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Home > Statistics & Research > AFCARS Assessment Reviews > New Hampshire Assessment Review > AFCARS Assessment Review Findings - General Requirements

AFCARS Assessment Review Findings - General Requirements
State: New Hampshire

Requirement Finding/Notes Rating Factor
Population Requirements 4

45 CFR 1355.40(a) Scope of the data collection system - foster care

Must include all children in foster care for whom the agency has responsibility for placement, care, or supervision (45 CFR 1355.40(a)(2)).

  • All children who are required to be provided the protection of section 422(b)(10) of the Social Security Act (the Act) (Appendix A - SECTION II).
  • All children supervised by or under the responsibility of another public agency with which the title IV-B/E agency has an agreement under title IV-E and the State makes title IV-E foster care maintenance payments (Appendix A - SECTION II).

The State's AFCARS reporting population correctly includes children in its care and placement responsibility.

The State has a title IV-E interagency agreement with the Division for Juvenile Justice Services for the payment of title IV-E foster care maintenance payments for those youth determined to be eligible under title IV-E.

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Includes Native American children covered under section 422(b)(10) of the Act, (45 CFR 1355.40(a)(2)). There are no recognized Federal Tribes in New Hampshire. Native American children in the State are served by the title IV-B/IV-E State agency. blank cell
Out of State placements. The State making the placement submits the information on the child (45 CFR 1355.40(a)(2)). The State reports on children in its care and placement responsibility that are placed out-of-State and does not report those children from another State that are placed in New Hampshire. blank cell
Includes all children who have been in foster care at least 24 hours (Appendix A - SECTION II). blank cell blank cell
Does not include children who are in their own homes under the responsibility of the State agency (Appendix A - SECTION II). The State correctly does not include children that are in their own home that have never been removed. blank cell
Include all children who are in the placement, care, or supervision responsibility of the title IV-B/E agency that are on "trial home visits" (Child Welfare Policy Manual, Section 1.3, AFCARS Reporting Population). The State includes children returned to their own home while under the agency's responsibility for care and placement. blank cell
Includes youth over the age of 18 if a payment is being made on behalf of the child (Child Welfare Policy Manual, Section 1, AFCARS). The State includes youth through the age of 18 on whose behalf the State claims a title IV-E foster care maintenance payment. blank cell

45 CFR 1355.40(a) Scope of the data collection system - adoption

Includes all adopted children placed by the agency, and all adopted children for whom the State agency is providing adoption assistance (either ongoing or for non-recurring expenses), or for whom care or services are provided directly or by contract or agreement with other private or public agencies (45 CFR 1355.40(a)(3)).

  • Report on all children adopted in the State during the reporting period in whose adoption the State has had any involvement. All adoptions after 10/1/94 that meets the criteria below must be reported. Criteria (Appendix B - Section II):
  1. Children who had been in foster care under the responsibility and care of the agency.
  2. All special needs children, whether or not they were in the public foster care system prior to their adoption and for whom non-recurring expenses were reimbursed.
  3. Children adopted for whom an adoption assistance payment or service is being provided based on arrangements with the State agency.
 The State includes all adoptions of children placed by the State agency and all adopted children for whom the State agency has entered into an adoption assistance agreement whether or not the child had been in the State's foster care system. blank cell
Adoptions prior to 10/1/94, with title IV-E adoption subsidies, report aggregate data (45 CFR 1355.40(a)(3)). Not applicable blank cell
For children adopted out of state, the placing State reports the adoption data (45 CFR 1355.40(a)(3)). The State reports those adoptions in which the child was placed out-of-State. blank cell
Voluntarily reports on all other adoptions. (Appendix B - Section II). The State does not report adoptions in which it has had no involvement. blank cell
Technical Requirements 2
45 CFR 1355.40(b) Foster care and adoption reporting requirements blank cell blank cell
The data must be extracted from the data system as of the last day of the reporting period (45 CFR 1355.40(b)(1)). Yes blank cell
  • For children who are in care on the last day of the reporting period, information as of the last day of the period is extracted.
 Yes blank cell
  • For children who were discharged during the period, information on the most recent episode is extracted.
 Yes blank cell
The data must be submitted in electronic form as described in Appendix C (45 CFR 1355.40(b)(1)). Yes blank cell
The data must be in record layouts as delineated in Appendix D (45 CFR 1355.40(b). Yes blank cell

Appendix A, 45 CFR 1355 Foster Care Data Elements and Appendix B, 45 CFR 1355 Adoption Data Elements

State uses sequential numbering of the case record number or encrypts the record number.

 The State encrypts the child's number. blank cell
Appendix C, 45 CFR 1355 Electronic Data Transmission Format blank cell blank cell
Data file must be in ASCII format. Yes blank cell
Elements must be comprised of integer (numeric) value(s). Yes blank cell
All records must be a fixed length. Yes blank cell
ACYF-PI-CB-95-09, Reissued May 23, 1995 blank cell blank cell
State extracts all records based on the transaction date of discharge. The State incorrectly extracts the records based on whether the case is open during the report period. blank cell
Technical Bulletin #2, File Format blank cell blank cell
State uses correct file name for transmission. Yes blank cell
File Creation blank cell blank cell
State attaches footnotes to files. Not currently using. blank cell
State is using proper format for the creation of footnotes. Not applicable. blank cell
State uses DCU and DQU on its data file. Yes blank cell
Data Conversion blank cell blank cell
State transferred historical information on open cases. Specifically, it included information on: date of first removal, total number of removals, and whether the child's mother was married at the time of the child's birth. If the case was open at the time of conversion, information on the number of placement settings was included. The State had a payment system prior to BRIDGES. The State did a manual conversion on information for open cases only. blank cell
The information system has the capability of recording historical information. This should apply to both open cases in which historical information must be entered, and for closed cases that re-open after conversion and must be entered into the system. The State's system does have the capability to record historical information. blank cell