1.9 Public Review and Inspection of Child and Family Services Review Materials and Federal Plans | CWS

The CFSP is a five-year strategic plan that sets forth the vision and the goals to be accomplished to strengthen the states’ overall child welfare system.

The APSR provides annual updates on the progress made toward accomplishing the goals and objectives in the CFSP. Completion of the APSR satisfies the federal regulations by providing updates on a state’s annual progress for the previous fiscal year and planned activities for the upcoming fiscal year.

Under section 471(a) of the Social Security Act, as a condition of receiving title IV-E funding, states, territories, and tribes must have a title IV-E plan that is approved by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for Children and Families (ACF). The title IV-E plan is a single document that applies to all three title IV-E program components (foster care, adoption, and kinship guardianship).

The title IV-E plan ensures direct financial assistance is made available to eligible children under the title IV-E program. Further, it ensures that the state will adhere to federal plan requirements primarily intended to ensure children’s safety, permanence, and well-being, and shall be in effect and mandatory in all political subdivisions of the State. A title IV-E plan must be submitted to ACF using a "pre-print". The "pre-print" is a form that lists title IV-E provisions and provides a space for the title IV-E agency to fill in the relevant law, regulation, or policy indicating compliance with the given provision. Once the state plan has been submitted to HHS and approved, it remains in effect until amendments are required. An amendment is required if there is any significant and relevant change in the information or assurances in the plan, or the organization, policies or operations described in the plan (see policy 1.7 Administration: Monitoring, Reviews, Reporting and Independent Audits).

The CFSR is a federal-state collaborative effort designed to help ensure that quality services are provided to children and families through state child welfare systems. They are reviews of state child welfare programs and practice that identify strengths and challenges in state programs and systems, focusing on outcomes for children and families in the areas of safety, permanency, and well-being. The process addresses each systemic factor under review including the statewide/Tribal 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. Reviews also address the outcome areas of safety, permanence, and well-being of children and families served by DFCS using data from AFCARS and NCANDS. State/Tribal agencies found not to be operating in substantial conformity shall develop a program improvement plan.

CAPTA provides funds for states to improve their child protective systems. To be eligible to receive these funds, a state must submit a plan including certain assurances related to how it will operate its CPS system; establish and support citizen review panels; and, to the "maximum extent practicable," annually supply to certain child abuse and neglect data to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). States must also perform a range of prevention activities, including addressing the needs of infants born with prenatal drug exposure, referring children not at risk of imminent harm to community services, implementing criminal record checks for prospective foster and adoptive parents and other adults in their homes, training child protective service workers, protecting the legal rights of families and alleged perpetrators, and supporting citizen review panels. Once approved by the Children’s Bureau, a state’s CAPTA Plan remains in effect for the duration of the state’s participation in the CAPTA Development and Operation grant program, but must be periodically reviewed and revised as necessary by the state to reflect changes in the state’s strategies and programs.

States prepare a Program Improvement Plan to develop or enhance policies, training, and practice identified as needing improvement to increase positive outcomes for children and families. The plan must address any outcome domains or systemic factors that are not in substantial conformity and their associated items.