In 2000, there were 454 children in out-of-home placements for at least four consecutive months and reviewed by the Foster Care Review Board. Of these children, 67.6% were African-American, 27.9% were Caucasian and 4.5% were children of other races. There were 435 children in out-of-home placements and reviewed by the Review Board in 1999, 360 children in 1998 and 434 children in 1994.

Children in out-of-home placements represent an increasing portion of the overall population of children under the age of 18 in the county. Those children in out-of-home placements reviewed by the Review Board constituted .62% of the population of all children in the county in 2000, up from .56% in 1999, .47% in 1998 and .56% in 1994.

There were more girls in care in 2000 than boys, 51.8% compared to 48.2%. Children 16 years of age or older constituted 23.9% of the children in care, 34.3% were between 10 and 15 years of age, 16.1% were between 6 and 9 years of age and 25.7% were five years of age or younger.

In 2000, 96 children entered the foster care system and were reviewed by the Review Board. Of these children, 68.8% were African-American, 29.2% were Caucasian, and 2.0% were children of other races. More girls entered care than boys, 55.2% compared to 44.8%. The number of children who entered care in 2000 is up by an average of 23.8% from the number of children who entered care between 1994 and 1999. There were 108 children who entered care in 1999, 99 children in 1998 and 75 children in 1994.

Of those children entering care in 2000, 29.6% were 5 years of age or younger, 18.9% were between 6 and 9 years of age, 37.9% were between 10 and 15 years of age, and 13.7% were 16 years of age or older. Girls enter care at an older age than boys. Of the girls entering care in 2000, 62.3% were 10 years of age or older, compared to 38.1% of the boys. Of the boys entering care in 2000, 61.9% were under the age of 10, compared to 37.8% of the girls.

In 2000, 107 children left custody of the county. Of these children, 63.9% were African-American, 29.2% were Caucasian and 7.0% were children of other races. More boys left care in 2000 than did girls, 52.8% compared to 47.2%.

The number of children who left care in 2000 is up by an average of 5.1% from the number of children who left care between 1994 and 1999. There were 104 children who left care in 1999, 78 children in 1998 and 91 children in 1994.

Of those children leaving care in 2000, 25.2% were 5 years of age or younger, 14.0% were between 6 and 9 years of age, 23.4% were between 10 and 15 years of age, and 37.4% were 16 years of age or older. Boys leave care at an older age than girls. Of the boys leaving care in 2000, 62.1% were over 10 years of age, compared to 59.2% of the girls. Of the girls leaving care, 40.8% were under the age of 10, compared to 38.0% of the boys.

The longer a child is away from their home or a nurturing family environment, the more damaging it can be to the normal development of the child. For this reason, a major goal of the Review Board is to ensure that children achieve permanency as quickly as possible.

Children today are spending less time in the custody of the county than children in previous years. Of those children who left care in 2000, the average length of time spent in care is down by an average of 2 months from the average length of time children spent in care between 1994 and 1999. In 2000, the average length of time spent in care was 2.6 years, down from 2.8 years in 1999, 3.0 years in 1998 and 2.8 years in 1994.

Children of other races spend longer in care than African-Americans and Caucasians. In 2000, children of other races spent on average 5.9 years in care, compared to 2.5 for African-American children and 2.2 years for Caucasian children.

In 2000, girls spent on average 2.7 years in care, compared to boys who spent on average 2.5 years in care. Children 16 years or older spent the longest amount of time in care, averaging 4.3 years in care, compared to 1.8 years for children between 10 and 15 years of age, 1.2 years for children between 6 and 9 years of age and 1.5 years for children 5 years of age or younger.

Research shows the initial placement in foster care is extremely traumatic for a child. Additional changes in placement once in the foster care system can be detrimental to children's development, affecting their ability to learn, establish relationships and develop as stable, secure individuals.

Children today are experiencing fewer changes in placement than children in previous years. Of those children who left care in 2000, the average number of changes in placement is down by an average of a half of a placement from the average number of changes in placement children experienced between 1994 and 1999. In 2000, the average child who left care had lived in 3.7 different placements while in the custody of the county, compared to 4.5 placements in 1999, 5.1 placements in 1998 and 3.0 placements in 1994.

Of the children reviewed by the Review Board in the county, 45.5% where placed in foster homes, 29.1% were in Medicaid therapeutic placements, 6.8% were in group homes or institutions, 6.6% were with relatives, 5.0% were runaways, 3.2% were with one or both of their natural parents, 2.7% were in other types of placements, and 1.1% were in adoptive placements.

Caucasian children experienced more changes in placements on average than African-Americans and children of other races. In 2000, Caucasian children experienced on average 4.0 changes in placements, compared to 3.7 for African-Americans and 3.2 for children of other races. In 2000, girls experienced on average 4.4 changes in placements, compared to 3.2 changes in placements for boys.

Children 16 years of age or older had experienced the most changes in placement on average, 5.8 changes in placements, compared to 3.5 for children between 10 and 15 years of age, 2.6 for children between 6 and 9 years of age, and 1.5 for children 5 years of age or younger.

Most children who leave care experience between 1 and 3 changes in placements while in the custody of the county. In 2000, 57.9% of the children experienced between 1 and 3 placements, compared to 63.5% in 1999, 49.9% in 1998, and 70.4% in 1994.

Fewer children today are experiencing multiple changes in placement than children in the past 2 years. In 2000, 25.2% of all children who left care experienced 5 or more placements, compared to 25.9% in 1999, 35.9% in 1998.

It seems that those children who are hardest to place are more likely to change placements and spend longer in care than children who are not as difficult to place. There is a weak to moderate, positive relationship between the number of placements children experience in the county and how long they spend in care (r = .268). The number of changes in placement that a child experiences accounts for 7.2% of the variability in the number of months a child spends in out-of-home placement.

Permanency for a child means placement with a "forever family." Families are the single most important influence in a child's life. Children depend on their families for their material needs and wants, nurturing and leadership. A child can achieve legal permanency upon leaving the foster care system either by returning home to their natural parent or by being adopted.

Fewer children today are not achieving permanency than children in previous years. The number of children who do not achieve permanency in 2000 is down by an average of 11.8% from the number of children who left care between 1994 and 1999. In 2000, 42.1% of the children who left care did not achieve permanency, down from 46.9% in 1999, 57.7% in 1998 and 51.6% in 1994. Of the children not achieving permanency in 2000, 73.3% aged out of the system, 22.2% were placed in the care of someone other than their parent, 2.2% died, and 2.2% left for other reasons.

In 2000, African-American children constituted 55.6% of the children who left care and did not achieve permanency, compared to 35.6% Caucasian children and 8.9% children of other races. Boys constituted 51.1% of those who did not achieve permanency, compared to 48.9% girls. Boys were more likely to age out of care than girls, comprising 51.5% of all children aging out, compared to 48.5% girls.

Children leaving care without achieving permanency were more likely to be older children. Children 16 years of age or older constituted 73.3% of those children who did not achieve permanency in 2000, while 13.3% were between 10 and 15 years of age, 4.4% were between 6 and 9 years of age, and 8.9% were 5 years of age or younger. Of the children 16 years of age or older, 82.5% aged out, and 17.5% returned home.

Children who did not achieve permanency when leaving care in 2000 had spent longer in care and experienced more changes in placements while in care than children who achieved permanency. The average length of time these children spent in care was 3.7 years, compared to 1.7 years for children who achieved permanency. The average number of changes in placements experienced by these children was 4.9 placements, compared to 2.9 placements for children who achieved permanency.

Children who come back into care are some of the most vulnerable children in foster care because they have been taken into custody more than once. Subsequent removals increase the risk for further developmental delays and have even greater impact on a child's ability to succeed later in life.

More children today are returning to foster care than children in previous years. In 2000, the number of children who had been in care before is up by an average of 2.5% from the number of children between 1995 and 1999 who had been in care before. In 2000, 17.7% of the children reviewed by the Review Board had been in care before, up from 17.5% in 1999, 15.9% in 1998 and 11.7% in 1995.

In 2000, most of the children who had been in care before are African-Americans, comprising 61.5% of these children compared to 35.9% Caucasians and 2.6% children of other races. Boys returned to custody of the county at a greater rate than girls, 53.8% compared to 46.2%. Of these children, 33.3% were 16 years of age or older, 44.9% were between 10 and 15 years of age, 12.8% were between 6 and 9 years of age and 9.0% were 5 years of age and under. Children who had been in care before have spent an average of 3.2 years in care and have experienced an average of 4.2 changes in placement.

Re-entry into foster care can occur for a number of reasons. The Review Board tracks where children are prior to their returning to foster care. Tracking this information brings insight into the lack of permanency achieved for children previously in foster care.

A child who leaves care to return home or go live with a relative has a greater risk of coming back into care than children who leave care and are adopted. Children who came back into foster care from home or from a relative constituted 96.2% of all children in 2000 who had been in care before, up from 90.1% in 1999, and 93.7% in 1998.

State and Federal law regulates the Department of Social Service's efforts to secure permanent homes for children in out-of-home placements. These laws, combined with agency policies and procedures, are designed to move children expeditiously out of care to a permanent placement. The failure to adhere to these laws and policies can seriously jeopardize a child's ability to leave care and to achieve permanency upon leaving.

In 2000, Review Board members held 37 meetings with an average of 22 children reviewed at each meeting. Of the 454 children reviewed, 93.4% had at least one area of concern cited by the local Review Board. A total of 1,686 deficiencies in systemic efforts to secure permanent homes for children in care were cited in 2000. Of these deficiencies, 48.1% were direct violations of the law, and 51.8% were violations of program policies or procedures. The number of deficiencies cited by the Review Board increased by 223% from 1994.

In 2000, the most often cited legal violation was "No Timely Permanency Planning Hearing," which constituted 27.3% of all legal Areas of Concern, down from 27.4% in 1999. The failure to hold permanency planning hearings according to time frames outlined by state and federal law unnecessarily lengthens the time children remain in foster care.

The most often cited program violation was the lack of progress on the permanent plan, which constituted 17.4% of all program Areas of Concern, up from 10.9% in 1999. The case plan document is critical to permanency planning as it serves as the road map for successfully moving children through the foster care system. Through sound case planning, children can be moved through the foster care system safely and swiftly, with the end result being permanent and stable homes.

Facing the Scope of Problems:

The data on foster children and the length of time spent in care, the number of changes in placements experienced, whether permanency is achieved, and recidivism rates provide a problematic picture of children in out-of-home placements in Charleston county. Children in out-of-home placements in this county are spending nearly 1/5 of their childhood in foster care. The average child entering care today can expect to change placements almost 4 times before leaving care. More than 4 in 10 children will leave the system without being placed with a "forever family."

Of the children reviewed by the review board in 2000, almost 1 in 5 had been in care before. Of the children who had been in foster care before, 6 in 10 children came back into care from one or both of their parents. This and other data in this report suggests that children in out-of-home placements in this county are at risk of not becoming self-supporting, contributing members of our communities and state.

Emphasizing the Positive:

South Carolina Foster Kids Count reports have been developed to describe the problems of foster children in each of the counties. Fortunately, the majority of children are doing well. One simple description is the percentage of children who do not fall into the problem categories reported. In the county, almost 6 in 10 children who leave custody of the county are placed with a "forever family," and this percentage has increased each year for the past 6 years. Of the children less than 16 years of age, more than 8 in 10 children are achieving permanency.

Children in care today are spending less time in care and experiencing fewer changes in placement than children who were in care in previous years. The majority of foster children experience between 1 and 3 placements while in care and children under 10 years of age experience on average just over 2 placements while in care. More than 8 in 10 children were in out-of-home placements for the first time. Children who leave to be adopted are at virtually no risk of returning to care.

All children in out-of-home placements in this county deserve a stable home with a "forever family." These children also deserve our best efforts for ensuring that their stay in foster care is as short as possible and without frequent changes in placements. The Review Board acknowledges the good work and dedication of those in child welfare across the county and encourages continued positive change for all children in foster care.

This version of the Foster Kids Count report will be revised on an annual basis or as more recent and additional data becomes available. Unless otherwise noted, statistical data presented in this profile was obtained from the Foster Care Review Board database. Please utilize local data sources whenever possible to supplement the profile provided throughout our report.

Inquiries and copies of reports for other counties should be made to Tina Hudson, Data Management and Research Administrator or Denise Barker, Director, Division of Foster Care Review, 1205 Pendleton St., Columbia, SC 29201 Phone: (803) 734-0474 Fax: (803) 734-1223.

Comparable reports for all 46 counties and for the state can also be found on the World Wide Web at: