Children in foster care in Hawaii are far likelier than those in other states to live with a family, rather than in a group setting, and to be placed with relatives, new data show.

When kids are removed from their homes in Hawaii because of abuse or neglect, 92 percent are placed in families, well above the national average of 84 percent, according to a Kids Count report, "Every Kid Needs a Family," released Tuesday by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

The ratio ranges from a low of 64 percent in Colo­rado to a high of 94 percent in Oregon, Washington state, Nevada and Maine.

"As a state, we are ahead of the curve in terms of placement with family, and we’re ahead of the curve in terms of a low rate of re-abuse," said Laurie Tochiki, executive director of EPIC Ohana, a nonprofit that works to strengthen families and support foster youth.

"Honestly, I think a big part of that is that Hawaii is ahead in terms of really bringing in the extended ohana to support the families when they’re in trouble."

The Kids Count report said group placements, including institutions, are the least favorable setting for children in foster care. Nationally, on any given day, 1 in 7 foster children are living in group placements. For teens the ratio jumps to 1 out of every 3, the report said.

"Many children — especially teens — are sent to a group placement as their very first experience after being removed from home," the report said.

Only a small percentage of youth have such complex needs that they need to be in a residential treatment facility, it said. Group placements also are seven to 10 times the cost of placing a child with a family.

Kids Count is a national effort to track the status of children in the United States led by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, a private charity based in Baltimore.

"Kids who grow up in families have the best chances for success through life," said Ivette Rodriguez Stern, the Hawaii Kids Count project director.

The report calls on states to do more to recruit, strengthen and retain more foster families, whether relatives of the child or not. Kin are often favored because they are known and offer a connection to the child’s identity and culture when birth parents cannot care for a child.

Hawaii was ranked first in the nation for the percentage of foster children placed with relatives and seventh in the stability of placements while in foster care, according to the state Department of Human Services’ 2014 annual report.

At the same time, children in the Aloha State are at low risk of re-abuse once the state steps in. About 1 percent of children in Hawaii who have received child protective services have another report of abuse or neglect within six months. That is the second-lowest rate among the states, according to Child Maltreatment 2013, a report by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The national standard is to keep recurrence of abuse below 5 percent.

"The state has been working diligently to place children with families where appropriate, and they do so using a standardized assessment tool based on best practices," said Kayla Rosenfeld, spokes­woman for the state Department of Human Services.

Over the past decade, the number of children in foster care fell by more than half in Hawaii, to 2,231 last year from 5,001 in 2005, according to the department. In low-risk cases the state offers Family Strengthening Services if appropriate rather than immediate removal.

"I think Hawaii does very well compared to other states," said Marianne Berry, director of the Center on the Family at the University of Hawaii. "The data show that. Some of what’s recommended in the Kids Count policy report is already taking place in Hawaii, which is the good news."

In January, Hawaii won approval to use federal foster care dollars not just on kids who are in care, but also to try to keep them out of foster care in the first place and to expedite finding permanent families for those lingering in the system, she said. It is one of 35 states in the demonstration project, with each developing its own initiatives.

The impetus for the effort came after a thorough evaluation of the data.

"The state did a very careful review of the kinds of kids who are in foster care in Hawaii and noticed that the larger populations were those who came into foster care for a very short period and were able to come out fairly quickly," Berry said. The other large group comprised those in foster care for nine months or longer.

On the front end, Hawaii’s plan includes having a "crisis response team" available evenings and weekends that can be sent out to assess the situation and deploy supportive services immediately in hopes of keeping families intact, she said.

On the "back end," the goal is to ramp up efforts to get long-term foster children either back home or in a permanent situation such as adoption or guardianship, she said.

"We want a lifelong family for these kids," said Berry, who is the lead evaluator for the demonstration project in Hawaii.

May is National Foster Care Month, and an information session for potential foster families is scheduled for Wednesday in Kalihi. (See box.)

"There is always a need," said Cindy Shi­ma­bu­kuro, assistant project director at Hui Ho‘o­malu, a statewide initiative that focuses on recruiting, training and supporting foster families. "The state puts a lot of emphasis on trying to match the right child with the right home in the right area that can fit the needs of the child."

Hui Ho‘omalu includes Partners in Development Foundation, Catholic Charities Hawaii and Family Programs Hawaii.

"We definitely would love for anybody who’s interested in opening up their home to give us a call," Shi­ma­bu­kuro said. "The biggest need is for families who will take teens and sibling groups of three or more. There are some large sibling groups coming in that would be great to find a home that could keep them together."