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INCOME AND EARNINGS
NATIONAL SURVEY OF CHILD AND ADOLESCENT WELL-BEING
Measure: Income and Earnings Questions from the Income and Services Received Modules from the Current Caregiver Instrument
Source
The National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW) was designed as a result of The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PL104-193), which authorized the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to conduct a longitudinal study of the outcome of children in the welfare system. The NSCAW was designed by DHHS in consultation with many experts in child development and child welfare to study program, policy, and practice issues of concern to the federal, state, and local governments and to child welfare agencies.
The Income Module of the Current Caregiver Instrument is made up of project-developed questions that were specifically designed for use in the NSCAW surveys. The NSCAW instruments were developed by the Instrument Design Team, a group of researchers in child maltreatment, child development, social welfare, psychometrics, cognitive psychological aspects of survey interviewing, and administrative aspects of survey data collection operations. Members of the IDT worked with the Research Triangle Institute staff to develop the instruments.
Population Assessed
Overall, the two NSCAW sample components are made up of 6,227 children; 5,501 of those children had contact with the child welfare system within the 15-month period beginning in October 1999. The children range in age from birth to 14 years old; infants, children who have been abused sexually, and children who are receiving services were oversampled. The results of the survey can be generalized to the population that comes in contact with the child welfare system in the United States. (See survey description for more information on the population.)
Periodicity
Wave 1 data collection occurred between November 15, 1999, and April 30, 2001; Wave 2, between October 1, 2000, and March 31, 2002; and Wave 3, between April 1, 2001, and September 30, 2002. Wave 4 began October 1, 2002 and is scheduled to be completed by March 31, 2004. The current caregiver instrument is administered in all four waves of the survey.
Components
The current caregiver instrument contains an income module pertaining to the income of the child’s household, and there are income questions in the services received module. The income module addresses the income of the household in the reference period that is most convenient for the respondent. The module addresses the total income as well as the number of people dependent on that income. The module also addresses the receipt of WIC, TANF, disability checks (Supplemental Security Income [SSI]). The services received module does not address household income, but asks questions about help other than WIC, TANF, and SSI. It also addresses the insurance plan of the current caregiver.
Procedures for Administration
The most knowledgeable adult was asked about the child to complete the current caregiver survey. The survey is administered using computer-assisted interviewing. Sensitive questions are administered using audio computer-assisted self interviewing. Surveys are completed in person with the selected respondent. The average administration time is 92.9 minutes.
Psychometrics/Data Quality
The psychometric information is not yet available.
Languages Available
Except for copyrighted materials, all questionnaires were translated into Spanish from the original English versions.
Items Included
The items pertaining to Income and Earnings are below. For the entire questionnaires, please see the NSCAW User Manual, Appendix E.
Income Module of Current Caregiver Instrument:
The next questions are about income or income assistance available to [fill CHILD]’s household. By household, I mean all of the people who live here. Please remember that all information you provide will be kept confidential.
First, I need to know the total combined income of your family from all sources in the past 12 months. If you don’t know exactly, your best guess is okay.
Would it be easier for you to tell me total weekly, monthly, or yearly income?
Please look at the card and tell me which category comes closest to the total combined income of your family from all sources in the past 12 months?
| Per Week | Per Month | Per Year |
|---|---|---|
| Less Than $97 | Less Than $418 | Less Than $5,000 |
| 2 = $97-$192 | $418-$833 | $5,000-$9,999 |
| 3 = $193-$288 | $834-$1250 | $10,000-$14,999 |
| 4 = $289-$384 | $1251-$1666 | $15,000-$19,999 |
| 5 = $385-$480 | $1667-$2083 | $20,000-$24,999 |
| 6 = $481-$576 | $2084-$2500 | $25,000-$29,999 |
| 7 = $577-$673 | $2501-$2916 | $30,000-$34,999 |
| 8 = $674-$769 | $2917-$3,333 | $35,000-$39,999 |
| 9 = $770-$865 | $3334-$3750 | $40,000-$44,999 |
| 10 = $866-$961 | $3751-$4166 | $45,000-$49,999 |
| 11 = MORE THAN $961 | MORE THAN $4166 | $50,000 OR MORE |
How many people, including yourself, depend on this income?
At the present time, does anyone in this household receive child support for [fill CHILD}?
At the present time, does anyone in this household receive…
WIC (Women Infants, and Children), Food Stamps,
TANF, AFDC (Aid to Families with Dependent Children), General Assistance, or other public assistance including state-specific welfare programs (like MFIP, Calworks, Workfare, or Workfirst) Housing Support (like public housing or Section 8), or
A disability check (SSI)?
At any time in the past, did anyone in the household receive TANF or AFDC who does not receive it now?
In what month and year did this person stop receiving TANF/AFDC?
Services Received Module of Current Caregiver Instrument
In the last 12 months, have you gotten financial help besides what you may have gotten from TANF or SSI (like, emergency cash, help paying your bills, etc.)?
Did you receive this help from…
The child welfare agency or your caseworker,
A relative or friend,
A community group, like from a church, a community organization, or a family resource center,
Someone else?
In the last 12 months, how much have you needed financial help besides what you may have gotten from TANF or SSI? Would you say…
A lot,
Somewhat,
A little,
or Not at all?
The next questions are about your insurance coverage. What is your current insurance status? Are you covered by…
Medicaid or another state-funded program (including state equivalents like Medi-Cal),
Private insurance (including HMOs, PPOs, IPAs, fee-for-service, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, or employer plan),
CHAMPUS (military insurance), or
Do you not have insurance of any kind (completely self-pay)?
Is your plan…
Managed care, such as an HMO or preferred provider plan, where there may be some restrictions on choice of doctor or hospital, or
A more traditional health plan where there are no restrictions on choice of doctor or hospital?
Were any of the services you just reported receiving provided or paid for by the child welfare agency?
References and Source Documents
Dowd, K., Kinsey, S., Wheeless, S., Thissen, R., Richardson, J., Suresh, R., Mierzwa, F., Biemer, P., Johnson, I., and Lytle, T. (2003, September). National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being: Combined Waves 1-3 data file user’s manual. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University, National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect.
Dowd, K., Kinsey, S., Wheeless, S., Thissen, R., Richardson, J., Mierzwa, F., & Biemer, P. (2002, May). National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being: Wave 1 data file user’s manual. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University, National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect.
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