Publication Date:
February 16, 2022
Current as of:
This page contains information relevant to Round 4 of the Child and Family Services Reviews (CFSRs), expected to launch in FY 2023. Select a title below to jump to a section on this page.
General Information and Overview of the CFSRs Process
This section includes information, legislation, policies, and factsheets for the CFSRs. It also includes issues of the Child and Family Services Reviews Update newsletter.
State Reports
CFSRs Round 4 Process
- CFSR Overview Fact Sheet (Available in Spanish)
This factsheet provides an overview of the Child and Family Services Reviews, including its background and the process. - CFSR Process as Defined by Regulation (45 CFR 1355.31-37) (Available in Spanish)
This graphic presents the timeline for selected steps in the Child and Family Services Review process. - Engaging Young People With Lived Experience in the CFSRs
This brief, which is based on a series of focus groups with young people with lived child welfare experience, presents key considerations, roles, and recommendations for states when engaging young people in the Child and Family Services Reviews. - Guiding Principles, Framework, and Tools for the Statewide Assessment Process (Available in Spanish)
This document provides guiding principles, a suggested framework, and resources and tools states can use when completing a quality statewide assessment for the Child and Family Services Reviews. - Infographic - Understanding the CFSRs
This infographic provides an overview of the purpose and structure of the Child and Family Services Review (CFSR) and Program Improvement Plan (PIP) processes, including the statewide assessment and state data profiles. - Procedures Manual (Available in Spanish)
This manual describes the structure and process of the CFSRs, including the overall framework, the statewide assessment, the onsite review, case sampling, stakeholder interviews, determinations of substantial conformity, collaborating during the CFSRs, statewide data indicators, and the planning conference call schedule. - State-Led Case Review Criteria (Available in Spanish)
This document provides details on expectations for how states and the Children's Bureau will work to verify a state's ability to meet the case review criteria to conduct a State-Led Review for round 4 of the Child and Family Services Reviews. - State-Led CFSR Requirements and Benefits (Available in Spanish)
This guide presents information about state-led reviews for the Child and Family Services Reviews, including eligibility requirements, the role of the Children's Bureau, benefits, and considerations. - Site Selection Proposals (Available in Spanish)
- This document presents factors that the Children's Bureau recommends states consider in their proposals for the selection of Child and Family Services Review sites when a statewide sample will not be used.
- State Legal-Judicial Specialist
This document provides details on the roles and responsibilities of the State Legal-Judicial Specialist.
En español
- Avanzando Equidad y Inclusión a Través de las Revisiones de Servicios para Menores y Familias
This Spanish-language document provides a framework for ensuring the Child and Family Services Reviews serve all people equitably and respectfully.
Instruments, Tools, and Guides
- Case Elimination Guidance (Available in Spanish)
This document provides federal and state-specific case elimination criteria as well as guidance for developing and implementing procedures to document, apply, track, and report case elimination for round 4 of the Child and Family Services Reviews.- Case Elimination Worksheet (Available in Spanish)
This worksheet can assist with the elimination process for in-home services and foster care cases for round 4 of the Child and Family Services Reviews.
- Case Elimination Worksheet (Available in Spanish)
- Case-Related Interview Guides and Instructions (Available in Spanish)
This document presents case-related interview guides for use with children and youth, parents and caregivers, foster parents, and caseworkers during the Child and Family Services Reviews. It includes suggested introductory language, specific questions, and activities for after the interview. - Onsite Review Instrument (OSRI) and Instructions (Available in Spanish)
This guide presents instructions for reviewers to use for foster care and in-home services cases during the onsite review component of the Child and Family Services Reviews.- Reviewer Brief — Calculating 15 Out of 22 Months for the Purpose of Meeting Termination of Parental Rights Requirement
This reviewer brief provides instructions on how to calculate, for the purposes of the CFSR, the “15 out of the 22 most recent months” provision for determining whether to file a termination of parental rights (TPR) for children in foster care … - Reviewer Brief: OSRI Item 2 (Available in Spanish)
This brief provides guidance for applying item 2 of the Onsite Review Instrument and Instructions for round 4 of the Child and Family Services Reviews. - Reviewer Brief — Rating CFSR OSRI Item 12: Assessment of Needs and Provision of Appropriate Services
This brief is intended to strengthen how CFSR reviewers make a determination for item 12 of the Onsite Review Instrument and Instructions. - Reviewer Brief — Understanding Federal Expectations for Rating Cases (Available in Spanish)
This brief provides CFSR reviewers with an overview of the practices that may lead to a Strength rating in a case as well as other issues to consider during the assessment. - Talking Points — Application of OSRI to Cases Open as Both In-Home Services and Foster Care During the Period Under Review (Available in Spanish)
This document discusses how to handle the uncommon situation in which reviewers may receive a case that was opened for both in-home services and foster care during the period under review. - Writing “No” Narratives and Rationale Statements (Available in Spanish)
Child and Family Services Reviews reviewers must complete short “No” Narratives and longer Rationale Statements as part of completing the Onsite Review Instrument and Instructions (OSRI) and rating its items and outcomes. This guide is recommended for use by reviewers to ensure that “No” Narratives and Rationale Statements succinctly and comprehensively provide the information required to support answers to OSRI questions.
- Reviewer Brief — Calculating 15 Out of 22 Months for the Purpose of Meeting Termination of Parental Rights Requirement
- OSRI Quality Assurance Guide (Available in Spanish)
This guide for quality assurance staff helps ensure that Onsite Review Instrument (OSRI) data for the Child and Family Services Reviews are accurate, complete, and consistent. It contains information about general and item-specific issues to consider when conducting QA on an OSRI, the importance of engaging reviewers prior to completion of the OSRI instrument, and the final QA review of the instrument. - Stakeholder Interview Guide (Available in Spanish)
This guide provides questions for reviewers to ask during the stakeholder interviews for the onsite component of the Child and Family Services Reviews. - Statewide Assessment (Available in Spanish)
This document outlines what information should be compiled by states in preparation for the case review component of their Child and Family Services Review regarding information about their performance on the assessed child welfare outcomes and evidence required to demonstrate routine statewide functioning of systemic factors. - Quick Reference Items List (Available in Spanish)
This document provides short summaries of each of the 36 items for round 4 of the Child and Family Services Reviews.
Program Improvement Planning Tools
- CFSR Round 4 Program Improvement Plan Development Guidance (Available in Spanish)
This document provides guiding principles, a suggested framework, and resources and tools states can use when developing a quality PIP. - CFSR Round 4 Program Improvement Plan Template
States can use this template to submit their PIPs to the Children’s Bureau.
Statewide Data Indicators
- Data Dictionary (Available in Spanish)
This document provides a description of each statewide data indicator (SWDI) and data quality check for the Child and Family Services Reviews (CFSRs), including the numerators, denominators, risk adjustments, exclusions, and corresponding data notes. - Syntax Zip File — Statewide Data Indicators
This group of documents provides the syntax and supporting files in SPSS format that were used to calculate data quality and observed performance. - Workbook — Statewide Data Indicators
The CFSR Round 4 Statewide Data Indicators Workbook provides detailed, state-by-state performance on the Child and Family Services Reviews (CFSR) Round 4 statewide data indicators and comparisons to national performance for the most recent 12-month reporting period.
Fact Sheets
- Caseworkers Fact Sheet (Available in Spanish)
This factsheet describes the Child and Family Services Reviews process and how caseworkers can get involved. - Community Providers (Available in Spanish)
This fact sheet describes the CFSR process and how community providers can get involved. - Foster and Adoptive Parents (Available in Spanish)
This fact sheet describes the CFSR process and how foster and adoptive parents can get involved. - Legal and Judicial Communities (Available in Spanish)
This factsheet provides an overview of the Child and Family Services Reviews for legal and judicial professionals. - Parents and Caregivers (Available in Spanish)
This factsheet describes the Child and Family Services Reviews process and how parents and caregivers can get involved. - Tribal Child Welfare Officials (Available in Spanish)
This factsheet presents information for tribal child welfare officials about the Child and Family Services Reviews, such as the purpose and process. - Youth Fact Sheet (Available in Spanish)
This fact sheet describes the CFSR process and how youth can get involved.
En español
- Hoja Informativa para Oficiales Elegidos
This Spanish-language factsheet describes the Child and Family Services Reviews process and how elected officials can get involved.
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