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Content Summary
The 2001 KIDS COUNT Factbook provides statistical data on the status of children in cities and towns across the state of Rhode Island, and is an important resource for community leaders and policy-makers. This seventh annual work also includes an aggregate profile based on data from five core cities (Providence, Pawtucket, Woonsocket, Newport, and Central Falls) in which more than fifteen percent of children are impoverished. Using the most current available data, The 2001 KIDS COUNT Factbook presents 43 indicators in the areas of Family and Community, Economic Well-Being, Health, Safety, and Education. New safety indicators for 2001 include “Juveniles at the Training School” and “Children in Out-of-Home Placement.”

Major Findings
Child Deaths
Unintentional injuries disproportionately affect poor children, young children, males, rural children, children in families with low levels of education and employment, and minorities.
Black children have the highest death rate of any ethnic group.
Teen Deaths
The death rate for male teens as a result of homicide involving firearms is almost 8 times as high for Hispanic youth and almost 19 times as high for Black youth as it is for White youth.
Teen White males have the highest suicide rates.
Homeless Children
Poverty and lack of affordable housing are factors in family homelessness that have put the Emergency Shelter system in Rhode Island at maximum capacity
Homeless Youth
Adolescents who have supportive relationships with adults and peers have a protective factor in their lives, regardless of their race, ethnicity, family structure, or poverty status.
Juveniles Referred to Family Court
Of all minors taken into custody in 2000 in Rhode Island, 66% were White, 18% were Black, 13% were Hispanic, and 3% were Asian.
Juveniles at the Training School
In 1996, secure detention was nearly twice as likely for Black youth as for Whites, even after controlling for the nature of the offense.
Of the juveniles in the Training School in January 2001, 41% were White, non- Hispanic; 22% were Black, non-Hispanic; 25% were Hispanic; 3% were Asian; and 2% were Native American.
Children Witnessing Domestic Violence
In 1999, police reports indicate that children were present in 37% of domestic violence incidents reported.
Child Abuse and Neglect
The most common cases of child abuse and neglect in 2000 were neglect (most often involving lack of supervision by a caretaker), physical abuse, sexual abuse, medical neglect, and emotional abuse.
Children in Out-of-Home Placement
Poor families and families of color are more likely to be identified by the child welfare system and are more likely to have their children removed or placed in foster care.
Once in foster care, children of color are more likely to remain there for long periods of time, and to experience multiple placements in different homes.
In 2000, 55% of children in foster care homes in Rhode Island were White, 25% were Black, 14% were Hispanic, 1% was Asian, and 1% was American Indian.

Unaddressed Issues or Concerns
This report includes statistics on sexual abuse in Rhode Island, but concedes that the reported number of incidents is most likely an underestimate. Although financial difficulties were included among reasons why a family may lack the resources to meet a child’s post-assault needs, a 2001 report found race to be a significant factor in the types of social reactions victims receive, primarily for Hispanic and mixed race individuals. The study also found that lower class ethnic minorities receive more negative social reactions after disclosing their sexual assaults. The report points to the effect of social systems, and especially race, on predicting post-traumatic stress disorder severity in sexual assault victims.

Reference List
Ulman, Sarah E. and Henrietta H. Filipas. “Predictors of PTSD Symptom Severity and Social Reactions in Sexual Assault Victims.” Journal of Traumatic Stress 14.2 (2001): 369-389.

How to Access Report
http://www.rikidscount.org/matriarch/LinksPage.asp_
Q_PageID_E_195_A_PageName_E_2001Factbook