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Child and Family Services Reviews
Tips on Creating Onsite Review Schedules

The State child welfare agency planning for the onsite component of a Child and Family Services Review (CFSR) is responsible for preparing schedules for the following review team members at all three sites:

• Team Leaders (three Team Leaders: one from the National Review Team [NRT], one from the Children's Bureau Regional Office, and one from the State)
  
  
• Local Site Leaders (up to four Local Site Leaders for each of the teams that operate in the three sites: one from the NRT, one from the Children's Bureau Regional Office, one specially trained consultant, and one from the State)
  
  
• Reviewers (the number of reviewers varies by site)

The Children's Bureau has produced the following guidance and sample schedules that States may use in preparing review week schedules. Please note that the samples are not intended as mandatory templates.

• Sample Schedule for Team Leaders
  
  
• Sample Schedule for Local Site Leaders
  
  
• Sample Schedule for Reviewers

Creating Review Team Schedules

When developing review team schedules, States should:

• Allow time for some flexibility in the schedule (including providing review team members time for lunch).
  
  
• Provide the Team Leaders time to visit the three local sites during the week (if the geographic locations are within a reasonable travel distance).
  
  
• Include the names of the review team members on the schedule.
  
  
• Include the names and addresses of all meeting locations.
  
  
• Allow at least 2 hours for each pair of reviewers to review each case record. This should occur at the beginning of each morning (Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday) before the reviewer's first interview on the case.
  
  
• When possible, schedule case review activity (case record reviews and case-related interviews) so that one case is completed before beginning interviews for the next case. In addition, provide reviewers time to review cases (preferably during regular work hours) before conducting case-related interviews.
  
  
• Arrange for case-related interviews with the following: (1) the child (if school aged); (2) the child's parent(s); (3) the child's foster parent(s) if the child is in foster care, pre-adoptive parents(s), or other caregiver(s); (4) the family's agency caseworker; and (5) other professionals knowledgeable about the case. If necessary, a case-related interview can be scheduled after the debriefing. If face-to-face interviews cannot be arranged, telephone interviews are permissible.
  
  
• Allow for travel time to and from case-related and stakeholder interviews.
  
  
• Try to schedule the case-related interviews and local stakeholder interviews for completion by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, preferably earlier in the afternoon if possible.
  
  
• Note that the number of stakeholder interviews will vary from site to site and from State to State; 7-10 interviews at each site are recommended. Prepare one schedule of stakeholder interviews for the metropolitan site, at which there typically will be two review teams. The Local Site Leaders for the two review teams will discuss how they will manage the interviews.
  
  
• Ensure that the Local Site Leaders have time on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday to perform quality assurance checks of the completed Onsite Review Instruments.
  
  
• Allow time on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday evenings for local team debriefings (approximately 2 hours, preferably beginning at 5 p.m.).
  
  
• Designate time on Thursday morning to debrief cases that were not previously debriefed.
  
  
• Designate 3-4 hours Thursday morning or afternoon for each local team to complete the Summary of Findings Form for the local site (following the debriefing of all cases).
  
  
• Designate 30 minutes Thursday afternoon for a local exit conference after all cases have been debriefed and the local Summary of Findings Form has been completed.
  
  
• Allow Local Site Leaders time on Thursday afternoon following the local exit conference to travel to the location of the final statewide debriefing and exit conference.
  
  
• Schedule time on Friday morning for the statewide debriefing (approximately 5 hours, preferably from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.).
  
  
• Schedule the exit conference for Friday afternoon (approximately 1 hour, preferably from 2 to 3 p.m.).

For more information on developing review team schedules, States should review the sample schedules that follow and consult with their Children's Bureau Team Leader.

Child and Family Services Reviews Sample Onsite Review Activities for Team Leaders
Note: Actual activities will vary as time and distance permit. This document is intended to demonstrate the range of activities and suggested timeframes.
Monday
8:00-9:30	Attend State entrance conference (if scheduled) Receive tablet PC and related equipment and CFSR-related materials
9:30-11:30	Stakeholder interviews
11:30-12:30	Lunch break
12:30-3:30	Stakeholder interviews
3:30-5:00	Travel to one of the three sites for the local team debriefing, or conduct additional stakeholder interviews before traveling to the local site, as time and distance permit
5:00-7:00	Local team debriefing
Tuesday
8:00-12:00	Stakeholder interviews
12:00-1:00	Lunch break
1:00-3:30	Receive transfer of completed Instruments from Local Site Leaders Conduct stakeholder interviews and/or second-level quality assurance (QA) review of completed Onsite Review Instruments
3:30-5:00	Travel to one of the three sites for the local team debriefing, or conduct additional stakeholder interviews, as needed, before traveling to the local site, as time and distance permit
5:00-7:00	Attend local team debriefing Receive transfer of completed Instruments from Local Site Leaders Conduct second-level QA review of completed Onsite Review Instruments
Wednesday
9:00-12:00	Conduct stakeholder interviews and/or second level QA reviews of completed Onsite Review Instruments
12:00-1:00	Lunch break
1:00-3:30	Receive transfer of completed Instruments from Local Site Leaders Conduct stakeholder interviews and/or second level QA reviews of completed Onsite Review Instruments
3:30-5:00	Travel to one of the three sites for the local team debriefing, or conduct additional stakeholder interviews, as needed, before traveling to the local site, as time and distance permit
5:00-7:00	Attend local team debriefing Receive transfer of completed Instruments from Local Site Leaders Conduct second-level QA review of completed Onsite Review Instruments
Thursday
8:30-12:00	Attend local team debriefing Receive transfer of completed Instruments from Local Site Leaders
12:00-1:00	Lunch break
1:00-3:00	Receive transfer of completed Instruments from Local Site Leaders Participate with a local team in completing the Summary of Findings Form for the local site, or conduct second-level QA review of completed Onsite Review Instruments
3:00-4:00	Local exit conference [or earlier if possible; verify with the Local NRT Site Leader]
4:00 until	Receive final transfer of completed Instruments and Summary of Findings Forms from Local Site Leaders Travel to the site of the statewide debriefing and statewide exit conference, and continue second-level QA review of completed Onsite Review Instruments from the three sites until completed
Friday
8:00-1:00	Upload all cases to the CFSR Data Management System Compile the statewide Summary of Findings Form Conduct statewide debriefing Prepare statewide exit conference presentation
1:00-2:00	Lunch break
2:00-3:00	Statewide exit conference
3:00	Collect tablet PCs and related equipment from Local Site Leaders and prepare them for shipping; release to contractor providing onsite technical support for immediate shipment. Release Local Site Leaders.

Child and Family Services Reviews Sample Onsite Review Activities for Local Site Leaders
Note: Actual activities will vary as time and distance permit. This document is intended to demonstrate the range of activities and suggested timeframes.
Monday
8:00-8:30	Conduct local entrance conference Review and inventory documents shipped to review site Inventory tablet PCs and related equipment; distribute the equipment to reviewers, and have reviewers sign for equipment
8:30-9:30	Conduct local team meeting: Review case record and interview schedule Discuss debriefing and case transfer schedule Discuss responsibilities of each local site team member
9:30-10:00	Discuss case transfer schedule with Team Leaders
10:00-11:30	Conduct stakeholder interviews Consult with reviewers regarding case-specific issues
12:00-1:00	Lunch break
1:00-5:00	Conduct stakeholder interviews and/or consult with reviewers regarding case-specific issues Conduct quality assurance (QA) reviews of completed Onsite Review Instruments
5:00-7:00	Local team debriefing
7:00-9:00	Conduct stakeholder focus group Transfer completed Onsite Review Instruments from reviewers and conduct QA review
Tuesday
8:00-8:30	Discuss debriefing and case transfer schedule with reviewers
8:30-12:00	Conduct stakeholder interviews and/or QA review of completed Onsite Review Instruments Consult with reviewers regarding case-specific issues
12:00-1:00	Lunch break
1:00-5:00	Conduct stakeholder interviews Consult with reviewers regarding case-specific issues Transfer completed Onsite Review Instruments from reviewers and conduct QA review Transfer completed Instruments to Team Leader
5:00-7:00	Local team debriefing
7:00-9:00	Conduct stakeholder focus group, as needed Transfer completed Onsite Review Instruments from reviewers and conduct QA review
Wednesday
8:00-8:30	Discuss debriefing and case transfer schedule with reviewers
8:30-12:00	Conduct stakeholder interviews and/or QA review of completed Onsite Review Instruments Consult with reviewers regarding case-specific issues
12:00-1:00	Lunch break
1:00-5:00	Conduct stakeholder interviews and/or QA review of completed Onsite Review Instruments Consult with reviewers regarding case-specific issues
5:00-7:00	Local team debriefing
7:00 until	Transfer completed Instruments from reviewers and conduct QA review Transfer completed Instruments to Team Leader
Thursday
8:00-10:00	Transfer final completed Onsite Review Instruments from reviewers and complete QA review Facilitate the debriefing of remaining case record reviews, as needed, or complete the Summary of Findings Form for the local site
10:00-3:00	Complete the Summary of Findings Form/working lunch Transfer final completed Onsite Review Instruments to Team Leader
3:00-4:00	Facilitate local exit conference Transfer local Summary of Findings Form to Team Leader
4:00 until	Collect and inventory reviewer tablet PCs and related equipment; pack for shipment by State Local Site Leader Excuse reviewers from the review Travel to the site of the statewide debriefing and statewide exit conference
Friday
8:00-1:00	Attend statewide debriefing Assist Team Leader(s) in preparing for the statewide exit conference, if requested
1:00-2:00	Lunch break
2:00-3:00	Attend statewide exit conference
3:00	Turn over to contractor providing onsite technical support all equipment not already shipped and help prepare for shipping Dismissal from the review

Child and Family Services Reviews Sample Onsite Review Activities for Reviewers
Note: Actual activities will vary as time and distance permit. This document is intended to demonstrate the range of activities and suggested timeframes.
Monday
8:00-8:30	Local entrance conference Receive and sign for tablet PCs and related equipment
8:30-9:30	Local team meeting, as needed; discuss debriefing and case transfer schedule with Local Site Leaders
9:30-11:30	Begin reviewing the first case record Prepare for the first interview
11:30-12:30	Case-related interview
12:30-1:30	Lunch break
1:30-3:45	Case-related interviews
4:00-5:00	Complete the Onsite Review Instrument Inform Local Site Leaders when Onsite Review Instrument is complete
5:00-7:00	Local team debriefing [if additional case-related interviews need to be conducted, these should be scheduled to occur after the debriefing if possible]
Tuesday
8:00-9:00	Discuss debriefing and case transfer schedule with Local Site Leaders Review comments from Local Site Leaders on completed Onsite Review Instrument and make any necessary revisions Inform Local Site Leaders when revisions to Onsite Review Instrument are completed
9:00-10:45	Review the second case record
10:45-1:00	Case-related interviews
1:00-1:30	Lunch break
1:45-4:15	Case-related interviews
4:15-5:00	Complete the Onsite Review Instrument Inform Local Site Leaders when Onsite Review Instrument is complete
5:00-7:00	Local team debriefing [if additional case-related interviews need to be conducted, these should be scheduled to occur after the debriefing, if possible]
Wednesday
8:00-9:00	Discuss debriefing and case transfer schedule with Local Site Leaders Review comments from Local Site Leaders on completed Onsite Review Instrument and make any necessary revisions Inform Local Site Leaders when revisions to Onsite Review Instrument are completed
9:00-10:30	Review the third case record
10:45-1:00	Case-related interviews
1:00-1:30	Lunch break
1:45-4:15	Case-related interviews
4:15-5:00	Complete the Onsite Review Instrument Inform Local Site Leaders when Onsite Review Instrument is completed
5:00-7:00	Local team debriefing [if additional case-related interviews need to be conducted, these should be scheduled to occur after the debriefing, if possible]
Thursday
8:00-10:00	Review comments from Local Site Leaders on completed Onsite Review Instrument and make any necessary revisions Complete and submit remaining Onsite Review Instruments Inform Local Site Leaders when Onsite Review Instruments are complete Participate in debriefing the remaining cases, as needed [the Local Site Leader may begin this process earlier, as needed]
10:00-3:00	Assist in completing the Summary of Findings/working lunch
3:00-4:00	Local exit conference
4:00	Turn over tablet PCs and related equipment to Local Site Leaders Dismissal from the review