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Children's Bureau
Child and Family Services Reviews
Child Welfare Specialist Team Fact Sheet

The Child Welfare Specialist Team supports the Children's Bureau, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in administering the Child and Family Services Reviews (CFSRs) and other State child welfare program monitoring activities. The team's responsibilities include:

• Conducting State CFSRs
  
  Child Welfare Specialists support the CFSR Unit with all review preparatory activities including planning calls and other communications with the State to guide them through the process; review and comment for the Statewide Assessment, State Policy Submission, and Preliminary Assessment; evaluation and selection of data and review sites; development and stratification of the case sample; review team and Co-Site Leader selection; and resolution of State-specific issues. Child Welfare Specialists participate as Local Site Leaders, conduct first- and second-level quality assurance of the case review instruments on site and off site, and serve as primary back-up to the CFSR Unit State Leader through all phases of the process, including post-review activities.
• Negotiating and monitoring State Program Improvement Plans
  
  Post-review, Child Welfare Specialists participate with the CFSR Unit Leader and the Federal Regional Office to support State development of a Program Improvement Plan, to include any necessary negotiation of benchmarks and activities, quarterly monitoring of State implementation progress and completion, and CFSR Unit Program Improvement Plan process and management improvement activities. Child Welfare Specialists chair national workgroups focused on Program Improvement Plan process improvement.
• Coordinating the Court Improvement Program Collaborative and promoting joint State agency and court activity to promote practice and systems reform
  
  In an effort to promote State court and child welfare agency review preparation and Program Improvement Plan activities, a consultant facilitates the Court Collaborative for the Children's Bureau. This effort includes support and facilitation of technical assistance available to States from consultant judges, and consultation to State child welfare and court systems, Federal Regional Offices, and the CFSR Unit regarding the relationship between dependency court issues and successful achievement of outcomes for children. The court consultant also participates on CFSRs as a reviewer and Co-Site Leader and assists with the quality assurance process.
• Interpreting and articulating State and national data and measurement of PIP progress
  
  Child Welfare Specialists assist with analysis of CFSR data findings, production management of Final Reports, monitoring of Program Improvement Plan completion, analysis of Program Improvement Plan data, identification of additional technical resources for States, development of technical and policy transmittal bulletins for the Children’s Bureau, and identification of cross-cutting Program Improvement Plan strategies to share with States.
• Identifying State, Region, and national policy and practice trends and cross-cutting strategies
  
  Child Welfare Specialists monitor State and national policy, practice, and systems reform initiatives in order to recommend effective and innovative solutions to the CFSR Unit that support desired outcomes for children and families.

Additional Information

For more information, visit the Child Welfare Monitoring section of the Children's Bureau Website at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/cwmonitoring/projects_contact.htm, or contact Child Welfare Reviews Project at cw@jbsinternational.com.