Rate of Children Admitted Into Foster Care 2010

Cartographers Bart Venza and Yvonne Patterson

Map Description

                Here, we have mapped the total number of children admitted into foster care for each county. This data was retrieved from the Kids Well-Being Indicators Clearinghouse, which is an affiliate of the Council on Children and Families, a New York State governmental agency. Within this data is the rate per 1,000 children that have been admitted into foster care for the year 2010. The rate per 1,000 children is subdivided into four different categories that range from 0-2.175%, 2.176-4.35%, 4.351-6.525%, and 6.526-8.7%. The counties with the darkest shade of purple have the highest rate of children that are being admitted into foster care. The counties with the lightest color of purple have the lowest rate of children that were admitted into foster care in 2010. The counties that are in red have no data available for those areas. Hamilton County has zero children that were admitted into foster care, which is also the lowest rate for the entire state. There are three counties that have the lowest rates of children in foster care north and east of Albany, while the western and southern counties that border Albany have much higher rates of children admitted into foster care. Cortland County and Columbia County have a rate of 8.7%, which is the highest in all of New York State. With the exception of Hamilton County, more rural counties seem to have a higher rate of children admitted into foster care when compared to urban counties, such as Erie, Saratoga, Nassau, Schenectady and Rensselaer Counties. Niagara and St. Lawrence Counties have no data available for this issue. Overall, the distribution of children in foster care varies across New York State.

Map Analysis

                Foster care is system that aims to get children out of abusive/neglecting homes and into ones that will foster their growth. As we have stated Hamilton County has zero children in foster care in the year 2010. This is most likely due to the fact that Hamilton County has the lowest population in all of New York State. However, this is not a consistent trend for counties that have the highest populations do not have the highest rates of children in foster care. The highest rates of children in foster care are located within Cortland and Columbia Counties. In 1998, the Seven Valley Health Coalition named Cortland County as the county with the highest rate of reported child abuse cases, and the county also has very high rates for poverty, crime, and low-income.[1] In 2000, the county received 874 child abuse calls, which was outstanding in comparison to the rest of the state.[2] This is an indicator as to why there is such a high rate of children in foster care in Cortland County. In Columbia County, the total number of reports of child abuse and maltreatment rose from 2000 to 2010 from 145,125 to 170,218 respectively.[3] This is also an indicator as to why the rate of children in foster care is high when compared to other counties. According to the NYS office of Children and Family Services, children are placed into foster care when there has been abuse or neglect reported.[4] Overall, child abuse and neglect cases are on the decline for New York State as a whole, however these two counties have a consistently high rate of child abuse leading to a higher rate of children in foster care.

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[1] Seven Valleys Health Coalition, “Cortland Counts: An Assessment of Health and Well Being in Cortland County, NY.” Last modified July 2001. Accessed May 14, 2012. Retrieved from http://www.sevenvalleyshealth.org/report/3_1.htm

[2] Seven Valleys Health Coalition, “Cortland Counts: An Assessment of Health and Well Being in Cortland County, NY.” Last modified July 2001. Accessed May 14, 2012. Retrieved from http://www.sevenvalleyshealth.org/report/3_1.htm

[3] NYS Office of Children and Family Services. “KWIC Indicator Narrative: Child Abuse and Maltreatment- Indicated Reports of Child Abuse and Maltreatment.” Last Modified 2012. Retrieved from http://www.nyskwic.org/get_data/indicator_narrative_details.cfm?numIndicatorID=26

[4]NYS Office of Children and Family Services. “Overview.” Last modified 2012. Retrieved from https://www.ocfs.state.ny.us/main/fostercare/overview.asp