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Child and Family Services Reviews Update

 

Volume 2, Issue 5, June 2006

In This Issue:
New CFSR Data Composites Finalized
New Information on the Children's Bureau Web Site

ACF Announces New CFSR Data Composites

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) has announced the new data measures, data composites, and national standards that will replace the six national data standards used during the first round of Child and Family Services Reviews (CFSRs) to assess the performance of State child welfare agencies (71 FR 32969, 6/7/2006).

In November 2005, the ACF published a proposal to replace the existing six data measures with six new data composites (see Child and Family Services Reviews Update, Vol. 2, Issue 2, http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/cwmonitoring/cfsr/nov05.htm). The ACF received 66 comment letters from State and local child welfare agencies, courts, advocacy groups, and associations regarding the proposal. After reviewing these comments, the ACF has decided to replace the existing measures with four data composites and two single measures instead of the six composites proposed in November.

The two individual data measures will be used as part of the assessment of substantial conformity with Safety Outcome 1. The measures relate to recurrence of maltreatment and maltreatment of children in foster care. The remaining four data composites will be used as part of the assessment of State performance on Permanency Outcome 1. The four composites, which reflect the general domain assessed by the data, include: timeliness and permanency of reunifications, timeliness of adoptions, achieving permanency for children in foster care for extended periods of time, and placement stability.

Each of the four composites is made up of one or more components, which are the general factors that contribute to the composite score. Each component contributes equally to the composite score, and is made up of one or more measures, which provide the actual data for the analysis. The weight of each measure, or the contribution to the component score, is determined using a statistical technique called principal components analysis.

The ACF has developed national standards for the data considered in the reviews and will use the standards as part of the assessment of State conformity with the safety and permanency outcomes. While the ACF noted that many of the comments received recommended against establishing national standards, the ACF said, "We believe that setting national goals for the field is an important part of ensuring that Federal, State, and local agencies remain focused on achieving the highest level of results for children who come into contact with the nation's child welfare system."

According to the Federal Register announcement, the new data composites and measures will not require States to revise their basic data systems because all required data comes from existing the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) and the Child File of the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS). States that do not submit data to the NCANDS Child File will be permitted to use alternative data sources.

The ACF notes in the announcement that the new data composites and statistical technique used may represent a new conceptual framework for some States. The ACF, therefore, plans to conduct meetings with State agency staff in each ACF Region to further explain the composites and methodology before beginning the next round of CFSRs.

The full text of the Federal Register announcement is available on the Internet at: http://frwebgate1.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/waisgate.cgi?WAISdocID=69046475635+0+0+0&WAISaction=retrieve.

New Information Available on the Children's Bureau Web Site

Two new documents relating to the Child and Family Services Reviews (CFSRs) have been posted on the Child Welfare Monitoring section of the newly revised Children's Bureau Web site. The documents are based on presentations made by the Children's Bureau at recent conferences.

"CFSR Technical Bulletin #1: Implementation Training" (http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/cwmonitoring/general_info/CFSR_technical_bulletin/sld001.htm) provides information on the background of the technical bulletin, which was released in November 2005. The bulletin contains information on the Administration for Children and Families' approach to the second round of CFSRs and to evaluating States' achievement of the goals outlined in the Program Improvement Plans (PIPs) developed after the first round of CFSRs. The presentation further explains the information contained in the bulletin, summarizes the changes from the previous reviews, and provides examples of the new timeframes for the data profiles. The full text of the technical bulletin also is available on the Web site at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/cwmonitoring/general_info/tech_bull.htm.

A second document, "52 Program Improvement Plans: Strategies for Improving Child Welfare Services and Outcomes" (http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/cwmonitoring/results/pip_presentation_final/sld001.htm), provides information about the PIP process and summarizes the common issues that States were required to address in their PIPs and strategies that States used to address these issues.

 

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@jbs1.com or by telephone at (301) 565-3260.