Case File Findings

Foster Care Case File Findings
State: Wyoming

AFCARS Element	Data in AFCARS Matches Case File	Data in AFCARS Does Not Match Paper File	Comments
#3 Local FIPS Code	61	3	blank cell
#5 Most Recent Periodic Review Date	51	12	One record was not included due to questionable data. The review date was June 2000 and a date of discharge was submitted as October 2000. This would have been correct except that the actual discharge date was not until February 2001. Of the 12 that were incorrect, two records had review dates almost a year before 3/31/01. There were two records with dates that were correct according to the method used in AFCARS to determine compliance, but the reviews occurred 9 months prior to 3/31/01.
#6 Child Birth Date	62	2	blank cell
#7 Child Sex 1 = Male 2 = Female	64	blank cell	blank cell
#8 Child Race	1	63	blank cell
a. American Indian or Alaska Native	49	2	The two records were marked as "does not apply" and the reviewer found that the response should have been "applies".
b. Asian	50	1	The record was marked as "applies" and it should have been "does not apply."
c. Black or African American	49	2	One record should have been "does not apply" and the other should have been marked "applies." One record should have reflected the child as multi-racial.
d. Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander	0	64	All records were marked as "applies" for this element.
e. White	0	64	All records were marked as “does not apply” for this element.
f. Unable to Determine	64	blank cell	blank cell
#9 Child Hispanic Origin 1 = Yes 2 = No 3 = Unable to Determine	64	blank cell	blank cell
#10 Has Child Been Diagnosed with Disability?	49	15	blank cell
#11 Mental Retardation	63	1	blank cell
#12 Visually/Hearing Impaired	64	0	blank cell
#13 Physically Disabled	64	0	blank cell
#14 Emotionally Disturbed	55	9	blank cell
#15 Other Diagnosed Condition	54	10	blank cell
#16 Has Child Ever Been Adopted? 1 = Yes 2 = No 3 = Unable to Determine	61	3	One record showed the child had previously been adopted and the child had not been adopted. One record should have been reported as "yes."
#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	61	3	blank cell
#18 Date of First Removal from Home	22	40	Two records were not included in the analysis. 3 records had a difference in the dates of 2 days. 5 records had a difference in the dates of 1 month. 4 records had a difference in the dates of 2 months. 1 record had a difference in the dates of 8 months. 3 records had a difference in the dates of 4 months. 2 records had a difference in the dates of 6 months. 1 record had a difference in the dates of 7 months. 1 record had a difference in the dates of 10 months. 5 records had a difference in the dates of 1 year. 1 records had a difference in the dates of 2 years. 5 records had a difference in the dates of 3 years. 1 records had a difference in the dates of 4 years. Notes from the debriefing: Dates of 1st removal were a common problem. In some cases the date of the court hearing was reported instead of the date when the child was removed.
#19 Total Number of Removals from Home	26	35	Of the 40 that were incorrect in element #18, 12 had incorrect counts. Ten records had two removals, and two had three removals. (All were reported as having only 1 removal.) Three records were not included in the analysis because element #18 could not be analyzed.
#20 Date of Discharge from Previous Episode	51	11	Two records were not included in the analysis.
#21 Date of Latest Removal	30	33	One record was not included in the analysis.
#23 Date of Placement in Current Setting	46	18	blank cell
#24 Number of Previous Placement Settings in This Episode	37	27	All of the incorrect records showed one placement setting in AFCARS. The actual number of placements were: 2 placements = 9 3 placements = 6 4 placements = 2 5 placements = 2 6 placements = 2 10 placements = 1 11 placements = 1 Debriefing Notes: The staff shared that the number of placements are too low. They believe that the data is in the system because there are incident screen prints in the paper files listing all the placements, but AFCARS did not capture all the placements.
#25 Manner of Removal From Home for This Episode 1 = Voluntary 2 = Court Ordered 3 = Not Yet Determined	48	16	Six records were reported as "voluntary," but the reviewers reported the finding as "court ordered." Nine were marked "voluntary" and the reviewers noted they were "protective custody." 1 record was marked as "court ordered" and it was actually "voluntary."
#26 - #40	37	26	One record was not included in the analysis.
#26 Physical Abuse	62	2	One record should have been "applies" the other "does not apply."
#27 Sexual Abuse	62	2	One record should have been “applies” the other “does not apply.”
#28 Neglect	56	8	blank cell
#29 Parent Alcohol Abuse	62	2	blank cell
#30 Parent Drug Abuse	54	10	blank cell
#31 Child Alcohol Abuse	63	1	blank cell
#32 Child Drug Abuse	63	1	blank cell
#33 Child Disability	64	0	blank cell
#34 Child's Behavior Problem	63	1	This reason was given in every one of the Juvenile Justice/CHINS records. Reviewers did find drug abuse and alcohol abuse (child) in two records.
#35 Death of Parent	63	1	blank cell
#36 Incarceration of Parent	61	3	blank cell
#37 Caretaker Inability to Cope	62	2	blank cell
#38 Abandonment	64	0	blank cell
#39 Relinquishment	64	0	blank cell
#40 Inadequate Housing	61	3	blank cell
#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	60	4	Two children were on "trial home visits," but were not reported as such to AFCARS. Notes from the Debriefing: Reviewers reported that there are problems with the placements that occurred prior to conversion. In the old information system, if the child was placed in multiple foster homes, it was only counted as one home.
#42 Out of State Placement	62	2	blank cell
#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	52	12	Four records were reported to AFCARS as "not yet established" and the child had been in care for more then 60 days. One child had been in care since 1998. Case plan goals were found for all of the records except for one. Seven records were reported with a goal of "reunify" and in 4 records the goal had changed to "adoption."
#44 Caretaker Family Structure 1 = Married Couple 2 = Unmarried Couple 3 = Single Female 4 = Single Male 5 = Unable to Determine	55	7	Two records were not included in the analysis.
#45 1st Primary Caretaker's Birth Year	51	9	Four records were not included in the analysis.
#46 2nd Primary Caretaker's Birth Year	43	18	Three records were not included in the analysis.
#47 Mother's Date of TPR	56	8	For elements #47 and #48, six records were found to have a case plan goal of "adoption" but there were no TPR dates.
#48 Father's Date of TPR	58	6	blank cell
#49 Foster Family Structure 0 = Not Applicable 1 = Married Couple 2 = Unmarried Couple 3 = Single Female 4 = Single Male	48	11	Five records were not included in the analysis. Three records were reported as "not applicable," but information for element #41 was reported as "family foster home." One record showed the family structure as married, but the individual was a widow. Notes from the Debriefing: Reviewers noted that foster caretaker information for the Casey Family program case records was not included in AFCARS.
#50 1st Foster Caretaker's Birth Year	27	28	Nine records were not included in the analysis because the information was not available. Twenty of the incorrect records were blank. However, there should have been information reported because the foster care setting was a family foster home. 1 was incorrect because the placement setting was wrong. 1 record had the wrong birth date.
#51 2nd Foster Caretaker's Birth Year	32	17	Fifteen records were not included in the analysis. The incorrect records were blank and should not have been because the family structure was "married" or "unmarried" couple.
#52 1st Foster Caretaker's Race	17	43	Four records were "not applicable" for #49, but #41 showed the placement as a family foster home and element #52 was blank. 1 was incorrect because the placement setting was incorrect.19 were blank and should not have been. Four records were not included in the analysis.
a. American Indian or Alaska Native	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell
b. Asian	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell
c. Black or African American	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell
d. Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander	blank cell	blank cell	All records were marked as "apply" for this element.
e. White	blank cell	blank cell	All records were marked as "does not apply" for this element.
f. Unable to Determine	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell
#53 1st Foster Caretaker's Hispanic Origin 0 = Not Applicable 1 = Yes 2 = No 3 = Unable to Determine	27	27	Ten records were not included in the analysis. 23 records were blank for this element and they should not have been. 3 records were reported as being "not applicable" for element #49, and this element was blank. However, the child was in a family foster home.
#54 2nd Foster Caretaker's Race	27	33	Seven records were reported as being "not applicable" for element #49, and this element was blank. However, the child was in a family foster home. 18 records were blank and should not have been. Four records were not included in the analysis.
a. American Indian or Alaska Native	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell
b. Asian	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell
c. Black or African American	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell
d. Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell
e. White	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell
f. Unable to Determine	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell
#55 2nd Foster Caretaker's Hispanic Origin 0 = Not Applicable 1 = Yes 2 = No 3 = Unable to Determine	35	26	17 records were blank and should not have been. 6 records were reported as being "not applicable" for element #49, and this element was blank. However, the child was in a family foster home. Three records were not included in the analysis.
#56 Date of Discharge	53	11	Five children had actually been discharged. One record had a discharge date, but the child was still in care.
#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	58	6	Five children had actually been discharged. One record had a discharge date, but the child was still in care.
#59 Title IVE Foster Care	blank cell	10	For elements #59-#66, information could not be validated for most records because the information was only in CHRIS. Therefore the number of correct files is not given. For elements #59, #61 - #62 and #64 - #65, all records had "does not apply" submitted for the AFCARS file for the child welfare children.
#60 Title IVE Adoption	blank cell	1	blank cell
#61 Title IVA AFDC	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell
#62 Title IVD Child Support	blank cell	2	blank cell
#63 Title XIX Medicaid	blank cell	17	blank cell
#64 SSI	blank cell	6	blank cell
#65 None of the Above	blank cell	3	blank cell
#66 Monthly Amount	38	8	blank cell

Adoption Case File Findings
State: West Virginia

AFCARS Element	Data in AFCARS Matches Case File	Data in AFCARS Does Not Match Paper File	Comments
#4 State Agency Involvement 1 = Yes 2 = No	8	blank cell	blank cell
#5 Child Date of Birth	8	blank cell	blank cell
#6 Child Sex	8	blank cell	blank cell
#7 Child Race	blank cell	8	blank cell
a. American Indian or Alaska Native	blank cell	1	The incorrect record was marked as "no" and should have been "yes."
b. Asian	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell
c. Black or African American	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell
d. Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander	blank cell	8	blank cell
e. White	blank cell	8	blank cell
f. Unable to Determine	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell
#8 Child Hispanic Origin 1 = Yes 2 = No 3 = Unable to Determine	8	blank cell	blank cell
#9 Has Agency Determined Special Needs	8	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	8	blank cell	blank cell
#11 Mental Retardation	8	blank cell	blank cell
#12 Visually/Hearing Impaired	8	blank cell	blank cell
#13 Physically Disabled	8	blank cell	blank cell
#14 Emotionally Disturbed	8	blank cell	blank cell
#15 Other Diagnosed Condition	8	blank cell	blank cell
#16 Mother's Birth Year	2	6	blank cell
#17 Father's Birth Year	5	3	blank cell
#18 Mother Married at Time of Birth 1 = Yes 2 = No 3 = Unable to Determine	7	1	blank cell
#19 Date of Mother's TPR	7	1	blank cell
#20 Date of Father's TPR	8	blank cell	blank cell
#21 Date Adoption Legalized	8	blank cell	blank cell
#22 Adoptive Family Structure 1 = Married Couple 2 = Unmarried Couple 3 = Single Female 4 = Single Male	8	blank cell	blank cell
#23 Adoptive Mother's Year of Birth	8	blank cell	blank cell
#24 Adoptive Father's Year of Birth	8	blank cell	blank cell
#25 Adoptive Mother's Race	blank cell	8	blank cell
a. American Indian or Alaska Native	blank cell	1	Should have been marked as "applies."
b. Asian	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell
c. Black or African American	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell
d. Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander	blank cell	8	blank cell
e. White	blank cell	8	blank cell
f. Unable to Determine	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell
#26 Adoptive Mother's Hispanic Origin 0 = Not Applicable 1 = Yes 2 = No 3 = Unable to Determine	8	blank cell	blank cell
#27 Adoptive Father's Race	blank cell	8	blank cell
a. American Indian or Alaska Native	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell
b. Asian	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell
c. Black or African American	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell
d. Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander	blank cell	8	blank cell
e. White	blank cell	8	blank cell
f. Unable to Determine	blank cell	blank cell	blank cell
#28 Adoptive Father's Hispanic Origin 0 = Not Applicable 1 = Yes 2 = No 3 = Unable to Determine	8	blank cell	blank cell
#29 Relationship of Adoptive Parent to Child - Stepparent	8	blank cell	blank cell
#30 Relationship of Adoptive Parent to Child - Other Relative	8	blank cell	blank cell
#31 Relationship of Adoptive Parent to Child - Foster Parent	8	blank cell	blank cell
#32 Relationship of Adoptive Parent to Child - Other Non-Relative	8	blank cell	blank cell
#33 Child Was Placed from 1 = Within State 2 = Another State 3 = Another Country	8	blank cell	blank cell
#34 Child Was Placed by 1 = Public Agency 2 = Private Agency 3 = Tribal Agency 4 = Independent Person 5 = Birth Parent	8	blank cell	blank cell
#35 Receiving Monthly Subsidy	8	blank cell	blank cell
#36 Monthly Amount	8	blank cell	blank cell
#37 Adoption Assistance	7	1	blank cell

Case File Findings

Foster Care Case File Findings State: Wyoming

Adoption Case File Findings State: West Virginia

Foster Care Case File Findings
State: Wyoming

Adoption Case File Findings
State: West Virginia