SUMMARY OF FEDERAL DATA INDICATORS, COMPOSITES, COMPONENTS AND MEASURES

Guide to new terminology:

Data Indicator: Refers to the two safety measures and four permanency composites for which national standards have been developed. Anything that has a national standard is referred to as a data indicator. There are six data indicators, two associated with Safety Outcome 1 and four associated with Permanency Outcome 1.

Composite: Refers to a data indicator that incorporates State performance on multiple permanency-related individual measures. There are four permanency composites.

Components: Refers to the primary parts of a composite. Components may incorporate only one individual measure or may have two or more individual measures that are closely related to one another. There are seven permanency related components.

Individual Measures/Measures: Refers to the specific measures that are included in each composite. This does not include the two specific safety measures that are considered “data indicators” because they have national standards associated with them. There are 15 individual permanency measures.

Methods of Measurement:Most of the permanency composites include a combination of types of measures. Each type of measure contributes to an understanding of State performance from a particular perspective.

  • Longitudinal Measure: A measure that follows a cohort of children over time to determine outcomes.
  • Measure for an Entry Cohort of Children: A measure that provides information on a specific group of children who enter foster care during a designated time period and tracks their subsequent experience. Entry cohort measures are useful for tracking the effects of new initiatives and policy changes over time.
  • Measure for an Exit Cohort of Children: A measure that provides information on a specific group of children who leave foster care during a designated time period that captures the experience of children who have been in foster care prior to and during policy change efforts. Exit cohort measures are useful for determining the outcomes of children who have been in foster care over longer periods of time.
  • Median: A measure that represents the central value in a distribution of values, the point where half of the values fall below and half of the values are above. Median is a useful measure when summarizing a distribution of values that are potentially extreme highs or lows.

SAFETY INDICATORS

Two data indicators associated with CFSR safety outcome 1 – Children are first and foremost, protected from abuse and neglect.

Data Indicator 1:Repeat maltreatment. Of all children who were victims of a substantiated

or indicated maltreatment allegation during the first 6 months of FY 2004, what percent were not victims of another substantiated or indicated maltreatment allegation during the next 6-month period?

Data Indicator 2: Child abuse and neglect in foster care. Of all children served in foster care in FY 2004, what percent were not victims of a substantiated or indicated maltreatment by a foster parent or facility staff member?

Notes: The two safety data indicators are essentially the same as the safety national standards used during the first round of CFSR’s. However, the “new” safety data indicators are stated in positive performance terms, so a higher score means better performance,(i.e., instead of what percent of children were victims as in the old measures, the new measures are the percent of children who were not victims.

PERMANENCY INDICATORS

Four data composites associated with permanency outcome 1 – Children have permanency and stability in their living situations.

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PERMANENCY COMPOSITE 1: Timeliness and Permanency of Reunification

(2 components)

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Component A: Timeliness of Reunification (three measures)

  • Measure 1:Exits to reunification in less than 12 months. Of all children discharged from foster care to reunification in FY 2004 who had been in foster care for 8 days or longer, what percent were reunified in less than 12 months from the date of the most recent entry into foster care? This includes children who were reported to AFCARS as being placed in a trial home visit in less than 11 months from the date of removal from the home when they remained in the trial home visituntil discharge to reunification.
  • Measure 2: Exits to reunification, median stay. Of all children discharged from foster care to reunification in FY 2004 who had been in foster care for 8 days or longer, what was the median length of stay (in months) from the date of the most recent entry into foster care until the date of reunification? For trial home visits, the length of stay for each child is calculated from the date of removal from home to the date the child was reported to AFCARS as being placed in trial home visit, IF, the trial home visit lasts longer than 30 days and is the last placement setting before the child’s discharge to reunification.
  • Measure 3:Entry cohort reunification in less than 12 months. Of all children entering foster care for the first time in the second 6 months of FY 2003 who remained in foster care for 8 days or longer, what percent were discharged from foster care to reunification in less than 12 months from the date of the first entry into foster care? This includes childrenwho entered foster care in the second 6 months of FY 2003who were reported to AFCARS as being placed in a trial home visit in less than 11 months from the date of entry into foster care when they remained in the trial home visit until discharge to reunification.

Notes: Thetimeliness of reunification national standard for the first round of CFSR’s was essentially the same asComponent A/Measure 1, with the exception of excluding children in care less than 8 days.The two new measures for timeliness of reunification include a median time in care and a measure for an entry cohort of children. The AFCARS definition of reunification includes discharge reasons for “reunification with parents/primary caretakers” or “living with other relatives.”

Component B: Permanency of Reunification (one measure)

  • Measure 1: Re-entries to foster care in less than 12 months. Of all children discharged from foster care to reunification in 2003, what percent re-entered foster care in less than 12 months from the date of discharge?

Notes: This measure is essentially the same as the “old” national standard for re-entry into foster care used in the first round of the CFSR. However, this “new” measure, using a discharge cohort instead of an entry cohort, is computed on a longitudinal basis rather than a retrospective basis.

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PERMANENCY COMPOSITE 2: Timeliness of Adoptions (3 components)

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Component A: Timeliness of adoptions of children discharged from foster care (2 measures)

  • Measure 1: Exits to adoption in less than 24 months. Of all children who were discharged from foster care to a finalized adoption in FY 2004, what percent were discharged in less than 24 months from the date of the most recent entry into foster care?
  • Measure 2: Exits to adoption, median length of stay. Of all children who were discharged from foster care to a finalized adoption in FY 2004, what was the median length of stay in foster care (in months) from the date of the most recent entry into foster care to the date of discharge?

Notes: Measure 1 is the same as the national standard for adoption used in the first round of CFSR’s. Median length of stay is a new measure for timeliness of achieving adoption.

Component B: Progress toward adoption for children who meet ASFA time-in-care requirements (2 measures)

  • Measure 1: Children in care 17+ months adopted by the end of the year. Of all children in foster care on the first day of FY 2004 who were in foster care for 17 continuous months or longer, what percent were discharged from foster care to a finalized adoption before the end of the fiscal year?
  • Measure 2:Children in care 17+ months becoming legally free to adopt within 6 months. Of all children in foster care on the first day of FY 2004 who were in foster care for 17 continuous months or longer, what percent became legally free for adoption (i.e., a termination of parental rights was granted for each living parent) in less than 6 months from the beginning of the fiscal year.

Notes: Component B and the two measures represent new measuresfor the second round of CFSR’s, focusing on progress toward achieving adoption for those children who meet requirements of Adoption and Safe Families Act. AFSA requires child welfare agencies to file a petition to terminate parental rights and pursue adoption for a child who has been in foster care for 15 of the most recent 22 months, unless an exception exists. A 17 month rather than a 15 month timeframe was chosen for the measure because, in accordance with AFSA, a child is considered to have “entered foster care” on the earlier of: 1) the first judicial finding that the child has been subjected to abuse and neglect, or 2) the date that is 60 days after the date on which the child is removed from the home. Because AFCARS does not collect information pertaining to the date of the first judicial finding, the 17 month time frame is used in the measure to allow for 60 days after the date of removal.

Component C: Progress toward adoption of children who are legally free for adoption.

(1 measure)

  • Measure 1: Legally free children adopted in less than 12 months. Of all children who became legally free for adoption (i.e., a termination of parental rights was granted for each living parent) during FY 2003, what percent were discharged from foster care to a finalized adoption in less than 12 months of becoming legally free?

Notes: Component C/Measure 1 is a new measure for the second round of CFSR. Children meeting the definition of legally free for adoption include children under state guardianship (state wards) in MN.

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PERMANENCY COMPOSITE 3: Achieving Permanency for Children in Foster Care for Long Periods of Time. (2 components)

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Component A: Achieving permanency for children in foster care for long periods of time. (2 measures)

  • Measure 1: Children legally free for adoption discharged to a permanent home prior to age 18. Of all children who were discharged from foster care in FY 2004 and were legally free for adoption (i.e., there was a termination of parental rights for each living parent), what percent were discharged to a permanent home prior to their 18thbirthday? A permanent home is defined as having discharge reason of adoption, guardianship, or reunification (including living with a relative).
  • Measure 2: Children in foster care for two years or more discharged to permanent home prior to age 18. Of all children in foster care for 24 months or longer on the first day of FY 2004, what percent were discharged to a permanent home prior to their 18th birthday and by the end of the fiscal year? A permanent home is defined as having a discharge reason of adoption, guardianship, or reunification (including living with a relative).

Notes: Permanency Composite 3/Component A includenew measures for the second round of CFSR focusing on older children who have been in foster care for long periods of time, two or more years. In computing performance for Measure 1 and 2 the denominator includes all children discharged from foster care who were age 17 for at least one day in FY 2004. Pending verification from ACF.

Component B: Children growing up in foster care. (1 measure)

  • Measure 1: Children in foster care for three years or more reaching age 18 or discharged to emancipation. Of all children who exited foster care with a discharge reason of emancipation prior to their 18th birthday or who reached their 18th birthday while in foster care, what percent were in foster care for 3 years or longer?

Notes: Permanency Composite 3/Component B is a new measure for the second round of CFSR focusing on older children who have been in foster care for three or more years without achieving permanency. AFCARS definition of emancipation, “...the child reached majority according to State law by virtue of age, marriage, etc.”…

******************************************************************************PERMANENCY COMPOSITE 4: Placement Stability (3 measures)

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  • Measure 1: Children with two or fewer placement settings in less than 1 year. Of all children in foster care in FY 2004 who were in foster care for (a) 8 days or longer and (b) less than 12 months, what percent had two or fewer placement settings?
  • Measure 2:Children with two or fewer placement settings within 1 to 2 years. Of all children in foster care in FY 2004 who were in foster care for at least 12 months but less than 24 months, what percent had two or fewer placement settings?
  • Measure 3:Children with two or fewer placement settings in more than 2 years. Of all children in foster care in FY 2004 who were in foster care for at least 24 months, what percent had two or fewer placement settings?

Notes: Measure 1 is essentially the same as the placement stability national standard used in the first round of CFSR, with the exception of excluding children in care less than 8 days. The two new measures extend the time frames for examining placement stability.

FEDERALDATAINDICATORS.narrative.clb.081106

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