AFCARS Assessment Review Report - Administration for Children ...

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system. Information is located in the wrong place on the system, i.e., itshould be in foster care screens, not adoption screens. The system needs modification to encompass more conditions,e.g., disability information. The extraction code for the AFCARS report selects and reportsincorrect data.1 An AFCARS requirement(s) has not been implemented in theinformation system. For example: The State information system does not have the capability tocollect the correct information (i.e., there is no data field on thescreens). There is no program logic to extract the information. There is 100% missing data according to the frequency reportor DCU/DQU reports.0 States operating an automated information system for which theyreceived SACWIS-level FFP were found to be using an externalautomated information system, or a database (such as Excel orAccess), and are not collecting and reporting the AFCARS datafrom the SACWIS system. In addition, there is no program codefor the extraction of data from the SACWIS.For data elements and general requirements that do not meet existing AFCARS standards(factors 0 through 3), the State is required to make the corrections identified by the review team.It is possible that the problem with a data element and data are due to both system issues andcaseworker data entry issues. In such instances, the element will be rated a “2” to denote theneed for modification to the system. Once the corrections are made to the system, the data willbe re-analyzed. If problems related to caseworker training or data entry still exist, then a “3” willbe assigned to the requirement. A rating factor of “4” (compliant) will not be given to theelement until all system issues and/or data quality issues have been addressed.The State is required to make the changes to the information system and/or data entry in order tobe compliant with the applicable requirements and standards. Since the AFCARS data are usedfor several significant activities at the Federal and State levels, the State must implement theAFCARS Improvement Plan, under Tab B of this report, as a way to improve the quality of itsdata.FINDINGSThis section contains a summary of the significant reporting and data quality issues that werefound during the AAR. For additional information on specific AFCARS data element reportingissues and the general requirements, please see the attached matrices. The AFCARS data usedfor the review were from the report period October 1, 2007 - March 31, 2008 (2008A).Tab A contains the findings matrices for the general requirements, the data elements, and thecase file review. If as a result of the post site-visit analysis of the State’s information the ratingUS DHHS/ACF/ACYF/Children’s Bureau 3
factor changed from the preliminary on-site rating, the original is marked out and the new ratingis included.General RequirementsInformation System and ConversionMaryland’s SACWIS is called the Children’s Electronic Social Services Information Exchange(CHESSIE). CHESSIE was implemented in all Maryland localities as of January 2007. At thetime of the onsite review, the State was not making foster care payments from CHESSIE. As ofNovember 30, 2008, the State has implemented its financial payments processing module andnow considers CHESSIE to be a fully implemented SACWIS.A significant area of concern as a result of the AAR is the amount of information that is stillmissing from the CHESSIE system. The amount of missing data is due mostly to conversionfrom the State’s legacy information system to CHESSIE. While Maryland staff have worked toensure that data from the legacy system was migrated to CHESSIE, the amount of missinginformation a year after conversion is not acceptable.The attached matrix outlines data elements that contain a large percentage of missing data. Thefindings of the case file review indicate this information does exist, but not in the official file inCHESSIE. Of particular concern is the amount of missing child placement information; it isexpected that this will improve when provider payments are made out of CHESSIE, though theState will still need to ensure that historical placement information is entered accurately in thesystem.Another reason that some data fields are missing information is the court reports that areproduced by CHESSIE do not meet Maryland’s court documentation requirements. Workers aretherefore using a separate template to complete and submit court reports, including adoptionfinalization paperwork. Maryland is currently working on modifying the report templates inCHESSIE to rectify this issue.We remind the State that, as a fully implemented SACWIS, CHESSIE is considered to be thesingle system of record for child welfare cases and must be capable of reporting all relevantAFCARS information. All data relative to AFCARS reporting must be derived solely fromCHESSIE.The amount of missing data has serious consequences for the State’s Child and Family ServicesReview. For example, the child’s case plan goal is missing for 3,846 children, or 45.65% of thepopulation for the 2008A reporting period. Additionally, some data fields do not show in theAFCARS frequency report as missing per se, but are likely missing historical information. Forexample, 7,399 children (or 87.82% of the foster care population in the report period) werereported as having one placement setting in the current removal episode. The case file reviewfindings indicated that of the 56 cases in the final analysis, 27 records were found to have errorsdue to the reviewers finding more placement moves than what was reported to AFCARS.US DHHS/ACF/ACYF/Children’s Bureau 4
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