Memo - NonSub Change Request - Caseworker Instrument Updates

DATE: December 13, 2019

TO: Josh Brammer, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget

FROM: Christine Fortunato, Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families

RE: Request for non-substantive changes to the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-being Third Cohort (NSCAW III): Data Collection (Phase II)

This memorandum requests approval for non-substantive changes to the information collection (IC) effort approved under OMB Control Number 0970-0202. The purpose of these changes is to gather follow-up information at the 18-month follow-up data collection (Wave 2) from child welfare caseworkers about re-reports¹ of maltreatment and the current status of the child’s case in the child welfare agency. These changes include minor follow up questions to previously approved questions. This information is intended to support a better understanding of maltreatment recurrence (substantiated re-report) and time to permanency.

Summary of Proposed Changes

The proposed changes are restricted to the History Since Case Report (HR) module in the follow-up Caseworker survey, as follows:

• For caseworkers who report that the child had at least one other additional report of maltreatment that was substantiated, a new item asking for the date of the first substantiated report.

• A new item asking if the child’s case has been closed by the child welfare agency.

• For caseworkers who report that the child’s case has been closed, a new item that asks the date that the case was closed.

Requested Caseworker Instrument Revisions (additional items shown in red)

Follow-up Services Caseworker “History Since Case Report” (HR) module

C_HR1a

Have any CPS reports on this child been received since [REPORT DATE OR DATE CHILD ENTERED CWS CUSTODY]?

1. YES

2. NO {GO TO C_HR1f}

C_HR1b

How many CPS reports have been received since [REPORT DATE OR DATE CHILD ENTERED CWS CUSTODY]? 

NUMBER: ___________

C_HR1c

Were the CPS reports received since [REPORT DATE OR DATE CHILD ENTERED CWS CUSTODY] about the same incident or for a different incident or incidents?

1. SAME INCIDENT

2. DIFFERENT INCIDENT(S)

3. BOTH FOR THE SAME INCIDENT AND DIFFERENT INCIDENTS

C_HR1d

Were any of the reports received since [REPORT DATE OR DATE CHILD ENTERED CWS CUSTODY] substantiated?

1. YES

2. NO {GO TO C_HR1f}

C_HR1e

What was the date of the first substantiated report received since [REPORT DATE OR DATE CHILD ENTERED CWS CUSTODY]?

C_HR1f

Has this case closed at any time since [REPORT DATE OR DATE CHILD ENTERED CWS CUSTODY]?

                1  YES  

                2  NO {GO TO NEXT MODULE}

C_HR1g

On what date did the case close?

Expected Benefits

We expect these requested changes to improve the collection of information about maltreatment recurrence and time to permanency. The variables added would allow researchers to estimate both safety and time to permanency following the definitions in the current third round of Children and Family Services Review (CFSR 3). The date of the first substantiated re-report of maltreatment is needed to estimate CFSR 3 Safety Performance Area 2: Recurrence of Maltreatment. This estimate requires data that identifies children who were victims of a substantiated report of maltreatment during a 12-month reporting period and were victims of another substantiated maltreatment allegation within 12 months of their initial report. The date the case was closed is needed to estimate CFSR 3 Permanency Outcome 1: Children Have Permanency and Stability in Their Living Situations. This indicator uses both the type of discharge (reunification, adoption, etc.) and the case closed date to estimate time to permanency. This data is not available in any of the national child welfare data sets (e.g., National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System and Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System).

We anticipate that the additional burden of the three items proposed will be very minimal. Two of the three items affect only those caseworkers who report new maltreatment incidents - about 20% of the cases enrolled to date based on the 18-month follow up for NSCAW II. We do not anticipate additional burden on caseworkers.

1Re-report is defined here as any report of maltreatment to Child Protective Services after the investigation that made the child eligible for inclusion in the NSCAW sampling frame.

3