Appendix C
Data Submissions and CAF Data Elements
Child Maltreatment 2001
Child-level data are collected through an automated file composed of child-specific records. States that submitted child-level data used the Child File, which is a revision of the Detailed Case Data Component (DCDC). States that submitted the Child File also submitted the Agency File, which collects aggregate data on such items as preventive services and screened-out reports. The remaining States submitted their data using the Summary Data Component (SDC); see table C-1.
In order to provide State-level statistics, case-level data were aggregated by key variables for those States that submitted the Child File. The aggregated numbers from the Child File, the Agency file, and the SDC were combined into one data file —the Combined Aggregate File (CAF). Creating this new file enabled the three data sources to be merged into one file that would provide State-level data for all the States. The data element list for the CAF is provided in table C-2.
The majority of analyses in this report are based upon the data in the CAF. This data file will be available from the National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect (NDACAN). Certain analyses are based on the full child-level data files submitted by the States. These State data files will also be available from NDACAN. Analyses based on the full State file are indicated by Child File in their title.
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