Wisconsin's Children At a Glance

• State Population: 5,536,201
• Population, Children Under 18: 1,295,995
• State Poverty Rate: 10.2%
• Poverty Rate, Children Under 18: 13.9%
• Poverty Rate, Children Ages 5-17: 12.3%
• Poverty Rate, Children Under 5: 16.9%

Child Abuse and Neglect

• In 2004, 9,325 children were substantiated or indicated as abused or neglected in Wisconsin, a rate of 7.1 per 1,000 children, and representing an 8.3% decrease from 2003. Of these children, 28.2% were neglected, 14.0% were physically abused, and 43.3% were sexually abused.
• In 2004, 11 children died as a result of abuse or neglect in Wisconsin.
• On September 30, 2004, 7,812 children in Wisconsin lived apart from their families in out-of-home care, compared with 7,824 children on September 30, 2003. In 2004, 26.9% of the children living apart from their families were age 5 or younger, and 18.7% were 16 or older.
• Of the children in out-of-home care on September 30, 2004, 42.4% were white, 40.1% were black, 8.1% were Hispanic, 2.8% were American Indian/Alaskan Native, and 6.7% were children of other races and ethnicities.

Permanent Families for Children

• Of the 5,682 children exiting out-of-home care in 2004, 60.6% were reunited with their parents or other family members.
• In 2004, 1,152 children were legally adopted through the public child welfare agency in Wisconsin, a 3.0% decrease from 1,187 in 2003.
• Of the 7,812 children in out-of-home care in 2004, 1,448 or 18.5% were waiting to be adopted.

Kinship Support

• In 2005, approximately 27,850 Wisconsin grandparents had primary responsibility caring for their grandchildren.
• Of the 7,812 children in out-of-home care on September 30, 2004, 30.5% were living with relatives while in care.
• Of all Wisconsin children in kinship care on September 30, 2004, 33.9% were white, 46.9% were black, 9.5% were Hispanic, 2.6% were American Indian/Alaskan Native, and 7.1% were of other races.

Child Poverty and Income Support

• The total number of individuals receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) in Wisconsin decreased from 46,749 in March 2005 to 38,841 in March 2006, a decrease of 20.4%. The number of families receiving TANF in March 2006 was 17,727 , a 14.5% decrease from March 2005.
• In 2002, a family of three receiving only TANF and food stamp benefits in Wisconsin was at 48.2% of the federal poverty guideline.
• In 2004, Wisconsin spent $492,734,455 in TANF funds, including 27.5% on basic assistance, and 72.5% on nonassistance.
• In 2005, Wisconsin collected and distributed $601,203,390 in child support funds, an increase of 2.1% from 2004.
• In 2005, the fair market rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Wisconsin was $647 per month. The wage necessary to afford this two-bedroom apartment was $12.45 per hour, working a 40-hour week.

Child Care and Head Start

• In 2005, Wisconsin had an estimated monthly average of 28,700 children served by subsidized child care; 27,600 children received subsidized child care in 2004, and 18,200 in 2003.
• In 2006, to be eligible for subsidized child care in Wisconsin, a family of three could make no more than $30,708, which is equivalent to 53% of the state's median income.
• In 2006, Wisconsin had no children on its waiting list for child care assistance.
• In 2005, Head Start served 13,538 Wisconsin children, the same number as in 2004.

Health and Substance Abuse

• In 2002, 353,200 children younger than 19 were enrolled in Medicaid in Wisconsin, representing 45.5% of the total number of enrollees.
• In 2001, 18,505 foster and adopted children were enrolled in Medicaid in Wisconsin, representing 5.8% of all children in Medicaid.
• In 2001, Wisconsin spent $46,774,071 on Medicaid services for children in foster care, and $2,528 on Medicaid services per foster care enrollee.
• Wisconsin reported spending $1,233,496.00 of its total Medicaid expenditures in 2001 on targeted case management services for foster children.
• Wisconsin reported spending $933,039.00 of its total Medicaid expenditures in 2001 on rehabilitative services for foster children.
• In 2005, Wisconsin had 57,165 children enrolled in its State Children's Health Insurance Program, a 15.8% decrease from 2004, when 67,893 children were enrolled.
• In 2003, 4,764 babies were born weighing less than 2,500 grams, giving Wisconsin a ranking of 25 nationally in number of low-weight births (1 being the best, and 50 the worst).
• In 2003, 456 infants younger than 1 year died in Wisconsin, giving the state a ranking of 30 nationally in infant mortality rates (1 being the best, and 50 the worst).
• In 2004, the birth rate for teens age 15-17 in Wisconsin was 15.1 births per 1,000 girls; for teens 18-19, the rate was 51.9. This reflects a total rate of 30.2 births per 1,000 girls ages 15-19.
• Cumulative through 2004, 4,186 adults and adolescents, as well as 31 children younger than 13, were reported as having HIV/AIDS in Wisconsin.
• In 2004, an estimated 59,000 children age 12-17, and 332,000 adults 26 and older, were dependent on or abusing illicit drugs or alcohol in Wisconsin.

Vulnerable Youth

• In 2004, 475 children aged-out of out-of-home care in Wisconsin.
• In 2004, 21,000 Wisconsin teens age 16-19 were high school dropouts.
• In 2004, 7% of teens age 16-19 were not enrolled in school, were not working, and had no degree beyond high school.
• In 2004, approximately 30,000 children age 12-17 in Wisconsin needed, but had not received, treatment for illicit drug use in the past year.
• In 2004, approximately 40,000 children age 12-17 needed, but had not received, treatment for alcohol use in the past year.
• In 2003, 53 children and youth younger than 20 committed suicide, a rate of 3.56 per 100,000 children.

Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

• In 2003, 19 children under age 18 were killed in firearm homicides in Wisconsin, compared with 16 in 2002.
• In 2005, 69,037 children younger than 18 were arrested in Wisconsin, a 31.8% decrease from 101,245 arrests in 2004. Of the arrests in 2005, 882 were for violent crimes and 869 were for possession of a weapon.
• A 2003 census of juvenile offenders showed 1,524 children in juvenile correction facilities in Wisconsin.

Funding Child Welfare Services for Wisconsin Children

• In 2004, Wisconsin spent $384,937,354 for child welfare services. Child welfare services are all direct and administrative services the state agency provides to children and families. Of this amount, 46% was from federal funds, and 54% was from state funds.
• In 2004, of the $177,071,183 in federal funds received for child welfare, 67% was from Title IV-E Foster Care and Adoption Assistance, 6% came from Title IV-B Child Welfare Services and Promoting Safe and Stable Families, 6% was from Medicaid, 5% came from the Social Services Block Grant, and 16% was from TANF.
• Out of 7,812 children in out-of-home care in Wisconsin on September 30, 2004, only 2,563 , or 32.8%, received Title IV-E federal foster care assistance.

Wisconsin's Child Welfare Workforce

• A 2003 General Accounting Office (GAO) report documented that staff shortages, high caseloads, high worker turnover and low salaries impinge on delivering services to achieve safety, permanence, and well-being for children.
• The federal Child and Family Service Reviews have demonstrated clearly that the more time a caseworker spends with a child and family, the better the outcomes for those children and families.
• According to the 2003 GAO report, the average caseload for child welfarefoster care caseworkers is 24-31 children; these high caseloads contribute to high worker turnover and insufficient services provided to children and families. CWLA recommends that foster care caseworkers have caseloads of 12-15 children.