Case File Findings

Foster Care Case File Findings
State: New Mexico

AFCARS Element

Data in AFCARS Matches Case File

Data in AFCARS Does Not Match Paper File

Questionable

Comments

#5 Most Recent Periodic Review Date

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One of the cases had a review date of 9/5/2000 in AFCARS, actual review date was 1/31/2001, and the child had been in care since May 5, 1999.

#6 Child Birth Date

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#7 Child Sex
1 = Male
2 = Female

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#8 Child Race

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In three of the cases, the reviewer identified an additional race that was not reported to AFCARS. (The child was multi-racial.) In two cases the wrong race was entered and reported to AFCARS.

#9 Child Hispanic Origin
1 = Yes
2 = No
3 = Unable to Determine

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One record indicated the response as "no" and the reviewer found that the child was of Hispanic origin.
One record indicated a response as "yes" and the reviewer found that the child was not of Hispanic origin.
Two records had missing information in the AFCARS report, however, the reviewer found the information in the case file.

#10 Has Child Been Diagnosed with Disability?

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All were reported as "no" in AFCARS but should have been "yes."

#11 Mental Retardation

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#12 Visually/Hearing Impaired

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#13 Physically Disabled

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#14 Emotionally Disturbed

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#15 Other Diagnosed Condition

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#16 Has Child Ever Been Adopted?
1 = Yes
2 = No
3 = Unable to Determine

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#17 Age at Previous Adoption
0 = Not Applicable
1 = less than 2 years old
2 = 2-5 years old
3 = 6-12 years old
4 = 13 years or older
5 = Unable to Determine

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#18 Date of First Removal from Home

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Of the 17 cases where the date of first removal did not match, 11 of the records indicated the conversion date of 7/28/1997. Of those 11, the dates of removal and frequency for each are:
1988 = 1
1990 = 1
1994 = 3
1995 = 2
1996 = 2
2/1997 = 2

Of the remaining six, the reviewers found dates of first removal that preceded the date in the AFCARS file. The breakdown for these is as follows:

AFCARS Date	Actual Date
11/7/1997	9/4/1992
3/19/1998	6/23/1995
4/1/1999	11/1/1995
11/5/1997	6/24/1997
12/9/1997	8/15/1997
5/5/1999	4/14/1999

#19 Total Number of Removals from Home

Of the 17 cases with errors in element #18, 13 were correct. Twelve of them had one removal from home and one had two removals from home. Of the four that were not correct:one case had the conversion date of removal and there were two removals from home. The breakdown for the other cases was:

AFCARS # of Removals	Actual Number
1	2
2	3
2	4

#20 Date of Discharge from Previous Episode

Two records indicated no discharge date in the AFCARS record, and these are two cases where the reviewer found two, not one, removals. One of the cases was a conversion date case.

#21 Date of Latest Removal

Eleven of the sixteen cases with the incorrect date of latest removal had the date of conversion (7/28/1997) as the date of latest removal. Ten of the cases should have had the date of latest removal the same as that for the first removal. The remaining case had a date of removal of 11/11/1996. The breakdown for the 10 cases is as follows:
Actual Date
1988 = 1
1990 = 1
1994 = 3
1995 = 1
1996 = 3
1997 = 1 (February 13)

The other five incorrect cases were off by 1 to 10 months.

#23 Date of Placement in Current Setting

Of the 11 cases with removal dates that were the conversion date, 10 were correct and one had date of current placement prior to the conversion date and there was only one placement.

Three cases with the wrong date of placement in AFCARS had a placement setting of pre-adopt. The reviewers noted that the placement was with the same family.

#24 Number of Previous Placement Settings in This Episode

Of the cases that did not contain the correct number of placement settings in AFCARS one decreased in the count and 17 increased.

Of the 11 records with the conversion date for the date of removal, all increased substantially in the number of placement settings.

#25 Manner of Removal From Home for This Episode
1 = Voluntary
2 = Court Ordered
3 = Not Yet Determined

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#26 Physical Abuse

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In two of the cases, the AFCARS record indicated "does not apply" and the reviewer found references to physical abuse. The third case the AFCARS record indicated "applies" and the reviewer found no indication of physical abuse.

#27 Sexual Abuse

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Marked as "does not apply" and reviewer found in case file.

#28 Neglect

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Marked as "does not apply" and reviewer found in case file.

#29 Parent Alcohol Abuse

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Marked as "does not apply" and reviewer found in case file.

#30 Parent Drug Abuse

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Marked as "does not apply" and reviewer found in case file.

#31 Child Alcohol Abuse

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Marked as "applies" and reviewer noted that it should be "does not apply."

#32 Child Drug Abuse

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Marked as "does not apply" and reviewer found in case file.

#33 Child Disability

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Marked as "applies" but the reviewer did not find in case file.

#34 Child's Behavior Problem

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One marked as "does not apply" and reviewer found in case file. The other was marked as "applies" but the reviewer did not find in case file.

#35 Death of Parent

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#36 Incarceration of Parent

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Marked as "does not apply" and reviewer found in case file.

#37 Caretaker Inability to Cope

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Marked as "does not apply" and reviewer found in case file.

#38 Abandonment

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Marked as "does not apply" and reviewer found in case file.

#39 Relinquishment

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#40 Inadequate Housing

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#41 Current Placement Setting
1 = Pre-Adoptive Home
2 = Foster Family Home (Relative)
3 = Foster Family Home (Non-Relative)
4 = Group Home
5 = Institution
6 = Supervised Independent Living
7 = Runaway
8 = Trial Home Visit

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#42 Out of State Placement

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Was an out of State placement and was reported as "no" in AFCARS.

#43 Most Recent Case Plan Goal
1 = Reunify with Parent(s) or Principal Caretaker(s)
2 = Live with Other Relative(s)
3 = Adoption
4 = Long Term Foster Care
5 = Emancipation
6 = Guardianship
7 = Case Plan Goal Not Yet Established

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All were coded as "0," which is an invalid AFCARS code. In three the reviewer wrote that the goal was "planned permanent living arrangement" and in the fourth "independent living."

#44 Caretaker Family Structure
1 = Married Couple
2 = Unmarried Couple
3 = Single Female
4 = Single Male
5 = Unable to Determine

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Eight of the cases were reported as "unable to determine" in AFCARS, but the reviewer found a marital status on all of the cases.

#45 1st Primary Caretaker's Birth Year

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Of the eight cases noted in element #44, five had dates of birth for this element.

Four of the seven cases contained zeros as date of birth in the AFCARS files, and the reviewers found a date.

#46 2nd Primary Caretaker's Birth Year

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#47 Mother's Date of TPR

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All of the incorrect cases did not have a date of TPR in AFCARS, but the reviewer found a date either in the case file or on the system.

#48 Father's Date of TPR

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All of the incorrect cases did not have a date of TPR in AFCARS, but the reviewer found a date either in the case file or on the system. In one record the reviewer indicated the father was deceased.

#49 Foster Family Structure
0 = Not Applicable
1 = Married Couple
2 = Unmarried Couple
3 = Single Female
4 = Single Male

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All records were marked as "not applicable" and there were only six cases where the child was either in a group home or an institution.

In one case the foster parent was with an agency that State contracts with for placement and the State does not collect information on the individual placements.

#50 1st Foster Caretaker's Birth Year

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Of those marked as "not applicable" in element #49, 24 had a date of birth in the AFCARS file for this element; seven were blank. In two cases the reviewer noted "ARCA home."

#51 2nd Foster Caretaker's Birth Year

Of those marked as "not applicable" in element #49, 19 had a date of birth in the AFCARS file for this element; five were blank. In two cases the reviewer noted "ARCA home."

Three were not analyzed because the reviewer did not note the marital status of the foster parent, therefore, it could not be determined if these records were correct or not.

#52 1st Foster Caretaker's Race

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Of those marked as "not applicable" in element #49, 26 had information for this element.

The five incorrect cases all had "no" for each AFCARS race and "unable to determine," and they were all children that were in a family foster home according to element #41 (placement setting.)

#53 1st Foster Caretaker's Hispanic Origin
0 = Not Applicable
1 = Yes
2 = No
3 = Unable to Determine

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The six incorrect records were reported as blank in AFCARS.

#54 2nd Foster Caretaker's Race

In all eight of the cases marked incorrect, the response for each race category and unable to determine was "no." In five cases the foster parent was married, so there should have been a response for at least one of the elements.

Three were not analyzed because the reviewer did not note the marital status of the foster parent, therefore, it could not be determined if these records were correct or not. However, in all three, the responses for each race and "unable to determine" was "no."

#55 2nd Foster Caretaker's Hispanic Origin
0 = Not Applicable
1 = Yes
2 = No
3 = Unable to Determine

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#56 Date of Discharge

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Five were not reported to AFCARS as having discharged and the reviewer indicated the child had discharged prior to the end of the report period. One record had the date entered incorrectly.

#58 Reason for Discharge
0 = Not Applicable
1 = Reunification with Parent(s) or Primary Caretaker(s)
2 = Living with Other Relative(s)
3 = Adoption
4 = Emancipation
5 = Guardianship
6 = Transfer to Another Agency
7 = Runaway
8 = Death of Child

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#59 Title IVE Foster Care

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One record was marked as applying but the child had been in an institution for more then a year.

#60 Title IVE Adoption

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#61 Title IVA AFDC

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#62 Title IVD Child Support

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All were marked as "does not apply."

#63 Title XIX Medicaid

The 20 records marked questionable all were coded as "does not apply," but were coded in AFCARS for element #59 as "applies."

#64 SSI

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All three were coded as "does not apply" in AFCARS, but the reviewer found information showing the child did receive SSI.

#65 None of the Above

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#66 Monthly Amount

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Did not analyze this element.

Adoption Case File Findings
State: New Mexico
AFCARS Element	Data in AFCARS Matches Case File	Data in AFCARS Does Not Match Paper File	Questionable	Comments
#4 State Agency Involvement 1 = Yes 2 = No	9	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell
#5 Child Date of Birth	9	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell
#6 Child Sex 1 = Male 2 = Female	9	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell
#7 Child Race	9	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell
a. American Indian or Alaska Native	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell
b. Asian	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell
c. Black or African American	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell
d. Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell
e. White	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell
f. Unable to Determine	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell
#8 Child Hispanic Origin 1 = Yes 2 = No 3 = Unable to Determine	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell
#9 Has Agency Determined Special Needs	9	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell
#10 Primary Basis for Determining Special Needs 0 = Not Applicable 1 = Racial/Original Background 2 = Age 3 = Membership in a Sibling Group 4 = Medical Conditions or Mental, Physical or Emotional Disabilities 5 = Other	9	blank cell	blank cell	In four cases reviewed, the reviewer noted that additional basis existed. In the two cases, "race/Hispanic Origin" was extracted to AFCARS as the primary basis.
#11 Mental Retardation	9	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell
#12 Visually/Hearing Impaired	9	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell
#13 Physically Disabled	9	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell
#14 Emotionally Disturbed	9	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell
#15 Other Diagnosed Condition	9	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell
#16 Mother's Birth Year	4	5	blank cell	All of the records submitted to AFCARS had a blank for the mother'' birth year. In five records the reviewers found a date of birth.
#17 Father's Birth Year	5	2	blank cell	blank cell
#18 Mother Married at Time of Birth 1 = Yes 2 = No 3 = Unable to Determine	9	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell
#19 Date of Mother's TPR	8	1	blank cell	blank cell
#20 Date of Father's TPR	7	2	blank cell	blank cell
#21 Date Adoption Legalized	9	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell
#22 Adoptive Family Structure 1 = Married Couple 2 = Unmarried Couple 3 = Single Female 4 = Single Male	9	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell
#23 Adoptive Mother's Year of Birth	9	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell
#24 Adoptive Father's Year of Birth	9	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell
#25 Adoptive Mother's Race	9	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell
a. American Indian or Alaska Native	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell
b. Asian	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell
c. Black or African American	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell
d. Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell
e. White	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell
f. Unable to Determine	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell
#26 Adoptive Mother's Hispanic Origin 0 = Not Applicable 1 = Yes 2 = No 3 = Unable to Determine	9	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell
#27 Adoptive Father's Race	9	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell
a. American Indian or Alaska Native	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell
b. Asian	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell
c. Black or African American	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell
d. Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell
e. White	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell
f. Unable to Determine	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell
#28 Adoptive Father's Hispanic Origin 0 = Not Applicable 1 = Yes 2 = No 3 = Unable to Determine	9	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell
#29 Relationship of Adoptive Parent to Child - Stepparent	9	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell
#30 Relationship of Adoptive Parent to Child - Other Relative	9	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell
#31 Relationship of Adoptive Parent to Child - Foster Parent	9	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell
#32 Relationship of Adoptive Parent to Child - Other Non-Relative	9	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell
#33 Child Was Placed from 1 = Within State 2 = Another State 3 = Another Country	9	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell
#34 Child Was Placed by 1 = Public Agency 2 = Private Agency 3 = Tribal Agency 4 = Independent Person 5 = Birth Parent	9	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell
#35 Receiving Monthly Subsidy	8	1	blank cell	The response in AFCARS was a "no" and should have been "yes."
#36 Monthly Amount	blank cell	5	4	Of the eight records that had a response of "yes" for element #35, all were blank for the monthly amount in AFCARS. The State has not been reporting "Medicaid only" as a monthly subsidy. The four that are questionable had "yes" for element #35 and zero amount for the monthly amount. The reviewers did not note if there was a monthly amount.
#37 Adoption Assistance	9	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell