The program code maps "M" (male) to the AFCARS value "1" (male) and maps everything else to "female."

Map the values "F, female" and "M, male" to the appropriate AFCARS values.

Map "unknowns" to missing.

Provide revised program code to ACF.

There is not an option of "unable to determine" on the selection list.

Missing data is mapped to "unable to determine."

Add the option of "unable to determine" in order to provide a selection for workers to select if the child has been abandoned or the parents refuse to provide the child's race information.

Modify program code to map missing data to blank.

Modify program code to include responses of "unable to determine."

Provide revised program code and screen prints to ACF.

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

Add the option of "unable to determine" in order to provide a selection for workers to select if the child has been abandoned or the parents refuse to provide the child's race information.

Modify program code to include responses of "unable to determine."

Provide revised program code and screen prints to ACF.

For children in the agency's program "birth counseling" (BC), the information is extracted from the "adoptive placement" file. The code is not checking the "foster care" record.

There is no program code mapping any values to "not yet determined," yet there are responses in the data.

If no diagnosed disability information is found, the program code maps a "no" to AFCARS.

Revise the program code to check both the "FC" and "BC" records to ensure that all disability information is reported.

Provide explanation to ACF why there are responses of "not yet determined."

Modify the system to include this question on the screen. Add the options "yes," "no," and "not yet determined" and map accordingly to AFCARS.

Provide revised program code and screen prints to ACF.

Describe how the State will provide monitoring oversight to ensure that workers enter and update this information.

The selection list has "OT - other" as an option.

The agency has a narrative area in the permanency plan where workers can enter additional information regarding medical history.

Remove "other" from the selection list.

Review workers' narratives to determine if additional medical/psychological options should be added to the disability section of the permanency plan screen.

Modify the list to reflect additional medical/psychological conditions.

Review the AFCARS Disability Table (Tab D) and assess whether any of the conditions should be added to the options list.

Provide revised program code and screen prints to ACF.

Describe how the State will provide monitoring oversight to ensure that workers enter this information.

Missing data are mapped to "unable to determine."

Revise program code to map missing data to blank.

Provide revised program code to ACF.

The program code incorrectly maps "unable to determine" and blanks to "not applicable."

Revise program code to map missing data to blank.

Map response of "unable to determine" in foster care element #16 to "unable to determine" for foster care element #17.

Provide revised program code to ACF.

The system allows this field to be modified.

Modify the system to store, and not overwrite, the date the worker first enters the date of removal.

Provide revised program code to ACF.

The date incorrectly changes when the same provider becomes a "pre-adopt" home.

The program code does not assess whether there is a "placement" of "runaway" or "trial home visit" and does not extract the start date for these types of "placements" in accordance with ACF policy."

Regional supervisors must approve payment for a placement in a residential/institution setting. Therefore, caseworkers are not entering the placement setting into the information system until the supervisor approves the payment of the placement. There will be a gap in placement information until the supervisor approves payment for the placement.

Modify the screen and/or the program code to not extract the date a provider changes from a "foster" home to a "pre-adopt" home.

Modify the program code to extract the date a child runs away from his/her foster placement.

Modify the system to collect and extract the date a placement begins of a child placed back in his/her own home, while the child is in the responsibility of the agency for care, placement or supervision.

Provide revised program code, and screen prints if applicable, to ACF.

Describe how the State will provide monitoring oversight to ensure that workers enter the date a child is placed in his/her own home while in the responsibility of the agency for care, placement or supervision, and for children that have run away from their placement setting.

Describe how the State will provide monitoring oversight to ensure that workers enter the date of the placement at the time of the placement.

For the "BC" cases, the program code maps all circumstances associated with removal, except "relinquishment," to "does not apply." This is only appropriate for those "BC" cases that are entered into the system as a result of a private agency adoption.

State staff indicated that the options on the bottom of the selection list are more than likely under-reported.

Provide revised program code to ACF.

Describe how the State will provide monitoring oversight to ensure that workers accurately enter this information.

A placement closure reason of "runaway" is mapped to the setting from which the child ran away.

The State does not report children that are placed in their own home, while under the agency responsibility for placement, care, or supervision, as a placement setting of "trial home visit." See General Requirements foster care population findings.

The State staff believe workers are not entering "runaways" into the system.

"Residential treatment centers," "residential child care facilities," and "group facilities" have a mixture of bed sizes. Some are between 7 and 12 and some are over 12.

Modify program code to extract "temporary absences" of "runaway" to the AFCARS value "7, runaway."

Modify the program to extract placement setting of "trial home visit."

Describe how the State will provide monitoring oversight to ensure that workers enter placements of children that are in their own home while in the agency's responsibility for care, placement, or supervision.

Describe how the State will provide monitoring oversight to ensure that workers enter information on children that have run-away from their placement setting.

Review the size of the "residential treatment centers," "residential child care facilities," and "group facilities." Revise the system/program code to map the type of facility placement based on its size to the appropriate AFCARS value (group home or institution).

Provide revised program code, and screen prints if applicable, to ACF.

The program code maps "PE, pending" and "OT, other" to "case plan goal not yet established." These codes are no longer used.

If a case plan is not found this element is reported as blank. This is correct for records of children that have been in care for more than 30 days (according to State policy). For those children that have been in care for less than 30 days, the appropriate response should be "case plan goal not yet established."

Remove from the program code "PE" and "OT."

Modify the screen and/or the program code to include "case plan goal not yet established" for children that have been in care for less than 30 days.

Provide revised program code, and screen prints if applicable, to ACF.

The test case extract did not reflect the mom's current marital status of "single female." Instead, it reflected the family structure as "married."

Workers can open a case without caretaker information.

Missing data is incorrectly mapped to "unable to determine."

Evaluate the cause of this error and provide information to ACF.

Implement an edit/reminder that will remind a worker to update/add the caretaker information.

Modify program code to map missing data to blank.

Provide revised program code and the edit/reminder to ACF.

Modify the program code to check the absent parent screen in both routines.

Provide revised program code to ACF.

Revise the program code to extract the family structure of "non-payment relative placements."

Provide revised program code to ACF.

Missing data are mapped to "unable to determine."

There is not an option of "unable to determine" on the selection list.

The State is not able to collect and extract information regarding multiple races for foster parents.

Revise the program code to map missing data to blanks.

Add the option of "unable to determine" for workers to select if the foster parent(s) refuse to provide race information.

Modify program code to include responses of "unable to determine."

Modify the screen to include enough fields for all possible races.

Modify program code to extract all races for foster parents.

Provide revised program code and screen prints to ACF.

There is not an option of "unable to determine" on the screen.

Add the option of "unable to determine" for workers to select if the foster parent(s) refuse to provide race information.

Modify program code to include responses of "unable to determine."

Provide revised program code and screen prints to ACF.

The "placement closure reasons" and "discharge reasons" are on the same screen. It is possible the workers are entering "placement closure" reasons for "discharge reasons" and vice versa.

The State has several codes mapped to transfer to another agency that are not "outcome/discharge" reasons.

Modify the list, or create two lists, to distinguish discharge reasons (outcomes) from placement end reasons.

Revise the program code and remove the following items: "child did not cooperate," "family/facility unable to meet needs," "greater level of supervision/treatment needed," "less restrictive placement indicated," "other," "care continued - private funds," and "State institution."

The State should consider alternatives to collect this data. One example is to add discharge date and reason fields to the screen "relationship/removal indication." This screen contains the removal date for the child.

Provide revised program code and screen prints to ACF.

Review dates prior to 2002 may be closed cases that are open on the system or children that are still in foster care and the child is in a pre-adopt home.

The old review dates may be open cases where the child has been returned to his/her own home while under the agency's responsibility for care, placement or supervision.

Review cases that are open on the system to ensure if they are currently active cases, cases representing children placed back in their own home but still in the agency's responsibility for care, placement or supervision, or closed (discharged) cases.

Develop a method to ensure the accuracy, and timeliness, of the data entered for this element.

Describe how the State will provide monitoring oversight to ensure that workers accurately, and timely, enter this data.

Based on the findings in the foster care population section of the General Requirements, this information may not be accurate. Workers are incorrectly entering the date the child is placed in his/her own home while under the responsibility for care, placement, or supervision of the agency, as a "discharge" date. Therefore, this date may not accurately reflect the date the agency no longer had care, placement or supervision of the child.

Develop a method to ensure the accuracy, and timeliness, of the data entered for this element.

Describe how the State will provide monitoring oversight to ensure that workers accurately, and timely, enter this data.

Develop a method to ensure the accuracy, and timeliness, of the data entered for this element.

Describe how the State will provide monitoring oversight to ensure that workers accurately, and timely, enter this data.

The screen contains an option "unknown."

The program code maps "M" (male) to the AFCARS value "1" (male) and maps everything else to "female."

Modify the program code to map the State code "F, female" and "M, male" to the appropriate AFCARS values and map "unknowns" to missing.

Provide revised program code to ACF.

There is not an option of "unable to determine" on the selection list.

Missing data is mapped to "unable to determine."

Add the option of "unable to determine" in order to provide a selection for workers to select if the child was abandoned or if the parents refused to provide the child's race information.

Modify program code to map missing data to blank.

Modify program code to include responses of "unable to determine."

Provide revised program code and screen prints to ACF.

Describe how the State will provide monitoring oversight to ensure that workers enter this information.

Add the option of "unable to determine" in order to provide a selection for workers to select if the child has been abandoned or the parents refuse to provide the child's race information.

Modify program code to include responses of "unable to determine."

Provide revised program code and screen prints to ACF.

Describe how the State will provide monitoring oversight to ensure that workers enter this information.

There is not an option or code for "other" on the input screen or in the program code.

The State added a category of "at-risk" on 8/1/03.

Modify the screen to include the option "at-risk" on the selection list.

Modify the program code to include mapping for "at-risk" to the AFCARS value "other State defined special needs."

Provide revised program code and screen prints to ACF.

Describe how the State will provide monitoring oversight to ensure that workers enter this information.

The selection list has "OT - other" as an option.

The agency has a narrative area in the permanency plan where workers can enter additional information regarding medical history.

Remove "other" from the selection list.

Review workers' narratives to determine if additional medical/psychological options should be added to the disability section of the permanency plan screen.

Modify the list to be more reflective of additional medical/psychological conditions.

Review the AFCARS Disability Table and assess whether any of the conditions should be added to the options list.

Provide revised program code and screen prints to ACF.

Describe how the State will provide monitoring oversight to ensure that workers enter this information.

The program code checks for a "married" code. The State also has options of "separated" and "remarried."

This element defaults to "unable to determine."

Information regarding "unknown parents" for an abandoned child is entered on the "temporary absence" screen. The program code does not check the "temporary absence" screen. Therefore, this element would be blank.

Modify the program code to check for the codes "separated" and "remarried." Map these values to "married."

Modify the program code to map missing data to blanks.

Modify the program code to check the "temporary absence" screen and map unknown parents due to a child's abandonment to "unable to determine."

Provide revised program code to ACF.

Modify the program code to check the absent parent screen in both routines.

Provide revised program code to ACF.

extract the values from the "case demographics" screen.

Provide revised program code to ACF.

Missing data are mapped to "unable to determine."

There is not an option of "unable to determine" on the selection list.

The State is not able to collect and extract information regarding multiple races. The information is collected for only one race.

Revise the program code to map missing data to blanks.

Add the option of "unable to determine" in order to provide a selection for workers to select if the parents refuse to provide their race information.

Modify program code to include responses of "unable to determine."

Modify the screen to include enough fields for all possible races.

Modify program code to extract all races for adoptive parents.

Provide revised program code and screen prints to ACF.

Describe how the State will provide monitoring oversight to ensure that workers enter this information.

Add the option of "unable to determine" in order to provide a selection for workers to select if the individual(s) refuse to provide race information.

Modify program code to include responses of "unable to determine."

Provide revised program code and screen prints to ACF.

Describe how the State will provide monitoring oversight to ensure that workers enter this information.

Modify the screen to allow workers to enter more than one relationship between the child and the adoptive parents.

Provide revised program code and screen prints to ACF.

Describe how the State will provide monitoring oversight to ensure that workers enter this information

Medicaid only subsidies are not included.

Modify the program code to extract and map "Medicaid" only to "yes."

Provide revised program code to ACF.