Resource Library

This technical bulletin gives reporting instructions and provides examples for the AFCARS 2020 out-of-home care and adoption and guardianship assistance data elements. The regulation for each element is shown in a blue box. Following the regulation language, CB provides explanatory text, examples, differences between AFCARS 1993 and AFCARS 2020, and data reporting standards. This Technical Bulletin was last revised on January 14, 2022.

This guide provides an overview of the challenges child welfare researchers and evaluators may face in conducting research and collecting data remotely and offers strategies and recommendations to address them. It reviews how to adapt evaluation designs, select and employ virtual data-collection technologies, maintain data privacy, and collect qualitative data.

This brief summarizes the existing guidance and recommendations related to identifying and surveying youth in the follow-up population at age 21.

Children's Bureau shared our current thinking on the answers to some of the questions submitted by title IV-E agencies. The webinar included questions and answers about the new data elements, so that the Children’s Bureau may develop relevant technical assistance resources.

This Technical Bulletin (TB) announces the next round of reviews the Children's Bureau plans to begin in federal fiscal year 2022. The bulletin provides a high-level overview of the reviews, outlines improvements to strengthen the CFSR process, and provides information on the scheduling of reviews for CFSR Round 4. The Children's Bureau will provide future guidance and hold calls with states to share more information about the process and procedures before the start of the reviews.

The Children’s Bureau partnered the CDC to conduct a webinar on Child Welfare Worker Safety in the time of COVID: CDC Recommendations for In-Person Interactions with Families. The purpose of this webinar was to review relevant guidance and recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on how to reduce the risk of exposure to COVID-19 while conducting in-person interactions with children and families. Participants also heard how these recommendations are being implemented in practice in Massachusetts.

This technical bulletin responds to title IV-E agency and other stakeholder frequently asked questions (FAQs) about published policies, including legal representation. The FAQs in this technical bulletin do not establish new policy or requirements or supersede existing laws or official guidance.

This webinar described the Comprehensive Child Welfare Information System (CCWIS) Technical Assistance Review Process. It began with an overview of the lessons learned from the Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information System (SACWIS) review process. The presentation described the iterative review process and it explains the use of self-assessment tools. As of this presentation, some self-assessment tools were available for public comment and others were in development.

This webinar was the first session in the AFCARS Final Rule Training Series. This webinar provides an on the overview of the AFCARS 2020 final rule, published May 12, 2020. It includes a brief description of the changes from the current AFCARS reporting to the new reporting based on the final rule. It also introduces the new compliance and penalties sections of the final rule. This webinar was co-presented with the Division of Performance Measurement and Improvement (DPMI) and the Division of Policy.

This webinar explained how states are using remote/distance training and learning for CCWIS rollout and implementation. This webinar session provided an overview of key strategies for effective and engaging distance learning models for training and onboarding of new staff. State panelists shared lessons learned with using virtual reality during the onboarding and training process as well as lessons learned from quickly pivoting from in-person training to virtual training due to the COVID-19 pandemic.