Child-Maltreatment-Research-L (CMRL) List Serve

Message ID: 10698

Date: 2019-03-01

Author:John E. Hudson

Subject:RE: reason for placement

Joseph, Speaking as a former child welfare supervisor in North Carolina and someone who analyzes state data on a regular basis, NC still lacks a statewide system and entry is done in an old terminal system, sometimes with clerical staff entering this data from 100 different counties. Our specific county created its own system over ten years ago and tracks reasons for placement very carefully but my confidence in state data from NC would be minimal at best. Yours, John E. Hudson, MSW Performance Management 828 250-4810 (o) 828 775-7298 (c) “No man is so foolish that he may sometimes give another good counsel, and no man so wise that he may not easily err if he takes no other counsel than his own. He that is taught only by himself has a fool for a master.” - HST From: bounce-123383134-69476758@list.cornell.edu On Behalf Of Joseph Ryan Sent: Thursday, February 28, 2019 11:17 AM To: Child Maltreatment Researcher List (CMRL) Subject: reason for placement Hello list members. I am wondering about the accuracy of the "reasons for placement" category reported in AFCARS. Are States confident about how these data are collected and reported? I am particularly interested in the substance abuse indicator. There seems to be consistent stories about the opioid crisis and large increases in the foster care populations around the country. The AFCARS estimates indicate small increases in substance abuse as a reason for placement. I am just curious as to whether there are any studies on how accurate this item is captured. I know several States that suggest this measure is not to be trusted. Just looking for something a bit more empirical. Any leads would be appreciated. Joe -- Joseph P. Ryan, Ph.D. University of Michigan Child and Adolescent Data Lab ssw-datalab.org Email correspondence to and from this address is subject to the North Carolina Public Records Law and may be disclosed to third parties by an authorized State or County official. Unauthorized disclosure of juvenile, health, legally privileged, or otherwise confidential information, including confidential information relating to an ongoing State or County procurement effort, is prohibited by law. If you have received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender immediately and delete all records of this e-mail.

Joseph, Speaking as a former child welfare supervisor in North Carolina and someone who analyzes state data on a regular basis, NC still lacks a statewide system and entry is done in an old terminal system, sometimes with clerical staff entering this data from 100 different counties. Our specific county created its own system over ten years ago and tracks reasons for placement very carefully but my confidence in state data from NC would be minimal at best. Yours, John E. Hudson, MSW Performance Management 828 250-4810 (o) 828 775-7298 (c) “No man is so foolish that he may sometimes give another good counsel, and no man so wise that he may not easily err if he takes no other counsel than his own. He that is taught only by himself has a fool for a master.” - HST From: bounce-123383134-69476758list.cornell.edu On Behalf Of Joseph Ryan Sent: Thursday, February 28, 2019 11:17 AM To: Child Maltreatment Researcher List (CMRL) Subject: reason for placement Hello list members. I am wondering about the accuracy of the "reasons for placement" category reported in AFCARS. Are States confident about how these data are collected and reported? I am particularly interested in the substance abuse indicator. There seems to be consistent stories about the opioid crisis and large increases in the foster care populations around the country. The AFCARS estimates indicate small increases in substance abuse as a reason for placement. I am just curious as to whether there are any studies on how accurate this item is captured. I know several States that suggest this measure is not to be trusted. Just looking for something a bit more empirical. Any leads would be appreciated. Joe -- Joseph P. Ryan, Ph.D. University of Michigan Child and Adolescent Data Lab ssw-datalab.org Email correspondence to and from this address is subject to the North Carolina Public Records Law and may be disclosed to third parties by an authorized State or County official. Unauthorized disclosure of juvenile, health, legally privileged, or otherwise confidential information, including confidential information relating to an ongoing State or County procurement effort, is prohibited by law. If you have received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender immediately and delete all records of this e-mail.