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The State of the Children: An Examination of Government-Run Foster Care
Appendix
Mississippi
Fiscal year ended: 30 June 1996. Data reported as of: 30 June 1996. Contact:
Ms. Wanda Gillom, Mississippi Department of Human Services, 750 North State
Street, Jackson, MS 39202; phone: (601) 359-4980; fax: (601) 359-4978.
Missouri
Fiscal year ended: 30 June 1996. Data reported as of: 30 June 1996. Contact:
Mr. Arlend Oney, Missouri Division of Family Services, Howerton Building,
P.O. Box 88, Jefferson City, MO 65109; phone: (573) 751-2502; fax: (573)
526-3971.
Montana
Fiscal year ended: 30 June 1996. Data reported as of: 30 June 1996. The
Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services reported that the
number of children in substitute care was as of 31 July 1996. The Department
did not provide figures for the number of children legally free for adoption,
the number of children for whom an adoptive home search was active or the
number of children for whom the state was not seeking adoptive homes. Contact:
Ms. Betsy Stimatz, Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services,
Division of Child and Family Services, P.O. Box 8005, Cogswell Building,
Helena, MT 59604-8005; phone: (406) 444-5900; fax (406) 444-5956.
Nebraska
Fiscal year ended: 30 June 1996. Data reported as of: 30 June 1996. Contact:
Donald S. Leuenberger, Department of Social Services, P.O. Box 95026, Lincoln,
NE 68509; phone: (402) 471-9125; fax: (402) 471-9455.
Nevada
Fiscal year ended: 30 June 1996. Data reported as of: 30 June 1996. Contact:
Ms. Wanda Scott, Department of Human Resources, 6171 W. Charleston Boulevard,
Building Number 15, Las Vegas, NV 89158; phone: (702) 486-7633; fax: (702)
486-7626.
New Hampshire
Fiscal year ended: 30 June 1996. Data reported as of: 30 June 1996. Contact:
Ms. Catherine Atkins, Division for Children, Youth and Families, 6 Hazen
Drive, Concord, NH 03301; phone: (603) 271-4707; fax: (603) 271-4729.
New Jersey
Fiscal year ended: 30 June 1996. Data reported as of: 30 June 1996. Contact:
Ms. Marylou Sweeny, New Jersey Division of Youth and Family Services, CN
700, Trenton, NJ 08625; phone: (609) 633-3991; fax: (609) 984-5449.
New Mexico
Fiscal year ended: 30 June 1996. Data reported as of: 31 December 1996.
The New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department reported that figures
for the number of children in substitute care and the number of children
legally free for adoption were as of December 1996. Contact: Ms. Maryellen
Strawniak, New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department, Protective
Services Division, 1120 Paseo de Peralta, Santa Fe, NM 87504; phone: (505)
827-3991; fax: (505) 827-8480.
New York
Fiscal year ended: 31 March 1996. Data reported as of: 30 June 1996. The
New York State Department of Social Services left blank the IFC survey question
on the number of adoptions finalized in fiscal 1996. (During calendar year
1994, 3,621 adoptions were finalized.) Contact: Mr. Paul Gavry, New York
State Department of Social Services, 40 North Pearl Street, Albany, NY 12243;
phone: (518) 432-2926; fax: (518) 432-2930.
North Carolina
Fiscal year ended: 30 June 1996. Data reported as of: 30 June 1996. The
reported number of adoptions finalized in fiscal 1996 may be overrepresentative.
The North Carolina Department of Human Resources wrote, on 17 July 1996:
"Adoption proceedings are indexed through the Final Orders, but this
process does not necessarily happen for adoption cases finalized in that
particular year. These adoptions may have taken place in previous years,
and we had just indexed them. Therefore, this number does not reflect the
number of children whose adoptions were finalized in a year, but rather
the number of finalized adoptions over a course of years that have now been
indexed in the state." Contact: Ms. Esther T. High, North Carolina
Department of Human Resources, Division of Social Services, 325 North Salisbury
Street, Raleigh, NC 27603; phone: (919) 733-3801; fax: (919) 715-3581.
North Dakota
Fiscal year ended: 30 June 1996. Data reported as of: 30 June 1996. The
North Dakota Department of Human Services reported that of the 325 adoptions
finalized in fiscal 1996, 25 were categorized special needs. The figure
for children who were legally free for adoption was as of 30 September 1996.
Contact: Ms. Jean Doll, Administrator, North Dakota Department of Human
Services, Children and Family Services Division, State Capitol Building,
600 East Boulevard, Bismarck, ND 58505; phone: (701) 328-3541; fax: (701)
328-2359.
Ohio
Fiscal year ended: 30 June 1996. Data reported as of: 30 June 1996. Contact:
Mr. Dave Hubbell, Ohio Department of Human Services, 65 East State Street,
5th Floor, Columbus, OH 43215; phone: (614) 466-7884; fax: (614) 466-6185.
Oklahoma
Fiscal year ended: 30 June 1996. Data reported as of: 30 June 1996. Contact:
Ms. Midge Woodard, Oklahoma Department of Human Services, P.O. Box 25352,
Oklahoma City, OK 73125; phone: (405) 739-8000; fax: (405) 739-8132.
Oregon
Fiscal year ended: 30 June 1996. Data reported as of: 30 June 1996 (TPR).
The Oregon State Office for Services to Children and Families reported that
the figure for the number of children in substitute care was as of "calendar
year 1996;" and the number of children who were legally free for adoption
was as of January 1997. Contact: Ms. Kay Toran, State Office for Services
to Children and Families, 500 Summer Street NE, Salem, OR 97310- 1017; phone:
(503) 945-5651; fax (503) 581-6198.
Pennsylvania
Fiscal year ended: 30 June 1996. Data reported as of: 31 December 1996.
Contact: Ms. Sandy Gallagher, Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare,
Office of Children, Youth, and Their Families, P.O. Box 2675, Harrisburg,
PA 17105-2675; phone: (717) 772-7044; fax: (717) 783-6354.
Rhode Island
Fiscal year ended: 30 June 1996. Data reported as of: 30 June 1996. Contact:
Mr. C. Friedman, Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth, and Their Families,
610 Mt. Pleasant Avenue, Building #8, Providence, RI 02908; phone: (401)
277-2583; fax: (401) 457-4541.
South Carolina
Fiscal year ended: 30 June 1996. Data reported as of: 30 June 1996. Contact:
Ms. Carolyn Orf, South Carolina Department of Social Services, P.O. Box
1520, Columbia, SC 29202; phone: (803) 734-5670; fax: (803) 734-6285.
South Dakota
Fiscal year ended: 30 June 1996. Data reported as of: 30 June 1996. Contact:
Ms. Diane Kleinsasser, South Dakota Department of Social Services, 700 Governors
Drive, Pierre, SD 57501-2291; phone: (605) 773-3227; fax: (605) 773-6834.
Tennessee
Fiscal year ended: 30 June 1996. Data reported as of: 30 June 1996. Contact:
Ms. Gail Crawford, Tennessee Department of Children's Services, 436 6th
Avenue N., 7th Floor, Cordell Hull Building, Nashville, TN 37243-1290; phone:
(615) 532-5597; fax: (615) 532-6495.
Texas
Fiscal year ended: 31 August 1996. Data reported as of: 30 June 1996. The
Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services noted regarding the
IFC survey question that asks for the number of children who were legally
free for adoption, that its figure, 1,430, refers to children whose parental
rights had been terminated and for whom the goal was adoption, but who had
not been placed in an adoptive home. Contact: Ms. Cheryl Fell, Texas Department
of Protective and Regulatory Services, P.O. Box 149030, Mail Code E558,
Austin, TX 78714-9030; phone: (512) 438-3127; fax: (512) 438-3782.
Utah
Fiscal year ended: 30 June 1996. Data reported as of: 30 June 1996. The
Utah Department of Human Services reported that an adoptive home search
was active for all 108 foster children who were legally free for adoption
at the end of fiscal 1996. Contact: Ms. Marilyn Mills, Utah Department of
Human Services, Division of Child and Family Services, 120 North 200 West,
Suite 225, Salt Lake City, UT 84103; phone: (801) 538-4078; fax: (801) 538-4553.
Vermont
Fiscal year ended: 30 June 1996. Data reported as of: 30 June 1996. The
Vermont Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services left blank the
IFC survey question regarding the total number of free-to-be-adopted children
for whom the state was not seeking adoptive homes. Contact: Mr. Phil Zunder,
Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services, Osgood Building, 103 South
Main Street, Waterbury, VT 05671; phone: (802) 241-2112; fax: (802) 241-2980.
Virginia
Fiscal year ended: 30 June 1996. Data reported as of: 30 June 1996. Contact:
Mr. Terry Yearout, Department of Social Services, Theater Row Building,
730 East Broad Street, Richmond, VA 23219; phone: (804) 692-1294; fax: (804)
692-1284.
Washington
Fiscal year ended: 30 June 1996. Data reported as of: 30 June 1996. The
Washington Department of Social Services left blank the IFC survey question
regarding the number of free-to-be-adopted children for whom the state was
not seeking adoptive homes. Contact: Ms. Cindy Ellingson, Washington Division
of Children and Family Services, 14th and Jefferson Streets, P.O. Box 45710,
Olympia, WA 98504; phone: (360) 902-7929; fax: (360) 902-7903.
West Virginia
Fiscal year ended: 30 June 1996. Data reported as of: 1 January 1997. The
West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources reported that the
figures for children in substitute care and for children who were legally
free for adoption were as of 1 January 1997. Contact: Mr. Tom Strauderman,
West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, Office of Social
Services, Bureau for Children and Families, State Capitol Complex, Building
6, Room 850, Charleston, WV 25305; phone: (304) 558-7980; fax: (304) 558-8800.
Wisconsin
Fiscal year ended: 31 December 1996. Data reported as of: 31 December 1996.
The Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services did not provide the
number of finalized adoptions in fiscal 1996. The Department noted that
for 188 children in pre-adoptive homes at the end of fiscal 1996, "This
figure is underreported as caseworkers often do not change the type of placement
on the database at the time a child is placed in a pre-adoptive home."
Contact: Mr. Mark S. Mitchell, Wisconsin Department of Health and Family
Services, P.O. Box 8916, Madison, WI 53708; phone: (608) 266-2860; fax:
(608) 264-6750.
Wyoming
Fiscal year ended: 30 June 1996. Data reported as of: 30 June 1996. The
Wyoming Department of Family Services noted that the figure for children
legally free for adoption was "estimated." Contact: Mr. Bill Rankin,
Department of Family Services, Hathaway Building, 3rd Floor, 2300 Capitol
Avenue, Cheyenne, WY 82002; phone: (307) 777-3570; fax: (307) 777-3693.
Conna Craig
is president and a trustee of the Institute for Children,
Inc. She graduated with honors from Harvard College, where she wrote her
honors thesis on the relationship between research and legislation on child
abuse. Ms. Craig has advised legislators and scholars in China, Hong Kong,
Papua New Guinea and the United Kingdom, and has spoken before numerous
audiences including policymakers, foster and adoptive parents, service providers
and economists. Her published articles include "What I Need Is a Mom:
The Welfare State Denies Homes to Thousands of Foster Children," in
the Summer 1995 issue of Policy Review and condensed in the November
1995 issue of Reader's Digest; "What Will Happen to the Children?"
a written symposium of seven contributors published in the Winter 1995 issue
of Policy Review; and various op-eds including "Adoptable children
go wanting" in USA TODAY in 1996. Ms. Craig was named recipient
of the first annual Salvatori Prize for American Citizenship in 1996; the
prize recognizes "extraordinary efforts by American citizens who are
helping their communities solve problems the government has been unable
to solve." Adopted into a family that has to date cared for more than
100 foster children, Ms. Craig has spent her entire life involved in and
very much aware of the "client" side of the foster care equation.
About the Authors
Derek Herbert
is the Institute for Children's associate director.
Mr. Herbert is the Institute's lead researcher on state and federal legislative
issues. He directed the Institute's two-year examination of public agency
child welfare, and is currently conducting a longitudinal study on privatization
of child welfare. His published articles on foster care include "Too
Many Kids Waiting for a Home" in The Wall Street Journal in
1997. He is a frequent guest on regional and national radio programs, and
has spoken to audiences including religious leaders and state and federal
policymakers.