The table below contains the 11 most prevelant problems exhibited by parents in the community who have their children in Foster Care. Most Prevelent Barriers in Metro Region Barriers are problems or conditions that a caseworker identifies as requiring some resolution before a child can be returned home. The Metropolitan region is synonymous with Multnomah County. Over 450 case records of children entering substitute care were reviewed by researchers from the Child Welfare Partnership at Portland State University. The cases included only children entering care who stayed in care for at least two weeks in the year after the removal.
Physical abuse is the most common reason children are removed in foster care in Oregon.
The level of vulnerability is a child welfare priority system which considers the severity of abuse and age of the child. Children being removed from their homes in Multnomah County are being removed from some of the more severe situations in the state. Eighty percent of the children entering care in Multnomah County are identified as level 1, level 2, or level 3. Severe sexual abuse and threat of harm account for more than half the level 1 children entering foster care in Multnomah County. Ninety-five percent of the neglected children are identified in the highest levels and most involve chronic neglect of young children.