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Children's Bureau
Child and Family Services Reviews
Philosophy and Conceptual Framework

Updated March 2007

The Child and Family Services Reviews (CFSRs), authorized by the 1994 Amendments to the Social Security Act (SSA) and administered by the Children's Bureau, Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), provide a unique opportunity for the Federal Government and State child welfare agencies to work as a team in assessing States' capacity to promote positive outcomes for children and families engaged in the child welfare system.

The child and family services reviews are based on a number of central principles and concepts, including the following:

• Partnership Between the Federal and State Governments

The CFSRs are a Federal-State collaborative effort. A review team composed of both Federal and State staff conducts the reviews and evaluates State performance.

• Examination of Outcomes of Services to Children and Families and State Agency Systems That Affect Those Services

The reviews examine State programs from two perspectives. First, the reviews assess the outcomes of services provided to children and families. Second, they examine systemic factors that affect the agency's ability to help children and families achieve positive outcomes.

• Identification of State Needs and Strengths

The reviews are designed to capture both State program strengths and areas needing improvement. The reviews include a program improvement process that States use to make improvements, where needed, and build on identified State strengths.

• Use of Multiple Sources To Assess State Performance

The review team collects information from a variety of sources to make decisions about a State's performance. These sources include a Statewide Assessment, completed by State members of the review team; data; onsite reviews of a sample of case records and case-related interviews with children, parents, foster parents, and caseworkers and other professionals knowledgeable about a case; and interviews with State and community stakeholders.

• Promotion of Practice Principles

Through the reviews, the Children’s Bureau promotes States' use of practice principles believed to support positive outcomes for children and families. These are family-centered practice, community-based services, individualizing services that address the unique needs of children and families, and strengthening parents’ capacity to protect and provide for children.

• Emphasis on Accountability

The reviews emphasize accountability. While the review process includes opportunities for States to make program improvements before having Federal funds withheld because of nonconformity, there are significant penalties associated with the failure to make the improvements needed to attain substantial conformity.

• Focus on Improving Systems

State child welfare agencies determined to be out of conformity through the review develop Program Improvement Plans (PIP) for strengthening their systems' capacity to create positive outcomes for children and families. The Children’s Bureau provides support to States during the PIP development and implementation process.

• Enhancement of State Capacity To Become Self-Evaluating

Through conducting the Statewide Assessment and participating in the onsite review, States will become familiar with the process of examining outcomes for children and families and systemic factors that affect those outcomes. They can adapt this process for use in the ongoing evaluation of their systems and programs.