March 2010Vol. 11, No. 2Print issueSpotlight on 10 Years of Child Welfare News

Issue Spotlight

• Key Themes in Child Welfare Legislation Since 2000

  Key Themes in Child Welfare Legislation Since 2000

  Since 2000, Federal child welfare legislation has shaped the delivery of State child welfare services by increasingly requiring the incorporation of innovative best practices into federally funded child welfare programs. Four Federal legislative themes demonstrate some of the overarching efforts to improve programs and services that ensure the safety, permanency, and well-being of children.

  1. Ensuring Protection of Children in Foster Care. Increased requirements and guidelines were added to existing Federal child welfare legislation in the past decade to improve the safety of children in foster care:
     • Required fingerprint-based criminal record and State child abuse registry checks for prospective foster/adoptive parents and relative guardians (Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006; Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008)
  2. 
     
  3. Supporting Older Foster Youth and Youth Aging Out of Care. Concern regarding the number of older youth remaining in foster care and long-term outcomes of youth aging out of foster care prompted legislative efforts to include federally funded programs and services designed to improve permanency and well-being of older youth in foster care:
     • Created a voucher program to provide education and training to youth who aged out of foster care (Promoting Safe and Stable Families Amendments of 2001)
     • Implemented programs to increase the number of older foster children placed in adoptive families, including a program to eliminate barriers to placing children for adoption across jurisdictional boundaries (Keeping Children and Families Safe Act of 2003)
     • Presented IV-E agencies with the option to extend title IV-E assistance to otherwise eligible youth who are in foster care after reaching age 18 (Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008)
  4. 
     
  5. Focus on Child Well-Being Outcomes. Children in foster care often have multiple and complex issues that affect their well-being. Federal legislation has addressed the importance of improving outcomes of a child's physical, mental, and educational well-being:
     • Emphasized linkages in States between child welfare agencies and other State agencies (public health, mental health, etc.) (Keeping Children and Families Safe Act of 2003)
     • Required that a child's health and education records be supplied to the foster parent at the time of placement (Safe and Timely Interstate Placement of Foster Children Act of 2006)
     • Required IV-B agencies to develop ongoing oversight and coordination of health-care services for children in foster care, including coordination with the State Medicaid agency (Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008)
     • Added a case plan requirement to ensure educational stability for children in foster care and required that each IV-E agency ensure that each child receiving a IV-E payment is in school full-time (Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008)
  6. 
     
  7. Reducing Barriers to Placing Children in Permanent Homes.  
     The movement to reduce barriers to permanency for children has encouraged the use of incentives and other strategies to find safe and nurturing placements and move children into legally permanent homes:
     • Created a new plan option for States and Tribes to provide federally subsidized kinship guardianship assistance payments on behalf of eligible children and their siblings under specified circumstances (Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008)
     • Revised adoption assistance eligibility criteria to delink the Adoption Assistance Program from the Aid to Families With Dependent Children requirements (Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008)
     • Amended title IV-E requirements with respect to States eligible to receive Adoption Incentive payments to provide payments for special needs adoptions that are not older child adoptions as well as adoptions of children 9 and older (Adoption Promotion Act of 2003)
     • Required assurances in IV-E plans that the agency will eliminate legal barriers to facilitate timely adoptive or permanent placements (Safe and Timely Interstate Placement of Foster Children Act of 2006)

  For more information on Federal child welfare legislation, visit the Child Welfare Information Gateway website:

  www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/otherpubs/majorfedlegis.cfm

• CBX Looks Back at a Decade of Child Welfare News

  CBX Looks Back at a Decade of Child Welfare News

  As Children's Bureau Express celebrates its 10th anniversary, a look back at the decade's worth of articles provides an interesting perspective on trends in child welfare. We've combed the archives to see what happened in research, policy, and practice over the last 10 years.
  
  Do you remember some of these events and issues?
  
  The year is 2000 . . .

  • President Clinton signs the Child Abuse Prevention and Enforcement Act.
  • The Children's Bureau posts Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) statistics on its website for the first time.
  • The Children's Bureau Express website debuts with the first issue of CBX.
  • Notable trend: Family Group Decision Making.

  2001 . . .

  • The National Family Caregiver Support Act provides support services to grandparents and older relatives raising grandchildren.
  • Neurons to Neighborhoods, the landmark study on early childhood development and public policy, is published.
  • Recruiting Latino foster and adoptive families is the focus of several Federal demonstration projects and State initiatives.
  • Notable trend: The link between childhood maltreatment and adult depression and mental illness.

  2002 . . .

  • The AdoptUsKids website launches with national photolistings of children available for adoption.
  • The first CFSR results are published.
  • The Heart Gallery traveling photo exhibit of waiting children debuts across New Mexico with great success.
  • Notable trend: Fatherhood and nonresident fathers.

  2003 . . .

  • A number of studies examine the impact of the Adoption and Safe Families Act on adoption from foster care.
  • Child welfare waiver demonstration projects show how title IV-E funds can be used to promote prevention and reunification.
  • For the first time, the Census Bureau releases information on numbers of adopted children.
  • Notable trend: Faith- and community-based organizations.

  2004 . . .

  • Some programs around the country begin to solicit input from youth in foster care for child welfare worker training (the "youth voice").
  • AdoptUsKids launches its new parent recruitment campaign with the slogan, "You don't have to be perfect to be a perfect parent."
  • For the first time, States are able to access Chafee funds for Education and Training vouchers for youth aging out of foster care.
  • Notable trend: Working with children of incarcerated parents.

  2005 . . .

  • In the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, States begin to better prepare for natural and manmade disasters.
  • A number of studies examine how decisions made at several points in the child welfare system may contribute to unequal treatment for children of color.
  • Studies appear on the impact of methamphetamine on the child welfare system.
  • Notable trend: Education advocacy for children in foster care.

  2006 . . .

  • As evidence builds for the link between caseworker visits and positive outcomes for children in foster care, States review their standards for visits.
  • More studies show that older youth can benefit from staying in foster care until age 21.
  • Programs around the country look at ways to recruit and retain child welfare workers.
  • Notable trend: Evidence-based practice.

  2007 . . .

  • The Children's Bureau releases "Report to Congress on Interjurisdictional Adoption of Children in Foster Care."
  • The National Resource Center for Adoption creates the Minority Adoption Leadership Development Institute.
  • National Foster Care Month urges the public to "Change a Lifetime."
  • Notable trend: Cultural competence.

  2008 . . .

  • President Bush signs the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008.
  • The Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption enters into force for the United States.
  • National Child Abuse Prevention month focuses on strengthening families and communities.
  • Notable trend: Rural child welfare.

  2009 . . .

  • The Children's Bureau funds Regional Implementation Centers to help States implement systems change.
  • Carmen Nazario is confirmed as the Assistant Secretary for Children and Families.
  • The National Survey of Children's Exposure to Violence indicates that more than 60 percent of children were exposed to violence in the previous year.
  • Notable trend: Implementing Fostering Connections at the State level.
• Trends in the Child Welfare Workforce

  Trends in the Child Welfare Workforce

  By Nancy S. Dickinson, Project Director, National Child Welfare Workforce Institute

  Concerns about the child welfare workforce revolve around the difficulties of recruiting and retaining qualified and committed staff and subsequent impact on organizational health and effectiveness. Additionally, there's mounting unease about widespread retirement among the most experienced child welfare leaders. While troubling, these trends have served as a wakeup call for action, characterized by the following developments. 

  • Increased visibility of child welfare workforce development initiatives. For decades, workforce development focused primarily on education and training through titles XX and IV-E and 426 funding. These approaches are necessary workforce development tactics, but they are not sufficient. Prompted by findings of the Child and Family Services Reviews, the Children's Bureau has endorsed a range of workforce development strategies through their funding of recruitment and retention projects beginning in 2003 and the National Child Welfare Workforce Institute in 2008.
  • Changing priorities of the contemporary workforce. The workforce is increasingly mobile, focused on work fulfillment and work/life balance, and motivated by professional aspirations rather than unquestioning organizational loyalty. "Emergent" child welfare workers are more likely to remain on the job when agencies recognize and facilitate good performance and support work/life balance. 
  • Increase in studies of retention and turnover. The focus of research on the correlates of retention and turnover has expanded from individual characteristics (human caring, self-efficacy, etc.) to organizational aspects (supervision, role clarity, creating a learning organization, etc.). The good news is that organizational factors can be changed in order to support effective workforce development. And we are beginning to test the effectiveness of interventions in stemming unwanted turnover.
  • Awareness of the link between workforce stability and client outcomes. Most concerning is research that shows a direct relationship between high rates of worker turnover and children experiencing significantly longer stays in foster care, repeat reports of neglect and abuse, and higher rates of foster care reentry. Testing interventions to increase retention will help to address these troubling outcomes. 
  • Contributions of recruitment and selection to workforce stability and performance. Recruiting and selecting the right people for the job reduces turnover and improves performance. For these reasons, agencies are increasingly implementing realistic recruitment strategies and competency-based selection approaches.
  •  Workforce development as an implementation tool. Testing and implementing evidence-informed practices rely on expert staff. The science of implementation suggests that staff be recruited, selected, and trained specifically for these new initiatives. And research shows that retention improves among staff who deliver evidence-informed practices, a trend that is consistent with what we know about emergent workers who value performance.

  In sum, workforce trends have led to the development of key workforce initiatives to enhance organizational effectiveness and improve outcomes for children, youth, and families.

  For information about the National Child Welfare Workforce Institute, visit the website:

  www.ncwwi.org
   

• Building Accountability in Child Welfare: The CFSRs

  Building Accountability in Child Welfare: The CFSRs

  The establishment of the Child and Family Services Reviews (CFSRs) in 2000 marked the beginning of a new era in Federal monitoring and in State and agency accountability for child welfare services. While previous monitoring efforts, such as the Section 427 reviews, focused on process and paperwork, the CFSRs introduced the concept of conformity with specific desired outcomes for children and families. In fact, the leap from earlier types of reviews to the CFSRs involved the adoption of a number of significant changes, including:

  • A focus on practice and outcomes, including safety, permanency, and well-being outcomes for children and families
  • Meaningful use of national data, including data from the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) and the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS)
  • Opportunities for States to improve through their individualized Program Improvement Plans (PIPs)
  • Inclusion of a wide variety of stakeholders, such as families and youth involved in the child welfare system and representatives from the courts, Tribes, State agencies, mental health services, law enforcement, foster care, education, and more

  What led to such dramatic changes in Federal monitoring of State child welfare systems? There was a general consensus by the 1990s that the monitoring and accountability processes in place at the time were not oriented to helping States achieve outcomes for children and families and did not provide Congress or the Federal agencies with clear information regarding State performance. In 1994, Amendments to the Social Security Act authorized the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to develop a new system to evaluate States for conformity to positive outcomes for children and families. The Children's Bureau was responsible for designing and conducting the reviews. In preparation, the Bureau consulted with a broad array of national stakeholders in the child welfare field about the best ways to carry out the new monitoring process. Focus groups and consultations were followed by 12 pilots of what would become the CFSRs. With each pilot study, the Bureau used State feedback to refine the review process.
  
  At the Children's Bureau headquarters and Regional Offices, the responsibility for the new monitoring process required the addition of new staff with more State child welfare experience and knowledge of the field, which was necessary to assist States in program improvement. A National Review Team was formed that spanned the divisions of the Children's Bureau and the Regional Offices to focus leadership for reviews in a concentrated group of staff. Since the first CFSRs in 2001, the review teams have always included members of the National Review Team, as well as State officials, State-designated stakeholders, and consultant reviewers drawn from a pool of reviewers with child welfare experience and training.
  
  The CFSRs had an additional, unanticipated impact at the national level: They provided a unifying direction for the Children's Bureau and its staff from all divisions. Staff were mobilized around this new monitoring process and the potential it had for improving real outcomes for children and families. Eventually, this was reflected in funding initiatives through discretionary grants and in the expansion of the Training and Technical Assistance Network. As the CFSR results pointed to areas of need (e.g., in-home services, caseworker visits), the Bureau was often able to direct discretionary funding toward programs and research to meet those needs.
  
  Throughout the implementation of the CFSRs, the Children's Bureau has continued to maintain its focus on achieving better outcomes for children and families and holding States accountable for these improved outcomes. While the first round of CFSRs (2001–2004) served as an initial assessment of States' performance on the CFSR outcomes and systemic factors, the second round of reviews (2007–2010) and second round of PIPs provide continuing opportunities for the CFSR process to have a positive impact on children and families. There is evidence in many cases that States have made improvements in their systems, and these improvements have often been reflected in measures associated with the safety, permanency, and well-being outcomes. Additional benefits have emerged, including the following:

  • States have become more effective at self-evaluation and at collecting and analyzing data to then make improvements in their practice.
  • Youth and the youth voice have become more prominent in child welfare policy and training at local and national levels.
  • The CFSR process has empowered frontline workers and supervisors by focusing on what practices they need to improve in their work with families.
  • Establishing and training a pool of consultant reviewers from around the country, as well as using State staff to review cases, has led to improved practices at the State and local level as reviewers take "lessons learned" from reviews back to their own States and local offices.
  • The child welfare field has developed more agreement around outcomes for children and families being served by child welfare.

  The last 10 years have seen enormous leaps forward not only in terms of more accurate Federal monitoring of State child welfare systems, but also in the real impact that the review process has had on child and family outcomes. Going forward, the goal of the CFSRs will continue to be helping States improve the safety, permanency, and well-being of children and families involved with the child welfare system.
  
  Many thanks to Will Hornsby and Linda Mitchell, from the National Review Team, who contributed the content for this article.

• A Decade of Technology in Child Welfare

  A Decade of Technology in Child Welfare

  By Lynda Arnold, Director, National Resource Center for Child Welfare Data and Technology
  
  In 2000, the first statewide automated child welfare systems (SACWIS) had been in place for a short period of time. It was also the first year of operation of a Children's Bureau resource center dedicated to assisting States with data and technology issues. It was the beginning of a huge cultural shift  in the way child welfare did business—from paper and pencil, volumes of files, desk cards, dictation, and "hand counts" to workers' inputting the information directly into a case management system. This gave workers immediate access to information, including case assignments, pending and completed services, and the entire child/family record.

  A major challenge was resistance from the workforce. Many staff had never turned on a computer, much less used one for work. Supervisors had the challenge of convincing their workforce to use this new technology and new way of doing business, even when they themselves often were hesitant and skeptical.
  
  These first systems were generally client-server based and slow, which added to the resistance from the workforce. Today, systems are increasingly web-based, faster, and more dynamic and may be integrated or interfaced with other agency/court systems. Today's workforce uses the latest technologies in their personal life and expects no less in their professional life. Real-time data are available throughout the organization to plan, manage, and monitor practice, programs, and service delivery.
  
  Child welfare has embraced many new technologies to improve services:

  • Cell phones have increased worker safety and given workers immediate access to supervision when in the field.
  • Distance-learning technologies have made training more accessible for the workforce and clients. 
  • Laptops and mobile devices make on-the-go case management possible.
  • Photolistings on websites have increased the options for finding families for children.
  • Geographic information systems (GIS) make instant mapping of client and foster parents possible and facilitate making placements close to the child’s own neighborhood and school. They may also be used for targeted recruitment efforts.
  • Global positioning systems (GPS) are improving efficiency in transportation. As networks grow, this technology has implications for worker and children’s safety.

  Some of the most exciting new technologies are the ones defined under web 2.0—interactive  technologies such as Facebook. As States implement the National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD), keeping in touch with youth can be significantly enhanced by using networks such as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, foursquare, and ooVoo to connect with youth in their own language. 
  
  We’ve come a long way in 10 years. Technology provides better accessibility and quality of services to clients, improved safety for workers and children, efficiencies in doing the work, and quality data for decision-making throughout the organization. However, no technology can take the place of skilled, experienced, and knowledgeable social workers who engage the families and youth with whom they work to achieve safety, permanency, and well-being.
   

  For information about the National Resource Center for Child Welfare Data and Technology, visit the website:

  www.nrccwdt.org/index.html

  Related Item

  AdoptUsKids' National Photolisting
  
  One of the most innovative and effective uses of new technology in child welfare over the last 10 years was the launch of AdoptUsKids' national photolisting of children awaiting adoption. The website debuted on July 23, 2002. In a press release issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on that date, then-Secretary Tommy G. Thompson lauded the site, saying, "This site is an example of using technology for a very compassionate purpose—linking families with waiting children."
  
  In 1996, as part of the Adoption 2002 initiative, President Clinton had set a goal of doubling the number of adoptions and other permanent placements from the public child welfare system by 2002. To help reach that goal, in November 1998, the President directed HHS to expand the use of the Internet as a tool to link children in foster care more quickly with possible adoptive families.
  
  Since its debut, almost 12,000 children appearing in the AdoptUsKids photolisting have found families.
  
  www.adoptuskids.org

• The Frontline Worker: Then and Now

  The Frontline Worker: Then and Now

  What's changed for the frontline child welfare worker over the last decade? Plenty! Laws, procedures, technology, resources, and more. While not every worker has access to all of the resources mentioned below, changes in both policy and practice have had an impact on all workers. See if you recognize some of the changes.

  2000	2010
  Inputting case information by hand	Laptops and PCs
  Pagers	Cell phones
  Paper desk calendars	MS Outlook calendar
  Less data collected for home studies	More data collected for home studies
  Paper forms in the "form room"	Online forms
  Polaroids to document abuse and neglect	Digital and video cameras for documentation
  Kinship caregivers operating in isolation	Support groups and national organizations for kinship caregivers
  Hard copy resources gathered at conferences and from libraries, coworkers, trainers, and networking	Online resources and libraries (but we still like those hard copies!)
  Less emphasis on finding fathers and paternal relatives	Father engagement and family finding
  Educating the public about preventing child abuse	Educating the public about strengthening families and communities
  Hard copy photo albums of children available for adoption	Adoption photolistings on the Internet
  Adoption and Safe Families Act	Fostering Connections
  Leaving work to attend trainings	Online trainings

   

  One thing that hasn't changed: Frontline workers continue to provide invaluable services to ensure the safety, permanency, and well-being of children and families.