Case File Findings Summary Report

Case File Summary Report
State: Massachusetts
AFCARS Report Period: October 1, 2004 - March 31, 2005

The purpose of the case file review is to ensure that information that is submitted to AFCARS accurately reflects what is in the hard copy case records. The findings are used in conjunction with the findings of the test case scenarios and the review of the State’s AFCARS system documentation. The case file review involved all members of the State and Federal teams, technical and program.

This summary report provides information on the number of cases selected in the sample, the number of cases reviewed, and any relevant general information regarding the analysis of the results. The matrix that follows provides information on the number of records that had matching information and the number of records that had information that did not match what was submitted to AFCARS. The chart below provides information on how many cases were in the sample and how many were reviewed on-site.

Foster Care

Number of Cases in Sample	80
Number of Cases Reviewed	77
Number of Cases in Final Analysis	61

Adoption

Number of Cases in Sample	30
Number of Cases Reviewed	29
Number of Cases in Initial Analysis	29

Of the 80 cases in the sample, two records were not reviewed. Both of these cases were youth over the age of majority and not receiving title IV-E funding. Overall, the data reported in AFCARS was validated through the review of the paper case files.

The sample contained several records of youth over the age of majority for the State (18) and there were 57 records of youth that were 17 or younger during the report period. There were 3 records of youth that turned 18 during the report period. Of these, it appears that two were not receiving title IV-E during the report period. The other record indicated in AFCARS that title IV-E did apply during the report period, but it could not be verified by the reviewer.

There were 17 records of youth 18 or older prior to the report period:

Nine records of youth that turned 18 in 2004 and prior to the beginning of the report period. None of these were found to have title IV-E.

Four records of youth that turned 19 in 2004 and prior to the report period.

Four records of individuals 20 or older.

The records of the youth that were 18 and older prior to the report period were not included in the final analysis.

The records of the older youth generally contained the older dates reported for a periodic review of the case (foster care element #5).

The elements that had the highest error rate were related to: whether the child had been diagnosed with a disability; whether the child was adopted prior to the current removal episode; the number of placement settings; and circumstances associated with removal. In many instances the errors were due to incomplete data conversion.

In regard to whether a child was diagnosed with a disability, there were cases reported that the child had been seen by a physician but that there were no diagnosed disabilities, and the reviewer found applicable conditions that should be reported to AFCARS. Another issue is that there were several records with the response “not yet determined” and the reviewers were able to find whether the child did or did not have any medical issues.

Foster care elements #59 – 66 were not included in the analysis because most reviewers were not able to find the information in the paper files.

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Case File Summary Report State: Massachusetts AFCARS Report Period: October 1, 2004 - March 31, 2005

Case File Summary Report
State: Massachusetts
AFCARS Report Period: October 1, 2004 - March 31, 2005