Release Notes : documentation on changes made on each new release of the web site
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is this information coming from?
The data on this web site was
obtained from information reported by the counties to the NC Division of Social
Services on the DSS-5094 forms for placement authority information and the DSS-5104 forms
for child abuse, neglect and dependency reports.
How often are the data updated?
All of the information on the web site is updated monthly around the
middle of the month. At the bottom of each page of data, a date is
listed for when the update occurred, for example "Data last updated
12APR07" (April 12th, 2007).
What is a "cohort"?
A "cohort" is a group of
children who entered DSS custody/placement authority for the very first
time in a given fiscal year. This applies to the data in the Experiences Report section (foster
care data) or to the children whose first ever report occurred in a given fiscal year
in the Abuse & Neglect section. For example, the SFY97-98 cohort in
the Experiences Report data consist of those children who first
entered care in the state fiscal year that began July 1, 1997 and ended
June 30, 1998. This way of organizing the data ensure that each child
is counted only once and that reentries to care are distinguished from
initial entries.
What is considered "foster care" for a child?
On
this web site, a child's experience in the child welfare foster care
system begins on the date that the DSS obtained custody and/or
placement authority of the child as reported on DSS-5094 in the
placement authority begin date field. Their experience ends on the placement
authority termination date. We primarily refer to this experience as
time in "placement authority."
What is the difference between "longitudinal" and "point-in-time" data?
A detailed explanation of the difference between "longitudinal" and "point-in-time" data is found under the Abuse & Neglect Report Information section of the Use and Interpretation page.
How accurate is this data?
The data are as accurate as the information submitted to NC DSS by the
counties on DSS forms 5104 (for child abuse, neglect and dependency reports)
and 5094 (placement authority/foster care information). In this web site,
we group and summarize the data so that it is more easily used to evaluate
policy and practice, but we do not alter the original administrative data in
any way.
Is the information about the individuals that this data represents secure?
There is no individual identifying information presented on this web site.
All data are available in only aggregate and summary form to ensure privacy.
How is this data used by county and state government?
State and local administrators and practitioners may use this data to
evaluate child welfare policy and practice. Child and family outcomes data
are available beginning in SFY 97-98 so that performance can be monitored
over time. Performance data can also be compared across counties,
jurisdictions, and county groups as well as to the state as a whole.
How do you cite information from this website?
The suggested way to cite the data from this website is as follows:
Duncan, D.F., Kum, H.C., Flair, K.A., Stewart, C.J., Weigensberg, E.C.,
and Lanier, III, P.J. (2008). NC Child Welfare Program. Retrieved
[month day, year], from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Jordan Institute for Families website. URL: http://ssw.unc.edu/cw/
When are the measures updated?
We update the measures every month with the most recent data we have.
This can result in some changes in the measures from month to month as we get more
accurate data. Typically, it requires at least six months of follow
up time for the data to be reasonably complete. For example, for
data concerning state fiscal year 2006-2007 (July 2006-June 2007),
we expect the measures are reasonably complete in January 2008.
Why are the CFSR measures on the website different from the
published federal numbers for North Carolina State in the data profile?
The federally-generated CFSR measures are calculated based on the
official state submissions of AFCARS and NCANDS data. The AFCARS data
are submitted twice a year and NCANDS data are only submitted once a
year. These data files also only capture limited point-in-time
information about children in care during the time frame under review.
The measures on this website are calculated using the most up to date
information available. Thus, as counties enter more information, such
as date of discharge, discharge reason, or parental rights termination
date, this information is incorporated into the measures available on
the website resulting in slight changes from month to month. Data
entered after the federal submissions are made get incorporated in the
calculation of the website measures. This difference in the source data
result in slight differences between the federal measures in the data
profile and the website measures. However, we have found that as a
whole the difference is negligible in most cases.
How are the per 1000 rates calculated?
To estimate the population, we used the census data that is collected
annually in
the American Community Survey (ACS), conducted by the
United States Census Bureau.
The Census, conducted every 10 years, focuses on counting the population.
The American Community Survey provides communities the same kind of
detailed information annually, which was previously only available
every 10 years when the census was published.
In order to estimate population change for each quarter, we
use linear population growth. This means that we assume that the population grew by the same amount in each quarter over the course of one year.
To calculate the population in thousands, the population for
each time period is divided by one thousand.
For the foster care
caseload information, the census data can be used to compare the number
of children in the foster care caseload considering the size of the population.
To produce the rate of children in foster care found
in every 1,000 children in the population (the rate per 1000),
the number of children in a time period
is divided by the population in thousands.
In a similar manner, to produce the rate of reports of abuse and neglect in every 1,000 children (the rate per 1000),
the number of reports of abuse and neglect in a time period
is divided by the population in thousands during the same period.
Commonly used acronyms
- SFY : State Fiscal Year (July-June)
- FFY : Federal Fiscal Year (Oct-Sep)
- MRS : Multiple Response System
- NC-DSS : NC Division of Social Services
- county DSS : county Department of Social Services
- CPS : Child Protective Services
- PA : Placement Authority
1. Measures on the experiences report
Pattern of initial placement
This chart provides information on where the children were
placed immediately following entry into custody/placement authority. While the
options for placement types are varied, eight generalized types were identified:
own home, with relative(s), foster home, group home, hospital, emergency shelter, court approved,
and other. Missing data
are also reported where applicable. The numbers provided indicate the
percentage of children whose initial placement was in one of these placement
types. This information helps in assessing the degree to which a given county,
or the state as a whole, tends to rely on less-restrictive family-based
placement settings rather than more-restrictive congregate care settings.
These data come from the living arrangement field of the DSS-5094 forms.
The following list indicates the living arrangement codes included for each category:
- Own Home: 50 - Home of Parents(s)
- Relative: 52 - Home of Relative (unlicensed)
- Foster Home: 56 - Family Foster Care Home
- Group Home: 57 - Small Group Home (Residential); 58 - Small Group Home
(Treatment); 61 - Large Group Facility (Residential); 62 - Large Group Facility (Treatment)
- Hospital: 63 - Hospital
- Emergency Shelter: 70 - Emergency Shelter
- Court Approved: 99 - Other Placement Approved by the Court
- Other: All other living arrangement codes not included above
- Missing: Missing living arrangement code.
Length of time in custody/placement authority
Length of stay is a longstanding concern regarding
children's experiences in out-of-home care. The charts produced in this
analysis provide a clearer idea of how long children remain in placement
authority. In addition to displaying the median number of days spent in
custody/placement authority for each cohort, percentages of children remaining
in custody at 3 months, 6 months, 12 months, 15 months, 18 months, 24 months,
and 36 months are also included. The estimation of rates of exit from care for
3 months and 6 months make it possible to track the experiences of children who
entered care in recent months. The median number of days reflects the point in
time at which half of all of the children in the cohort have left care.
Experiences of
children ever placed in non-family settings
The notion of least restrictive care is rooted in the belief
that children can be served effectively in family settings, although the needs
of some children may dictate that they be served in more specialized settings,
at least for brief periods. This section contains information on the number of
children in each cohort who are served in non-family settings, the proportion
of children in the cohort that this number represents, the median number of
days in non-family settings, and the median number of days in placement
authority for each cohort of children with reported non-family placements.
Non-family settings include placements other than the child's own home,
placement with a relative(s), and family foster care.
The following are specific living arrangement codes from the
DSS-5094 included in non-family settings: 55 Residential School; 57
Small Group Home (Residential); 58 Small Group Home (Treatment); 61
Large Group Facility (Residential); 62 Large Group Facility (Treatment);
70 Emergency Shelter.
Placement stability
This chart displays information on the
number of placements reported for each cohort of children in placement
authority.
Placement stability excludes short-term placements such as respite
care, hospital visits, etc. Thus, the "No countable placements" category
reflects those children who did not experience any placements.
The following are specific living arrangement codes for placements that were
not counted : Own Home: 50 Home of Parents(s); 59
Children's Camp; 63 Hospital; 64 Supervised Independent Living
Arrangement; 68 Maternity Home; 69 Jail, Lock-up, Detention Facility;
75 Trial Home Visit; 76 Runaway; and 98 Respite.
The amount of follow-up time is an important consideration for this
indicator. More recent cohorts will have fewer placements than older
cohorts simply due to experiencing less time in out-of-home care.
Placement stability within the first year of custody
Taking into account the follow-up time issue, we have added another measure for placement stability.
We count the number of placements within the first year of custody in this measure.
By setting a time limit, it is now possible to compare this measure across cohorts.
Reentry into custody/placement authority
This section provides information about the rate at which
children in each cohort achieve a permanent placement, but later reenter
placement authority. The rate of reentry for each cohort is based on the total number of children in
placement authority for each cohort, the number who left placement
authority, and of those the number who left before their 18th birthday.
The number who reentered placement authority for a second time is
based on those who left before their 18th birthday as only these
children are eligible to reenter care.
Under the analysis section, we use survival analysis to depict
the rate of reentry into foster care. This section
provides information about the rate at which children in each cohort
have achieved a permanent placement and later reenter placement
authority for the second time. The rate of reentry for each cohort
is based on the
total number of children who have achieved a permanent placement
(i.e. their first placement authority has been terminated) before
age 18 for each group. Of those children that have terminated their
first placement authority, the graph depicts the rate of reentry
into their second placement authority. It starts at 0% with no one
in the second placement authority. Over time the rate increases.
Where the line crosses the
10% line, 10% of the children who have terminated their first
placement authority have returned for a second placement authority.
By categories page
This page enables users to compare
the data tables and graphs by age groups, race and gender as well as by
cohort. Age groups include 0 to 5 years
old, 6 to 12 years old, and 13 to 17 years old.
Race categories include White, African-American, American Indian/Alaskan
and Other race. Please note these
categories do not separate ethnicity.
For example, the White category consists of White,
Hispanic and White, and Non-Hispanic individuals.
However, on the State Level Data By Categories and
County Groups By Categories pages, users may choose to view
the data by Hispanic ethnicity.
Exit Type
This is a new measure that we have added to the Experiences report
section to provide statistics regarding the reasons that children exit
DSS custody or placement authority. These types include exits to
permanency, such as reunification, guardianship, and adoption, as well
as other reasons children leave custody, including emancipation,
transfer of custody to another agency, child ran away, death of child,
and interstate compact placements. The data are from the termination
reason field 23 of the DSS-5094 form submitted by the counties to the
state data system. Below are the exit types with associated codes
from DSS-5094.
- Reunification: 01 Custody was returned to parents or primary caretakers from whom the child was removed
- Adoption: 03 The child was legally adopted
- Relative: 02 Legal guardianship with a relative
- Non-removal Parent/Relative : 05 - Custody with non-removal parent or relative
- Court Approved Caretaker :
- 04 Legal guardianship with other court approved caretaker
- 06 Custody with other court approved caretaker
- Emancipation: 07 Child reached age 18 (aged out) or was legally
emancipated
- Other
- Runaway: 09 The child ran away from foster care and DSS was
relieved of custody
- Death: 10 Child died while in foster care
- 08 Transfer of care and responsibility of child to another agency
- 11 Interstate compact placement agreement with another state was
terminated
- 12 Authority revoked for other reasons
- Not Reported: Missing termination reason
2. Federal Child and Family Services Review (CFSR) Measures
Federal measures of state child welfare agency performance are
monitored through the Child and Family Services Review (CFSR)
process. The first round of CFSRs began in 2000 with a set of
federal measures to assess safety and permanency outcomes. In 2006,
in preparation for the second round of reviews, the permanency
measures were changed from individual measures to composite measures.
This page presents data for the Federal outcomes measures used as
part of the first and second rounds of the CFSR process. Although
current performance is evaluated using the round 2 measures, the
previous round 1 measures are provided as a resource for those who
want to continue to monitor performance with the original measures.
We also provide additional information to look at the round 1 CFSR
measures by various categories such as race, gender, and age.
The Federal CFSR measures are based on data from 12-month reporting
periods and provide information about agency performance regarding
child safety and permanency. The CFSR round 1 measures address the
following performance areas: recurrence of maltreatment, incidence
of child abuse and neglect in foster care, length of time to achieve
reunification, length of time to achieve adoption, foster care
reentry, and stability of foster care placements. Although it is not
a CFSR measure, an additional Federal outcome measure is presented
that estimates the percentage of children age 12 and younger that are
placed in group homes. The CFSR round 2 measures address the same
safety measures of absence of recurrence of maltreatment and absence of incidence of child
abuse and neglect in foster care. However, the permanency measures
have been changed to composite measures addressing reunification,
adoption, permanency for long-stay children, and placement stability.
Each composite score is composed of several components or individual
measures. Composite scores for the state are estimated by
consolidating weighted county data for each of these components or
individual measures, which are then scaled to fit on a range from 50
to 150. The federal government set national standards at
approximately the 69th percentile, so if the state composite score is
at this level or higher the state achieves substantial conformity on
this measure. There are no national standards for the components or
individual measures, but we report the 50th and 75th national
percentile to provide a frame of reference.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for
Children and Families provides a statewide data profile of these
measures to North Carolina for use in the CFSR process. The data are
based on the State's submission of data to the National Child Abuse
and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) and the Adoption and Foster Care
Analysis Reporting System (AFCARS). The State data are collected from
case information gathered through state forms DSS-5094 and
DSS-5104. However, the estimates of the CFSR measures for this web site
are based on data received from the North Carolina Department of
Social Services, which may have slight deviations from the
federally-generated measures due to our ability to perform data
cleaning and to provide periodic updates with corrected data.
Although the CFSR measures were estimated as closely as possible to
the original federal definitions of the measures, there may be slight
variations in how we interpreted these definitions and calculated our
estimates based on agreements with NC-DSS staff in order to provide
performance measures that are most useful to the agency. For each of
these federal measures, a full description of the definition and how
they are estimated are provided. Please note that these federal
measures are estimated differently from measures used on the North
Carolina Experiences Report measures.
The CFSR measures on the website may be different from the
published federal numbers for North Carolina State in the data profile.
The federally-generated CFSR measures are calculated based on the
official state submissions of AFCARS and NCANDS data. The AFCARS data
are submitted twice a year and NCANDS data are only submitted once a
year. These data files also only capture limited point-in-time
information about children in care during the time frame under review.
The measures on this website are calculated using the most up to date
information available. Thus, as counties enter more information, such
as date of discharge, discharge reason, or parental rights termination
date, this information is incorporated into the measures available on
the website resulting in slight changes from month to month. Data
entered after the federal submissions are made get incorporated in the
calculation of the website measures. This difference in the source data
results in slight differences between the federal measures in the data
profile and the website measures. However, we have found that as a
whole the difference is negligible in most cases.
3. Abuse & Neglect Report Information
The data on this page were obtained from the Child Protective
Services (CPS) Central Registry System of the NC Division of Social
Services (DSS). This information is collected by the counties and reported to
the state on form DSS-5104. It is important to note that the state only
collects information for CPS reports accepted by the county DSS for
further investigation or assessment.
Longitudinal
The
information in this section is organized by groups or "cohorts" of
children and is based on the state fiscal year (SFY) of the child's
first ever CPS report alleging abuse, neglect or dependency. For
example, the SFY 97_98 cohort is comprised of children whose first ever
CPS report occurred between July 1, 1997 and June 30, 1998. This
"longitudinal" method of organizing the data allows us to follow the
experience of a child over time and ensures that the child is only
counted once. Longitudinal data are widely considered the most
comprehensive data to use in accurately assessing children's outcomes over
time.
- Reports : Reports of abuse, neglect, or dependency by type of findings, referral source, race, ethnicity, gender, and age.
- Repeat Maltreatment: Count (or percentage) of those with repeated CPS reports within 1 year.
- Probability of Placement: The probability or likelihood of
being placed in foster care for children who have reports of abuse,
neglect or dependency.
The probability for all children and for different racial groups is shown.
- All Reports: The probability of placement is calculated from the
first ever report of abuse, neglect or dependency for all children and
for different racial groups.
- Substantiated Reports: The probability of placement is
calculated from the first ever substantiated report (the finding was
abuse, neglect, abuse & neglect, or dependency) for all children
and for different racial groups.
IMPORTANT! North Carolina's Multiple Response System (MRS) began implementation in
some counties (such as Guilford and Mecklenburg) in SFY03_04. The
effect of MRS is seen in the drop in the number of reports that are
substantiated on the forensic track as less severe cases are diverted
to the family assessment track. In these situations, data showing an
increase in probability of placement after SFY03_04 may not be
attributable to an actual increase in placement, but due to the
decrease and change in population being served.
Point in time
The information in this section contains a snapshot of the report
information at the time that the data are generated by SFY. For example,
for SFY 97_98 we count all CPS reports which occurred between July 1,
1997 and June 30, 1998.
- Reports: Report of abuse, neglect, or dependency by different groups
- Number of Children: Displays the total number of children
for whom CPS reports were received by SFY. Again, one should note that
multiple reports can be received for one child. If a child receives
more than one report in a given SFY, we only count the child once for
the SFY. Thus, the term "unique" in this instance only refers to
the current state fiscal year, i.e. a child is only counted once even
if he or she received more than one report in that year. However, if
the child received another report in a prior or subsequent state fiscal
year, he or she will be counted in both years.
- Rate Per 1000: Displays the total number of children
for whom CPS reports were received by SFY per 1000 children under age 18
in the population. Annual census population information is used
and provided at the top.
If a child receives
more than one report in a given SFY, we only count the child once for
the SFY. Thus, the term "unique" in this instance only refers to
the current state fiscal year, i.e. a child is only counted once even
if he or she received more than one report in that year. However, if
the child received another report in a prior or subsequent state fiscal
year, he or she will be counted in both years.
- Number of Reports: Displays total number of reports received by
SFY. It is important to note that this information is report-based.
Thus, one report may include multiple children. We classify each report with a certain race or
ethnicity if all children in the report have the same race or ethnicity.
If the children have multiple race or ethnicity on one report, we classify the report as
'Other' race or 'Unknown/Missing' ethnicity.
4. Foster Care Caseload
The foster care caseload section provides point-in-time foster care
caseload statistics for North Carolina.
End of Month Data
The caseload counts are based
on the total number of children in foster care under DSS custody as
counted on the last day of each month. Caseload statistics are provided
on a monthly basis. The number of children in foster care under DSS custody is further
broken down by the following categories: gender (female and male); age
(0-5 years old, 6-12 years old, 13-17 years old, and 18+ years old);
and race (White, African American, American Indian/Alaskan Native, Other);
Hispanic ethnicity (Hispanic, not Hispanic). The current placement
(relative, foster home, group home, hospital, emergency shelter, court
approved placement, other placement) information is provided in a
separate table.
Annual Data Including Per 1000 rate
The caseload counts are based
on the total number of unique children in foster care under DSS
custody during a particular 12 month period. Caseload statistics are
provided on a rolling quarter basis. We provide gender information as well.
Per 1000 rates are calculated by using the number of children in
custody and the census estimate for that group of children.
5. Census Data for North Carolina
Summary data
These data are taken both from the 2000 Census data, and from 1999
Poverty estimates. They can be found at the U.S. Census website,
www.census.gov/index.html.
Information from the 2000 Census data includes a breakdown of
race/ethnicity and age for the state of North Carolina,
individual counties, county groups by size, and county
groups by judicial district. Information from the 1999 Poverty estimates
includes breakdowns of families by age of children and female headed
households. Data are also provided for individuals in poverty in
overall terms and by age. Data on children in poverty and median
household income are also provided. These poverty estimates are given
for the state of
North Carolina, individual counties, county groups by size, and county
groups by judicial district. Note: The percentage of families in
poverty, the percentage of families in poverty with female headed
household, and the percentage of individuals in poverty are not
availabe for groups of counties as this information is not available.
Poverty census data
This section contains poverty information from Census 2000 data for
the state of North Carolina, individual counties, county groups by
size, and county groups by judicial district.
Data are presented in five categories:
individuals in poverty, citizen and non-citizen, 130% of poverty
level, Caucasians in poverty, and African-Americans in
poverty. Included in the Individuals, Caucasian, and African-Americans
in Poverty sections are presentations of the number of individuals in
poverty for each category and breakdowns for children under the age
of 18 and adults over the age of 65.
SAIPE data
This section contains information on the Small Area Income and
Poverty Estimate (SAIPE) from the census bureau website. SAIPE data are designed
to provide more current estimates of selected income and poverty
statistics than the most recent decennial census. SAIPE data are
presented for years 1997 through 2005 for the state of North
Carolina, individual counties, county groups by size, and county
groups by judicial districts. The main categories of information presented include
estimates of people of all ages in poverty, children in poverty aged
5-17 in families, people age 0-17 in poverty, people under age of 5 in
poverty (available for state only), and median household
income. Ninety percent confidence intervals are also presented
at the state level and individual county levels. For
more information on how the estimates were calculated please see
http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/saipe/.
