In [enter year], [enter the name of the State child welfare agency] participated in its first Federal Child and Family Services Review (CFSR). The CFSRs were designed to measure the effectiveness of State child welfare systems by examining how children and families served by the agencies fared and by assessing the status of key agency systems. (See the "Background on the CFSRs" section at the end of this document for more information about the reviews.)

The chart below provides information on [enter State]'s last CFSR and the [enter the name of the State child welfare agency]'s efforts to make improvement in the areas identified through the review.

The information is intended for State legislators' use in conducting child welfare oversight activities and making informed decisions about how to best support agency efforts to improve critical policies, practices, and systems and therefore outcomes for children and families. The [enter the name of the State child welfare agency] will update this chart regularly and distribute it via [enter the method by which the State prefers to make the chart available to legislators, such as via e-mail or as a handout at regularly scheduled legislative briefings].

[Note to the State: You may insert a short summary of the State's approach to the PIP to set the stage for the information that follows.]

Below are [enter State]'s key strategies for improving the performance of its child welfare system. A copy of the [enter the name of the State child welfare agency]'s PIP is available on the Children's Bureau Web site at Reports and Results of the Child and Family Services Reviews.

[Note to the State: If the State identified cross-cutting strategies in the PIP, you may include those below.]

As part of its PIP, the [enter the name of the State child welfare agency] identified process-related goals for improving system performance. The following are the key process-related goals in the PIP.

[Note to the State: Include the top three process-related goals, the baselines (current circumstances), the key action steps, and the key internal and external partners with whom you collaborated and/or will collaborate in making these improvements. In addition, it is best if the strategies that appear under "State's Approach to the PIP" above link to the process-related and data-related goals noted below.]

As part of its PIP, the [enter name of State child welfare agency] identified data-related goals for improving system performance. The following are the key data-related goals in the PIP.

[Note to the State: Include the top three data-related goals and baselines, the negotiated amount/ percentages of improvement, and the key internal and external partners with whom you will collaborate in making these improvements.]

Since implementing its CFSR-related program improvement process, the agency has made significant and measurable improvements in the following areas. [Note to the State: Provide one- or two-sentence summaries of the top three areas in which the State made improvements.]

The following CFSR-related activities will occur in [enter name of State]. [Note to the State: Enter the top three CFSR-related activities, for example, ongoing program improvement activities or meetings to begin planning for the next review.]

The [enter the name of the State child welfare agency] has identified the following areas in which legislative support would contribute to the achievement of program improvement goals.

[Note to the State: Enter issues that require new legislation, legislative changes, or new or expanded appropriations. State agency administrators should, of course, follow the State's protocol regarding communicating with legislators.]

Please feel free to contact [enter name and title] at [enter contact information] for more information about the [enter the name of the State child welfare agency]'s CFSR-related efforts to improve outcomes for children and families.

The 1994 Amendments to the Social Security Act (SSA) authorized the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to review State child and family service programs to ensure conformity with the requirements in titles IV-B and IV-E of the SSA. The Children's Bureau, part of the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) within HHS, administers the review system, known as the Child and Family Services Reviews (CFSRs).

Through the reviews, States are assessed for substantial conformity with certain Federal requirements for child protective, foster care, adoption, family preservation and family support, and independent living services. The goal of the reviews is to help States to improve child welfare services and achieve positive outcomes for children and families who receive such services.

Each CFSR is a two-phase process that comprises a Statewide Assessment and an onsite review of CFSR outcomes and agency systems. The Statewide Assessment provides States an opportunity to examine data and qualitative information related to their child welfare programs in light of their programmatic goals and desired outcomes for the children and families that they serve.

After the Statewide Assessment, a joint Federal-State team conducts an onsite review of the State child welfare program. The onsite portion of the review includes the following: (1) case record reviews, (2) interviews with children and families engaged in services, and (3) interviews with community stakeholders, such as the courts and community agencies, foster families, and caseworkers and service providers.

During the Statewide Assessment and onsite review, the review team assesses the following seven outcomes in three domains (safety, permanency, and child and family well-being) by examining practices within each:

• Safety Outcome 1: Children are, first and foremost, protected from abuse and neglect.
• Safety Outcome 2: Children are safely maintained in their homes whenever possible and appropriate.
• Permanency Outcome 1: Children have permanency and stability in their living situations.
• Permanency Outcome 2: The continuity of family relationships and connections is preserved for children.
• Child and Family Well-Being Outcome 1: Families have enhanced capacity to provide for their children's needs.
• Child and Family Well-Being Outcome 2: Children receive appropriate services to meet their educational needs.
• Child and Family Well-Being Outcome 3: Children receive adequate services to meet their physical and mental health needs.

The review team also assesses the following seven systemic factors, by examining the agency's functioning in practice areas within each:

• Statewide Information System
• Case Review System
• Quality Assurance System
• Training
• Service Array
• Agency Responsiveness to the Community
• Foster and Adoptive Parent Licensing, Recruitment, and Retention

At the end of the onsite review, States determined not to have achieved substantial conformity on one or more of the outcomes or systemic factors are required to develop and implement a Program Improvement Plan addressing the areas of nonconformity. States that do not achieve their required improvements successfully will sustain penalties as prescribed in the Federal regulations.