Title IV-E Foster Care Eligibility Reviews Update

Volume 1, Issue 1, December 2005

In This Issue:
Consultant Recruitment
Happy Holidays

Consultant Recruitment Underway

The Children's Bureau, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is in the process of recruiting applicants to be considered for selection to participate as a Consultant Reviewer in the title IV-E foster care eligibility reviews. These reviews assist in the validation of the accuracy of a State's claim for reimbursement of payments made on behalf of eligible children placed in eligible foster care homes and institutions. The validations are made most effectively by an examination of the case records of the child and provider and payment documentation.

In support of the review process, the Children's Bureau is building a diverse, national pool of Consultant Reviewers from which consultants will be selected to participate in onsite reviews of State child welfare agencies. Selected consultants serve as members of teams of reviewers made up of Federal and State agency staff. Each review lasts up to 1 week, and reviewers will participate in document reviews of foster care case records.

Consultant Reviewers selected to participate in the pool to conduct onsite reviews are required to complete a 1-day training session on the title IV-E eligibility review process and Onsite Review Instrument before conducting an actual review. Onsite reviews are typically held in the city in which the State agency responsible for the child welfare program is located. Consultants are reimbursed for travel expenses for the reviews and training and receive a $150 honorarium for participating in the training and a $200 per day honorarium for participation in an onsite review.

In order to be considered for participation in the training and reviews, individuals must meet the following minimum qualifications:

2 years of direct field experience and/or supervisory, administrative, or management experience in a public (Federal, State, or local) or private child welfare agency. This may include providing services or supervising, administering, or managing programs in any of the following: (1) title IV-E eligibility, (2) foster care, (3) quality assurance, (4) program evaluation, and/or (5) program compliance.
Bachelor's or Master's Degree in social work, human services, public administration, social sciences, or a closely related field, or 5 or more years of title IV-E (or IV-A) program eligibility experience.
Strong assessment skills, including the ability to (1) gather information from documented case record files, (2) review the collection of information from various sources contained in the case records, (3) compile information obtained from various sources contained in the case records, and (4) make professional judgments regarding eligibility based on the information contained in the case records.
Demonstrated written and verbal communication skills.
Availability and willingness to travel to other States to participate in week-long review activities.

Individuals with the following qualifications will be given preference in the selection process:

Experience working with or evaluating title IV-E foster care programs.
Master's Degree in social work, human services, public administration, social sciences, or a closely related field.
Supervisory, administrative, and/or management experience in a public (Federal, State, or local) or private child welfare agency.
Experience conducting quality assurance evaluations of child welfare programs.

More information about the IV-E reviews, Consultant Reviewer responsibilities, and the applications packet is available on the Children's Bureau Web site at: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/cwmonitoring/index.htm#cfsr or by contacting the IV-E Review Project.

Individuals interested in being considered to serve as a Consultant Reviewer, who meet the required minimum consultant qualifications, and are available and willing to travel to multiple reviews each year should submit a completed application packet to the IV-E Review Project.

Happy Holidays

The Children's Bureau and the IV-E Review Project, which assists the Children's Bureau in managing the title IV-E foster care eligibility reviews, would like to thank each of you for your work towards achieving positive outcomes for children and families and wish you a joyous holiday season.

The The Title IV-E Foster Care Eligibility Reviews Update is designed for professionals interested in the Children's Bureau title IV-E foster care eligibility reviews. It is supported by the Children's Bureau, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and published by the IV-E Review Project. For more information, contact the IV-E Review Project.