| As
part of the State of Texas Court Improvement Project
(CIP) Texas has created an ORACLE database to
promote information sharing between the courts
and child welfare programs. The purpose of the
Texas CIP Legal Status database is to improve
the judicial process to achieve permanency in
foster care in a more efficient, timely, and cost
effective manner. With this database the courts
may view data but not enter data. The Department
of Protective and Regulatory Services (DPRS) and
the courts worked together to coordinate data
requirements and to define which relevant DPRS
data should be shared. This cross system sharing
database extracts data from the State SACWIS Data
Warehouse known as Child and Adult Protective
System (CAPS). CAPS provides selected data elements
to the Judges; however, the Judges do not enter
data into the CAPS system. A few examples of the
data elements shared between the courts and DPRS
are legal status information, child demographics,
placement information, DPRS caseworker information,
as well as jurisdictional county and court number.
This database has improved communication between
the courts and DPRS staff. Before the database
was in place there was limited coordination of sharing
statistical information and data between the DPRS
and the courts. All in all, this database has been
widely accepted because it was customized with end-users,
specifically Judges, in mind. The data is displayed
in a user-friendly format for the courts benefit
and it is a helpful tool in the daily decision making
process.
Initially there were major concerns about the security
of the data. However, once the varying levels of
security for how the information is stored and displayed
were developed and explained, concerns were eased. An
important part of that security functionality is
the required unique password and identification
number for each user. An additional benefit of
the database is that it has helped with effectively
implementing and meeting the Adoption Safe Families
Act (ASFA) requirements.
With the database data extracts, Judges are able
to monitor statutory compliance. Texas child welfare
laws are in many ways more restrictive than ASFA
guidelines in regard to closely monitoring the length
of time in foster care. To DPRS satisfaction, this
information sharing process has enabled them to
move forward towards meeting with State reporting
guidelines and Federally mandated guidelines with
greater confidence.
For additional information on the CIP Legal Status
database please contact Donna Marler at (512) 834-3758. |
