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

AFCARS Assessment Review - General Requirements Findings
State: Vermont

Requirement Finding/Notes
Checked (X)		 Compliance Factor
Population Requirements 2
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).
 In Vermont, both juvenile justice and child welfare services are under the responsibility of the title IV-B/E agency. The agency provides case management services and the protections of title IV-B, section 422(b)(10) to all children. Services are provided to both juvenile justice and child welfare populations by the same caseworkers. The State includes all juvenile justice children in the AFCARS report. Approximately 20 percent of the total AFCARS population are juvenile justice youth and 66% of the juvenile justice population are IV-E eligible. Given the structure and policies of the Vermont Department of Social and Rehabilitative Services, the State is reporting the population correctly in the AFCARS foster care file. blank cell
  • 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).
 X blank cell
Includes Native American children covered under section 422(b)(10) of the Act, (45 CFR 1355.40(a)(2)). Yes (The State does not have any Federally recognized tribes.) blank cell
Out of State placements. The State making the placement submits the information on the child (45 CFR 1355.40(a)(2)). X blank cell
Includes all children who have been in foster care at least 24 hours (Appendix A - SECTION II). X blank cell
Does not include children who are in their own homes under the responsibility of the State agency (Appendix A - SECTION II). X blank cell
Includes 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). X 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). X blank cell
45 CFR 1355.40(a) Scope of the data collection system - adoption blank cell blank cell
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)). X blank cell
  • 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):
 X blank cell
  1. Children who had been in foster care under the responsibility and care of the agency.
 X blank cell
  1. 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.
 X blank cell
  1. Children adopted for whom an adoption assistance payment or service is being provided based on arrangements with the State agency.
 X blank cell
Adoptions prior to 10/1/94, with title IV-E adoption subsidies, report aggregate data (45 CFR 1355.40(a)(3)). X blank cell
For children adopted out of state, the placing State reports the adoption data (45 CFR 1355.40(a)(3)). X blank cell
Voluntarily reports on all other adoptions. (Appendix B - Section II). Not Applicable blank cell
Technical Requirements 4
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)). X blank cell
The data must be submitted in electronic form as described in Appendix C (45 CFR 1355.40(b)(1)). X blank cell
The data must be in record layouts as delineated in Appendix D (45 CFR 1355.40(b). X 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.
Yes.
State uses a sequential routine and stores data in a separate file to be associated with family/child and SSN used. The same sequential number is used for the same person for each report period. State does use encryption routine for NCANDS that could also be used for AFCARS. ACF encourages the State to use an encryption routine for the AFCARS record numbers (FC #4, AD #3).		 blank cell
Appendix C, 45 CFR 1355 Electronic Data Transmission Format blank cell blank cell
Data file must be in ASCII format. X blank cell
Elements must be comprised of integer (numeric) value(s). X blank cell
All records must be a fixed length. X 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. X blank cell
Technical Bulletin #2, File Format blank cell blank cell
State uses correct file name for transmission. X blank cell
Appendix D and E, 45 CFR 1355 Century Compliance blank cell blank cell
State uses a four-digit year for entering dates into the system.
Yes.
All adult dates of birth are preceded by 19 and for all other dates if the number is greater than 35, it's preceded by 19; if it is less than 35, it is preceded by 20. Instructions for field are to enter a four-digit year.		 blank cell
Data Extraction blank cell 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. X blank cell
For children who were discharged during the period, information on the most recent episode is extracted. X blank cell
File Creation blank cell blank cell
State attaches footnotes to files. No 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. X 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. Not Applicable 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. Not Applicable blank cell