Conclusion

The State has several "technical" corrections to make to the program code and the screens that collect the data. Several of the elements default missing data to a valid AFCARS value. Therefore, passing the AFCARS data standards and masking underlying data entry issues. Additionally, the State's data may be under-reported, and/or inaccurately represent the full population, due to the program code not properly assessing all records. The State is not reporting the full removal episode of children as defined for AFCARS reporting purposes. The State must report children that are in its responsibility for care, placement or supervision until the agency no longer has this responsibility, regardless of placement location.

Once changes are made to the program code and/or to the data entry screens, the quality of the data will need to be monitored for accuracy. It may be necessary to implement additional training for caseworkers and monitoring by supervisors to ensure accurate data entry. The State may want to consider system ticklers/edits that will remind workers to update the information at appropriate times, and review the data in the file at the time of a periodic review. (See AFCARS Federal regulation at 45 CFR 1355 Appendix A, I. I. E.)

Tab C contains the AFCARS Improvement Plan (AIP). The AIP contains the AFCARS general requirements and the data elements that do not meet the requirements in the Federal regulations. Each matrix contains a column that identifies the task(s), the date the task is to be completed, and one for comments.

Within 30 calendar days after the receipt of this report and the attached AFCARS Improvement Plan, we request that State staff contact the ACF Regional Office with proposed timeframes for implementing the Improvement Plan. The State and the ACF Regional Office (in conjunction with the Children's Bureau) will discuss the completion dates outlined by the State and negotiate the final due dates. The State should provide written quarterly updates of its progress to the Regional Office. Additionally, the State's plan for implementing the changes to the system and for caseworker training must be included in the State's title IV-B Annual Progress and Services Report as part of the information required in 45 CFR 1357.15(t) and 45 CFR 1357.16(a)(5).

The State should contact the ACF Regional Office once it has completed the changes to the system. The ACF Regional Office will then provide the State with a set of test case scenarios. These scenarios test the system by requiring the State to enter the information and extract the data, which is then compared to known answers for each scenario. Dates for the submission of the test data file will be arranged with the ACF Regional Office and the Office of Information Systems.

In order to assess the quality of the data, a frequency report will be generated on the data submitted after the system changes have been implemented. Once ACF and the State agree that the quality of the data is acceptable, and all tasks and revisions, based on the test cases, have been completed, the State must submit the completed AIP to the ACF Regional Office. The State will receive a letter summarizing the final results of the review.

The ACF Regional Office will work with the State to determine if technical assistance is needed, and available, to implement the AFCARS Improvement Plan. The State may obtain technical assistance from the Children's Bureau's National Resource Center for Information Technology in Child Welfare (NRC-ITCW). The Resource Center can be contacted at (877) NRC-ITCW (672-4892), or at its web page: http://nrcitcw.org. To request on-site technical assistance from the NRC-ITCW, contact your ACF Regional Office.

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