resulted in some sort of court intervention • In 1997 49.1% of child victims received some sort of services
Foster Care System Out-of Home Care
Intake and Subsequent Procedures……. • Initial review • Report to permanency planning specialist • 9-month review • 12-month review • 15-month review • Further review processes
Goal Setting Procedures….. • Return to Parent • Long-term foster care • live with relatives • guardianship • Independent living (emancipation) • Adoption (photolisting) • Other goals for the child
Funding and Administration of Child Welfare Services • Federal, state, local cost sharing system • Locally administered in NYS • Roots of the system: The Social Security Act, 1935 Title IV-A Title XVI Title XVIII Title XIX
Funding and Administration of Child Welfare Services • Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act, 1980 (P.L. 96-272) Title IV-B (child welfare services) Title IV-E (foster/adoption subsidies) Title XIX (Medicaid)
Types of Financial Assistance • Maintenance subsidy: • basic • special • exceptional • Medical subsidy (Medicaid) • Clothing allowance • Special one-time allowances
For example, in 1998…... • For a child age 6, classified as having “basic” special needs: • Westchester county $528.40 • Tompkins $345.59 • Cattaragus $256.99 • All include Medicaid eligibility
Historical Perspective • 1959 Maas and Engler’s study identified “The Foster Care Drift” • 1970 Looming public policy problem • 1980 Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act (P.L. 96-272) • 1986 The foster care “Baby Boom”
Historical Perspective • 1994 Adoption and Foster Care Reporting System (AFCARS) • 1996 Adoption 2002 initiative (HHS) • 110,000 children in foster care • 1997 Adoption and Safe Families Act
Philosophical Imperatives • 1980 Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act (P.L. 96-272) • prevent unnecessary placements • reunify with birth parents when possible • maintenance of “reasonable efforts” • encourage adoption when reunification efforts fail (adoption subsidy system)
Philosophical Imperatives • 1994 AFCARS • better monitoring and accountability • explanation of prolonged reunification efforts • explanation for long delays in care • 1996 Adoption 2002 • redefinition of reasonable efforts • focus on agency practices and philosophies • courts/judicial practices • recruitment (Multiethnic Placement Act)
Philosophical Imperatives • 1997 Adoption and Safe Families Act • Expands the family preservation and support services programs • Continues adoption assistance eligibility • Authorizes adoption incentive payments • Requires statistics to document adoption efforts • Addresses geographic barriers to adoption • Addresses timeliness in termination of parental rights • Sets new time frames for permanency planning • Modifies reasonable efforts provision of PL 96-272 • Requires background checks for foster parents
Philosophical Imperatives • 1997 Adoption and Safe Families Act • speeding up the termination of parental rights process • permits concurrent planning • provide fiscal incentives for adoption Professional Focus on Best Practices
Who are the children who enter the child welfare system? • What have the trends been in foster care intake over the past two decades? • Where do children stay when they are in foster care? • How long do children spend in foster care?
How much does it cost to support children in care? • Is this support adequate for raising a child? • What are the major problems child welfare professionals face in achieving permanency for children in foster care?
California Massachusetts Georgia Illinois Florida Maryland North Carolina 106,060 108,375 13,800 14,433 11,220 11,656 53,927 54,512 22,428 23,150 12,555 14,433 9,978 10,819 Foster Care Populations: Selected States (‘96 & ‘97)
