By Laura Meckler
The Associated Press

WASHINGTON - Not a single state has passed a rigorous test of its ability to protect children from child abuse and to find permanent homes for kids who often languish in foster care.

The 32 states evaluated so far could lose millions of dollars from the federal government if they fail to fix problems within a few years.

The problems of child welfare get periodic attention, usually following the tragic death of a child. The Child and Family Service Reviews are the first time federal officials have tried to measure how well children are faring across state systems created to protect them - but that often fall short.

The reviews ask whether children are bouncing from one foster home to the next, never able to put down roots; whether siblings taken from their parents are kept together or pulled apart; whether it takes a state too long to finalize adoptions or to send children back to their parents.

Affected are nearly 550,000 children in foster care and an estimated half million others living at home but under state supervision.

"There is a lot of work to be done," said Joan Ohl, commissioner of the Administration for Children, Youth and Families.

In the past, states were evaluated on bureaucratic benchmarks. Now, the questions are how many children are abused again after entering the system and whether parents are getting promised help.

The reviews merge dozens of questions into seven "outcomes" measurements.

(Story continues below graphic.)

Fourteen states have failed all seven. An additional 14, plus the District of Columbia, have failed six of the seven, and four states failed five. No state has passed more than two.

Problems were found in every state:

• In Tennessee, the agency did not respond to abuse reports in a timely manner nearly 30 percent of the time.

• In Michigan, more than one in four parents with children in foster care said they had not received needed services such as parenting classes or drug treatment.

• In Ohio, 27 percent of the time the agency did not make a diligent effort to help children in foster care maintain connections to family and community.

States acknowledge the problems and welcome a clear set of benchmarks for improvement, said Robert Lindecamp, director of the National Association of Public Child Welfare Administrators. "States don't have a problem with having a high standard," he said.

One problem common to all states is the huge load handled by child welfare caseworkers. The reviews found that families do better when caseworkers make more visits, but that requires money.

After the first round of reviews, scheduled for completion next year, states must write improvement plans. A second round of tests will determine if states made promised changes. If not, they could lose some of their federal child welfare money.

While the seven outcome measurements are the heart of the reviews, states are evaluated on their overall systems - for instance, do computer systems work and is training done properly. That brings the number of benchmarks to 14.

Whether states will make significant changes is an open question. Ohl says the examples of innovation by the states "are still more of the exception than the rule."

Benchmarks

Thirty-two states plus the District of Columbia have been evaluated so far under the Child and Family Service Reviews. They are tested on seven benchmarks that measure the impact of their systems on children and families. The benchmarks are divided into three categories: safety, permanence and well-being.

To pass, 90 percent of the cases reviewed in that state must be in compliance, and in some cases, statewide data must meet national standards. Results to date:

SAFETY:

• Children are, first and foremost, protected from abuse and neglect.

Pass: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, District of Columbia, Pennsylvania

Fail: Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, West Virginia, Wyoming.

Average portion of cases in compliance: 87 percent

Best: New York, 100 percent

Worst: Alaska, 62 percent

• Children are safely maintained in their homes whenever possible and appropriate

Pass: Arizona, Kansas, New Mexico, New York

Fail: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, West Virginia, Wyoming.

Average portion of cases in compliance: 82 percent

Best: New York, 92 percent

Worst: Alaska, 60 percent

PERMANENCY:

• Children have permanency and stability in their living situations

Pass: None

Fail: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, West Virginia, Wyoming.

Average portion of cases in compliance: 68 percent

Best: North Dakota, 92 percent

Worst: Kentucky, 7 percent

• The continuity of family relationships and connections is preserved for children

Pass: Florida, Massachusetts, North Dakota, Oregon, Texas

Fail: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, West Virginia, Wyoming.

Average portion of cases in compliance: 81 percent

Best: Oregon, 94 percent

Worst: Tennessee, 38 percent

WELL-BEING:

• Families have enhanced capacity to provide for their children's needs

Pass: None

Fail: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, West Virginia, Wyoming.

Average portion of cases in compliance: 66 percent

Best: New York, 86 percent

Worst: Alaska, 28 percent

• Children receive appropriate services to meet their educational needs

Pass: Colorado, Connecticut, Kansas, Kentucky, Montana, New York, North Dakota, Vermont

Fail: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia, Wyoming.

Average portion of cases in compliance: 82 percent

Best: Vermont, 96 percent

Worst: Indiana, 71 percent

• Children receive adequate services to meet their physical and mental health needs

Pass: Delaware

Fail: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, West Virginia, Wyoming.

Average portion of cases in compliance: 71 percent

Best: Delaware, 92 percent

Worst: District of Columbia, 55 percent