Child and Family Services Reviews(CFSRs)

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Child Welfare Final Rule(excerpt from Executive Summary)

The child and family services reviews …• [focus] … on outcomes and results for children and

families, • [provide] … technical assistance to assist States in

improving their child welfare systems in a timely way, as well as accountability for non-compliance,

• [use] … multiple qualitative and quantitative information sources to better evaluate child and family outcomes and system performance, and

• [engage] … the States as partners in identifying strengths and weaknesses, defining program improvements, and crafting technical assistance that will result in better outcomes and systems.

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Philosophy and Conceptual Framework

• Partnership Between the Federal and State Governments• Examination of Outcomes of Services to Children and

Families and State Agency Systems That Affect Those Services

• Identification of State Needs and Strengths• Use of Multiple Sources To Assess State Performance• Comprehensive Review of All Relevant Child Welfare

Programs• Promotion of Practice Principles• Emphasis on Accountability• Focus on Improving Systems• Enhancement of State Capacity To Become Self-Evaluating

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Practice Principles:

• Family-Centered Practice• Community-Based Practice• Individualizing Services• Strengthening Parental Capacity

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SafetySafetyChildren are, first and foremost, protected from abuse and neglectChildren are, first and foremost, protected from abuse and neglectChildren are safely maintained in their own homes whenever possible Children are safely maintained in their own homes whenever possible and appropriate and appropriate

PermanencyPermanencyChildren have permanency and stability in their living situationsChildren have permanency and stability in their living situationsThe continuity of family relationships and connections is preserved for The continuity of family relationships and connections is preserved for childrenchildren

Child and Family Well-BeingChild and Family Well-BeingFamilies have enhanced capacity to provide for their children’s needsFamilies have enhanced capacity to provide for their children’s needsChildren receive appropriate services to meet their educational needsChildren receive appropriate services to meet their educational needsChildren receive adequate services to meet their physical and mental Children receive adequate services to meet their physical and mental health needshealth needs

Outcomes:Outcomes:

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Systemic Factors:Systemic Factors:

• Information System CapacityInformation System Capacity• Case Review SystemCase Review System• Quality Assurance SystemQuality Assurance System• TrainingTraining• Service ArrayService Array• Agency Responsiveness to CommunityAgency Responsiveness to Community• Foster and Adoptive Parent Licensing, Foster and Adoptive Parent Licensing,

Recruitment, and RetentionRecruitment, and Retention

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SAFETY OUTCOME 1SAFETY OUTCOME 1Children are, first and foremost, Children are, first and foremost,

protected from abuse and neglect.protected from abuse and neglect.

Item 1: Timeliness of initiating investigations of Item 1: Timeliness of initiating investigations of reports of child maltreatment reports of child maltreatment

Item 2: Repeat maltreatmentItem 2: Repeat maltreatment

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SAFETY OUTCOME 2SAFETY OUTCOME 2Children are safely maintained in their Children are safely maintained in their

homes whenever possible and homes whenever possible and appropriate.appropriate.

Item 3: Services to family to protect child(ren) in Item 3: Services to family to protect child(ren) in the home and prevent removal or re-entry into the home and prevent removal or re-entry into foster carefoster care

Item 4: Risk assessment and safety management Item 4: Risk assessment and safety management

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PERMANENCY OUTCOME 1PERMANENCY OUTCOME 1Children have permanency and Children have permanency and stability in their living situationsstability in their living situations

Item 5: Foster care re-entries Item 5: Foster care re-entries Item 6: Stability of foster care placement Item 6: Stability of foster care placement Item 7: Permanency goal for childItem 7: Permanency goal for childItem 8: Reunification, guardianship, or permanent Item 8: Reunification, guardianship, or permanent placement with relatives placement with relatives Item 9: Adoption Item 9: Adoption Item 10: Other planned permanent living Item 10: Other planned permanent living

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PERMANENCY OUTCOME 2PERMANENCY OUTCOME 2The continuity of family relationships The continuity of family relationships

and connections is preserved for and connections is preserved for children.children.

Item 11: Proximity of foster care Item 11: Proximity of foster care Item 12: Placement with siblings Item 12: Placement with siblings Item 13: Visiting with parents and siblings in foster Item 13: Visiting with parents and siblings in foster care care Item 14: Preserving connections Item 14: Preserving connections Item 15: Relative placement Item 15: Relative placement Item 16: Relationship of child in care with parentsItem 16: Relationship of child in care with parents

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WELL-BEING OUTCOME 1 WELL-BEING OUTCOME 1 Families have enhanced capacity to Families have enhanced capacity to provide for their children’s needs.provide for their children’s needs.

Item 17: Needs and services of child, parents, and Item 17: Needs and services of child, parents, and foster parents foster parents

Item 18: Child and family involvement in case Item 18: Child and family involvement in case planningplanning

Item 19: Caseworker visits with child Item 19: Caseworker visits with child

Item 20: Caseworker visits with parents Item 20: Caseworker visits with parents

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WELL-BEING OUTCOME 2WELL-BEING OUTCOME 2 Children receive appropriate services Children receive appropriate services

to meet their educational needs.to meet their educational needs.

Item 21: Educational needs of the child Item 21: Educational needs of the child

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WELL-BEING OUTCOME 3WELL-BEING OUTCOME 3 Children receive adequate services to Children receive adequate services to meet their physical and mental health meet their physical and mental health

needs.needs.

Item 22: Physical health of the child Item 22: Physical health of the child

Item 23: Mental/behavioral health of the child Item 23: Mental/behavioral health of the child

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SYSTEMIC FACTORSYSTEMIC FACTOR

Statewide Information SystemStatewide Information System

• Item 24: State is operating a Statewide Item 24: State is operating a Statewide information system that, at a minimum, can information system that, at a minimum, can readily identify the status, demographic readily identify the status, demographic characteristics, location, and goals for the characteristics, location, and goals for the placement of every child who is (or within the placement of every child who is (or within the immediately preceding 12 months, has been) in immediately preceding 12 months, has been) in foster care.foster care.

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SYSTEMIC FACTORSYSTEMIC FACTOR Case Review SystemCase Review System

• Item 25: Provides a process that ensures that each child has a written case plan to be Item 25: Provides a process that ensures that each child has a written case plan to be developed jointly with the child’s parent(s) that includes the required provisions. developed jointly with the child’s parent(s) that includes the required provisions.

• Item 26: Provides a process for the periodic review of the status of each child, no Item 26: Provides a process for the periodic review of the status of each child, no less frequently than once every 6 months, either by a court or by administrative less frequently than once every 6 months, either by a court or by administrative review.review.

• Item 27: Provides a process that ensures that each child in foster care under the Item 27: Provides a process that ensures that each child in foster care under the supervision of the State has a permanency hearing in a qualified court or supervision of the State has a permanency hearing in a qualified court or administrative body no later than 12 months from the date the child entered foster administrative body no later than 12 months from the date the child entered foster care and no less frequently than every 12 months thereafter. care and no less frequently than every 12 months thereafter.

• Item 28: Provides a process for termination of parental rights proceedings in Item 28: Provides a process for termination of parental rights proceedings in accordance with the provisions of the Adoption and Safe Families Act. accordance with the provisions of the Adoption and Safe Families Act.

• Item 29: Provides a process for foster parents, preadoptive parents, and relative Item 29: Provides a process for foster parents, preadoptive parents, and relative caregivers of children in foster care to be notified of, and have an opportunity to be caregivers of children in foster care to be notified of, and have an opportunity to be heard in, any review or hearing held with respect to the child. heard in, any review or hearing held with respect to the child.

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SYSTEMIC FACTORSYSTEMIC FACTOR Quality Assurance SystemQuality Assurance System

• Item 30: The State has developed and implemented Item 30: The State has developed and implemented standards to ensure that children in foster care are standards to ensure that children in foster care are provided quality services that protect the safety and provided quality services that protect the safety and health of the children.health of the children.

• Item 31: The State is operating an identifiable quality Item 31: The State is operating an identifiable quality assurance system that is in place in the jurisdictions assurance system that is in place in the jurisdictions where the services included in the CFSP are provided, where the services included in the CFSP are provided, evaluates the quality of services, identifies strengths and evaluates the quality of services, identifies strengths and needs of the service delivery system, provides relevant needs of the service delivery system, provides relevant reports, and evaluates program improvement measures reports, and evaluates program improvement measures implemented.implemented.

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SYSTEMIC FACTORSYSTEMIC FACTOR TrainingTraining

• Item 32: The State is operating a staff development and training Item 32: The State is operating a staff development and training program that supports the goals and objectives in the CFSP, program that supports the goals and objectives in the CFSP, addresses services provided under titles IV-B and IV-E, and addresses services provided under titles IV-B and IV-E, and provides initial training for all staff who deliver these services. provides initial training for all staff who deliver these services.

• Item 33: The State provides for ongoing training for staff that Item 33: The State provides for ongoing training for staff that addresses the skills and knowledge base needed to carry out their addresses the skills and knowledge base needed to carry out their duties with regard to the services included in the CFSP. duties with regard to the services included in the CFSP.

• Item 34: The State provides training for current or prospective Item 34: The State provides training for current or prospective foster parents, adoptive parents, and staff of State licensed or foster parents, adoptive parents, and staff of State licensed or approved facilities that care for children receiving foster care or approved facilities that care for children receiving foster care or adoption assistance under title IV-E that addresses the skills and adoption assistance under title IV-E that addresses the skills and knowledge base needed to carry out their duties with regard to knowledge base needed to carry out their duties with regard to

foster and adopted children.foster and adopted children.

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SYSTEMIC FACTORSYSTEMIC FACTOR Service ArrayService Array

• Item 35: The State has in place an array of services that assess Item 35: The State has in place an array of services that assess the strengths and needs of children and families and determine the strengths and needs of children and families and determine other service needs, address the needs of families in addition to other service needs, address the needs of families in addition to individual children in order to create a safe home environment, individual children in order to create a safe home environment, enable children to remain safely with their parents when enable children to remain safely with their parents when reasonable, and help children in foster and adoptive placements reasonable, and help children in foster and adoptive placements achieve permanency.achieve permanency.

• Item 36: The services in item 35 are accessible to families and Item 36: The services in item 35 are accessible to families and children in all political jurisdictions covered in the State’s CFSP.children in all political jurisdictions covered in the State’s CFSP.

• Item 37: The services in item 35 can be individualized to meet Item 37: The services in item 35 can be individualized to meet the unique needs of children and families served by the agency. the unique needs of children and families served by the agency.

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SYSTEMIC FACTORSYSTEMIC FACTOR Agency Responsiveness to the CommunityAgency Responsiveness to the Community

• Item 38: In implementing the provisions of the CFSP, the State Item 38: In implementing the provisions of the CFSP, the State engages in ongoing consultation with tribal representatives, engages in ongoing consultation with tribal representatives, consumers, service providers, foster care providers, the juvenile consumers, service providers, foster care providers, the juvenile court, and other public and private child- and family-serving court, and other public and private child- and family-serving agencies and includes the major concerns of these representatives agencies and includes the major concerns of these representatives in the goals and objectives of the CFSP. in the goals and objectives of the CFSP.

• Item 39: The agency develops, in consultation with these Item 39: The agency develops, in consultation with these representatives, annual reports of progress and services delivered representatives, annual reports of progress and services delivered pursuant to the CFSP.pursuant to the CFSP.

• Item 40: The State’s services under the CFSP are coordinated Item 40: The State’s services under the CFSP are coordinated with services or benefits of other Federal or federally assisted with services or benefits of other Federal or federally assisted

programs serving the same population.programs serving the same population.

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SYSTEMIC FACTORSYSTEMIC FACTOR Foster and Adoptive Licensing, Foster and Adoptive Licensing,

Recruitment, and RetentionRecruitment, and Retention

• Item 41: The State has implemented standards for foster family Item 41: The State has implemented standards for foster family homes and child care institutions which are reasonably in accord homes and child care institutions which are reasonably in accord with recommended national standardswith recommended national standards

• Item 42: The standards are applied to all licensed or approved Item 42: The standards are applied to all licensed or approved foster family homes or child care institutions receiving title IV-E foster family homes or child care institutions receiving title IV-E or IV-B funds. or IV-B funds.

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Two Phases of CFSR:Two Phases of CFSR:

• Statewide Assessment• On-Site Review

Final Report Program Improvement Plan (PIP)

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Statewide AssessmentStatewide Assessment• Six months before the on-site review, ACF

transmits data profiles to the state which then begins the Statewide Assessment using the specified instrument, to be submitted 60 days prior to the on-site review.

• The data profile includes data composites and measures relevant to Safety (based on NCANDS data) and Permanency (based on NCANDS and AFCARS data).

• The data composites use data from a 12 month period of data submissions following the end of the two-year PIP period.

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Statewide AssessmentStatewide Assessment

Narrative assessments of a) child and family outcomes and b) systemic factors

Emphases ona) meaningful stakeholder involvement

(particularly with courts, tribes and youth)b) descriptive and evaluative languagec) use of data

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On-Site ReviewOn-Site Review3 sites largest metro 2 sites selected using SA info

Outcomes (using On-Site Review Instrument) 65 case record reviews 25 in-home 40 foster care (stratified)

Systemic Factors (using Stakeholder Interview Guide) stakeholder interviews

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On-Site ReviewOn-Site Review

Largest metro

31 cases

11 in-home

20 foster care

2 sites selected using SA info

17 cases

7 in-home

10 foster care

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Final ReportFinal Report

The Final Report includes the written determination of substantial conformity – based on the Statewide Assessment and findings from the On-Site Review – for each of the outcomes and systemic factors reviewed.

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Program Improvement Plan (PIP)Program Improvement Plan (PIP)

Addresses all areas of non-conformity

Emphasis on collaboration

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The Collaborative Process A common goal

Benefit to all parties A vehicle for collaborating

The ability to come to consensus Strong leadership

A process for ensuring meaningful stakeholder involvement

Shared success Use of stakeholders to engage new partners

A shared vision for the future Ongoing evaluation