1. Foster Care in California: What we Know from CWS/CMS Barbara Needell, MSW, PhD Center for Social Services Research University of California at Berkeley The California Child Welfare Performance Indicators Project is supported by the California Department of Social Services and the Stuart Foundation presentation designed by Emily Putnam Hornstein, MSW

2. Beware:  Consider:  DATA: Friend or Foe?
County/state rankings on individual measures
Composite scores that mask issues
Small populations
Inappropriate views
Consider: 
Performance over time!!!!!
Age, gender and race/ethnicity
Interaction among outcomes (counterbalance)
Local practice and policy changes needed to impact outcomes

3. California: AB636 UCB Measures, Percent IMPROVEMENT January 2004 compared to April 2006
State Measure
Federal Measure
Listed Improvement Measures (in order) correspond with the following:
Adopted w/in 24m (cohort) – 3A
Adopted w/in 24m – 3D
Initial Placement w/Kin – 4B
Re-Entries to Foster Care – 3F
Re-Entries w/in 12 m (cohort) – 3G
Recurrence of Maltreatment – 1A
Placement with All Siblings – 4A
Rate of Children in Foster Care - NA
Recurrence w/in 12m of Subst. – 1B
Substantiated Referral Rate - NA
Recurrence w/in 12m – 1B
Reunified w/in 12m – 3E
1 or 2 Placements (at 12m, cohort) – 3C
Rate of First Entry to Foster Care - NA
Placement with Siblings – 4A
1 or 2 Placements w/in 12m – 3B
Reunified w/in 12m (cohort) – 3A
Referral Rate - NA
Note: (+) indicates a measure where a % increase equals improvement (-) indicates a measure where a % decrease equals improvement.

4. California: AB636 UCB Measures, Number of CHILDREN IMPACTED (estimated from % change) January 2004 compared to April 2006
State Measure
Federal Measure
Listed Improvement Measures (in order) correspond with the following:
Adopted w/in 24m (cohort) – 3A
Adopted w/in 24m – 3D
Initial Placement w/Kin – 4B
Re-Entries to Foster Care – 3F
Re-Entries w/in 12 m (cohort) – 3G
Recurrence of Maltreatment – 1A
Placement with All Siblings – 4A
Rate of Children in Foster Care - NA
Recurrence w/in 12m of Subst. – 1B
Substantiated Referral Rate - NA
Recurrence w/in 12m – 1B
Reunified w/in 12m – 3E
1 or 2 Placements (at 12m, cohort) – 3C
Rate of First Entry to Foster Care - NA
Placement with Siblings – 4A
1 or 2 Placements w/in 12m – 3B
Reunified w/in 12m (cohort) – 3A
Referral Rate - NA
Note: (+) indicates a measure where a % increase equals improvement (-) indicates a measure where a % decrease equals improvement.

5. California: Referrals, Substantiations, Re-Entry/Entry and First Entry Rates (per 1,000 Children)
Referrals % (4,842 Children)
Substantiations % (6,425 Children)
Re-Entries & First Entries %
First Entries % (975 Children)

6. 1998 to September 2005 California: First Entries by First Placement Type
TOTAL
Foster
FFA
Group/Shelter
Kinship
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005

7. Group/Shelter -18.5% (1,038 Children)
California: Percentage of Initial Placements with Kin Percentage of Initial Placements Group/Shelter
Kin % (795 Children) %
Group/Shelter % (1,038 Children)

8. 1998 to September 2005 California: Caseload by Placement Type
TOTAL
Kinship
FFA
Foster
Group/Shelter
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005

9. July 1, 2005 California: Child Welfare Foster Care Caseload Percent by Age and Placement Type
(34.6)*
(11.0)*
(23.2)*
(8.5)*
* Series total

10. 1999 First Entries California: Percent by Status 60 Months From Entry56 62 81 87 16 17 15 2 5 3 5 2 10 8
Months
Months

11. 1998 First Entries California: Placement Stability Over 72 Months
Kin
Non-Kin
Q Data
The suggested way to cite the above data is as follows: Needell, B., Webster, D., Cuccaro-Alamin, S., Armijo, M., Lee, S., Lery, B., Shaw, T., Dawson, W., Piccus, W., Magruder, J., Kim, H., Conley, A., Henry, C., Korinek, P., Paredes, C., & Smith, J. (2005). Child Welfare Services Reports for California. Retrieved [month day, year], from University of California at Berkeley Center for Social Services Research website. URL: <
*PIT Data
Months
Months

12. 2004 California: Ethnicity and Path through the Child Welfare System
Updated with Q3_05 Data (EXCEPT IN CARE…PIT Data includes ages 16-18…)
* Data includes 18 year olds

13. 2004 California: Referrals per 1,000 by Age and Ethnicity
Updated with Q3_05 Data
(98.4) *
(51.3) *
(54.6) *
(45.7) *
(46.2) *
(17.7) *
* Series total

14. 2004 California: Substantiated Referrals per 1,000 by Age and Ethnicity
Updated with Q3_05 Data
(23.3)*
(11.6)*
(16.0)*
(10.6)*
(11.5)*
(4.2)*
* Series total

15. 2004 First Entries California: Entries to Foster Care per 1,000 by Age and Ethnicity
Updated with Q3_05 Data
(7.0)*
(2.8)*
(4.6)*
(2.7)*
(2.8)*
(0.9)*
* Series total

16. July 2005 California: Children in Care per 1,000 by Age and Ethnicity
Updated with Q3_05 Data
(31.8)*
(7.9)*
(12.1)*
(6.7)*
(6.8)*
(1.8)*
* Series total

17. CHILD WELFARE SERVICES REPORTS
cssr.berkeley.edu
click on
CHILD WELFARE SERVICES REPORTS
Barbara Needell