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Section E - Glossary
Child and Family Service Reviews
AFCARS
Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) is a Federally mandated system for collecting data on children in foster care and children who have been adopted under the auspices of the State child welfare agency. AFCARS data are submitted on a Federal fiscal year basis.
AFCARS Penalty Check
A check of AFCARS submissions to ensure compliance with the standards in 45 CFR 1355.40. (May be checked with use of AFCARS Data Compliance Utility (DCU)). Passing the AFCARS Penalty Check is not necessarily an indication of sound data quality; however, absence of a penalty indicates that a State has been able to meet the standards regarding numbers of missing data elements and/or responses falling within an acceptable range of values.
AFCARS Data Quality Utility (DQU)
A check of AFCARS submission to assist the States in identifying problems with the data that would prevent it from being used in national data reports, or from the State being able to evaluate the child welfare services being delivered. The utility is also on the Federal AFCAR system and is the first step in assessing the quality of the data.
Aggregate Data
Aggregate data is the compilation of several data elements or data represented collectively in summary format. For example, case specific information about all the children still in foster care on the last day of the report year is presented as aggregate data in the Permanency Point-in-time Profile.
Average or Mean
The average or mean is a measure of central tendency that is found by summing all of the values in a distribution and dividing by the number of cases. The calculation of a mean is only suitable for interval or ratio level data, where there is equal spacing along a scale and various mathematical functions can be performed.
Example:
-Take a set of values
7,45,25,6,1,4,8
-Add each of the values together
The total is 98
-Divide the total values by the number of values included 98 divided by 7 equals 14.
The mean or “average” is 14.
Case-level Data
All data associated with each respondent in a given report.
Federal Fiscal Year
The federal fiscal year is October 1st through September 30th.
First Time Entry Cohort Profile
The First Time Entry Cohort Profile provides information on a specific group of children who entered out of home care for the first time during a designated time period, within the first six months of the Federal fiscal year. That specific group can then be tracked to observe, for example, the effects of policy changes over time.
Measure of Central Tendency
Measures of central tendency are mathematical tools used to evaluate the average scores in a data set. Median, mean, and mode are the most commonly used measures of central tendency.
Median
Example:
-Take set of values
7,47,25,6,1,4,8
-Put into ascending order
1,4,6,7,8,25,47
-The median for this frequency distribution is the value 7, as it the point in the distribution where half of the cases fall above the value and half below.
Mode
The mode is the individual category or value that appears most frequently in a frequency distribution. The mode is often referred to as the largest number of cases in a frequency distribution. The mode is the preferred measure of central tendency for qualitative data.
National Standard
The national standard established for each of the statewide aggregate data indicators are used to determine substantial conformity in the reviews. The national standards are generated from NCANDS and AFCARS data. For example, for States under review for 1999, NCANDS Data from each State and District of Columbia (DC) are derived from two reporting periods: 1997 and 1998, and AFCARS Data from each State and DC for the two reporting periods 1998(a) and 1998(b) are used. Each State and DC submit data for the selected time period. States’ percentages from their NCANDS and/or AFCARS data are computed for each of the reporting periods. Those percentages served as the input data for determining the national standard. For statistical purposes, the input data for each indicator were used to fit a normal probability distribution to that data set. From each of the six normal probability distributions, the 75th percentile was calculated and served as the national standard for that indicator. The 75th percentile divides the data set so that 75 percent of the data set falls below it and 25 percent of the data set exceeds it. For more detailed information on the computation of the national standards, please contact John Hargrove at (202) 205-8634.
When a State begins a Child and Family Service Review, a State’s data for the period under review are compared with the national standard to determine whether the State is in substantial conformity. If a state is found to be not in substantial compliance (below the 75th percentile) the deficiency must be addressed in the Program Improvement Plan (PIP).
National Data Indicators
The National Data Indicators include statewide data indicators that measure State’s performance. The National Data Indicators include:NCANDS
The National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) is a collaborative, voluntary information collection system that gathers and analyzes annual State statistics on abused and neglected children. There are two components, the Summary Data Component (SDC) and the Detailed Case Data Component (DCDC), which collect State child abuse and neglect information at different levels of detail. The SDC collects aggregate data and the DCDC collects case-level data on all children who are the subjects of reports alleging maltreatment. NCANDS data are collected on a calendar year basis.
Outcomes
There are seven outcomes used to measure safety, permanency, and child well being.Children are, first and foremost, protected from abuse neglect; and,
Children are safely maintained in their own homes whenever possible and appropriate.
Permanency outcomes measure if:
Children have permanency and stability in their living situations; and,
The continuity
of family relationships and connections is preserved for children.
Child and Family
Well-Being outcomes measure if:
(1) Families have enhanced capacity to provide for their children’s needs;
(2) Children receive appropriate services to meet their educational needs; and,
(3) Children receive adequate services to meet their physical and mental health needs.
Point-in-time Permanency Profile
The Point-in-time Permanency Profile provides data on all children who are in care on a specified date, in this case, the last day of the fiscal year.
Program Improvement Plan
The Program Improvement Plan (PIP) must be developed by a State at the conclusion of a Child and Family Services Reviews if the State falls below the threshold for substantial conformity in any of seven outcomes or any of the systemic factors subject to review. For each area not in substantial conformity, the State must present a strategy for bringing it into substantial conformity, including a timeframe, goals for interim improvement, and a method for the ACF Regional Office to monitor progress.
Qualitative Information
In-depth research into the attitude, behaviors, and motivations of respondents.
Quantitative Information
Information in the form of numbers so that it may be summarized and analyzed.
Range
The range is the difference between the highest and lowest score in a frequency distribution. The results/data are considered unreliable if extreme values skew the data set.
SACWIS
The Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information System (SACWIS) is a federally supported project whose main goals include: 1) facilitating more efficient child welfare program administration and case practice; 2) integrating and coordinating other Federal programs such as Title IV-A, Title IV-D, Title XIX, and NCANDS; and, 3) facilitating the collection and reporting of AFCARS data.
Statewide Assessment
The statewide assessment is the first phase of the review process. It provides States an opportunity to examine data related to their programs and to consider the data in light of programmatic goals and outcomes for children and families served by the State. The statewide assessment leads to identification of the areas where the State is performing well and those areas that need further examination through onsite review.
Substantial Conformity
Two sets of information are used to determine a State’s substantial conformity on each of the seven outcomes: the percentage of cases reviewed in which the outcome was determined to be substantially achieved and the State’s performance in the statewide aggregate data for which national standards have been established. Currently only two of the seven outcomes (Safety Outcome #1 and Permanency Outcome #1) are compared to the statewide aggregate data. Final decisions about the State’s substantial conformity are made on the basis of statewide aggregate data in addition to the findings of the onsite review. For the remaining five outcomes, the performance indicators reviewed on-site provide the basis for determining the State’s substantial conformity. Achieving substantial conformity means that the State has identified areas of improvement for child welfare services that affect the outcomes for families and children who receive services by identifying strengths and needs within State programs as well as areas where technical assistance can lead to program improvements.
Systemic Factors
Factors of or pertaining to aggregate information of a State’s caseload. Systemic Factors in the Child and Family Services Reviews include the following:
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