Talking About PERMANENCY in Our Community

What Does the DATA Tell Us?

Sangamon County

Sangamon County

How do Sangamon County Children Enter the Child Welfare System?Indicated reports FY 2010Source Number Percent of total Law enforcement 216 38%Medical 79 14%School personnel 77 13%Relative/neighbor 71 12%Social Services 62 11%“Other” 32 6%DCFS personnel 27 5%Child care centers 10 2%Coroner/Medical 1 <1%

575 100%Source: DCFS QA FY 2010

Sangamon County

How do Children Enter the Child Welfare System?As shown above, law enforcement was the

largest source of indicated reports in Sangamon County.

Further, law enforcement reports overall were more likely to be indicated than reports from other major sources.

- 58% of reports from law enforcement were indicated in FY2010.

- 54% of reports from social service agencies were indicated.

Source: DCFS QA FY 2010

Sangamon County

What Types of Harm did Children Experience in FY10?Type N indicated% of totalABUSESubstantial risk of harm 167 21%Physical abuse 87 11%Sexual abuse 76 9%Emotional abuse 6 <1%Death abuse 1 <1%

NEGLECTBlatant disregard 247 30%Lack of supervision 16620%Environmental 54 7%Lack of health 10 1%

814 100%Source: DCFS QA FY 2010

Sangamon County

What Types of Harm …?By far the most common harm to children is neglect/ blatant disregard for child’s welfare, representing 30%) of all indicated reports. The second most common is abuse/substantial risk of harm (21%), followed by neglect/lack of supervision (20%).Sexual abuse per se accounts for 9% of indicated cases. However, when this is combined with substantial risk of sexual injury, then 20% of cases relate to sexual harm to children.

Source: DCFS QA FY 2010

Sangamon County

In 2010, 98 children and youth entered foster care in Sangamon County.

Gender: Male – 53%, Female – 47%

Race:White 36%African American 60%Hispanic 2%Other/Missing 2%

Source: DCFS QA FY 2010

Who Entered Care in 2010?

Sangamon County

Who is in Care?- At the close of FY10, 465 children were in out-of-home

care in Sangamon County.This was virtually unchanged from the previous year.

- 40% of children were White- 58% were African American- <1% were Hispanic/Latino*- <1% were unknown- 0% were Asian

*Source: DCFS QA FY 2010. There are on-going concerns about how Latino or Hispanic ethnicity is determined for DCFS clients.

Sangamon County

Who is in Care?GENDER 46% of youth are female, 54% male

AGE 19% 2 or under17% 3 - 5 20% 6 - 916% 10 - 13

20% 14 - 17 9% 18+

Children were fairly evenly distributed across age except for those 18 and older.

Source: DCFS QA 2010

Sangamon County

What are the Permanency Goals for Youth in Care?*

Reunification 192 46%Adoption 151 36%Guardianship 4 1%Independence 67 16%

414100%

Source: DCFS QA FY 2010

*This table excludes the children for whom data were missing or coded as “other”

Sangamon County

Where are Children Placed?*

- with kin (31%) - traditional foster care (43%)

- specialized care (17%)

- institution/group care (9%)

* QA data combines foster and relative care, thus this information is from CFRC for FY09.

Sangamon County

How was Permanency Achieved For Children in 2010?

98 children achieved permanency in FY10

Reunification 73 74%

Adoption 24 24%

Subsidized Guardianship 1 1%

Source: DCFS QA FY 2010

Sangamon County

How have 12 Month Permanency Rates Changed over Time?

Source: CFRC 2009

2004 2005 2006 2007 20080%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Year Child Entered Care

Sangamon County:12 Month Permanency

Sangamon County

How have 24 Month Permanency Rates Changed Over Time?

Source: CFRC 2009

2003 2004 2005 2006 20070%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Year Child Entered Care

Sangamon County:24 Month Permanency

Sangamon County

What are the Permanency Trends in our County?Over the last 5 years, Sangamon County has seen

fluctuation in 12 month permanency, ranging from 14% to 24%. For the most recent data available, 14% of youth achieved permanency within 12 months of placement.

24 month permanency has also shown fluctuation, ranging from 33% to 50%. For those who entered care in 2007, 40% achieved permanency by 2009.

Source: CFRC 2009. [Such data are not yet available from QA]

Peoria County

Disproportionality and Disparity in our Action Team AreaDISPROPORTIONALITY: The percentage of children in a population as compared to the

percentage of children in the same group in the child welfare system.

For example, if 25% of the children in a county were African American, then 25% of those in foster care should be African American, all things being equal. That would be proportional. If these percents differ there is disproportionality.

DISPARITY: Unequal treatment and/or outcomes when comparing children of

color to non-minority children.

For example, if Hispanic children are less likely to achieve permanency than white children then there is disparity - disparate outcomes by race/ethnicity

Sangamon County

Is There Disproportionality in Sangamon County?YES African American children continue to be overrepresented among

children in care in our County.

18% of the child population is African American, compared to 58% of those in care.

79% of the child population is White, compared to 41% of those in care.

3% of the child population is Hispanic, compared to 1% of those in care

This overrepresentation of African American children has been the trend for many years.

Source: 2009 population data come from CFRC, 2010 placement data from QA

Sangamon County

Disproportionality

African American Hispanic Caucasian0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Child Population = Light colorsFoster Care Population = Dark colors

Sangamon County: Child Population vs. Foster Care Population by Race/Ethnicity

Source: CFRC Population data, QA 2010 Care data

Sangamon County

Disproportionality Over Time

2005 2006 2007 2008 20090%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

African American Hispanic

Caucasian

Sangamon County: Percentages of Children in Care by Race/Ethnicity

Source: CFRC 2009

Sangamon County

Are There Differences in Permanency Goals by Race?* NO

African American White .

Reunification 114 48% 73 44%

Adoption 83 35% 66 40%

Guardianship 4 2% 0 0%

Independence 39 16% 27 16%

African American and White children are similar in their permanency goals, with White children somewhat more likely to have a goal of adoption and AA children somewhat more likely to have a goal of reunification.

*This table excludes children for whom permanency goals were missing or coded as “other”.

Source: DCFS QA FY 2010

Sangamon County

Is There Disparity in Permanency Achievement? Not Really.

In FY10, 59 African American children and 37 white children achieved permanency.

African American children and White children who were in care in FY10 left care at similar rates, with AA children somewhat more likely to leave care than White children (African American 22% & White 20%)

African American youth and White youth exited via reunification at similar rates(75% & 73% respectively)

White youth exited via adoption at similar rates as African American youth (27% & 24% respectively)

Source: DCFS QA FY 2010

Sangamon County

Is There Disparity in 12 Month Permanency Achievement Over Time?

2004 2005 2006 2007 20080%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Sangamon County:12 Month Permanency by Race/Ethnicity

Source: CFRC 2009

African American

Caucasian

Year Child Entered Care

Sangamon County

Is There Disparity in Permanency Achievement Over Time?

2003 2004 2005 2006 20070%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Sangamon County:24 Month Permanency by Race/Ethnicity

Source: CFRC 2009

African American

Caucasian

Year Child Entered Care

Sangamon County

What is the “Bottom Line” on Disproportionality?

Are African American children more likely to be reported as neglected / abused than White children in Sangamon County?

YESChildren in Sangamon County are reported at very different rates,

with African American children reported at higher rates than their numbers in the population would predict.

In FY 10, AA children represented about 18% of the child population but 37% of the reported cases.White children represented about 79% of the child population but 61% of the reported cases.

Source: DCFS QA FY 2010

Sangamon County

What is the “Bottom Line” on Disproportionality?

Once reported, are African American children more likely to be indicated than White children?

YES, slightly.

In FY10 of all reports for African American children, 27% were indicated.

Of all reports for White children, 24% were indicated.

Source: DCFS QA FY 2010

Sangamon County

Once indicated do African American and White children enter care at similar rates?

NO

In FY10, African American children were more likely to enter care.

21% of African American children of those indicated entered care

9% of White children of those indicated entered care

Source: DCFS QA FY 2010

What is the “Bottom Line” on Disparity?

Sangamon County

DisparityWere African American children less likely to have reunification as

a goal than White children?

NO

There was little difference in FY10. 48% of African American children and 44% of White children had a goal of reunification. However, African American children were somewhat less likely to have a goal of adoption than White children (AA 35% and White 40%).

Were African American children less likely to exit care than White children?

NO

There was little difference in 2010.

Source: DCFS QA FY 2010

Sangamon County

DisparityDid African American children achieve permanency

differently from White children in FY10?

NO

African American children and White children had very similar rates for exiting care via Adoption, Reunification and Sub-Guardianship.

Source: DCFS QA FY 2010

Sangamon County

Disproportionality and Disparity: The SummaryAfrican American children and youth are reported

at much higher rates than White children in Sangamon County and these reports are more likely to be indicated.

Once in care, however, African American and White children have similar 24 month permanency rates, particularly in recent years. White children have better 12 month permanency rates.

In FY10, both African American and White children exited care at similar rates.

Sangamon County

On-going Questions for our AreaIn Sangamon County difference by race is

clear at entry (far more African American children are reported and a higher percentage of reported African American child reports are indicated).

This suggests that one area of effort might be the front end, e.g.

– developing community responses that divert African American families

– meeting with law enforcement personnel to examine disproportionate reporting