ACYF-CB-IM-01-01

PLEASE NOTE: This policy issuance has been withdrawn in its entirety and should be used only for historical or reference purposes.

ACF Administration for Children and Families	U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Administration for Children, Youth and Families
	1. Log No.: ACYF-CB-IM-01-01	2. Issuance Date: February 21, 2001
	3. Originating Office: Children's Bureau
	4. Key Word: National Standards, Child and Family Service (CFS) Reviews (AMENDMENT TO ACYF-CB-IM-00-11)

INFORMATION MEMORANDUM

TO: State and Territorial Agencies Administering or Supervising the Administration of Titles IV-B and IV-E of the Social Security Act

SUBJECT: Amendment to ACYF-CB-IM-00-01, December 28, 2000, to correct the methodology for calculating foster care re-entries

LEGAL AND RELATED REFERENCES : The Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 (Public Law 105-89), Titles IV-B and IV-E of the Social Security Act, the Social Security Act Amendments of 1994 (Public Law 103-432), 45 CFR 1355, ACYF-CB-IM-00-11

PURPOSE: The purpose of this information memorandum (IM) is to amend the section of ACYF-CB-IM-00-11, dated December 28, 2000, to correct the methodology for calculating foster care re-entries. (Note: This IM does not supersede ACYF-CB-IM-00-11 in its entirety. It amends and corrects the chart in the section titled "The National Standards" on pages 4 and 5 of the original issuance.)

INFORMATION: The child and family service (CFS) reviews, codified in 45 CFR 1355, require the establishment of national standards for certain statewide data indicators that will be used, in part, to determine a State's substantial conformity under titles IV-B and IV-E of the Social Security Act¹. We issued ACYF-CB-IM-00-11, to transmit those national standards. In ACYF-CB-IM-00-11, we described our methodology for calculating the national standard for the statewide data indicator, "foster care re-entries," in the following manner:

We reviewed a child's placement history to see if there was a prior entry date within 12 months of the most recent entry date. The respective percentages were calculated, fitted to the normal probability distribution, and the 75th percentile was computed.

The standard should read as follows:

We reviewed a child's removal history to see if there was a discharge date from a previous foster care episode, within 12 months of the most recent entry date. The respective percentages were calculated, fitted to the normal probability distribution, and the 75th percentile was computed.

Despite this typographical error, the national standard and States' performance on this statewide data indicator has been calculated correctly in the ongoing CFS reviews. We have, therefore, revised the chart describing the national standards and included it here as an attachment. The entire chart is provided as a replacement for the original chart although only the row foster care re-entries has been revised.

INQUIRIES TO: ACF Regional Offices

____________/s/_______________
James A. Harrell
Acting Commissioner
Administration on Children, Youth and Families

Attachment - National Standards (Revised Chart 2/01)

Footnotes:

¹ Note: For a complete overview of the child and family services reviews, please consult the final rule and the Child and Family Services Reviews Procedures Manual, which are both available on the Children's Bureau website at http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/cb.