Federal & State Reporting Systems

The Children's Bureau administers Federal and State reporting systems that provide data to monitor and improve child welfare outcomes.

Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS)

The Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) collects case level information on all children in foster care for whom State child welfare agencies have responsibility for placement, care or supervision, and on children who are adopted under the auspices of the State's public child welfare agency. See Adoption and Foster Care Statistics for the latest AFCARS reports, and Child Welfare Research for the Child Welfare Outcomes Reports, which include AFCARS data.

• About AFCARS - General information about AFCARS.
• Federal Guidance on AFCARS - Policy issuances related to AFCARS.
• AFCARS Assessment Review - Current information on AFCARS Assessment Reviews, including schedules, final reports, and the State Guide to an AFCARS Assessment Review. (PDF - 332 KB)
• AFCARS Resources - Contains technical bulletins, software utilities, Federal Information Processing Standards Codes, and Disability/Special Needs Code Table.

National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS)

The National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) is a voluntary national data collection and analysis system created in response to the requirements of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (Public Law 93-247) as amended. See Child Welfare Research for Child Welfare Outcomes Reports, which include NCANDS data, as well as Child Abuse and Neglect Research for the Child Maltreatment Reports.

• National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect - A service of the Children's Bureau provided through Cornell University that offers information and assistance on the NCANDS system.
• NCANDS Survey Instrument - This section contains the survey instruments for the Summary Data Component and the Detailed Case Data Component, as well as the glossary of terms.
• Data Profile Programming Logic - Programming logic (SPSS syntax) for use with both NCANDS and AFCARS data for the Child Welfare Outcomes and Measures and the Child and Family Services Review Data Profile.

Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information System (SACWIS)

The Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information System (SACWIS) is a comprehensive automated case management tool that supports social workers' foster care and adoptions assistance case management practice.

• New SACWIS Managers Page – Information to orient states to SACWIS and available technical assistance.
• About SACWIS - Detailed information about a statewide automated child welfare information system.
• Federal Guidance on SACWIS - Statutes, regulations, and other SACWIS-related policy guidance.
• SACWIS Assessment Review Process - Information about the review process, as well as the latest SACWIS Assessment Review Guide.
• SACWIS Meetings and Conferences - Upcoming SACWIS-related meetings and conferences.
• States' SACWIS Status - A chart that provides the status of each state's SACWIS.
• About the Division of State Systems - Information about ACF's group that partners with States to develop, maintain, and operate SACWIS.
• Related SACWIS Links - Resources of interest to those planning, developing, and operating SACWIS.

National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD)

• National Youth In Transition Database Notice of Proposed RuleMaking - Published in the Federal Register: July 14, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 135)] - Information on the proposed regulation that will implement the data collection provisions in the John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence Program, enacted in 1999. (PDF – 270 KB)



• Practical Strategies for Tracking and Locating Youth: Proposed National Youth in Transition Database

  A technical assistance document to acompany the proposed rule on the National Youth In Transition Database (NYTD) published in the Federal Register on July 14, 2006 (71 FR 40346). (PDF – 378KB)

Other Related Links

• Child Welfare Monitoring - Information on the programs provided by the Children's Bureau that monitor State child welfare services, including the Child and Family Services Reviews (CFSRs), Title IV-E Foster Care Eligibility Reviews, the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis Reporting System (AFCARS), the State Wide Automated Child Welfare Information Systems (SACWIS), and the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS).
• Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) - AFCARS data from case level information on all children in foster care for whom State child welfare agencies have responsibility for placement, care or supervision and on children who are adopted under the auspices of the State's public child welfare agency.