Home > Federal & State Reporting Systems > AFCARS Resources > Software Utilities

Software Utilities

The Children's Bureau has made the following software utilities available for download: State Data Compliance Utility (DCU), State Data Quality Utility (DQU) and State Frequency Utility (SFU). These utilities will assist States in preparing and submitting AFCARS data files. In addition to these utilities, States may download any or all AFCARS Technical Bulletins found on the Technical Bulletins page.

State Data Compliance Utility

The DCU contains the same data compliance checks as the Federal AFCARS and creates a report showing if a State AFCARS file meets Federal standards. The Children's Bureau recommends States use this utility before sending in their AFCARS submission to identify and correct problematic data. States may download the DCU, which is a self extracting file that includes the data compliance utility, Technical Bulletin #8 for its use and installation, and other supporting documentation.

State Data Quality Utility

The DQU performs comprehensive checks on AFCARS data to help States assess and improve data quality. The Children's Bureau recommends States use this utility to identify and correct data quality problems prior to submitting AFCARS data. States may download the DQU, which is a self extracting file that includes the data quality utility, Technical Bulletin #9 for its use and installation, and other supporting documentation.

State Frequency Report Utility

The Frequency Report Utility (FRU) is part of the ongoing technical assistance provided to States by the Children's Bureau for AFCARS. The report provides an overview of the number and type of raw responses being generated to a particular data element to help States assess and improve data quality. The report will be most useful to child welfare program staff to assess the overall view of the data collected on children in foster care and those who were adopted. States may download the FRU, which is a self-extracting file, and Technical Bulletin #12 which supports its use and installation.