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Children's Bureau
Title IV-E Foster Care Eligibility Reviews
Peer Reviewer Qualifications

The title IV-E Foster Care Program was created by U.S. Public Law 96-272, as set forth in title IV, Part E, of the Social Security Act. Title IV-E foster care funds enable States to provide foster care for children who were or would have been eligible for assistance from Aid to Families With Dependent Children (AFDC) under the State's approved title IV-A plan (as in effect on July 16, 1996), but for removal from their home (at the child's removal from the home, the AFDC financial need determination is based on the family's income; after 1 year in foster care, AFDC financial need must be redetermined and is based on the child's income). The IV-E program is administered by the Children's Bureau, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The title IV-E foster care eligibility reviews (FC eligibility reviews) enable the Federal Government to validate the accuracy of State claims for reimbursement of payments made on behalf of children placed in foster care homes and institutions. To that end, the review team conducts case record reviews using the Title IV-E Foster Care Eligibility Onsite Review Instrument and Instructions.

The IV-E Review Project, part of the Child Welfare Reviews Project, assists the Children's Bureau in recruiting and maintaining a national peer reviewer pool of 200 child welfare professionals who meet the established minimum education and experience requirements. The qualifications for individuals interested in participating as peer reviewers appear below:

Minimum Peer Reviewer Requirements

• 2 years of direct field experience and/or supervisory, administrative, or management experience in a public (Federal, State, or local) or private child welfare agency. This may include providing services or supervising, administering, or managing programs in any of the following: (1)foster care, (2)quality assurance, (3)determining IV-E eligibility, (4) program evaluation, and/or (5)program compliance.

• Bachelor's or Master's Degree in social work, human services, public administration, social sciences, or a closely related field or 5 or more years of title IV-E (or IV-A) program eligibility experience.

• Strong assessment skills, including the ability to (1) gather information from documented case record files, (2) review the collection of information from various sources contained in the case records, (3) compile information obtained from various sources contained in the case records, and (4) make professional judgments regarding eligibility based on the information contained in the case records.

• Demonstrated skills in interviewing the following stakeholders either individually or as a group: (1) children and families who receive child and family services and (2) representatives of organizations involved in the child and family service delivery process.

• Demonstrated written and verbal communication skills.

• Availability and willingness to travel to other States to participate in weeklong review activities.

Preferred Peer Reviewer Requirements

• Master's Degree in social work, human services, public administration, social sciences, or a closely related field.

• Supervisory, administrative, and/or management experience in a public (Federal, State, or local) or private child welfare agency.

• Experience conducting quality assurance evaluations of child welfare programs.

• Experience working with or evaluating title IV-E foster care programs.

For more information on the IV-E reviews please contact the Child Welfare Reviews Project.