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The pre-review conference call is held between the ACF and the State agency representatives at least 45 calendar days before the on-site review and after ACF's review of material submitted by the State agency, including the approved State plans for titles IV-E and IV-A. On-site, the discussion topics may supplement the training provided to the team before its review of case records. The ACF Regional Office leads the pre-review and on-site discussions and uses the State agency material to guide the discussions.
Case Sampling. Discuss the case selection process, including:
Period Under Review (PUR)
Whether a stratified sample should be drawn for the primary review to include juvenile justice cases or other special title IV-E populations, and whether a 10 percent oversample of cases is sufficient
Payment History. Discuss information contained in the payment history and request supplemental information when data is questionable or missing.
Policy and Practice. Ask the State agency to describe its practice and applicable statute or policy concerning:
Removals and Legal Documentation
How does a child typically come into foster care (for example, court order, voluntarily placed or relinquished), including timeframes applicable to removal and mechanism for initiating court removals (for example, removal petitions)?
Are court petitions filed, and, if so, when, and for what purpose?
What kinds of court orders are used to remove children (for example, pick-up order, endorsement, emergency, shelter, etc.)?
What constitutes a bona fide court order? Is a signature required, and, if so, who must sign and who may sign in lieu of the mandated signer? Is an electronic signature or a signature stamp permissible? Must it be dated?
In what type of court proceeding, and how frequently is the "reasonable efforts to finalize the permanency plan" determined?
When does the definitive finding of child abuse or neglect typically occur, and in what type of court proceeding and court order (for example, adjudicatory hearing)?
How does the State agency define trial home visits?
Does the State agency claim title IV-E reimbursement for children voluntarily placed? Who may enter into a voluntary placement agreement and what is the duration of such an agreement?
AFDC Relatedness
How does the State agency ensure that Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) eligibility is determined using the July 16, 1996, look-back date or an earlier date (use of manual or automated files, State plan requirements concerning need standard, deprivation, and age and school attendance)? What types of documentation verify eligibility for each requirement?
What is the date of title IV-E State plan approval to implement the provision stemming from the court decision, Rosales v. Thompson? (Applies to States in the Ninth Circuit, United States Court of Appeals.)
How is eligibility determined and agency endorsement of the eligibility decision documented?
How often is AFDC eligibility re-determined? How does the State agency ensure that AFDC eligibility is determined using the appropriate begin date of the AFDC eligibility requirements? What documentation will be in the record?
Does the State agency exercise the option to pay title IV-E foster care maintenance payments on behalf of youth over the age of 18? If so, under what conditions?
Are there title IV-E agreements for placement and care between the State agency and another public agency or federally recognized tribe in the State?
How does the State agency document that the State agency, or an entity with a title IV-E agreement, had placement and care responsibility for the title IV-E eligible child, including an 18-year-old youth?
Licensure
What mechanism does the State agency use to authorize facilities to operate as foster care providers (for example, licensing, approval) and which entities are regulated to authorize the foster care providers?
What types of facilities are authorized to operate as foster care providers (for example, foster family homes, childcare institutions)?
What types of licenses or approvals are issued to foster family homes and childcare institutions and under what conditions (for example, full, temporary, provisional)?
How often are licenses or approvals renewed? What happens when a license or approval expires? What is the State policy on lapsed licenses or approvals and on a facility placed on probation?
What documentation verifies licensure or approval of the child's placement with an in-State or out-of-State foster care provider?
Safety
For States that did not opt out of the criminal records check provision, what is the begin date for implementation of the requirement? (If implementation was delayed, what is the ACF approval date?) How does the State agency document the completion of criminal record checks for prospective foster parents who reside within and outside the State?
For States that opted out of the criminal records check provision, what mechanism is used to determine the safety risks of prospective foster parents? What documentation verifies compliance with the safety requirements for a child placed with in-State and out-of-State foster care providers?
For childcare institutions, what mechanism is used to determine the safety risks of facility staff? What documentation verifies compliance with the safety requirements for a child placed with in-State and out-of-State foster care providers?
On-Site Review Logistics and Activities. Discuss plans for the logistical arrangements for team members and on-site activities during the review week, including:
Hotel accommodations and travel arrangements
Room space requirements for reading records and conferences
Record preparation, location, and sample numbering
Team composition and expected work hours
Use of electronic files
Review week agenda
Next Steps. Determine whether an additional conference call is necessary and what additional information, such as the placement history, the State agency should provide for the on-site review.
