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).

Includes Native American children covered under section 422(b)(10) of the Act, (45 CFR 1355.40(a) (2)).

Out of State placements. The State making the placement submits the information on the child (45 CFR 1355.40(a) (2)) .

Includes all children who have been in foster care at least 24 hours ( Appendix A - SECTION II).

Does not include children who are in their own homes under the responsibility of the State agency ( Appendix A - SECTION II) .

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).

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 all children that are in the agency’s responsibility for care, placement or supervision.

The State has title IV-E agreements with four Indian Tribes. The State does not have agreements with other public agencies.

The State includes Indian children that are placed in its responsibility for care and placement.

The State does not include children placed in South Dakota from other State child welfare agencies.

The State excludes children in care for less than 24-hours.

The State only includes children that have been removed from his/her home either through a physical or constructive removal.

The State implemented the collection of children on “trial reunification” April 1, 2003 and these were reported in AFCARS 2003B file.

The State’s age of majority is 18. The State does claim title IV-E on eligible youth up to the age of 19.

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 meet the criteria below must be reported. Criteria ( Appendix B – Section II):

a) Children who had been in foster care under the responsibility and care of the agency.

b) 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.

c) Children adopted for whom an adoption assistance payment or service is being provided based on arrangements with the State agency .

Adoptions prior to 10/1/94, with title IV-E adoption subsidies, report aggregate data (45 CFR 1355.40(a)(3)) .

For children adopted out-of-State, the placing State reports the adoption data (45 CFR 1355.40(a)(3)) .

Voluntarily reports on all other adoptions. ( Appendix B – Section II).

The State includes children that are SSI eligible and placed by a private agency. The private agency works with the adoption program specialist in the State office to write the subsidy agreement. The State adoption program specialist enters the adoption record into FACIS.

Not applicable

Yes

No, the State only reports on adoptions in which it has involvement.

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS

4

45 CFR 1355.40(b) Foster care and adoption reporting requirements

The data must be extracted from the data system as of the last day of the reporting period (45 CFR 1355.40(b)(1)).

The data must be submitted in electronic form as described in Appendix C (45 CFR 1355.40(b)(1)).

The data must be in record layouts as delineated in Appendix D

(45 CFR 1355.40(b)).

Yes

Yes

Yes

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.

State uses an encryption routine.

Appendix C, 45 CFR 1355 Electronic Data Transmission Format

Data file must be in ASCII format.

Elements must be comprised of integer (numeric) value(s).

All records must be a fixed length.

Yes

Yes

Yes

ACYF-PI-CB-95-09, Reissued May 23, 1995

State extracts all records based on the transaction date of discharge.

Yes

Technical Bulletin #2, File Format

State uses correct file name for transmission.

Yes

Data Extraction

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.

For children who were discharged during the period, information on the most recent episode is extracted.

Yes

Yes

Data Conversion

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 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 converted open cases only. Conversion was phased in between 1999 and 2003. Dates of removal, discharge and the reason for discharge was entered into FACIS for previous removal episodes, if applicable. The system will allow the entry of this information on closed cases that may re-open for foster care. The State also entered the start and end dates of placements that occurred for the current removal episode.