[Code of Federal Regulations]

[Title 45 Volume 4]

[Revised as of October 1, 2006]

From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access

[CITE: 45CFR1355.33]



[Page 269-271]

 

                        TITLE 45--PUBLIC WELFARE

 

CHAPTER XIII--OFFICE OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH 

                           AND HUMAN SERVICES

 

PART 1355_GENERAL--Table of Contents

 

Sec.  1355.33  Procedures for the review.



    (a) The full child and family services reviews will:

    (1) Consist of a two-phase process that includes a statewide 

assessment and an on-site review; and

    (2) Be conducted by a team of Federal and State reviewers that 

includes:

    (i) Staff of the State child and family services agency, including 

the State and local offices that represent the service areas that are 

the focus of any particular review;

    (ii) Representatives selected by the State, in collaboration with 

the ACF Regional Office, from those with whom the State was required to 

consult in developing its CFSP, as described and required in 45 CFR part 

1357.15(l);

    (iii) Federal staff of HHS; and

    (iv) Other individuals, as deemed appropriate and agreed upon by the 

State and ACF.

    (b) Statewide assessment. The first phase of the full review will be 

a statewide assessment conducted by the internal and external State 

members of the review team. The statewide assessment must:

    (1) Address each systemic factor under review, including the 

statewide information system; case review system; quality assurance 

system; staff training; service array; agency responsiveness to the 

community; and foster and adoptive parent licensing, recruitment and 

retention;

    (2) Assess the outcome areas of safety, permanence, and well-being 

of children and families served by the State agency using data from 

AFCARS and NCANDS. For the initial review, ACF may approve another data 

source to substitute for AFCARS, and in all reviews, ACF may approve 

another data source to substitute for NCANDS. The State must also 

analyze and explain its performance in meeting the national standards 

for the statewide data indicators;

    (3) Assess the characteristics of the State agency that have the 

most significant impact on the agency's capacity to deliver services to 

children and families that will lead to improved outcomes;

    (4) Assess the strengths and areas of the State's child and family 

services programs that require further examination through an on-site 

review;

    (5) Include a listing of all the persons external to the State 

agency who participated in the preparation of the statewide assessment 

pursuant to Sec. Sec.  1355.33(a)(2)(ii) and (iv); and

    (6) Be completed and submitted to ACF within 4 months of the date 

that ACF transmits the information for the statewide assessment to the 

State.



[[Page 270]]



    (c) On-site review. The second phase of the full review will be an 

on-site review.

    (1) The on-site review will cover the State's programs under titles 

IV-B and IV-E of the Act, including in-home services and foster care. It 

will be jointly planned by the State and ACF, and guided by information 

in the completed statewide assessment that identifies areas in need of 

improvement or further review.

    (2) The on-site review may be concentrated in several specific 

political subdivisions of the State, as agreed upon by the ACF and the 

State; however, the State's largest metropolitan subdivision must be one 

of the locations selected.

    (3) ACF has final approval of the selection of specific areas of the 

State's child and family services continuum described in paragraph 

(c)(1) of this section and selection of the political subdivisions 

referenced in paragraph (c)(2) of this section.

    (4) Sources of information collected during the on-site review to 

determine substantial conformity must include, but are not limited to:

    (i) Case records on children and families served by the agency;

    (ii) Interviews with children and families whose case records have 

been reviewed and who are, or have been, recipients of services of the 

agency;

    (iii) Interviews with caseworkers, foster parents, and service 

providers for the cases selected for the on-site review; and

    (iv) Interviews with key stakeholders, both internal and external to 

the agency, which, at a minimum, must include those individuals who 

participated in the development of the State's CFSP required at 45 CFR 

1357.15(1), courts, administrative review bodies, children's guardians 

ad litem and other individuals or bodies assigned responsibility for 

representing the best interests of the child.

    (5) The sample will range from 30-50 cases. Foster care cases must 

be drawn randomly from AFCARS, or, for the initial review, from another 

source approved by ACF and include children who entered foster care 

during the year under review. In-home cases must be drawn randomly from 

NCANDS or from another source approved by ACF. To ensure that all 

program areas are adequately represented, the sample size may be 

increased.

    (6) The sample of 30-50 cases reviewed on-site will be selected from 

a randomly drawn oversample of no more than 150 foster care and 150 in-

home services cases. The oversample must be statistically significant at 

a 90 percent compliance rate (95 percent in subsequent reviews), with a 

tolerable sampling error of 5 percent and a confidence coefficient of 95 

percent. The additional cases in the oversample not selected for the on-

site review will form the sample of cases to be reviewed, if needed, in 

order to resolve discrepancies between the statewide assessment and the 

on-site reviews in accordance with paragraph (d)(2) of this section.

    (d) Resolution of discrepancies between the statewide assessment and 

the findings of the on-site portion of the review. Discrepancies between 

the statewide assessment and the findings of the on-site portion of the 

review will be resolved by either of the following means, at the State's 

option:

    (1) The submission of additional information by the State; or

    (2) ACF and the State will review additional cases using only those 

indicators in which the discrepancy occurred. ACF and the State will 

determine jointly the number of additional cases to be reviewed, not to 

exceed 150 foster care cases or 150 in-home services cases to be 

selected as specified in paragraph (c)(6) of this section.

    (e) Partial review. A partial child and family services review, when 

required, will be planned and conducted jointly by ACF and the State 

agency based on the nature of the concern. A partial review does not 

substitute for the full reviews as required under Sec.  1355.32(b).

    (f) Notification. Within 30 calendar days following either a partial 

child and family services review, full child and family services review, 

or the resolution of a discrepancy between the statewide assessment and 

the findings of the on-site portion of the review, ACF will notify the 

State agency in writing of whether the State is, or is



[[Page 271]]



not, operating in substantial conformity.



[65 FR 4077, Jan. 25, 2000, as amended at 66 FR 58675, Nov. 23, 2001]