Home > Child Welfare Monitoring > General Information > Child and Family Services Reviews Update > Volume 3, Issue 1, February 2007

Child and Family Services Reviews Update

 

Volume 3, Issue 1, February 2007

In This Issue:
Revised National Standards Are Announced
Children's Bureau to Launch CFSR E-Training Platform
Revisions to the Fiscal Year 2007 Review Schedule
Consultant Reviewer Update
State Team Trainings Scheduled for FY 2007
New Materials Available on the Children's Bureau Web Site

Revised National Standards Are Announced

The national standards used to determine, in part, a State's substantial conformity during the Child and Family Services Reviews have been updated. The national standards to be used for the second round of reviews were originally published in the Federal Register on June 7, 2006 (Vol. 71, No. 109, pages 32969-32987). This announcement also set forth the data measures and data composites to be used during the second round of reviews. After publishing the original standards, the Children's Bureau determined that some revisions to the standards and the data measure specifications were necessary in order to better target the outcome being assessed.

In addition to the revised national standards, the definition of foster parents was revised to mirror that used by the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) and revisions were made to the methodology for computing the data composites.

The full text of the announcement is available at: http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20071800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2007/pdf/E7-808.pdf (PDF - 172 KB).

Children's Bureau To Launch CFSR E-Training Platform

To prepare Onsite Review Team members for the upcoming Child and Family Services Reviews (CFSRs), the Children's Bureau developed a Web-based training platform. This platform is available to anyone selected to participate in an onsite review and requires a username and password for access.

The platform supplements training sessions held throughout the country to prepare Onsite Review Team members for the reviews. It includes information on the history of the CFSRs, CFSR procedures, and tools and tutorials relating to the case record reviews and stakeholder interviews conducted during the onsite reviews. In addition, users can select resources based on their role in the review. For example, reviewers can reference guidance on conducting case-related interviews, while Local Site Leaders may choose to access guidance on conducting stakeholder interviews.

A key element of the training platform is the online tutorials for the new automated Onsite Review Instrument and the Stakeholder Interview Guide. Quizzes allow users to test their knowledge of the content and navigation of the instruments. The site also provides access to key CFSR documents, including the recently updated CFSR Procedures Manual, a summary of changes to the instruments used during the CFSRs, and the fiscal year 2007 review schedule.

Revisions to Fiscal Year 2007 Review Schedule

Revisions have been made to the schedule for the second round of Child and Family Services Reviews, which begin in March. The Texas review, originally scheduled for July 9-13, has been re-scheduled until fiscal year 2008. Also, the Indiana review has been rescheduled from April 23-27 to July 9-13. The following is the complete revised schedule:

Delaware: March 5-9
North Carolina: March 26-30
Vermont: April 9-13
New Mexico: May 7-11
Georgia: May 14-18
Kansas: June 11-15
District of Columbia: June 25-29
Indiana: July 9-13
Massachusetts: July 23-27
Arizona: August 6-10
Alabama: August 13-17
Oklahoma: August 20-24
Oregon: September 10-14
Minnesota: September 24-28

Consultant Reviewer Update

The fiscal year 2007 Child and Family Services Reviews Consultant Reviewer Trainings have been completed. A limited number of consultants were trained for the first 14 reviews since only 5 training sessions were available. Consultants who were not trained this year, will have another opportunity during fiscal year 2008. The Child Welfare Review Projects, which are managed by JBS International, Inc., will be contacting all consultant reviewer applicants in the coming months to determine their continued interest in serving as a reviewer and to verify contact information.

The Child Welfare Review Projects also continue to accept applications from eligible individuals. Information regarding consultant recruitment and the application process is available on the Children's Bureau Web site at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/cwmonitoring/recruit/con-recruit.htm.

State Team Trainings Scheduled for Fiscal Year 2007

Approximately 2 weeks prior to the start of each onsite review, a training is held for the designated State members of the Onsite Review Team. These team members, who make up the State Review Team, are selected by the State Team Leader. The training is mandatory for State Review Team members and also should include individuals who will serve as backup team members. The 2-day training is conducted in the State by JBS International, Inc., on behalf of the Children's Bureau.

The schedule for the fiscal year 2007 State Team Trainings is as follows:

Delaware: February 21-22
North Carolina: March 13-14
Vermont: March 29-30
New Mexico: April 24-25
Georgia: May 3-4
Kansas: May 29-30
District of Columbia: June 12-13
Indiana: June 26-27
Massachusetts: July 9-10
Arizona: July 19-20
Alabama: July 31-August 1
Oklahoma: August 9-10
Oregon: August 21-22
Minnesota: September 11-12

CFSR Materials Are Available on the Children's Bureau Web Site

Revised CFSR materials are being posted to the Child Welfare Monitoring section of the Children's Bureau Web site to allow easy access to the materials States and individuals participating in upcoming reviews. Revised versions of the Child and Family Services Reviews Procedures Manual and Statewide Assessment Instrument are posted at: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/cwmonitoring/tools_guide/index.htm. Revised versions of other review instruments, including the Onsite Review Instrument and Instructions, Stakeholder Interview Guide, Summary of Findings Form, and State Policy Submission Form will be posted soon.

Additional information about the reviews, including the revised fiscal year 2007 review schedule and fact sheets about the reviews, is also available on the site.

 

The Child and Family Services Reviews Update is designed for professionals interested in the Children's Bureau Child and Family Services Reviews. It is supported by the Children's Bureau, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and published by the Child Welfare Review Project, which is managed by JBS International, Inc. For more information, contact the Child Welfare Review Project by e-mail at cw@jbsinternational.com or by telephone at (301) 565-3260.