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AFCARS Assessment Review Findings - Foster Care Data Elements
|
| AFCARS Data Element | Rating Factor |
Comments/Notes |
|---|---|---|
| #1 State | 4 | |
| #2 Report Date | 4 | |
| #3 Local Agency(County or Equivalent Jurisdiction) | 4 | |
| #4 Record Number | 4 | Working storage indicates this is a running sequential number. For clarity, change this language to indicate an encrypted number is used by the District. |
|
#5 Date of Most Recent Periodic Review (if applicable) ___(mo) ___ (day)____(year) |
4 |
Program code: Paragraphs 52100 (page 36), 80080 (pg. 52)
This field is initialized to zero. The program code extracts the most recent review date that occurred prior to the end of the report period and after the current removal date. Additionally, the program code extracts the later of the administrative review or the court review date. |
|
#6 Child Birth Date ___(mo) ___ (day)____(year) |
4 | |
|
#7 Child Sex 1 = Male 2 = Female |
4 | |
|
#8 Child's Race a. American Indian or Alaska Native b. Asian c. Black or African American d. Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander e. White f. Unable to Determine |
3 |
Frequency Report (n = 3,159): Two or more races = 29 (.92%)
The screen has fields for primary and secondary race. The secondary race field can have multiple selections. The program code is initialized to zero. If no race information is found, and each race category is set to zero, then the race elements are correctly mapped to space. The number of records indicating multi-racial information appears to be low compared to the 2000 Census data. Race is information that is to be self-reported by the client or his/her parents. |
|
#9 Hispanic/Latino Origin 1 = Yes 2 = No 3 = Unable to Determine |
3 |
Frequency Report (n = 3,159): Yes = 110 (3.48%); No = 2,927 (92.97%); Unable to Determine = 18 (.57%); Not Reported = 94 (2.98%)
The number of records reported as "yes" appears to be underreported. The District needs to focus on training for workers to ask clients their race and ensure that case workers are recording all races for an individual. |
|
#10 Has the child been clinically diagnosed as having a disability(ies)? 1=Yes 2=No 3=Not yet Determined If yes, indicate each type of a disability with a "1." |
2 |
Program Code: Paragraph 50000, LN 1440 - 1555 Screen: General Information, Other tab Frequency Report (n = 3,159): Yes = 1,203 (38.09%); No = 1,956 (61.92%); Not Yet Determined = 0 The screen contains this question and has the selections of "yes," no" and "not yet determined." The District has a policy that a child is to receive a health screening within 30 days of his/her removal from home. The district has an interface with the hospital, which was implemented in 2003. The District has nurses that enter the foster children's health data into FACES. The program code is not extracting all of the responses from the selection list. The program code checks for a "yes" and if the response is not a "yes," this element is incorrectly mapped to "no," even if the selection on the screen was "not yet determined." The program code must check for each response and map it accordingly. Based on the case file analysis, there appears to be no internal consistency check for the fields on the input screens. Case file review findings: 12 (18%) of the records analyzed did not match what was reported in AFCARS. In six of the error cases, the correct response should have been "yes" instead of "no." In four of these cases, there was a response of "applies" in one of the conditions listed in element #11 - 15 and a response of "no" for element #10. Additionally, one case was correctly reported as "yes" and there were no conditions checked as "applies." Post site-visit revised program code analysis: Paragraph 50000, LN 1389. The District submitted corrected program code. The program code was changed to evaluate the responses entered onto the screen and maps them accordingly. Each AFCARS value is now included. |
|
For #11 - 15: Space must be available to accommodate all AFCARS disabilities. [0 = Does not apply] 1 = Applies |
Program Code: Paragraph 50000, LN 1440 - 1555 Screen: General Information, Other tab There are several incorrectly mapped conditions. Some of the conditions need to be removed from the mapping and others are mapped to the wrong AFCARS category. Primarily, many of the medical conditions that are mapped to "other diagnosed condition" should not be included. Acute conditions should not be mapped. The program code will extract and map information that is entered as a diagnosed condition regardless of the answer to element #10. In the case file review, there were cases reported to AFCARS as having a condition coded as "applies," but the answer to element #10 was "no." An error message may need to be added to alert workers when an answer is "no" or "not yet determined" to the question whether the child has a diagnosed disability, but conditions are selected. Post site-visit revised program code analysis: Paragraph 50000, LN 1434 - 1563. The District has changed the way the program code was written. However, the values being mapped are still incorrect. There are several incorrectly mapped conditions. Some of the conditions need to be removed from the mapping and others are mapped to the wrong AFCARS category. Primarily, many of the medical conditions that are mapped to "other diagnosed condition" should not be included. Acute conditions should not be mapped. |
|
| #11 Mental Retardation | 2 |
Frequency Report (n = 3,159): Does not Apply = 3,122 (98.83%); Applies = 37 (1.17%) Case file review findings: 7 (10%) of the records analyzed did not match what was reported in AFCARS. |
| #12 Visually/Hearing Impaired | 2 | Frequency Report (n = 3,159): Does not Apply = 2,791 (88.35%); Applies = 368 (11.6%) |
| #13 Physically Disabled | 2 | Frequency Report (n = 3,159): Does not Apply = 3,042 (96.30%); Applies = 117 (3.70%) |
| #14 Emotionally Disturbed | 2 |
Frequency Report (n = 3,159): Does not Apply = 2,189 (69.29%); Applies = 970 (30.71) Case file review findings: 7 (10%) of the records analyzed did not match what was reported in AFCARS. |
| #15 Other Diagnosed Condition | 2 | Frequency Report (n = 3,159): Does not Apply = 3,090 (97.82%); Applies = 69 (2.18%) |
|
#16 Has this child ever been adopted?
1 = Yes 2 = No 3 = Unable to Determine |
3 |
Program code: Paragraph 50000, LN 1396 Frequency Report (n = 3,159): Yes = 28 (.89%); No = 2,893 (91.58%); Unable to Determine = 51 (1.61%); Not Reported = 187 (5.92%) This field is initialized to zero. If the field is left blank, this element is correctly mapped to space. The numbers in the frequency report for this element and element #17 do not match. There are 28 responses for "yes" but only 15 records with an age in element #17. The number for "no" in this element does not match the number of "not applicable" for element #17. The screen needs to have consistency edits or alert messages added. If the answer to the question "has this child been previously adopted?" is "yes," and the response to the age field is "not applicable" or "unable to determine," an alert should appear notifying the worker of the inconsistency and to correct the field that has the wrong information. Workers need to ensure that this data is entered into the system. |
|
#17 If yes, how old was the child when the adoption was legalized? [0 = Not Applicable] 1 = less than 2 years old 2 = 2-5 years old 3 = 6-12 years old 4 = 13 years or older 5 = Unable to Determine |
3 |
The program code incorrectly maps a "3, unable to determine" in element #16 to zero (not applicable) for this element. "Not applicable" should only be used if "no" is the answer to element #16. The program code and screen contain the option "unable to determine." If a worker selects "yes" for foster care element #16, but does not know the age and selects "unable to determine," the response for this element is incorrectly "unable to determine" instead of blank. "Unable to determine" means the child was abandoned. Post site-visit revised program code analysis: Paragraph 50000, LN1410. The program code was modified by removing the section that maps "no" and "unable to determine" to "not applicable" for this element. The code still contains the value of "217, not applicable." |
|
#18 Date of First Removal from Home ___(mo) ___ (day)____(year) |
3 |
If a date is not found, the program code maps spaces. Based on the case file review, the accuracy and quality of the data needs to be improved. If the incorrect dates are due to data conversion issues, the workers need to clean up the data in the system and the State needs to resubmit the data files. Case file review findings: 16 (25%) of the records analyzed did not match what was reported in AFCARS. The significant issues relate to the actual dates of removal and the use of third - party releases. There were cases in which the actual date of first removal was more than a year earlier than the date reported in AFCARS. Also, there were instances where the date reported in AFCARS was the date of the court order for removal and not the actual date of physical removal. In the cases where there was orders for a third-party release, it was unclear if the agency actually had "care and placement" of the child, and if so, when it began or ended. |
| #19 Total Number of Removals from Home | 3 |
Based on the case file review, the accuracy and quality of the data needs to be improved. If the incorrect dates are due to data conversion issues, the workers need to clean up the data in the system. Case file review findings: 10 (16%) of the records analyzed did not match what was reported in AFCARS. The errors reflect inaccuracies in the actual number of removals from home. The reviewers found that in most of the error cases the child actually had more removals than what had been reported to AFCARS. The other issue relates to the use of "conditional releases." The meaning and interpretation of "conditional release" affects the number of removals. If the agency actually retained care and placement responsibility, then the re-entry would have been a continuation of the original removal order and would not have been a new removal from home. This same issue also relates to the District's use of "protective supervision." It was not clear if the agency also had care and placement responsibility. According to information in the AFCARS file, it seems that the agency did not have responsibility, but it is not clear in the reviewer's notes. If the agency did not have care and placement responsibility (the child was never removed from his/her home), then the child should not have been in the AFCARS reporting population. |
|
#20 Date Child was Discharged from last foster care episode (if applicable) ___(mo) ___ (day)____(year) |
3 |
If the total number of removals is equal to one, spaces are correctly mapped to this element. Case file review findings: 12 (21%) of the records analyzed did not match what was reported in AFCARS. In general the dates reported to AFCARS were not the actual dates of discharge from the previous removal episode. It is likely that this is a data conversion issue. The program code that extracts the data for this element is correct. |
|
#21 Date of Latest Removal ___(mo) ___ (day)____(year) |
3 |
Based on the case file review, the accuracy and quality of the data needs to be improved. If the incorrect dates are due to data conversion issues, the workers need to clean up the data in the system. Case file review findings: 18 (29%) of the records analyzed did not match what was reported in AFCARS. Two of the issues are the same as those listed in element #18. There were dates reported that were court dates and not the actual date of removal. Also, the reviewers found dates that were earlier than the dates reported in AFCARS. There was also the same issue related to the third-party releases. |
|
#22 Date of Latest Removal Transaction Date ___(mo) ___ (day)____(year) |
4 | |
|
#23 Date of Placement in Current Foster Care Setting ___(mo) ___ (day)____(year) |
3 |
Program code: Paragraph 50000, LN 1618 and paragraph 80065, LN 1620. Screen: Placement and Non-paid placement There were eight percent of the records missing dates for a current placement setting for the data report under review. The worker is able to enter a start and end date for each placement, or runaway (abscondance). Case file review findings: 25 (40%) of the records analyzed did not match what was reported in AFCARS. There were errors in the actual placement dates, three should have had dates that were earlier than what was reported, and two had later dates than what were reported in AFCARS. There were issues with missing data. This field was reported with missing data (reviewer found the date), yet there was a placement count reported in element #24 or a placement setting in element #41. Also, there were missing data for this element and element #41, and the child was 17. In another error case, the information for elements #23 and #24 was blank and the child had been in care since October 2003. One of the error cases appears to reflect the date the aunt was licensed as a foster parent and not the date the child was placed with the aunt. |
| #24 Number of Previous Placement Settings in This Episode | 3 |
Program code: Paragraph 50000, LN 1626 and paragraph 80068, LN = 3471. The District is not correctly counting respites, hospital and psychiatric hospital stays, and runaways. The District can hospitalize a child for up to 21 days for a psychological assessment. This can be extended after the 21 days. If the "placement" in the hospital exceeds 21 days, it must be counted in the number of placements. Post site-visit revised program code analysis: Paragraph 80068, LN 3511. Program code was added to evaluate the type of a hospital stay, abscondance and respite. If the stay is less than 21 days, these types of "placements" are not included in the placement count. The program code then evaluates whether the placement is more than 21 days for all hospital stays and respite. If the stay is more than 21 days, the placement is increased by one. Case file review findings: 20 (34%) of the records analyzed did not match what was reported in AFCARS. There were six error cases in which the number of placements decreased based on the case file review. There were eleven error cases in which the number of placements increased based on the case file review. Post site-visit revised program code analysis: Paragraph 50000, LN 1629 and paragraph 80068, LN 3468 and 3517. The program code was modified to include the "exit" date of the placement in relation to the end of the report period. |
|
#25 Manner of Removal From Home for Current placement Episode 1 = Voluntary 2 = Court Ordered 3 = Not Yet Determined |
3 |
Program code: Paragraph 50000, LN 1639. This field is initialized to zero. The staff indicated that "voluntary placement agreements" are very rare. The District's current policy requires the agency to obtain a court order. "Voluntary relinquishments" are incorrectly mapped to "voluntary agreement." This should be mapped to "not yet determined." Post site-visit revised program code analysis: Paragraph 50000, LN 1646 - 1659. The District corrected the program code; "voluntary relinquishment" is now mapped to "not yet determined." "Administrative hold" and "police hold" need to be mapped to "not yet determined." Post site-visit revised program code analysis: Paragraph 50000, LN 1646 - 1659. The District corrected the program code. These values are now mapped to "not yet determined." The values "3038," "19539, non-committed child of teen," and "22788, conditional release, 3rd party" need to be removed from the program code. Post site-visit revised program code analysis: Paragraph 50000, LN 1646 - 1659. The codes "3038," "19539," and "22788" were removed from the program code. If the District implements a policy for "72-hour hold," this should map to "not yet determined." |
|
Actions or Conditions Associated With Child's Removal (Indicate all that apply with a "1".) [0-Does not Apply] 1-Applies |
Program code: Paragraphs 52500 and 83000 The program code is initialized to zero. There is an edit that if all categories are "does not apply," the program code checks the "allegation table." The only values in this table are "physical abuse," "neglect," or "sexual abuse." The case file review findings indicate this information is being underreported. Training and supervisory oversight needs to be implemented to ensure that all conditions associated with why a child was removed from his/her home are entered into the system. |
|
| #26 Physical Abuse | 3 | Case file review findings: 8 (11%) of the records analyzed did not match what was reported in AFCARS. |
| #27 Sexual Abuse | 4 | |
| #28 Neglect | 3 | Case file review findings: 13 (19%) of the records analyzed did not match what was reported in AFCARS. |
| #29 Parent Alcohol Abuse | 3 | Case file review findings: 7 (10%) of the records analyzed did not match what was reported in AFCARS. |
| #30 Parent Drug Abuse | 3 | Case file review findings: 15 (22%) of the records analyzed did not match what was reported in AFCARS. |
| #31 Child Alcohol Abuse | 3 | Case file review findings: 7 (10%) of the records analyzed did not match what was reported in AFCARS. |
| #32 Child Drug Abuse | 3 | Case file review findings: 7 (10%) of the records analyzed did not match what was reported in AFCARS. |
| #33 Child Disability | 3 | |
| #34 Child's Behavior Problem | 3 | |
| #35 Death of Parent | 3 | |
| #36 Incarceration of Parent | 3 | |
| #37 Caretaker Inability to Cope Due to Illness or Other Reasons | 3 | Case file review findings: 8 (12%) of the records analyzed did not match what was reported in AFCARS. |
| #38 Abandonment | 3 | Case file review findings: 10 (15%) of the records analyzed did not match what was reported in AFCARS. |
| #39 Relinquishment | 3 | |
| #40 Inadequate Housing | 3 | |
|
#41 Current Placement Setting 1 = Pre-Adoptive Home 2 = Foster Family Home-Relative 3 = Foster Family Home-Non-Relative 4 = Group Home 5 = Institution 6 = Supervised Independent Living 7 = Runaway 8 = Trial Home Visit |
3 |
Frequency Report (n = 3,159): Pre-Adoptive Home = 721 (22.82%); Foster Family Home-Relative = 517 (16.37%); Foster Family Home-Non-relative = 1,129 (35.74%); Group Home = 219 (6.93%); Institution = 64 (2.03%); Supervised Independent Living = 231 (7.31%); Runaway = 22 (.70%); Trial Home Visit = 0; Not Reported = 256 (8.10%) The number of records missing data is higher than expected. The District needs to ensure that all placement information is entered into the system, including placements in "contracted" settings. The number of records missing a placement setting was also the same as those missing a placement date in element #23. |
|
#42 Is Current Placement Out-of-State? 1=Yes (Out of State placement) 2=No (In-State placement) |
3 |
Program code: Paragraph 51000, LN 2112 and paragraph 80100, LN 3793. Missing data are mapped to "no." This needs to be corrected and missing data should be mapped to blank. Post site-visit revised program code analysis: Paragraph 51000, LN 2159 and paragraph 80100. The program code was modified. Paragraph 51000 is now initialized to spaces. The program code also was modified to evaluate the values for all the States, the District, and Puerto Rico. If the value is "2135, DC," it is mapped to "no" otherwise, it is mapped to "yes." Also, zeroes are mapped to spaces. |
|
#43 Most recent case plan goal 1 = Reunify With Parent(s) Or Principal Caretaker(s) 2 = Live With Relative(s) 3 = Adoption 4 = Long-Term Foster Care 5 = Emancipation 6 = Guardianship 7 = Case Plan Goal Not Yet Established |
3 |
Program code: Paragraph 80110 This field is initialized to space. The program code selects the permanency plan for the current removal episode that occurs prior to the end of the report period. The program code checks for "worker recommended" and "staffing" and whether the date is less than six months from date of removal. This logic needs to be removed from the program code. It is acceptable for a record to be blank or reported as "not yet established" for up to 60 days from the date of removal. After that, if no case plan was entered, this element must be reported as a blank. Post site-visit revised program code analysis: Paragraph 80110. This section of the program code was removed. Also, the program code was modified to evaluate if a blank field represents a child in care for less than two months. The program code adds two months to the date of removal and if it is greater than the end of the report period, this element is mapped to "not yet determined." Otherwise, this element remains blank. The codes 6146 and 6147 are inactive codes and need to be removed from the program code. Post site-visit revised program code analysis: Paragraph 80110. These values were removed. The District is drafting policy guidance for "alternative planned living arrangement." According to drafts shown to the Federal team there is implications for how these new goals should be mapped to AFCARS. Based on the draft language, one of the choices may be mapped to "emancipation." However, the other option should be mapped to "long-term foster care." The District needs to follow-up with ACF once these goals are effective in policy, in order to receive further guidance on how to map them to AFCARS. Case file review findings: 10 (16%) of the records analyzed did not match what was reported in AFCARS. There were three error cases in which the data were missing in AFCARS, but the reviewer found a goal. In these cases, the child had been care between two months and several years. There were also errors in what the goal should have been versus what was reported to AFCARS. Post site-visit revised program code analysis: Paragraph 80110. The District removed the duplicate code in the program. |
|
#44 Caretaker Family Structure 1 = Married Couple 2 = Unmarried Couple 3 = Single Female 4 = Single Male 5 = Unable to Determine |
3 |
Program code: Paragraph 50000, LN 1761 The program code is initialized to zero. Divorced male and female are incorrectly mapped to "married." Post site-visit revised program code analysis: Paragraph 50000, LN1767. The program code was modified to map "2268, divorced female" to "single female" and to map "2267, divorced male" to "single male." The value "18945, unmarried couple with one parent present" is incorrectly mapped to "unable to determine." It should be mapped to "unmarried couple." Post site-visit revised program code analysis: Paragraph 50000, LN1790. The program code was modified to map "18945, unmarried couple with one parent present" to "unmarried couple." Case file review findings: 33 (58%) of the records analyzed did not match what was reported in AFCARS. There were a significant number of records with the value "unable to determine" reported in AFCARS and either the reviewers found the information or, in some instances, there was information on one or both caretakers' dates of birth. In one instance, the AFCARS data indicated "single female," but there was a date of birth reported for the second caretaker. |
|
#45 1st Primary Caretaker's Birth Year ___(mo) ___ (day)____(year) |
3 |
Initialized to zero. Case file review findings: 8 (15%) of the records analyzed did not match what was reported in AFCARS. There were a few errors where the date was incorrect. The other errors related to issues identified in element #44. A record with the value "unable to determine" was reported in element #44, but the reviewer found a date of birth for the primary caretaker. |
|
#46 2nd Primary Caretaker's Birth Year (if applicable) ___(mo) ___ (day)____(year) |
3 |
Initialized to zero. Case file review findings: 7 (12%) of the records analyzed did not match what was reported in AFCARS. See the issues outlined in element #44. |
|
#47 Mother's Date of TPR ___(mo) ___ (day)____(year) |
3 |
The program code checks for an effective date. If it is blank, it looks for an occurrence date in the status table. DC needs to check what the purpose is for paragraph 82000, non client parent. |
|
#48 Legal or Putative Father's TPR ___(mo) ___ (day)____(year) |
3 | Case file review findings: 7 (11%) of the records analyzed did not match what was reported in AFCARS. |
|
#49 Foster Family Structure 0 = Not Applicable 1 = Married Couple 2 = Unmarried Couple 3 = Single Female 4 = Single Male |
3 |
The program code checks if the placement setting is a pre-adoptive home or a relative/non-relative foster family home. If the child's placement is not a foster home setting, this element is correctly mapped to zero, "not applicable." This element is initialized to zeroes and, if no information is found, is correctly mapped to spaces. "Unable to determine" is mapped to "not applicable." It should be mapped to blank. Post site-visit revised program code analysis: The District modified the code by removing "1459, unable to determine" (LN 2267 - 2302). Divorced is mapped to "married." It should be mapped to "single." Post site -visit revised program code analysis: The program code now includes the value "1345, divorced" and if it is selected the program code will check the gender of the foster parent and map it accordingly to either single male or female (LN 2270). Case file review findings: 33 (59%) of the records analyzed did not match what was reported in AFCARS. There were several error cases in which this element was reported as missing data but element #41 indicated the child was in a foster home. Some of these were identified as being cases placed with contracted placement agencies. Post site-visit revised program code analysis: The District also modified the program code by adding "349, unknown" and mapping it to spaces (LN 2267 - 2302). |
| #50 1st Foster Caretaker's Birth Year | 3 |
Program code: LN 2196 - 2213, 2262 and paragraph 52000 and 80155 This element is initialized to spaces and, if no information is found, is mapped to spaces. The program code checks if the placement setting is a pre-adoptive home, a relative, or non-relative foster family home. If the child's placement is not a foster home setting, this element is correctly mapped to spaces. Case file review findings: 28 (55%) of the records analyzed did not match what was reported in AFCARS. There were situations in which this element was missing data, the child was in a foster home, and the reviewers found the information in the case file. |
| #51 2nd Foster Caretaker's Birth Year | 3 |
Program code: LN 2196 - 2213, 2359 paragraph 52000 and 80155 This element is initialized to spaces and, if no information is found, is mapped to spaces. The program code checks if the placement setting is a pre-adoptive home, a relative, or non-relative foster family home. If the child's placement is not a foster home setting, this element is correctly mapped to spaces. Case file review findings: 12 (32%) of the records analyzed did not match what was reported in AFCARS. The errors in this element relate to those listed for element #49. There were situations in which this element was reported as blank, but there was a marital status reported in element #49. Also, there was data reported for this element, but element #49 was blank. |
|
#52 1st Foster Caretaker's Race a. American Indian or Alaska Native b. Asian c. Black or African American d. Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander e. White f. Unable to Determine |
3 |
Program code: LN 2196 - 2213, 2272 paragraph 52000 and 80155 This element is initialized to zeroes and, if no information is found, is mapped to spaces. The program code checks if the placement setting is a pre-adoptive home, a relative, or non-relative foster family home. If the child's placement is not a foster home setting, this element is correctly mapped to spaces. The screen has fields for primary and secondary race. The secondary race can have multiple selections. The number of records indicating multi-racial information appears to be low. The District needs to focus on training of workers to ask clients their race and ensure that case workers are recording all races for an individual. Case file review findings: 24 (43%) of the records analyzed did not match what was reported in AFCARS. Of those missing data in #49, two records had information reported for this element and it was correct. In another case the data was missing, but the reviewer found the information in the case file. |
|
#53 1st Foster Caretaker's Hispanic or Latino Origin 1 = Yes 2 = No 3 = Unable to Determine |
3 |
Program code: LN 2196 - 2213, 2322 paragraph 52000 and 80155 The program code checks if the placement setting is a pre-adoptive home, a relative, or non-relative foster family home. If the child's placement is not a foster home setting, then this element is correctly mapped to spaces. This element is initialized to zeroes and if no information is found is mapped to spaces. The number of records indicating Hispanic/Latino information appears to be low. The District needs to focus on training of workers to ask clients their ethnic origin and ensure that case workers are recording the information. Case file review findings: 30 (54%) of the records analyzed did not match what was reported in AFCARS. The errors are related to issues previously discussed regarding missing data in either this element or for element #49. |
|
#54 2nd Foster Caretaker's Race (if applicable) a. American Indian or Alaska Native b. Asian c. Black or African American d. Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander e. White f. Unable to Determine |
3 |
Program code: LN 2196 - 2213, 2369 paragraph 52000 and 80155 The program code checks if the placement setting is a pre-adoptive home, a relative, or non-relative foster family home. If the child's placement is not a foster home setting, then this element is correctly mapped to spaces. If the child is in a non-foster home setting, this is mapped to spaces. The screen has fields for primary and secondary race. The secondary race can have multiple selections. The number of records indicating multi-racial information appears to be low. The District needs to focus on training of workers to ask clients their race and ensure that case workers are recording all races for an individual. Case file review findings: 12 (29%) of the records analyzed did not match what was reported in AFCARS. The errors are related to issues previously discussed regarding missing data in either this element or for element #49. |
|
#55 2nd Foster Caretaker's Hispanic Origin [0 = Not Applicable] 1 = Yes 2 = No 3 = Unable to Determine |
3 |
Program code: LN 2196 - 2213, 2416 paragraph 52000 and 80155 The program code checks if the placement setting is a pre-adoptive home, a relative, or non-relative foster family home. If the child's placement is not a foster home setting, this element is correctly mapped to spaces. This element is initialized to zeroes and, if no information is found, is mapped to spaces. The number of records indicating Hispanic/Latino information appears to be low. The District needs to focus on training of workers to ask clients their ethnic origin and ensure that case workers are recording the information. Based on the case file findings, the District needs to ensure that if information is reported in both element #49 and this element, that it is consistent. Case file review findings: 14 (34%) of the records analyzed did not match what was reported in AFCARS. There were several issues resulting from the case file review. There were instances in which a marital status was reported in AFCARS as "married," but there were no data reported for this element. There also were instances where there were data reported for this element, but the foster family structure was blank. |
|
#56 Date of Discharge from foster care ___(mo) ___ (day)____(year) |
4 | Program code: LN 2162 and paragraph 50000 |
|
#57 Date of Discharge Transaction Date ___(mo) ___ (day)____(year) |
4 | Program code: LN 2163 and paragraph 50000 |
|
#58 Reason for Discharge [0 = Not Applicable] 1 = Reunification with Parent(s) or Primary Caretaker(s) 2 = Living with Other Relative(s) 3 = Adoption 4 = Emancipation 5 = Guardianship 6 = Transfer to Another Agency 7 = Runaway 8 = Death of Child |
3 |
Program code: LN 2158; The District maps "third party, non-relative" to "reunification." This is incorrect. The District needs to provide additional clarification on this status to the Children's Bureau. Post site-visit revised program code analysis: The program code was changed to map "24629, third party, non-relative" to "guardianship" (LN 2196). "Other" is mapped to "not applicable." It should be mapped to blank. Post site-visit revised program code analysis: "Other" was removed from the program code. |
| #59 Title IV-E (Foster Care) | 4 | Checks for "debit." |
| #60 Title IV-E (Adoption Subsidy) | 4 |
Checks for "debit." The District currently does not claim title IV-E adoption subsidy for foster care. |
| #61 Title IV-A | 4 | The district does not use title IV-A for foster care. |
| #62 Title IV-D (Child Support) | 3 |
Program code: LN 1976 and paragraphs 50000 and 80170 Screens: Income and Funding Source The program code checks for eligibility, not payment. There is a child support screen with a court order tab where information can be entered to record what has been ordered by the court. There also is a client account screen that records a payment for child support. The District needs to evaluate where the code goes to extract the information. Post site-visit revised program code analysis: Paragraph 80170 was modified to check for payments not eligibility during the report period. Also, program code was added at line number 1985 to check for an income type code of 1145-child support. If one is found and it is within the report period, this element is set to "applies." The revised program code now checks both screens for a child support payment. The District is addressing issues related to implementing the Child Support interface. |
| #63 Title XIX (Medicaid) | 4 | |
| #64 SSI or other Social Security Act Benefits | 4 | |
| #65 None of the Above | 3 |
Program code: LN 2020 and paragraph 50000 Screens: Income and Funding Source The program code only checks for other types of Federal funding sources if elements #59 - 64 are all "does not apply." If another source of Federal funding is found and was paid on behalf of the child during the report period, the program code will map "applies." If elements #59 - 64 are all "does not apply" and no other sources of Federal funds are found, the program code will correctly set this element to "applies." There is another screen that includes "other assets." The program code does not check for these. Therefore, if any other asset was a source of income during the report period, it does not get mapped to this element. Post site-visit revised program code: The District modified the program code by adding logic to check for other sources of income. If there is an amount that is paid during the report period, this element will be set to "applies." |
| #66. Amount Of Monthly Foster Care payment (regardless of source) | 4 |
| AFCARS Data Element | Rating Factor |
Comments/Notes |
|---|---|---|
| #1 State FIPS Code | 4 | |
| #2 Report Period End Date | 4 | |
| #3 Record Number | 4 | Working storage indicates this is a running sequential number. For clarity, change this language to "this is an encrypted case number." |
|
#4 State Agency Involvement 1 = Yes 2 = No |
4 | |
|
#5 Child Date of Birth Month/Year |
4 | |
|
#6 Child Sex 1 = Male 2 = Female |
4 | |
|
#7 Child Race a = American Indian or Alaskan Native b = Asian c = Black or African American d = Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander e = White f = Unable to Determine |
3 |
Program code: Paragraphs 50000, Line number (LN) 1097 - 1137. During the post-site visit review of documentation and notes, an error in this element was found. This field is initialized to zeros. If no race information is found, then this element is mapped to "unable to determine" (LN 1135). This field should be initialized to blanks and, if no information is found, should be mapped to spaces. |
|
#8 Child Hispanic Origin 1 = Yes 2 = No 3 = Unable to Determine |
3 |
Program code: Paragraph 50000, Line number (LN) 1095 and 1143 - 1151. This field is initialized to "no." It should be initialized to space. Post site-visit revised program code: The program code was modified and this field is now initialized to spaces (50000, LN 1059). The value "other" is mapped to "unable to determine." It should be mapped to blank. Post site-visit revised program code: The program code was modified and "other" was changed to "5004" and is mapped to "blank." |
|
#9 Has Agency Determined Special Needs? 1 = Yes 2 = No |
3 |
Program code: Paragraph 51000, LN 1745; paragraph 80047, LN 2594 This field is initialized to spaces. The value "other" is mapped to "no." This should be mapped to spaces. Post site-visit revised program code: The program code was revised by removing the mapping of "other." |
|
#10 Primary Basis for Determining Special Needs 0 = Not Applicable 1 = Racial/Original Background 2 = Age 3 = Membership in a Sibling Group 4 = Medical Conditions or Mental, Physical or Emotional Disabilities 5 = Other State Defined Special Needs |
3 |
Program code: Paragraph 51000, LN 1746; paragraph 80047, LN 2602 This field is initialized to spaces. The district considers any child age two or more as being special needs. The value "other" is mapped to "not applicable." It should be spaces. Post site-visit revised program code: The program code was corrected. If element #9 is "no," then element #10 should be "not applicable." Post site-visit revised program code: The program code was modified to map this element to "not applicable" when element #9 is "no." If the response to element #9 is missing, then this element should be left blank. Post site-visit revised program code: The program code was corrected. |
|
#11 - 15 Diagnosed Medical Conditions or Mental, Physical or Emotional Disabilities [as a special need] #11 Mental Retardation #12 Visually/Hearing Impaired. #13 Physically Disabled #14 Emotionally Disturbed #15 Other Diagnosed Condition |
2 |
Program code: Paragraph 50000, LN 1164 - 1388 Elements #11 - 15 are initialized to zeros instead of blanks. In adoption, these elements need to be initialized to blanks and left blank if the response to element #10 is values zero through three and number five. There are several incorrectly mapped conditions. Some of the conditions need to be removed from the mapping and others are mapped to the wrong AFCARS category. Primarily, many of the medical conditions that are mapped to "other diagnosed condition" should not be included. Acute conditions should not be mapped. Post site-visit revised program code analysis: Paragraph 50000, LN 1078 - 1217. The District has changed the way the program code was written. However, the values being mapped are still incorrect. There are several incorrectly mapped conditions. Some of the conditions need to be removed from the mapping and others are mapped to the wrong AFCARS category. Primarily, many of the medical conditions that are mapped to "other diagnosed condition" should not be included. Acute conditions should not be mapped. |
| #16 Mother's Birth Year | 4 |
This field is initialized to spaces. |
| #17 Father's Birth Year | 3 |
Based on the case file review the data was not reported to AFCARS, however, the reviewers were able to find the information in the paper file. Case file review findings: 4 (19%) of the records analyzed did not match what was reported in AFCARS. |
|
#18 Mother Married at Time of Birth 1 = Yes 2 = No 3 = Unable to Determine |
2 |
Program code: Paragraph 50500, LN 1589 - 1597 and LN1687 - 1711 Screens: Adoption General Information and Cohab The general information screen contains this question. Also, there is a screen (the "cohab" screen) where information regarding marriages can be entered. This screen contains the fields "begin date," "end date," and "status." The Frequency Report indicates a 100% response rate of "unable to determine." During the case record review the reviewers found the information. At line number 1595, "other" is incorrectly mapped to "unable to determine." Post site-visit revised program code analysis: Paragraph 50500, LN 1498 - 1507. The value "other" was replaced with the value "617, unable to determine" and appropriately mapped to the AFCARS value "3." The program code also checks the "cohab" table and compares the child's date of birth to the start end date of mom's marital status (LN1687) and it is initialized to "unable to determine." Also, "unknown" is mapped to "unable to determine." Because of the high number of "unable to determine" responses, it appears this field is not being completed. Post site-visit revised program code analysis: The program code at line number 1588 is initialized to spaces. "Unknown" is still mapped to "unable to determine." This question needs to be added to a foster care case management screen or the client general information screen. If this question is left on the adoption screen, then it should be populated by the response from the case management screen. Case file review findings: 3 (100%) of the records analyzed did not match what was reported in AFCARS. In every record the response for AFCARS was "unable to determine." It seems unlikely that all the children adopted in this report period had been abandoned children. In three records the reviewer was clearly able to determine the mother's marital status. Post site-visit revised program code analysis: This section was rewritten. The program code looks at client table for the biological mom's info. |
| #19 Date of Mother's TPR | 3 |
Program code: Paragraph 40000, LN 1019. The program code checks for the last date of TPR for the mom. The case file review draft findings indicate inconsistencies between the dates reported in AFCARS and the case file. Case file review findings: 3 (11%) of the records analyzed did not match what was reported in AFCARS. |
| #20 Date of Father's TPR | 3 |
Program code: Paragraph 40000, LN 1012. The program code checks for the last date of TPR for the dad. The case file review draft findings indicate inconsistencies between the dates reported in AFCARS and the case file. |
| #21 Date Adoption Legalized | 4 | |
|
#22 Adoptive Family Structure 1 = Married Couple 2 = Unmarried Couple 3 = Single Female 4 = Single Male |
3 |
Program code: Paragraphs 50000 and 80125, LN 3230 This field is initialized to spaces. The value "1346, legally separated" is mapped to "unmarried couple." It should be mapped to "married." Post site-visit revised program code analysis: Paragraph 80125, LN 2985. The program code was modified to map to "legally separated" to "married couple." The working storage defines "married couple" to include separated male or female, and single male/female to include divorced. Case file review findings: 3 (11%) of the records analyzed did not match what was reported in AFCARS. The error cases reflect the errors identified in the program code. There were also errors that may reflect lack of timely data entry or the issue with the program code. The adoptive parents' marital status changed between the time of the filing for adoption and the finalization of the adoption. |
| #23 Adoptive Mother's Year of Birth | 4 |
Program code: Paragraph 40000, LN 1026. In paragraph 40000, if the adoptive mother's date of birth is zeroes or "1901," then the program code maps this to blanks. |
| #24 Adoptive Father's Year of Birth | 3 |
Program code: Paragraph 40000, LN 1029. In paragraph 40000, if the adoptive father's date of birth is zeroes or "1901," then the program code maps this to blanks. There were a significant number of records reported with invalid data. 123 records were reported as 0000. |
|
#25 Adoptive Mother's Race a = American Indian or Alaskan Native b = Asian c = Black or African American d = Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander e = White f = Unable to Determine |
3 |
Program code: Paragraph 50000, LN 1439 This field is initialized to all zeroes. It should be initialized to blanks. Missing data is mapped to "unable to determine." Missing data must be mapped to blank. Post site-visit revised program code analysis: Paragraph 50000, LN 1321 - 1366. The program code has been modified so that after evaluating the field for all race options, if the response is still all zeros, the program code will map them to spaces. |
|
#26 Adoptive Mother's Hispanic Origin 0 = Not Applicable 1 = Yes 2 = No 3 = Unable to Determine |
3 |
This field is initialized to blanks. There appears to be an underreporting of Hispanic/Latino origin information. |
|
#27 Adoptive Father's Race a = American Indian or Alaskan Native b = Asian c = Black or African American d = Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander e = White f = Unable to Determine |
3 |
Program code: Paragraph 50000, LN 1498 This field is initialized to all zeros. It should be initialized to blanks. Missing data is mapped to "unable to determine." Missing data must be mapped to blank. Post site-visit revised program code analysis: Paragraph 50000, LN 1394 - 1437. The program code has been modified so that after evaluating the field for all race options, if the response is still all zeros, the program code will map them to spaces. Case file review findings: 3 (10%) of the records analyzed did not match what was reported in AFCARS. These errors were related to the issue identified in element #22. |
| #28 Adoptive Father's Hispanic Origin | 3 |
There appears to be an underreporting of Hispanic/Latino origin information. Case file review findings: 3 (10%) of the records analyzed did not match what was reported in AFCARS. These errors were related to the issue identified in element #22. |
|
#29 -32 0 = Does not Apply 1 = Applies |
These fields are initialized to zero. The input screen allows for multiple selections |
|
| #29 Relationship of Adoptive Parent to Child - Stepparent | 3 | There is a need for clarification and training that more than one relationship can be selected. |
| #30 Relationship of Adoptive Parent to Child - Other Relative | 3 | Case file review findings: 4 (14%) of the records analyzed did not match what was reported in AFCARS. |
| #31 Relationship of Adoptive Parent to Child - Foster Parent | 3 | Case file review findings: 4 (14%) of the records analyzed did not match what was reported in AFCARS. |
| #32 Relationship of Adoptive Parent to Child - Other Non-Relative | 3 | |
|
#33 Child Was Placed from 1 = Within State 2 = Another State 3 = Another Country |
3 |
There is a need for clarification and training on the meaning of "another state" and "another country." This finding was supported by the findings in the case file review. Case file review findings: 4 (14%) of the records analyzed did not match what was reported in AFCARS. |
|
#34 Child Was Placed by 1 = Public Agency 2 = Private Agency 3 = Tribal Agency 4 = Independent Person 5 = Birth Parent |
3 |
There is a need for clarification and training on the use of "private agency." This was supported by the case file review. Case file review findings: 3 (10%) of the records analyzed did not match what was reported in AFCARS. |
|
#35 Receiving Monthly Subsidy 1=Yes 2=No |
3 |
Program code: Paragraph 51000, LN 1760; paragraph 80055 The program code does not check if Medicaid is the only subsidy. This needs to be added to the program code. Post site-visit revised program code: The program code was revised by adding Medicaid (paragraph 80055, LN 2461). |
| #36 Monthly Amount | 4 | |
|
#37 Adoption Assistance title IV-E 1=Yes 2=No |
3 |
The response rate for this element is 100% "no." FACES has functionality that electronically determines title IV-E eligibility. Currently, there have been problems identified with it. The system does support the manual entry of title IV-E eligibility. However, this information is not getting entered into the system in a timely manner. Recommended that the District do manual clean up and have this data entered and resubmit 2004 data files by May 15, and can resubmit all older cases. Case file review findings: 11 (65%) of the records analyzed did not match what was reported in AFCARS. |
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