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Child Maltreatment 2020

January 19, 2022

This report presents national data about child abuse and neglect known to child protective services agencies in the United States during federal fiscal year 2020.

This issue of Child and Family Services Reviews Update contains the following sections: Children’s Bureau Emphasizes Diversity, Equity, Inclusion in Round 4 CFSRs, Focus Groups Planned on Engaging Young People With Lived Experience in the CFSRs, Legal and Judicial Communities’ Involvement To Be Enhanced in Round 4 CFSRs, QA Staff Training Module Goes Live, and Spanish Translations in the Works for CFSR Instruments, Materials.

This issue of Child and Family Services Reviews Update contains the following sections: National Call on Round 4 Emphasizes Inclusion, Statewide Data Indicator Profiles Disseminated, Multi-Item Data Analysis Tool Launched, and New Training Content Coming Soon on ELA.

All title IV-E agencies (states, territories, and tribes) report financial information on a quarterly basis for the title IV-E Foster Care, Adoption Assistance, Guardianship Assistance, Prevention Services, and Kinship Navigator programs using Form CB-496. Title IV-E agencies also provide information on adoption savings, derived from the title IV-E Adoption Assistance program, using Form CB-496. A summary of the adoption-savings data is posted on the Children’s Bureau website. Adoption Savings Data.

Form CB-496 quarterly reporting includes costs (expenditures and next-quarter estimates) and caseload data in various funding categories. All expenditures are actual payments made to foster parents, adoptive parents, legal guardians, vendors, service providers, and contractors or actual payments for agency administrative, personnel, or other allowable cost items that are allocable to the program in accordance with an approved or pending cost allocation plan or negotiated indirect cost rate. Expenditures are reported as “total computable,” which includes both the federal and tribal/state shares and the federal share, which is computed using the appropriate federal medical assistance percentage or federal financial participation rate costs as specified in statute. Caseload data include the average monthly number of children for whom specified title IV-E expenditures were made. Some reported caseload data cover all children receiving assistance or services in the program area, including those who are not title IV-E eligible. A copy of Form CB-496, including detailed instructions for completing the form, can be found in Program Instruction ACYF-CB-PI-21-08.

Beginning with fiscal year (FY) 2019, the Children’s Bureau posts an annual FY summary of Form CB-496 expenditures and caseloads as reported by each title IV-E agency. Posted data tables include the combination of current-quarter and prior-quarter adjustment expenditures and current-quarter caseload data as delineated in quarterly Form CB-496 submissions for each FY. Actual funding provided to each title IV-E agency for each identified program can differ from the reported expenditure amount if the Administration for Children and Families determines that some portion of the claims are not allowable.

AFCARS Report #28

November 19, 2021

This report provides preliminary estimates of Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) data for FY 2020. As states are permitted to resubmit AFCARS data, the estimates may change over time. This report reflects all AFCARS data received as of October 4, 2021 related to AFCARS reporting periods through September 30, 2020.

This document provides the 2020 report compiling data from state and tribal title IV-E agencies’ reported Adoption Savings, as well as background information on Adoption Savings requirements.

Adoption Savings Data

November 5, 2021

Since federal fiscal year (FFY) 2010, the title IV-E Adoption Assistance program has provided expanded eligibility provisions for any child who meets the criteria for an “applicable child” as defined in section 473(e) of the Social Security Act (the Act). Use of the applicable-child eligibility provisions (section 473(a)(2)(A)(ii) of the Act) tends to result in more children being determined as eligible for title IV-E since it delinks eligibility for the title IV-E Adoption Assistance program from the requirements of the Aid to Families with Dependent Children program, among other changes. (See Program Instruction [PI] ACYF-CB-PI-09-10, dated August 26, 2009, for more details on the applicable-child eligibility criteria.) The increased eligibility allows states to receive additional federal funding for adoption, thereby allowing them to reduce the level of nonfederal funds they use for these services. The reduction in nonfederal spending is referred to as “adoption savings.”

Federal law (section 473(a)(8) of the Act) requires title IV-E agencies to spend an amount equal to any savings they achieve as a result of applying the differing program eligibility criteria to applicable children for other child welfare service activities permitted under titles IV-B or IV-E of the Act. The amount of adoption savings is calculated based on the title IV-E Adoption Assistance program claims made on behalf of those children who, absent the applicable-child eligibility criteria, would not have been determined eligible for title IV-E Adoption Assistance. The savings are generally equal to the federal share of these claims since, in most instances, that amount would otherwise have been paid from nonfederal title IV-E agency funds. A portion of the expenditures of adoption savings funds must be used for specified services.

To implement the adoption savings requirements, the Children’s Bureau (CB) issued PIs providing detailed guidance on the calculation, expenditure, and reporting of adoption savings and developed a new annual reporting form (CB-496 Part 4) to collect the information. See PIs ACYF-CB-PI-15-06 and ACYF-CB-PI-21-08 for details on these instructions.

Title IV-E agencies—as of FFY 2015—are required to calculate and report annually their adoption savings, the methodology used to calculate the savings, how savings are spent, and on what services. In calculating adoption savings, title IV-E agencies must use a methodology specified by CB or may propose an alternative for approval. The methodology developed and issued by CB is referred to as “the CB Method.” This method can be applied either to a sample of cases or to the full universe of cases if the agency was able to access actual figures for needed information without conducting a special review. The statute also requires that the annual adoption savings information reported by state and tribal title IV-E agencies be posted on the CB website.

This report presents the findings of a federally funded case study that examined prenatal alcohol and other exposures in child welfare, including in Tribal child welfare systems. For the study, multiple listening sessions were held with diverse Tribal stakeholders across Minnesota in 2018 to understand issues related to prenatal substance exposure (PSE), to develop relationships with Tribes, and to inform the study. In 2019, the research team engaged the Ombimindwaa Gidinawemaaganinaadog Red Lake Family and Children Services agency to co-develop a case study. After Tribal council and IRB approval, in 2020 the Tribal liaison and a team member conducted two data collection efforts: a service process mapping activity, and interviews with nine key informants. Findings from the case study are reported and indicate: currently, no validated assessment or decision-making tools are used by this agency to guide the intake process when there are reports of prenatal alcohol or other drug exposures; participants were less aware of the relevant referral partners and the process to identify children affected by PSE than those processes for serving and supporting pregnant mothers; the two most frequent points of referral for pregnant mothers who are using substances are family preservation services and chemical dependency services for supporting pregnant mothers; challenges included struggles with maintaining and communicating processes consistently across agencies, and because all births currently occur off-reservation, the Tribal programs must follow the lead of external agencies. Themes that emerged from the interviews are also discussed and address the needs and strengths of the Tribal community, services for pregnant mothers and infants with PSE, facilitators to implementing services, challenges to implementing services, and recommendations for improved services. Finally, implications of the findings for Tribal child welfare program and federal agencies are explored.

This report presents the results of a federally funded study that examined federal and State policies guiding child welfare prenatal substance exposure (PSE) identification and care, child welfare staff awareness and knowledge of PSE and practices to identify affected children and families, how PSE information is shared and documented, and how child welfare agencies interact with caregivers and allied service providers in supporting children and families. The study included interviews with child welfare directors and reviews of State policy documents pertaining to PSE in five States; interviews with child welfare staff and directors (n=171) at 22 agency sites, as well as a survey of allied PSE-relevant service providers (n=271), and a review of local agency-level policy documents; and in-depth interviews with 13 local agency data staff at two States, as well as a survey of 21 allied PSE-relevant service providers, focus groups or interviews with 48 caregivers, and a review of 212 local agency case files. Results from the study are reported and indicate: States reported policy revisions and enhanced collaborative partnerships in response to CAPTA/CARA legislation; defining prenatal exposure as child maltreatment may be a barrier to providing supportive services to families; most staff reported participating in training related to PSE and stated a high level of awareness about the effects of PSE, yet many displayed inaccurate knowledge about the effects of prenatal alcohol syndrome; staff reported inconsistent assessment for PSE; when PSE is a concern, most CW staff reported that they would refer to developmental and early intervention services along with medical providers; PSE information was not consistently located in a single report or location; and among the caregivers who had cared for a child with PSE, few reported that they were fully prepared to do so. Additional findings are reported and recommendations are made.

This brief describes the key elements and evaluation criteria of evidence clearinghouses that are most relevant to child welfare; factors for deciding whether to submit a program or practice for a review; evaluation design considerations; organizational capacity to conduct a rigorous evaluation; and initial planning steps for implementing and evaluating a program.