Resource Library

The purpose of this Information Memorandum (IM) is to inform title IV-E agencies that a final rule was published amending the AFCARS regulations to require state title IV-E agencies to collect and report data elements related to the procedural protections of the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 (ICWA). This final rule was published in the Federal Register on December 5, 2024 (89 FR 96569).

The Children's Bureau Data Analytics and Reporting Team held an office hours session on June 24, 2024, from 3:00pm to 4:00pm ET. For this office hour, the Children's Bureau shared updates on revised technical bulletins and revisions to the penalty process.  This was also an opportunity for states, tribes, and territories to ask questions.

The purpose of this Information Memorandum (IM) is to inform title IV-E agencies that a NPRM was published proposing to amend the AFCARS regulations to require state title IV-E agencies to collect and report data elements related to the procedural protections of the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 (ICWA). This NPRM was published in the Federal Register on February 23, 2024 (89 FR 13652 ).

The Children's Bureau Data Analytics and Reporting Team held their final AFCARS Open Office Hours for 2023. These sessions are for state and tribal program administrators, child welfare data leaders, and information system programmers. It provides an opportunity to ask questions specific to your agency's implementation of AFCARS 2020. The April session covered questions and answers, as well as updates from NCWDMS.

This short, 30-minute technical training video is created by The Children's Bureau Data Analytics and Reporting Team and gives a brief demonstration which describes basic XML concepts.

The Children's Bureau Data Analytics and Reporting Team held their third AFCARS Open Office Hours for 2023. These sessions are for state and tribal program administrators, child welfare data leaders, and information system programmers. It provides an opportunity to ask questions specific to your agency's implementation of AFCARS 2020. The March session covered frequently asked questions and answers, updates from the NCWDMS pilot, and updates regarding the upcoming AFCARS 2020 reporting period.

This short, 8-minute technical training video is created by The Children's Bureau Data Analytics and Reporting Team and gives a brief demonstration which shows agencies how to validate their XML files against the XSD. For more information, or to access the XSD, please see AFCARS Technical Bulletin 21.

The AFCARS Report (TAR) presents a national summary of foster care and adoption counts/data during a given fiscal year. 

The Children's Bureau Data Analytics and Reporting Team held their second AFCARS Open Office Hours for 2023. These sessions are for state and tribal program administrators, child welfare data leaders, and information system programmers. It provides an opportunity to ask questions specific to your agency's implementation of AFCARS 2020. The February session covered the recent changes in Technical Bulletins 20, 21, 22, and 23, as well as additional information presented by the NCWDMS team on how to participate in the pilot and use the National Child Welfare Data Management System (NCWDMS) for AFCARS 2020 reporting.