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Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS)
State Guide to an AFCARS Assessment Review
3^rd Edition

February 2006

 

Prepared by:

U.S. Department Of Health And Human Services
Administration for Children and Families
Administration on Children, Youth and Families
Children's Bureau

 

Preface

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is committed to the collection of quality data to be used for policy development and program management at both the State and Federal levels. The use of the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) data is legislatively and programmatically significant for the administration and oversight of programs under titles IV-B and IV-E of the Social Security Act.

The Children's Bureau created the AFCARS Assessment Review process to assure the accuracy and reliability of the foster care and adoption data. During these reviews, the review team assesses the efficiency and effectiveness of States' data collection, extraction, and reporting processes, and provides intensive technical assistance to State staff responsible for those processes.

The Children's Bureau has also produced this State Guide to an AFCARS Assessment Review to provide guidance to State child welfare program and system staff regarding the AFCARS Assessment Review process. Revisions in this third edition are based on the Children's Bureau's experience from conducting AFCARS Assessment Reviews since the Guide was first issued in April 2002.

ACF welcomes comments and suggestions from those using this guide. Comments may be sent to:

Department of Health and Human Services
Administration for Children and Families
Administration on Children, Youth and Families
Children's Bureau
Director, Division of Program Implementation
1250 Maryland Avenue, SW, 8th Floor
Washington, D.C. 20024

The State Guide to an AFCARS Assessment Review is available for download on the Children's Bureau's web site at: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/systems/afcars/review.htm. The document is available in the following electronic file formats: HTML and PDF.

Table of Contents

Preface

Chapter I: Introduction

    A. Overview
    B. Audience
    C. Background
        1. AFCARS
        2. SACWIS
    D. Information System Reviews
    E. Authority
    F. Structure of the Guide

Chapter II: Overview of AFCARS Assessment Reviews

    A. Introduction
    B. Summary of AAR Phases
        1. AAR Initiation Phase
        2. Pre-Site Visit Phase
        3. On-Site Visit Phase
        4. Post-Site Visit Phase
        5. AFCARS Improvement Phase
    C. Requirements Subject to Review
    D. Rating Factors
    E. AAR Initiation Phase
        1. Federal Selection Process
        2. State Request for an AAR

Chapter III: The Review Teams

    A. Introduction
    B. Composition of the Review Teams
    C. Roles and Responsibilities of Team Members
        1. State Team
        2. Federal Team

Chapter IV: The Pre-Site Visit Phase

    A. Introduction
    B. Overview of the Pre-Site Visit Activities
    C. Documentation Exchange
    D. Test Cases
    E. Case File Review Preparation
    F. The On-Site Agenda
    G. Site Logistics

Chapter V: The On-Site Review Phase

    A. Introduction
    B. On-Site Logistics
    C. On-Site Review Activities
        1. Day 1 - Entrance Meeting and System Demonstration
        2. Day 2 - Case File Review
        3. Days 3 and 4 - Foster Care and Adoption Population and Data Elements
            a. Population and Data Element Review
            b. Document Review Findings
        4. Day 5 - Exit Conferencw

Chapter VI: The Post-Site Visit Phase

    A. Introduction
    B. Final Analysis
    C. Final Report
    D. Dissemination of the Final Report

Chapter VI: AFCARS Improvement Phase

    A. Introduction
    B. AFCARS Improvement Plan (AIP)
    C. Progress Report
    D. Close-Out of AFCARS Improvement Plan
    E. Technical Assistance

List of Exhibits

Exhibit 1: AFCARS Assessment Review Process
Exhibit 2: Rating Factors
Exhibit 3: Review Team Roles and Responsibilities
Exhibit 4: State Documentation List

Table of Contents: Appendices

Appendix A: Federal AFCARS Resources
Appendix B: AFCARS General Requirements
Appendix C: AFCARS Data Elements
Appendix D: State Activities Checklist
Appendix E: Instructions for Entering Test Cases
Appendix F: On-Site Agenda
Appendix G: Sample Case File Review Form

Attachments:

ACYF-CB-IM-02-05

State Guide to an AFCARS Assessment Review HTML or PDF(332 KB)