Findings summary: Court reviews are conducted every three months; not all applicable review dates are extracted. The data reported to AFCARS does not reflect the most current date of a review.

Revise program code to extract all applicable dates of periodic review, including Foster Care Review Board reviews.

Add a parameter to the program code to extract dates for the current removal episode only. The date should not be prior to the date of latest removal in foster care element #21.

Findings summary: FACTS does not collect multi-racial data. There is not an "unable to determine" option.

Modify screen to allow entry of more than one race.

Modify screen to record "unable to determine" for those children that have been abandoned or that a parent refuses to give race information for the child or him/herself.

Map "other" to blank.

Implement training to ensure workers enter the information correctly and understand the use of "unable to determine."

Implement a method to ensure that these data are entered into the system on all foster parents.

Findings summary: "Unable to determine" is not an option for workers to select.

Modify screen to capture "unable to determine" for those children that have been abandoned or when a parent refuses to give Hispanic information for the child or him/herself.

Implement a method to ensure that these data are entered into the system on all foster parents.

Findings summary: This is not an option for workers to select on the screen. This information is derived from elements #11-15. Missing information is mapped to "no," which creates a false "no." A "no" is meant to indicate that a professional has seen the child and that no disability was identified.

Modify the system by adding a question for the disability determination on the screen with the values of "1, yes," "2, no," or "3, not yet determined." A "3, not yet determined" would then indicate that the child has not been examined, or that the worker is waiting for the results.

A tickler may be added to increase the likelihood that this information is certified, current, and up-to-date.

Address training for caseworkers.

Refer to AFCARS disability resource table and include any additional medical or psychological conditions that are appropriate.

"Disruptive behavior disorder" should be mapped to AFCARS "emotionally disturbed."

Findings summary: There is not an option for "unable to determine." If a child is abandoned, the worker selects "no." If the program code does not find a "1," "2," or blank, then it defaults to "unable to determine."

Map missing data to blank.

Add the option "unable to determine" on the screen to answer question #16.

Modify program code to extract "unable to determine" for element #16 and records marked as "unable to determine" should map to "unable to determine" in element #17.

Train workers of the appropriate use of "unable to determine."

Findings summary: The State does not report children in the Division of Child Mental Health that are in the agency's care and placement responsibility.

State must ensure information on CMH children are entered into FACTS.

Modify program code to extract data on CMH children.

Ensure that the correct date of first removal is entered into the system.

Findings summary: See General Requirements for findings on children in the responsibility of the State agency that have been returned home for specified and non-specified periods of time. CMH children are not included in the AFCARS population if removed and placed under the State's care, placement or supervision.

Modify program code to include the number of removals for CMH children.

Ensure that all removal episodes are entered.

Findings summary: See General Requirements for findings on children in the responsibility of the State agency that have been returned home for specified and non-specified periods of time. CMH children are not included in the AFCARS population if removed and placed under the State's care, placement or supervision.

Modify program code to extract the date of previous discharge for CMH children.

Ensure that all removal episodes are entered.

Train workers to enter the correct information on children returned home under the State's care, placement, or supervision.

Findings summary: See General Requirements for findings on children in the responsibility of the State agency that have been returned home for specified and non-specified periods of time. CMH children are not included in the AFCARS population if removed and placed under the State's care, placement or supervision.

Modify program code to extract the date of latest removal for CMH children.

Ensure that all removal episodes are entered for CMH children.

Train workers to enter the correct information on children returned home under the State's care, placement, or supervision that may re-enter foster care.

As of October 1, 2002, the State must report the actual date a child is on runaway status from a foster setting or the date the child returns home while under the care, placement, or supervision of the State.

Modify the program code to collect these dates.

Train workers to ensure these dates are entered into the system.

Findings summary: Program code does not count all placement moves. The program code is not checking for the initial placement and/or the current placement.

Revise program code to count initial ("I") placement.

They must not include the following temporary living conditions as placements in the calculation of the number of previous placement settings for foster care element 24.

• Visitation with a sibling, relative, or other caretaker (i.e., preplacement visits with a subsequent foster care provider or preadoptive parents)
• Hospitalization for medical treatment, acute psychiatric episodes or diagnosis
• Respite care
• Day or summer camps
• Trial home visits
• Runaway episodes

Findings summary: Missing data is defaulted to "not yet determined" and "YA" is mapped to "voluntary."

Map missing data to blank.

Map "YA" to "court ordered."

Findings summary: No option to record "runaway" or "trial home visit." Incorrect coding of YRS youth on runaway status.

Collect, extract and report to AFCARS children that have run away and children that returned home while under the agency's care, placement, or supervision as having a placement setting of "trial home visit."

Findings summary: The program code checks for a case plan goal for the current placement setting and not the current episode. "Other" is mapped to "not yet established."

DFS uses the following options: reunification, live with relatives, adoption, other planned permanency living arrangement, and guardianship, as selections for caseworkers. "Other planned permanency living arrangement" includes youth that are receiving independent living and self-sufficiency services to prepare them for emancipation. Modify program code to extract the current case plan for the current removal episode.

Map "0ther" to blank.

Ensure accurate data entry by implementing a tickler or training.

Findings summary: Incorrect mapping of marital status for individuals that are "separated."

Map "separated" to "married."

Map "unknown" to blank.

Add the option "unable to determine" to the screen for abandoned children. Or, if the State's definition of "unknown" is the same as the AFCARS definition for "unable to determine", then the State can map it to "unable to determine."

Findings summary: The program code only extracts information on DFS agency foster parents and not foster parents with contract agencies.

Map "separated" to "married."

Modify program code to capture contracted service type.

Findings summary: If a child is returned home under the State's care, placement or supervision, the State reports these as discharges. State has the code "exit from care."

Remove "exit from care" as an outcome reason, and list actual outcome reasons for the child discharged from the agency's care and placement responsibility.

ACF recommends footnoting the number of guardianships awarded to relatives.

Findings summary: Program code checks for "eligibility" not payment.

In April 2002 a module was created to show payment and eligibility.

Rewrite program code to skip the loop for eligibility and look for payment transactions.

If the State makes an adoption subsidy payment prior to the adoption finalization, then add program code to extract data for this element.

Map "emergency assistance" to foster care element #65.

Findings summary: The program code does not pull from the appropriate tables to reflect the total computable amount.

Modify program code to get the amount from the CPA table.

Implement method to ensure that all reasons of removal are entered into the system.

Implement a method to ensure that these data are entered into the system.

Implement a method to ensure that these data are entered into the system.

Implement a method to ensure that these data are entered into the system.

Findings summary: If a child is returned home under the State's care, placement or supervision, the State reports these as discharges.

Train workers to not enter a discharge date until the agency no longer has care or placement responsibility, or if the child is returned home for a non-specified period of time, at the point the child is home for six months.

Modify program code to ensure this information is correctly extracted.

Findings summary: FACTS does not collect multi-racial data. There is not an "unable to determine" option.

Modify screen to allow entry of more than one race.

Modify screen to record "unable to determine" for those children that have been abandoned or that a parent refuses to give race information for the child or him/herself.

Map "other" to blank.

Implement training to ensure workers enter the information correctly and understand the use of "unable to determine."

Implement a method to ensure that these data are entered into the system on all adoptive parents.

Findings summary: "Unable to determine" is not an option for workers to select.

Modify screen to capture "unable to determine" for those children that have been abandoned or when a parent refuses to give Hispanic information for the child or him/herself.

Implement a method to ensure that these data are entered into the system on all adoptive parents.

Findings summary: Based on the analysis of the case files and the program code, missing data can be reported for this element if the workers select "yes" for element #9.

Identify and correct FACTS program code or the screens to collect and report if the agency has determined special needs so that the primary basis is reported in this element.

Findings summary: "Unknown" is an option on the screen for workers to select.

Modify program code to map "unknown" to blank. The State must report the family structure for State agency involved cases.

Findings summary: Medicaid only subsidies are not included in the data extract.

Modify the program code to extract if the child's only subsidy is Medicaid and map to "yes."

Findings summary: The data suggest that the agency should evaluate and possibly provide additional training, in order to ensure the accuracy of the information in foster care elements #11-15.

Implement a method to ensure that these data are entered into the system.

Findings summary: The case file review supported the finding that workers are using a generic date for unknown dates of birth.

Instruct workers to leave the field blank if the date of birth is not known.

Implement a method to ensure that these data are entered into the system.