Appendix

Notes to Table I

The most critical and complete data from the states is presented in Table I. Some of the additional information provided by the states is summarized in the following notes.

Alabama

Fiscal year ended: 30 September 1996. Data reported as of: 30 September 1996. The Alabama Department of Human Resources reported that of the 698 children who were legally free for adoption, an adoptive home search was active for approximately 200; the department did not report the reasons that a search was not active for the remaining free-to-be-adopted children. Contact: Ms. Carole Burton, Alabama Department of Human Resources, S. Gordon Persons Building, 50 Ripley Street, Montgomery, AL 36150; phone: (334) 242-1374; fax: (334) 242-0939.

Alaska

Fiscal year ended: 30 June 1996. Data reported as of: 30 June 1996. The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services reported that about 9 percent of the state's free-to-be-adopted children for whom an adoptive search was not active were assigned to "long-term foster care." Contact: Ms. Suzanne Maxson, Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, Division of Family and Youth Services, P.O. Box 110630, Juneau, AK 99811-0630; phone: (907) 465-3631; fax: (907) 465-3397.

Arizona

Fiscal year ended: 30 June 1996. Data reported as of: 30 June 1996. The Arizona Department of Economic Security left blank the IFC survey question on the number of children who were legally free for adoption. However, the Department reported that, as of 30 June 1996, 612 children had had their parental rights terminated and that an adoptive home search was active for 137 foster children. Contact: Ms. Carole Linker, Arizona Department of Economic Security, 1717 W. Jefferson, P.O. Box 6123, Phoenix, AZ 85005; phone: (602) 542-3981; fax: (602) 542-3330.

Arkansas

Fiscal year ended: 30 June 1996. Data reported as of: 30 June 1996. The Arkansas Department of Human Services/Division of Children and Family Services reported that there were 212 foster children legally free for adoption and that an adoptive home search was active for 209 of these children. Contact: Mr. Alden Roller, Department of Human Services/Division of Children and Family Services, P.O. Box 1437, Little Rock, AR 72203; phone: (501) 682-8462; fax: (501) 682-8991.

California

Fiscal year ended: 30 June 1996. Data reported as of: 30 June 1996. The California Department of Social Services reported that relating to the figure for children in foster care, "only the children in the custody of county welfare departments are included. Children in the custody of other agencies, principally delinquents and status offenders in the custody of county probation officers, are not included." Of the 3,845 reported adoptions, "3,254 were of children who had been in the custody of public adoption agencies and 591 were of children who had been in the custody of private adoption agencies. Probably about 70 completed public adoption agency cases were unreported. This total does not include Independent Adoptions or Intercountry Adoptions." Also, the actual number of finalized adoptions was "slightly higher due to incomplete reports." Contact: Mr. Joseph Magruder, California Department of Social Services, 744 P Street, M.S. 1967, Sacramento, CA 95814; phone: (916) 323-0524; fax: (916) 445-9125.

Colorado

Fiscal year ended: 30 June 1996. Data reported as of: 30 June 1996. The Colorado Department of Human Services reported as "NA" the number of children for whom an adoptive home search was active, as well as the number of children for whom the state was not seeking adoptive homes. Contact: Ms. Donna Pope, Colorado Department of Human Services, 1575 Sherman Street, 2nd floor, Denver, CO 80203; phone: (303) 866-5976; fax: (303) 866-4191.

Connecticut

Fiscal year ended: 30 June 1996. Data reported as of: 31 December 1996. The Connecticut Department of Children and Families responded "Not Available" to the IFC survey question on the number of foster children legally free for adoption. The Department reported in April 1997: "We do not have any other info available. Our new computer system reporting capability has yet to produce this info." Contact: Ms. Jean Watson, Department of Children and Families, 505 Hudson Street, Hartford, CT 06106; phone: (860) 550-6463; fax: (860) 566-3453.

Delaware

Fiscal year ended: 30 June 1996. Data reported as of: 30 June 1996. The Delaware Department of Children and Their Families reported that of the 74 children legally free for adoption, 31 were in pre-adoptive homes at the close of fiscal 1996. Contact: Ms. Mary Anne Kenville, Delaware Department of Children and Their Families, 1825 Falkland Road, Wilmington, DE 19805; phone: (302) 633-2655; fax: (302) 633-2652.

District of Columbia

Fiscal year ended: 31 December 1995. Data reported as of: 31 December 1995. During the study, the District of Columbia Department of Social Services was in receivership. The Institute for Children received only one response to its many inquiries, which provided three figures for fiscal 1995: 2,558 children in substitute care, 721 children in foster family care, 97 adoptions finalized in fiscal 1995. Contact: Mr. Jesse Winston, District of Columbia Department of Social Services, 609 H Street N.E., Washington, DC 20002; phone: (202) 724-2023; fax: (202) 727-9460.

Florida

Fiscal year ended: 30 June 1996. Data reported as of: 30 June 1996. The Florida Department of Children and Families reported that less than half of the children who had a goal or permanency plan for adoption were legally free to be adopted. Contact: Ms. Gloria Walker, Florida Department of Children and Families, Family Safety and Preservation, Permanency Planning Unit, 2811-E Industrial Plaza Drive, Tallahassee, FL 32301; phone: (904) 487-2383; fax: (904) 488-0751.

Georgia

Fiscal year ended: 30 June 1996. Data reported as of: 30 June 1996. The Georgia Department of Human Resources reported that of the 1,224 children who were legally free for adoption, the state was "still looking for home[s]" for 203 children. Contact: Ms. Liz Bryant, Georgia Department of Human Resources, 2 Peachtree Street, N.W. Suite 13-400, Atlanta, GA 30303; phone: (404) 657-3552; fax: (404) 657-3624.

Hawaii

Fiscal year ended: 30 June 1996. Data reported as of: 31 December 1996. The Hawaii Department of Human Services reported that of the 565 children legally free for adoption, 289 were in pre-adoptive homes. However, for 163 free-to-be-adopted children, the state was not seeking adoptive homes because those children had been assigned to long-term foster care. Contact: Ms. Lynn Mirikidani, Hawaii Department of Human Services, 810 Richards Street, Suite 400, Honolulu, HI 96813; phone: (808) 586-5698; fax: (808) 586-5700.

Idaho

Fiscal year ended: 30 June 1996. Data reported as of: 30 June 1996. Contact: Mr. Don Corbridge, Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, Division of Family and Community Services, P.O. Box 83720, Third Floor, Boise, ID 83720; phone: (208) 334-5700; fax: (208) 334-6699.

Illinois

Fiscal year ended: 30 June 1996. Data reported as of: 28 February 1997. Illinois Child and Family Services reported that the figures for children in substitute care and children legally free for adoption were as of 28 February 1997; the reporting period for the number of foster children adopted was fiscal 1996. Contact: Mr. John Hamm, Illinois Child and Family Services, 406 East Monroe Street, Springfield, IL, 62701; phone: (217) 785-1700; fax: (217) 524-0014.

Indiana

Fiscal year ended: 30 June 1996. Data reported as of: 30 June 1996. The Indiana Division of Family and Children left blank the IFC survey question on the number of free-to-be-adopted children for whom an adoptive home search was active. Contact: Ms. Kaye Clark, Division of Family and Children, Indiana Department of Family and Social Service, Indianapolis, IN 46204; phone: (317) 233-1743; fax: (317) 232-4436.

Iowa

Fiscal year ended: 30 June 1996. Data reported as of: 30 June 1996. Contact: Mr. Jeff Terrell, Iowa Department of Human Services, Hoover Building, Des Moines, IA 50319; phone: (515) 281-4625; fax: (515) 281-4597.

Kansas

Fiscal year ended: 30 June 1996. Data reported as of: 30 June 1996. Contact: Ms. Janet Kuntzsch, Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services, West Hall, 300 SW Oakley, Topeka, KS 66606; phone: (913) 296-8138; fax: (913) 296-4649.

Kentucky

Fiscal year ended: 30 June 1996. Data reported as of: 30 June 1996. Contact: Ms. Brooke Thomas, Kentucky Cabinet for Human Resources, 275 East Main, 6 West, Frankfort, KY 40601; phone: (502) 564-2147; fax: (502) 564-9554.

Louisiana

Fiscal year ended: 30 June 1996. Data reported as of: 31 December 1996. The Louisiana Department of Social Services reported that the figures for children in substitute care and children legally free for adoption were as of 31 December 1996; the reporting period for the number of foster children adopted was fiscal 1996. Contact: Ms. Sandra C. Schucker, Louisiana Department of Social Services, 333 Laurel Street, P.O. Box 33318, Baton Rouge, LA 70821; phone: (504) 342-4043; fax: (504) 342-9087.

Maine

Fiscal year ended: 30 June 1996. Data reported as of: 30 June 1996. The Maine Department of Human Services reported the figure for finalized foster child adoptions in fiscal 1996 as "tentative." Contact: Ms. Dana E. Hall, Maine Department of Human Services, Bureau of Child and Family Services, State House Station 11, Augusta, ME 04333; phone: (207) 287-5060; fax: (207) 287-5282.

Maryland

Fiscal year ended: 30 June 1996. Data reported as of: 30 June 1996. Contact: Ms. Stephanie Pettaway, Maryland Department of Human Resources, 311 W. Saratoga Street, Baltimore, MD 21201; phone: (410) 767-7506; fax: (410) 333-0127.

Massachusetts

Fiscal year ended: 30 June 1996. Data reported as of: 30 June 1996. The Massachusetts Department of Social Services reported that of the 656 free-to-be-adopted children for whom an adoptive search was active, "649 children had been matched to an adoptive family." Contact: Ms. Phyllis Ward, Department of Social Services Library, 24 Farnsworth, Boston, MA 02210; phone: (617) 727-0900; fax: (617) 261-7438.

Michigan

Fiscal year ended: 30 September 1996. Data reported as of: 30 September 1996. The State of Michigan Family Independence Agency reported that the reason the state was not seeking adoptive homes for 237 free-to-be-adopted foster children was "long-term foster care." Contact: Ms. Julie Tubbs-Lott, State of Michigan Family Independence Agency, 232 Grand Avenue, P.O. Box 30037, Grand Tower, Lansing, MI 48909; phone: (517) 373-8376; fax: (517) 241-7047.

Minnesota

Fiscal year ended: 31 December 1996. Data reported as of: 31 December 1996. The Minnesota Department of Human Services noted that "1996 data is preliminary data based on unedited county reports." Of the 478 children for whom an adoptive home search is active, 186 "had relatives or foster families under consideration." Contact: Ms. Ruth Weidell (adoption) and Ms. Sandy Reuben (foster care), Minnesota Department of Human Services, 444 Lafayette Road, St. Paul, MN 55155-3831; phone: (612) 296-3250; fax: (612) 297-1949.

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