[Federal Register: April 28, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 81)]
[Notices]
[Page 22386-22387]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr28ap03-62]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Administration for Children and Families
Request for Public Comment on the Improvement of the Adoption and
Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS)
AGENCY: Administration on Children, Youth and Families (ACYF), ACF,
HHS.
ACTION: Notice of request for public comment.
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SUMMARY: Section 479 of the Social Security Act (the Act) requires that
a system for the collection of data relating to adoption and foster
care be developed and regulated. The resultant Adoption and Foster Care
Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) has been operating since 1994
and is administered by the Children's Bureau in the Administration for
Children and Families. The AFCARS collects case level information on
all children in foster care for whom the State child welfare agency has
responsibility for placement, care or supervision and on children who
are adopted under the auspices of the State's public child welfare
agency. In addition, ACF encourages States to report data on other
types of adoptions.
Section 479(c) of the Act requires that the AFCARS system avoid
unnecessary diversion of resources from agencies responsible for
adoption and foster care and assure that the data collected is reliable
and consistent over time. Given that the system has been operating
since 1994, we believe it is time to assess the system to ensure that
it continues to comport with the section 479(c) requirements and to
identify what enhancements and system improvements might be needed.
DATES: Comments will be accepted until June 27, 2003.
ADDRESSES: E-mail written comments to the AFCARS Project@acf.hhs.gov
(there is a space between ``AFCARS'' and ``Project''), or send written
comments to Children's Bureau, 330 C St., SW., Washington, DC 20447.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions regarding this announcement
may be submitted to and will be answered by E-mail at the same e-mail
address as above: AFCARS Project@acf.hhs.gov or via the above
[[Page 22387]]
Children's Bureau address, Attention: Penelope L. Maza.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
AFCARS Background
In recent years, the Adoption and Foster Care Reporting System
(AFCARS) has become the principal data source for information about
State foster care and adoption populations. It was created, in part,
due to concerns raised about the lack of national information available
on children in foster care, their families, foster care settings and
adopted children. In 1986, Congress amended title IV-E of the Social
Security Act (the Act) by adding section 479, which requires the
Federal government to institute a foster care and adoption data
collection system In response to the law, in 1993, final rules for the
Adoption and Foster Care Reporting System (AFCARS) were published and
codified in Federal regulations at 45 CFR 1355.40 with requirements for
States to report adoption and foster care data to a Federal system. As
of October 1, 1994, States were required to collect and submit the
AFCARS data to the Administration for Children and Families (ACF).
The AFCARS data are submitted semi-annually, in May and November.
The Department aggregates the data both by State and nationally and
makes it publicly available on the web at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb.
The appendices to the regulation, technical bulletins, and
other AFCARS related resources are also located on the web at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/dis/index.htm
.
AFCARS Current Uses
The purpose of the AFCARS is twofold: to address policy development
and program management issues. Currently, AFCARS data is used in:
[sbull] Providing data for the calculation of the performance
measures, statewide assessment and program improvement plans for the
Child and Family Services (CFS) reviews;
[sbull] Drawing samples for the CFS reviews and the title IV-E
eligibility reviews conducted by ACF;
[sbull] Providing data for the Child Welfare Outcomes Annual
Report;
[sbull] Providing the primary data in the formula to distribute
funds to States for the Chafee Foster Care Independence Program (CFCIP)
under section 477 of the Act;
[sbull] Identifying the number of finalized adoptions for which a
State may be awarded adoption incentive funds under the Adoption
Incentive Program under section 473A of the Act;
[sbull] Targeting areas for greater or potential technical
assistance efforts, for discretionary service grants, research and
evaluation, and regulatory change;
[sbull] Generating short and long-term budget projections;
[sbull] Conducting trend analyses and short and long-term program
planning;
[sbull] Responding to Congressional requests for current data on
children in foster care or those who have been adopted;
[sbull] Responding to questions and requests from other Federal
departments and agencies, including the General Accounting Office
(GAO), the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the DHHS Office of
Inspector General (OIG), national advocacy organizations, States, and
other interested organizations and individuals.
Future of AFCARS
At the time AFCARS was first implemented, the Children's Bureau
committed to revisiting AFCARS to assure that the system was producing
data that were useful to Federal and State governments and to the child
welfare field. We are beginning the process of revising AFCARS to
consider improvements that may make the data more accurate and useable
by soliciting comments from interested parties. Please comment on any
aspects of AFCARS that you wish. We are particularly interested in
obtaining input on:
[sbull] The specific strengths of the AFCARS;
[sbull] The specific weaknesses of the AFCARS or suggestions for
areas of improvement, including ideas about how the suggested
improvement could be made and how the Federal government could
facilitate the changes;
[sbull] Data elements currently in the AFCARS that could be deleted
and any elements that should be added;
[sbull] Strategies to improve data quality for AFCARS, including
the use of incentives.
We also invite comments based on your specific experience and use
of:
(1) Demographic and other information on foster children, adopted
children, foster parents, adoptive parents, birth parents, child
descriptors such as disability status, prior adoption status, foster
care information on current and previous foster care episodes and
discharge;
(2) Financial information;
(3) How the data files are structured and how data are submitted.
Upon receipt of comments within 60-day comment period, ACF will
analyze the comments and utilize them in determining the necessary next
steps to improve AFCARS.
Dated: April 18, 2003.
Joan E. Ohl,
Commissioner, Administration on Children, Youth and Families.
[FR Doc. 03-10294 Filed 4-25-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4184-01-M