Talking About PERMANENCY in Our Community

What Does the DATA Tell Us?

McLean County

McLean County

How do McLean County Children Enter the Child Welfare System?Indicated reports FY 2010Source Number Percent of total Law enforcement 233 50%Medical 58 12%Social services 51 11%Relative/neighbor 41 9%“Other” 33 7%School personnel 30 6%DCFS personnel 14 3%Child care ceners 7 2%

467 100%Source: DCFS QA FY 2010

McLean County

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

source of indicated reports in McLean County.

DCFS reports overall were more likely to be indicated than reports from other sources.

- 64% of reports (14 reports out of 22) from DCFS personnel were indicated in FY2010.- 61% of reports from law enforcement were indicated.

Source: DCFS QA FY 2010

McLean County

What Types of Harm do Children Experience?Type N indicated% of totalABUSESubstantial risk of harm 94 15%Physical abuse 42 7%Sexual abuse 30 5%Emotional abuse 3 <1%Death abuse1 <1%

NEGLECTBlatant disregard 302 47%Lack of supervision 11218%Environmental 49 8%Lack of health 6 1%

639 100%Source: DCFS QA FY 2010

McLean County

What Types of Harm …?By far the most common harm to children is neglect/ blatant disregard for child’s welfare, representing almost half (47%) of all indicated reports. The second most common is lack of supervision (18%), followed by substantial risk (15%).Sexual abuse per se accounts for 5% of indicated cases. However, when this is combined with substantial risk of sexual injury (n=32), then 10% of cases relate to sexual harm to children.

Source: DCFS QA FY 2010

McLean County

In 2010, 148 children and youth entered foster care in McLean County.

Gender: Male – 54%, Female – 46%

Race:White 53%African American 45%Asian American 01%

Source: DCFS QA FY 2010

Who Entered Care in 2010?

McLean County

Who is in Care?- At the close of FY10, 400 children were in out-of-home

care in Mclean County.This was a slight increase from the previous year (384).

- 52% of children were White- 46% were African American- 01% were Latino*- 01 % were unknown- < 01% were Asian

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

McLean County

Who is in Care?GENDER 42% of youth are female, 58% male

AGE 27% 2 or under25% 3 - 5 18% 6 - 912% 10 - 13

13% 14 - 17 5% 18+

Most children (52%) are 5 and under.

Source: DCFS QA 2010

McLean County

What are the Permanency Goals for Youth in Care?*

Reunification 167 50%Adoption 121 36%Guardianship 12 4%Independence 3310%

333100%

Source: DCFS QA FY 2010

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

McLean County

Where are Children Placed?*

- with kin (56%) - traditional foster care (25%)

- specialized care (11%)

- institution/group care (7%)

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

McLean County

How was Permanency Achieved For Children in 2010?

126 children achieved permanency in FY10

Adoption 60 48%

Reunification 55 44%

Subsidized Guardianship 11 9%

Source: DCFS QA FY 2010

McLean County

How Have 12 Month Permanency Rates Changed Over Time?

Source: CFRC 2009

2004 2005 2006 2007 20080%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

McLean County:12 Month Permanency

Year Child Entered Care

McLean County

How Have 24 Month Permanency Rates Changed Over Time?

Source: CFRC 2009

2003 2004 2005 2006 20070%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

McLean County:24 Month Permanency

Year Child Entered Care

McLean County

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

much fluctuation in 12 month permanency, ranging from 41% for youth entering in 2004, to just 18% for those entering in 2008.

24 month permanency has declined slightly, from 63% of children who entered care in 2003 to 57% of children who entered care in 2007 and exited by 2009.

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

McLean County

Disproportionality and Disparity in our Action Team AreaDisproportionality is when the percentage of a group of

children in a population is different from the percentage of 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 is unequal treatment 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 are disparate outcomes by race/ethnicity.

McLean County

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

children in care in our County.

12% of the child population is African American, compared to 46% of those in care.

80% of the child population is White, compared to 53% of those in care.

8% of the child population is Hispanic, compared to 1% of those in care

Overrepresentation of African American children has been the case for several years.

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

McLean County

Disproportionality

African American Hispanic Caucasian0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Child Population = Light colorsFoster Care Population = Dark colors

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

Source: Population data CFRC 2009, Care data DCFS QA 2010

McLean County

Disproportionality Over Time

2005 2006 2007 2008 20090%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

African American Hispanic

Caucasian

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

Source: CFRC 2009

McLean County

Are There Differences in Permanency Goals by Race?* YES

African American White .

Reunification 78 53% 86 48%

Adoption 42 29% 75 42%

Guardianship 7 5% 5 3%

Independence 19 13% 14 8%

146 100% 180 100

African American children are slightly more likely to have a goal of reunification and much less likely to have a goal of adoption than are White children.

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

Source: DCFS QA FY 2010

McLean County

Is There Disparity in Permanency Achievement? YES, but the difference slightly favored African

American children.In FY10, 62 African American children and 60 white children

achieved permanency.

African American children and White children who were in care in FY10 left care at slightly different rates, with African American children slightly more likely to achieve permanency than White children (34% of African American and 29% of White children left care)

African American and White youth achieved reunification at similar rates (45%) and (43%). African American youth were less likely than White youth to exit via adoption (44% vs. 50%)

Source: DCFS QA FY 2010

McLean County

Is There Disparity in Permanency Achievement Over Time?

2004 2005 2006 2007 20080%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

McLean County:12 Month Permanency by Race/Ethnicity

African American

Caucasian

Year Child Entered Care

McLean County

Is There Disparity in Permanency Achievement Over Time?

Source: CFRC 2009

2003 2004 2005 2006 20070%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

McLean County:24 Month Permanency by Race/Ethnicity

African American

Caucasian

Year Child Entered Care

McLean County

What is the “Bottom Line” on Disproportionality? Are African American children more likely to be reported as

neglected / abused than White children in Mclean County?

YESChildren in McLean County are reported at very different

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

In FY 10, AA children represented about 12% of the child population but 29% of the reported cases.

Source: DCFS QA FY 2010

McLean County

What is the “Bottom Line” on Disproportionality?

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

YES

In FY10 of all reports for African American children, 40% were indicated.

Of all reports for White children, 32% were indicated.

Source: DCFS QA FY 2010

McLean County

Once indicated, are African American children more likely to enter care than White children?

YES

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

33% of African American children of those indicated entered care

22% of White children of those indicated entered care

Source: DCFS QA FY 2010

What is the “Bottom Line” on Disparity?

McLean County

DisparityAre African American children less likely to have

reunification as a goal than White children?

NO

In 2010 with African American children were somewhat more likely to have a goal of reunification. However African American children are less likely to have a goal of adoption than are White children.

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

NO

In FY10 African American children were slightly more likely to achieve permanency than were White children.

Source: DCFS QA FY 2010

McLean County

DisparityDid African American children achieve permanency differently from

White children in FY10?

YES

African American children are slightly more likely than White children to go home (reunification).

African American children are less likely to exit care through adoption.

Source: DCFS QA FY 2010

McLean County

Disproportionality and Disparity: The SummaryIn FY10 African American children and youth

were reported at much higher rates than White

children in McLean Countythese reports were more likely to be

indicated they were more likely to enter care.

Once in care, however, African American and White children have similar outcomes, particularly in recent years.

McLean County

On-going Questions for our AreaIn McLean 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 and medical personnel to examine disproportionate reporting

In addition, the team might look at disparity in entering care. I.e. are there ways to serve more African American children in their own homes?