FRONTLINE- FAILURE TO PROTECT: foster care statistics

FAILURE TO PROTECT

foster care statistics
It wasn't until the mid-1990s that the federal government set up the
Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) and
started collecting data from states about the children in their foster
care systems. We now know, for instance, that the largest portion of
children in foster care are those aged 11 to 15 years, and that boys
slightly outnumber girls. Following is a sample of other stats and facts
generated by AFCARS and other national databases and resources.

»Overview

*

Total number of reports to child protective agencies in 2000: 2.8
million
*

Percentage of those reports that met the standards for an
investigation and/or assessment: 62 percent, or 1.7 million cases
*

Number of substantiated cases of abuse/neglect in 2000:
Approximately 500,000
*

Number of children placed in foster care in 2000: 291,000

»Life in the System

*

Total number of children in foster care in 2000: 556,000
*

Average length of stay in foster care for those in the system in
2000: 33 months; the median is 20 months
*

Percentage of children in foster care on Sept. 30, 1998, who had
been placed in five or more homes: 16 percent

»Demographic Profile of Children in Care

POVERTY:

According to estimates from the U.S. House of Representatives Committee
on Ways and Means, more than 50 percent of the children in foster care
in 1999 were given federal foster care assistance, which is tied to
eligibility for welfare benefits. "The number of children in federally
assisted foster care has grown significantly in the years since funding
first became available under AFDC in the early 1960s," the committee
said in its 2000 Green Book.

RACE OF CHILDREN IN FOSTER CARE (2000):



Percentage of total population in foster care


Total

American Indian/Alaskan Native


2.0%


10,994

Black


39.7%


220,660

Asian/Pacific Islander


1.1%


5,978

Hispanic


14.7%


81,890

Other


5.0%


27,846

White


37.5%


208,632

»Outcomes for Children in Foster Care (2000):

*

Children in foster care whose parents' parental rights were
terminated: 75,000
*

Number of children adopted from foster ca 51,000
*

Reasons children exited foster care



Reunification w/parent or caretaker


57%

Living with other relative


10%

Adoption


17%

Emancipation


7%

Guardianship


4%

Transfer to another agency


3%

Runaway


2%

»An Uncertain Legacy:

According to a survey of foster care alumni conducted by Casey Family
Programs, 13 percent reported being homeless at least once since being
discharged. Further, fully 15 percent of the alumni reported being
arrested since leaving foster care. "When the system fails, the children
are very likely to move out of the system into the juvenile justice
system, into the welfare system, into the adult criminal justice
system," says Richard Gelles, dean of the University of Pennsylvania's
School of Social Work and one of the authors of the 1997 Adoption and
Safe Families Act.

»Sources
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on
Children, Youth and Families, Child Maltreatment 2000 (2002); AFCARS,
interim FY2000 estimates as of August 2002; U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services, Administration on Children, Youth and Families,
Child Welfare Outcomes 1999: Annual Report (2002); U.S. House of
Representatives, Committee on Ways and Means, Green Book 2000; Casey
Family Programs, "Assessing Foster Care Alumni Outcomes: A Short-Term
Follow Up Study."






CURRENTLY CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES VIOLATES MORE CIVIL RIGHTS ON A
DAILY BASIS THEN ALL OTHER AGENCIES COMBINED INCLUDING THE NSA / CIA
WIRETAPPING PROGRAM....

CPS Does not protect children...
It is sickening how many children are subject to abuse, neglect and even
killed at the hands of Child Protective Services.

every parent should read this .pdf from
connecticut dcf watch...

http://www.connecticutdcfwatch.com/8x11.pdf

http://www.connecticutdcfwatch.com

Number of Cases per 100,000 children in the US
These numbers come from The National Center on
Child Abuse and Neglect in Washington. (NCCAN)
Recent numbers have increased significantly for CPS

*Perpetrators of Maltreatment*

Physical Abuse CPS 160, Parents 59
Sexual Abuse CPS 112, Parents 13
Neglect CPS 410, Parents 241
Medical Neglect CPS 14 Parents 12
Fatalities CPS 6.4, Parents 1.5

CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES, HAPPILY DESTROYING HUNDREDS OF INNOCENT
FAMILIES YEARLY NATIONWIDE AND COMING TO YOU'RE HOME SOON...


BE SURE TO FIND OUT WHERE YOUR CANDIDATES STANDS ON THE ISSUE OF
REFORMING OR ABOLISHING CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES ("MAKE YOUR CANDIDATES
TAKE A STAND ON THIS ISSUE.") THEN REMEMBER TO VOTE ACCORDINGLY IF THEY
ARE "FAMILY UNFRIENDLY" IN THE NEXT ELECTION...

fx wrote:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontl...ide/stats.html

FAILURE TO PROTECT

foster care statistics
It wasn't until the mid-1990s that the federal government set up the
Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) and
started collecting data from states about the children in their foster
care systems. We now know, for instance, that the largest portion of
children in foster care are those aged 11 to 15 years, and that boys
slightly outnumber girls. Following is a sample of other stats and facts
generated by AFCARS and other national databases and resources.

»Overview

*

Total number of reports to child protective agencies in 2000: 2.8
million
*

Percentage of those reports that met the standards for an
investigation and/or assessment: 62 percent, or 1.7 million cases
*

Number of substantiated cases of abuse/neglect in 2000:
Approximately 500,000
*

Number of children placed in foster care in 2000: 291,000

»Life in the System

*

Total number of children in foster care in 2000: 556,000
*

Average length of stay in foster care for those in the system in
2000: 33 months; the median is 20 months
*

Percentage of children in foster care on Sept. 30, 1998, who had
been placed in five or more homes: 16 percent

»Demographic Profile of Children in Care

POVERTY:

According to estimates from the U.S. House of Representatives Committee
on Ways and Means, more than 50 percent of the children in foster care
in 1999 were given federal foster care assistance, which is tied to
eligibility for welfare benefits. "The number of children in federally
assisted foster care has grown significantly in the years since funding
first became available under AFDC in the early 1960s," the committee
said in its 2000 Green Book.

RACE OF CHILDREN IN FOSTER CARE (2000):



Percentage of total population in foster care


Total

American Indian/Alaskan Native


2.0%


10,994

Black


39.7%


220,660

Asian/Pacific Islander


1.1%


5,978

Hispanic


14.7%


81,890

Other


5.0%


27,846

White


37.5%


208,632

»Outcomes for Children in Foster Care (2000):

*

Children in foster care whose parents' parental rights were
terminated: 75,000
*

Number of children adopted from foster ca 51,000
*

Reasons children exited foster care



Reunification w/parent or caretaker


57%

Living with other relative


10%

Adoption


17%

Emancipation


7%

Guardianship


4%

Transfer to another agency


3%

Runaway


2%

»An Uncertain Legacy:

According to a survey of foster care alumni conducted by Casey Family
Programs, 13 percent reported being homeless at least once since being
discharged. Further, fully 15 percent of the alumni reported being
arrested since leaving foster care. "When the system fails, the children
are very likely to move out of the system into the juvenile justice
system, into the welfare system, into the adult criminal justice
system," says Richard Gelles, dean of the University of Pennsylvania's
School of Social Work and one of the authors of the 1997 Adoption and
Safe Families Act.

»Sources
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on
Children, Youth and Families, Child Maltreatment 2000 (2002); AFCARS,
interim FY2000 estimates as of August 2002; U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services, Administration on Children, Youth and Families,
Child Welfare Outcomes 1999: Annual Report (2002); U.S. House of
Representatives, Committee on Ways and Means, Green Book 2000; Casey
Family Programs, "Assessing Foster Care Alumni Outcomes: A Short-Term
Follow Up Study."






CURRENTLY CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES VIOLATES MORE CIVIL RIGHTS ON A
DAILY BASIS THEN ALL OTHER AGENCIES COMBINED INCLUDING THE NSA / CIA
WIRETAPPING PROGRAM....

CPS Does not protect children...
It is sickening how many children are subject to abuse, neglect and even
killed at the hands of Child Protective Services.

every parent should read this .pdf from
connecticut dcf watch...

http://www.connecticutdcfwatch.com/8x11.pdf

http://www.connecticutdcfwatch.com

Number of Cases per 100,000 children in the US
These numbers come from The National Center on
Child Abuse and Neglect in Washington. (NCCAN)
Recent numbers have increased significantly for CPS

*Perpetrators of Maltreatment*

Physical Abuse CPS 160, Parents 59
Sexual Abuse CPS 112, Parents 13
Neglect CPS 410, Parents 241
Medical Neglect CPS 14 Parents 12
Fatalities CPS 6.4, Parents 1.5

CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES, HAPPILY DESTROYING HUNDREDS OF INNOCENT
FAMILIES YEARLY NATIONWIDE AND COMING TO YOU'RE HOME SOON...


BE SURE TO FIND OUT WHERE YOUR CANDIDATES STANDS ON THE ISSUE OF
REFORMING OR ABOLISHING CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES ("MAKE YOUR CANDIDATES
TAKE A STAND ON THIS ISSUE.") THEN REMEMBER TO VOTE ACCORDINGLY IF THEY
ARE "FAMILY UNFRIENDLY" IN THE NEXT ELECTION...