Child Welfare League of America: Advocacy: State Fact Sheets

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Louisiana's Children

State Population (1998)¹
State Population under 18 (1998)¹
State Poverty Rate (1998)²
Poverty Rate for Children Ages 5-17 (1998)²

4,369,000
1,191,000
18%
27%

Child Abuse and Neglect

In 1997, 46,287 children were reported abused or neglected in Louisiana, an increase of 7.9% from 1990.³ Twenty-seven children died as a result of abuse or neglect in 1998⁴
In 1996, 6,203 children in Louisiana lived apart from their families in out-of-home care,⁵ an increase of 15.3% since 1990.⁶
In 1998, public child welfare agencies in Louisiana placed 112 children into adoptive homes, a 61.6% decrease since 1995.⁷

Child Health

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, 215,994 Louisiana children are not covered by health insurance throughout the year, and 356,029 Louisiana children are enrolled in Medicaid, SCHIP and other state sponsored programs.⁸ In 1995, 53% of births in Louisiana were paid for by Medicaid.⁹
In 1996, there were 17,350 pregnancies to 15-19 year old Louisiana young women.¹⁰ Eighty-three percent of the 11,945 births to these young women were out-of-wedlock. ¹¹
Through June 1999, there were 11,039 adults/adolescents and 153 children under the age of 13 in Louisiana living with HIV/AIDS.¹² Nationally, estimated AIDS incidences continue to increase overall.¹³

Child Care and Education

In 1998, 20,402 Louisiana children, mostly under 5 years of age, were served by Head Start.¹⁴
In Louisiana, 75.7% of high school seniors graduated in 1997¹⁵ and 78.6% of high school seniors graduated in 1998.¹⁶

Violence

In 1997, 154 young people, ages 0-19, were killed by firearms in Louisiana. In the United States, 12 children a day are killed by guns.¹⁷
In 1998, 50,011 children were arrested in Louisiana. Of these arrests, 4.4% were for a violent crime and 1.1% were for possession of a weapon.¹⁸

Alcohol, Drugs, and Smoking

In 1997, 36% of Louisiana high school students were currently using cigarettes.¹⁹
According to the state alcohol and drug abuse directors, 376,360 Louisiana residents need alcohol and/or substance abuse treatment. ²⁰

Income Support

As of June 1999, the TANF program provided income support for food, shelter, clothing and other essential living expenses for 100,577 recipients in Louisiana.²¹
From January 1998 to June 1999, the number of Louisiana families receiving TANF income support assistance fell from 48,441 to 36,604. The number of U.S. families on TANF fell by 38.4% during this period.²²
In July 1999, the income of a family of three receiving TANF and Food Stamp benefits in Louisiana was 55%²³ below the federal poverty guideline of $13,880.²⁴
In 1997, 23.5% of child support cases in Louisiana collected support,²⁵ up from 16% in 1992.²⁶
In 1999, the average rent a family paid in Louisiana was $465. A worker in Louisiana earning the minimum federal wage would have to work 69 hours a week to afford this rent.²⁷ This rent is 244.7% of the maximum TANF cash assistance grant of $190 per month.²⁸

References

U.S. Bureau of the Census. (1999). Statistical abstract of the United States: 1997. (119 edition). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
U.S. Bureau of the Census. (1999). Annual demographic survey March supplement: Poverty status by state and ten large metropolitan areas in 1998. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Child Abuse and Neglect. (1998). Child maltreatment 1997: Reports from the states to the Child Abuse and Neglect. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
National Committee to Prevent Child Abuse (NCPCA). (1999). Current trends in child abuse reporting and fatalities: The results of the 1998 annual fifty state survey. Chicago, IL: NCPCA Publications.
Curtis, P., & Petit, M. (1999). Child abuse and neglect: A look at the states. The 1999 CWLA stat book. Washington, DC: Child Welfare League of America.
Curtis, P., & Petit, M. (1997). Child abuse and neglect: A look at the states. The 1997 CWLA stat book. Washington, DC: Child Welfare League of America.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Children's Bureau. (1999). Adoption Incentive Program Data. [Online]. Available: www. acf.dhhs.gov/programs.cb. North American Council on Adoptable Children (NACAC). (2000). Preliminary reports January-May 1999, state by state finalized adoptions. Minneapolis, MN: NACAC (* =NACAC totals, otherwise DHHS totals). CWLA calculations.
American Academy of Pediatrics. (November 23, 1999). Health Insurance status of U.S. Children through age 18, year 2000 projections. Elk Grove Village, IL.
The Kaiser Commission on the Future of Medicaid. (1997). Medicaid expenditures and beneficiaries: National and state profiles and trends, 1990-1995. Washington DC: Author.
The Alan Guttmacher Institute (1999). Teenage Pregnancy: Overall Trends and State by State Information. [Online]. Available: www.agi-usa.org. New York, NY: Author.
The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. (August 1999). Fact Sheet: Teen Pregnancy and Childbearing. [Online]. Available: www.teenpregnancy.org.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (1999). HIV/AIDS surveillance report. Vol.11, No.1. Washington, DC: Author.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (1996). HIV & AIDS trends. Washington, DC: Author.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children, Youth, and Families. (1999). Head Start statistical fact sheet. [Online]. Available: www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs. Washington, DC: Author.
U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (1998). Public school student, staff, and graduate counts by state, school year 1996-1997. [Online]. Available: www.nces.ed.gov. Calculation by National Library of Education.
U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (1997). Public school student, staff, and graduate counts by state, school year 1997-1998. [Online]. Available: www.nces.ed.gov. Calculation by National Library of Education.
Children's Defense Fund (1999). Children and Guns: A Children's Defense Fund Report on Children Dying from Gunfire in America. Washington, DC: Author.
U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation. (1999). Crime in the United States: 1998. Washington, DC: Author.
Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids. (2000). The Toll of Tobacco In the States. [Online]. Available: www.tobaacofreekids.org. Washington, DC: Author.
National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors. (1999). Alcohol and Other Drug treatment Needs. [Online]. Available: www.nasadad.org.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families. (1999). Change in welfare caseloads since enactment of new welfare law. [Online]. Available: www.acf.dhhs.gov/news/stats/aug-sept.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families. (1999). Change in welfare caseloads since enactment of new welfare law. [Online]. Available: www.acf.dhhs.gov/news/stats/case-fam.
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food, and Consumer Service. (1999). Food stamp program monthly allotments and deductions. Washington, DC: Author. Calculations by CWLA.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (1999). Annual update of the HHS poverty guidelines. Washington, DC: Author.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Child Support Enforcement. (1998). Preliminary statistical program status, FY 1997. Washington, DC: Author. Calculations by CWLA.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Child Support Enforcement. Calculations by Children's Defense Fund. (1994). The state of America's children yearbook: 1994. Washington, DC: Author.
National Low Income Housing Coalition. (1999). Estimated state metro FMR's and related characteristics. (1999). Washington, DC: Author.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families. (1999). TANF Report to Congress: work related provisions of state TANF plans. Washington, DC: Author. Calculations by CWLA.